High above the nameless land, where the cold winds howled and the earth was barren, the split soul of Old Man Yan Shi floated in the air, still and calm.
The body of the old Wisdom Path Gu master was now his. With his mind fully consumed by Yan Shi's essence, there was nothing left of the kind-hearted sage who once walked the streets of Shang Clan City. The split soul, now a new being, wasted no time in consolidating its power.
In his spectral hand, the red date immortal essence sparkled.
It was a gift from his master that was left in his soul, and was the reason he could take over the Old man's body so easily.
Now, it will grant him nearly limitless mortal essence. He had no intention of squandering such power. The immortal essence surged within him like an unstoppable river, refining the Gu worms that the old master had once carried. With each moment, the split soul gained mastery over his new tools.
Sitting cross-legged in the sky, his eyes closed in deep focus, he began to prepare his next move.
In a short time, he made a powerful killer move, one that would have been impossible for the mortal he inhabited to make, was now within his grasp.
His great grandmaster attainment in the Wisdom Path was a great help, thanks to the Old Man Yan Shi deciding to share his attainment with his clone.
Old Man Yan Shi will was guiding him with an unrelenting determination. Ning Zu was out there, and the split soul would not rest until he found him.
A blinding light exploded from the split soul's body after he activated the killer move.
What began as a single flicker quickly grew into a sphere of brilliance, illuminating the land below as if a miniature sun had descended from the heavens. The lights, pure manifestations of wills, multiplying with time.
The killer move could transport anyone to a place they desired, but no rank 5 could preform it because it demanded a lot of moral essence to activate, but with the red date immortal essence the clone had, which was the equivalent of a near infinite mortal essence, preforming this move was possible.
The killer move activated in full force, and the split soul's form blurred as it dissolved into light. He could feel the world shifting around him as the wills carried his consciousness through space itself. In an instant, he was no longer floating above the nameless wasteland. Instead, he appeared within the heart of the Shang Clan City.
The cold iron walls of the Shang Clan leader's throne room greeted him. The room was dimly lit, save for the faint flicker of torches mounted on the walls. Sitting on a carefully carved iron throne, the Shang Clan leader leaned back, resting his chin on his hand.
He was Shang Yan Fei, a righteous path Gu master, a man with red hair and one who was known for his handsomeness and his iron will.
His expression was one of curiosity, yet caution as he recognized the man before him.
"Old Feng," the Shang Clan leader greeted him, his deep voice echoing in the room. He addressed the split soul by the name of the body's former master. "What brings you here, and why now?" His sharp eyes narrowed, already suspicious. The destruction of the Letter Sending Green Bird Gu had not gone unnoticed.
The split soul's lips curled into a faint smile, but his eyes gleamed with something darker. "I've come to make a deal."
The Shang Clan leader scoffed, sitting up straighter in his iron throne. "A deal? After ignoring my offers for years and destroying my Gu? You'll forgive me if I don't believe you're here with good intentions."
The split soul's smile didn't waver. "I'll pay you for the Gu. I had to destroy it to maintain appearances. People are watching me closely, and if they believed I was making a deal with you, my plans would be abrupted."
The Shang Clan leader's eyes widened in shock. 'How could he know that?', Shang Yan Fei has sent a squad especially made to counter Old Feng's methods.
He quickly composed himself, suppressing his surprise. "Hmph. I suppose it's not too surprising for a Wisdom Path Gu Master to be aware of such things." He gestured dismissively. "What deal are you proposing then?"
The split soul stepped closer, his voice calm yet laced with intent. "I'll work for you. I'll serve as your right-hand man, as long as you meet my three terms."
The Shang Clan leader raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. What are these terms of yours?"
"First of all, I will work for you, not for the Shang Clan, but for you alone."
The leader leaned forward slightly, intrigued despite himself. "Go on."
"Second," the split soul continued, "I want a 120-year lifespan Gu Immediately after you agree on the deal."
The split soul talked with confidence, as if the deal was already made.
The Shang Clan leader's face hardened, his lips curling in a sneer. "120 years? You think I'm made of treasures? I can offer you 80 years at best."
The two men locked eyes, the tension thick in the air. They haggled back and forth, words sharp as blades. But the split soul was persistent, unyielding. After several minutes, they settled on 100 years lifespan Gu that would extend the split soul's existence and solidify his place by the leader's side.
"Fine," the Shang Clan leader said, leaning back once more. "100 years. Now tell me your third condition."
For the first time, the split soul's expression shifted, softening with feigned sorrow. "I had an older brother once. He died long ago. But he had a son, my nephew, who ran away after his father's death. He settled far from here, in the southern borders, but he too has passed. He left behind a child, though, and I intend to find that child."
The Shang Clan leader listened in silence, his fingers tapping on the armrest of his throne. "The southern borders are vast," he said cautiously. "There are many clans there. Do you have any leads?"
"I do," the split soul replied, his voice growing solemn. "This relative of mine was born with a molten bloodlusty soul. And the biggest problem is that I've deduced that the child's "cycle" is soon."
The Shang Clan leader's face paled in disbelief. "A molten bloodlusty soul? In this era? That's rarer than a natural born extreme physical body."
The split soul nodded. "Indeed. It's why I need your help to track him or her down."
For a moment, the Shang Clan leader remained silent, lost in thought. His gaze drifted toward the flickering torches, memories of his own unfulfilled desires stirring within him. He thought of the Zhang Clan, of the woman he had once sought and failed to find. His eyes flicked back to the split soul, and a calculating smile crept across his face.
"Very well," the Shang Clan leader said. "I'll help you, but on one condition, you help me find her."
The split soul tilted his head slightly. "Her?"
"Yes. There's someone I've been searching for in the Zhang Clan, but I couldn't find her because of our bad relationship with the Zhang Clan. If you help me find her, I'll give you all the information you need on the southern border clans."
The split soul's smile returned, darker than before. "Agreed."
With a wave of his hand, the Shang Clan leader summoned an information path Gu, an immortal one at that.
The split soul was kinda taken aback, but he didn't show it at all.
With that, the clan leader activated it using a green grape immortal essence that was hidden in his aperture, sealing the deal.
———
Ning Zu stood in the center of his quiet cultivation room, his hands brushing over the array of materials he'd gathered. The air was cool and heavy with the scent of various wines he had carefully crafted. The most important ingredient lay on the table before him: the rank 2 despair core, pulsing faintly with dark energy.
Today, Ning Zu was ready to upgrade his Wine Worm Gu, to the next rank. Everything had been meticulously prepared.
Eight types of wines, including the ones he used in the previous refinement, the rare dragon scale from a rank 3 lightning dragon, and of course, the despair core.
He then glanced over the four special wines he had created: the crying wine made from the tears of tortured mortals, the blood wine from a wild beast he hunted, the heart wine brewed from the hearts of several mortals , and the bamboo wine mixed with honey from his father's collection, making it to a new wine.
He had won the dragon scale in a competition at the academy, a prize for being the first to achieve peak-stage rank 1 cultivation. He could have chosen other rewards, but the scale was the most valuable to his ambitions.
He held the Wine Weaver Gu, a small bee like Gu worm with large, round eyes and a tiny tail in place of a stinger. This little creature could turn any liquid into wine within hours, and it had proven invaluable in his recent refinements.
It was one of the three Gu he managed to refine these past few days out of the dozens of other Gu he tried to refine.
He sighed, muttering under his breath. "Heaven's Will… always in my way."
Just then, the door to his room creaked open. A servant entered, carrying a large cauldron, his expression nervous as he approached Ning Zu.
"Young Master, I brought the cauldron as you asked," the servant said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ning Zu nodded. "Put it in the center of the room. Then leave. Tell no one to disturb me."
As the servant moved to place the cauldron, Ning Zu suddenly felt a wave of dark energy surge through his mind.
His vision blurred as a sharp pain tore through his thoughts. His hand instinctively shot up to his head, gripping it tightly as a violent urge, a deep bloodlust, threatened to overwhelm him.
The servant noticed his distress and hesitated. "Young Master… are you alright?"
Ning Zu's voice was tight, strained. "I'm fine. Get out!"
The servant, clearly terrified, quickly finished placing the cauldron and left the room without another word.
Ning Zu took a deep breath, steadying himself. 'The cycle was nearing' he thought
He could feel the molten bloodlusty soul of his stirring, pushing him toward madness. Each passing day made it harder to control, and the dark thoughts that filled his mind were becoming harder to suppress.
Ning Zu sighed and looked at the cauldron, ready to start the refinement.
With the room finally quiet and the materials ready, Ning Zu had one last thing to do before beginning the process of upgrading the Wine Worm Gu.
It was to break through to rank 2!