Ning Zu stood under the dark, swirling sky and made a small motion toward the zombie beside him.
The zombie, understanding instantly, walked to the ball of strings lying on the ground. Without hesitation, it opened its mouth and swallowed the ball whole.
At that moment, the Heavens reacted. The storm clouds above twisted and merged, forming a single enormous face.
Its features were dark and angry, and it descended slowly, looking as though it would devour the entire world.
In the distance, the Bai clan leader and his uncle froze in shock. They had been waiting for the right moment to attack Ning Zu, but this was beyond anything they were prepared for. Fear overtook them, and without a second thought, they turned and fled.
Ning Zu remained calm. He pulled out the Bravery Gu, a small Gu with a powerful glow around it, and threw it to the zombie.
The zombie caught it in its mouth and swallowed it. As soon as it did, an unshakable courage seemed to fill its entire being. It stared at the descending face with no trace of fear.
Then, with a powerful leap, the zombie jumped into the cloud like face, letting it swallow it whole.
The sky continued to descend, but just as quickly as the calamity had started, it vanished. The face disappeared, and the stormy skies cleared, revealing a bright and calm sky.
The zombie landed back on the ground just moments later, completely unharmed. There wasn't a single mark or scratch on its body.
This was the power of the Bravery Gu.
Although it could only be used once, it was a treasure that allowed its user to completely skip a tribulation, as long as it wasn't too much for the Gu to handle.
With the tribulation now gone, Ning Zu stepped forward, pulling out the Yin-Yang Rotation Gu.
He activated it and directed its power toward the zombie. Slowly, the zombie began to change its lifeless, undead form shifted, and its dull eyes regained a spark of life.
In that moment, the zombie had turned back into a woman.
The ball of strings she had swallowed earlier had moved into her womb and settled there.
The Dao marks of the Yin-Yang Path on her body seemed to welcome the change, helping Ning Zu with his refinement.
He bit his finger, letting a drop of blood fall into her mouth. The woman drank it instinctively, unaware that this was the last thing she would consume.
The refinement was complete.
Inside her body, the ball of strings began to come apart, and from within, something started to move.
Her stomach grew as the being inside her grew larger, shifting and taking shape. Ning Zu smiled, pleased with how far the process had come.
But even as he smiled, he knew the truth. It wasn't enough. The creature inside her wasn't fully formed and was growing weaker by the moment.
Ning Zu had prepared for this. He quickly used the remaining strings inside her body to seal the creature, hoping to stabilize it.
But then something unexpected happened. The creature consumed the strings, refining them and using them to build a protective shell around itself.
Ning Zu was stunned. This was better than he could have ever imagined.
The woman, however, was not as pleased. Her body could no longer contain the creature, and she began to convulse.
She tried to keep it in her body, but she vomited it out of her body.
The creature landed on the ground with a soft thud. It looked like a large green egg, with yellow markings running across its surface.
Ning Zu stared at the egg, a wide smile spreading across his face. It wasn't what he had planned, but the result was far better than he had hoped.
The Heavens did not remain silent. As if enraged by Ning Zu's actions, another tribulation struck.
Golden arrows rained down from the sky, their glow bright and deadly.
Without hesitation, Ning Zu stored the green egg safely in a storage Gu. Inside his head, Meng Yan worked quickly, aiding Ning Zu in creating a killer move.
Standing tall, Ning Zu faced the skies. His back was straight, his expression calm, and a confident smile spread across his face. He had defied Heaven's will before, and he was about to do it again.
Mortal Killer Move: Million Man Strings.
In an instant, countless strings erupted around Ning Zu, they twisted and intertwined, growing larger and forming massive shapes.
Gigantic hands emerged from the ground, spreading wide and preparing to protect the mountain.
At the center of the transformation, a giant head began to take shape. It was identical to the heavenly face that had descended earlier, but this one was entirely made of strings.
This was Ning Zu's way of mocking the Heavens.
The massive head rose higher, its torso forming, and the gigantic hands lifted themselves from the earth.
The towering figure stood tall like a deity, its enormous frame shielding the mountain from the golden arrows.
With a loud, earth shaking movement, the figure reached toward the sky, its many hands grabbing at the storm clouds above tearing the clouds apart.
But as the clouds shattered, more golden arrows broke free.
They rained down mercilessly, piercing the string figure from every angle. Holes appeared all over its body, but the figure held its ground. It shielded the mountain, enduring every strike without faltering.
When the last arrow fell, the sky cleared once more, its calmness returning. The tribulation was over, but the damage had taken its toll.
The towering figure, riddled with holes, began to disintegrate. The strings came undone, unraveling and falling apart.
Ning Zu stepped out of the collapsing figure before it vanished completely, untouched by the chaos, as he looked up at the sky.
Ning Zu flew high, his silhouette outlined by the sun's bright light. He paused mid-air, gazing down at the mountain below. A gentle smile appeared on his face as he felt a weight lift from his soul.
The cycle was over.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Ning Zu looked at his own hand. His movements were steady, as he was now in full control over his body.
A single tear slid down his face, breaking the composure he had kept for so long.
While the cycle was still on, any emotion that might have made him weaker was suppressed.
Now, that burden was gone.
He wept not in sadness, but in quiet joy. Someone he cared about deeply was still with him, even if it was only as a will.
Meng Yan, silent, rested in his mind. She didn't speak, but he could sense her happiness. She, too, was glad to be with him again.
Ning Zu closed his eyes and began to speak. His voice was steady yet filled with emotion, reciting words from his heart:
"Like two puppets on a stage, our love's the grand design,
In the play of life, we dance, and our spirits align.
Our love is a symphony, soft whispers and bold calls,
A melody that lingers, echoing in our inner halls.
In this world of chaos, you're the anchor I find,
Holding me steady when I start to unwind.
No matter the storms that life sends in its wake,
We'll dance through the darkness, no steps we'll forsake.
Hand in hand, we will guide our fate ourselves,
In the theater of love, we only have ourselves."
Meng Yan was deeply moved. Hearing Ning Zu's words brought back memories of the past, of times when he would create poems for her every day.
"Thank you," she said. "I will treasure your words forever, my little guardian."
As her words faded, Meng Yan's will left his mind. She manifested briefly as a stone, floating in front of him. The stone cracked and crumbled, leaving behind a single pink flower.
Ning Zu looked at the flower with calm understanding.
This was the flaw of a flesh will, it could not outlive its original body. Although it could heal with ordinary methods, its lifespan would drain whenever it became active.
Despite this, Ning Zu felt no sadness. He held onto hope instead.
The flower that Meng Yan left behind wasn't ordinary. It was a Gu.
To the anyone else, it might seem useless, it had no function, no response to essence, and no value. But Ning Zu knew the truth.
"There is no useless Gu in this world, only useless Gu Masters."
Cupping the flower in his hand, he felt the faint energy of human Qi within it. It was the essence of Meng Yan herself, preserved and waiting. He smiled softly, his resolve unshaken.
With the human Qi inside the Gu, her revival was completely possible.
He gently placed the Gu into his aperture, securing it safely.
"Just wait, Meng Yan," he said quietly. "Someday, you will have a body of your own, I promis."
With the flower secure, Ning Zu made a solemn promise.
"Haaaa,"
Ning Zu took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions. The moment of reflection had passed, and now it was time to complete what he had started.
Reaching into his aperture, he pulled out nearly all the Gu he had gotten from the Gu Yu ancestor. One by one, he placed them in specific locations around the mountain, carefully arranging them in a way that formed a protective circle.
Once everything was in position, he activated the Puppetry Gu, linking every single Gu to the strings that surrounded him.
With precision and control, he guided the strings, pulling them so that they connected and surrounded the Bai Xiong territory like an intricate web.
Every string and Gu connected to one central point in front of Ning Zu.
It was there that he placed the Betrayed Gu, its ominous aura sparking as it linked to the network of strings and Gu.
As soon as the Betrayed Gu activated, it began to tremble violently. Moments later, the entire mountain shook with it. The powerful vibrations resonated through the air as the linked Gu shattered one by one, their energy surging into the strings.
The strings glowed brightly for a brief moment before vanishing entirely. In their place, a massive barrier appeared, shimmering faintly as it enveloped the entirety of the Bai Xiong territory.
Ning Zu surveyed his work and nodded in satisfaction. This barrier would protect what was left of the clan that was devastated and broken by recent events, having almost all of its Gu masters dead.
"Now this is what I call fairness," he said with a faint smirk.
As Ning Zu spoke, a figure hidden beneath a three was watching him.
The Bai Clan leader glared at Ning Zu with such hatred that his teeth ground together, nearly shattering from the pressure.
Unable to contain his rage, he activated the Explosive Water Drill Gu,launching himself into the sky with a burst of power.
"Stop!" Bai Mo Xing, his uncle, shouted in alarm. He reached out, but it was too late.
The Bai Clan leader was beyond reason, his mind consumed by a desire for revenge.
He poured every ounce of his essence into a suicidal attack, intending to take Ning Zu down with him.
His Gu activated, whirling with destructive force as he shot toward his target like a meteor.
Ning Zu turned his gaze upward, unfazed by the incoming threat. A sly smile played across his face as he whispered, "Hey Meng Yan, wanna see something cool?"
There was no response, but Ning Zu continued to speak as if she were still there.
"I'll protect myself without activating any Gu. Look and learn."
With those words, he reached into his aperture and pulled out a small red skull with purple fire burning in its eye sockets, it was the Blood Skull Gu.
The skull sat in his palm, its surface glistening with a reddish aura.
Ning Zu held it firmly, doing nothing more than waiting for the inevitable impact.
The Bai Clan leader, blind with fury, surged forward, his only focus on destroying Ning Zu.
The collision finally came. A massive explosion erupted, shaking the entire mountain range and sending snow cascading from the peaks.
When the smoke cleared, two figures stood in the sky.
Ning Zu remained unharmed, standing casually with his usual smile.
Beside him was the Gu Yu ancestor, his expression twisted with fury.
He activated a sound-isolating Gu, forming a barrier that prevented anyone from overhearing their conversation.
"You bastard!" the Gu Yu ancestor roared, his voice filled with rage. "What if the Gu broke? This wasn't part of our deal!"
Ning Zu's smile shifted from warm to cold, a sinister edge creeping into his expression. It was almost mocking.
"What? Our deal was for me to give you the recipe to refine the Heavenly Essence Treasure Monarch Lotus Gu in exchange for some Gu and for you to lend me the Blood Skull Gu. Now I'm just returning it. The Bai Clan leader happened to get in the way, so blame him, not me."
The Gu Yu ancestor's fists clenched in frustration, but the contract they had made still bound him. With a bitter glare, he hissed, "I'm taking it back now."
Ning Zu nodded calmly, allowing him to take and refine the Blood Skull Gu.
Afterward, the Gu Yu ancestor reached into his aperture and pulled out another Gu, this one containing a soul.
"This is the soul you asked for," he said. "And with this, our deal is done. As agreed, you have one year of truce. After that, we're free to do whatever we want."
Ning Zu nodded, looking at the Gu.
"Remind me, what's the name of the owner of this soul?"
The Gu Yu ancestor turned his back, and told him his name before flying off.
"His name is Gu Yu Fang Yuan."