Chapter 128: Aggressive

"Treasures capable of protecting the soul are the rarest things in this world. Even if you went elsewhere, you might not be able to find one. However, our Treasure Pavilion does happen to have a Blood Soul Fruit."

"This fruit is grown in a place where countless people have died and the yin energy has gathered. It is nourished with fresh blood and has taken hundreds of years to mature, absorbing the souls of countless dead."

"That doesn't sound like it has a very wholesome origin!" Gu Changqing raised an eyebrow.

He was actually familiar with the Blood Soul Fruit.

This fruit possesses an extremely heavy yin aura. While it can protect the spirit, the soul is also prone to being eroded and damaged by this yin energy, so ordinary people would not dare to use it even if they acquired one.

Furthermore, because of the excessive yin energy and the lingering resentment within the fruit, it is very difficult to process into medicine. It is not entirely impossible, but only the most bizarre and aggressive methods of the Demonic Path would utilize it; the results are unpredictable, and the side effects are immense.

Many demonic cultivators will even seek out a place of gathered yin and slaughter countless people there just to cultivate this Blood Soul Fruit.

"Our pavilion only obtained this one by pure chance!" the man said with a smile. "If there were other treasures capable of protecting the soul, why would they be for sale in our shop?"

That was indeed a reasonable point.

Gu Changqing asked directly, "What is the price?"

Although this Blood Soul Fruit has many drawbacks, it truly met Gu Changqing's needs. As for the yin energy and resentment lingering on it, Gu Changqing did not care.

After all, he practices an orthodox sect technique; what he fears least is a bit of yin energy or resentment.

"Five thousand spirit stones!" The man held up five fingers.

Five thousand spirit stones may seem like a lot, but it is equivalent to the price of two top-tier magical artifacts.

No matter how many flaws it has, it is a rare item capable of protecting the soul, so the price naturally would not be low.

After all, some people suffer damage to their soul from cultivation or other reasons, and even if they know the fruit has many drawbacks, they are willing to take the risk.

"Give the items to him!" Gu Changqing tilted his head, signaling for Li Youling to hand over the "greeting gifts" they had just collected.

Gu Changqing brought out over twenty boxes and handed them over.

Then, Gu Changqing took out his pouch of spirit stones. He had originally had only three thousand left, but he had received over a thousand more from the greeting gifts just now, which was enough.

Soon, the man calculated the value. The herbs and other items in those boxes totaled over twelve hundred spirit stones, the most valuable being a box of Nether Soil worth over a hundred.

Most of the others were only worth ten to dozens of spirit stones; they weren't particularly rare, but because of the sheer quantity, they added up to over a thousand.

Gu Changqing took out another handful of spirit stones, and the man produced the box.

Gu Changqing was left with only thirteen hundred spirit stones.

However, he had never cared much for these worldly possessions. He opened the box to reveal a blood-red fruit, looking like a human head the size of an infant's fist, covered in twisted, pained faces.

Strands of incredibly thick yin energy were clinging to the fruit.

If one were to try and remove this yin energy, the medicinal properties of the Blood Soul Fruit would vanish along with it, which is why it is almost impossible to use as medicine.

Gu Changqing inspected it briefly before putting the Blood Soul Fruit away.

He needed two items in total; now he had one, so he still needed another.

"Do you know anywhere else on this mountain where there might be treasures that protect the soul?" Gu Changqing asked directly.

"I'm afraid I don't know. Even if someone were to obtain such a thing, they wouldn't disclose it to others," the Treasure Pavilion cultivator replied.

Treasures that protect the soul are too rare; finding one depends entirely on destiny.

Gu Changqing nodded and bought three more protective talismans.

Back on Danyang Mountain, he had used up almost all of his talismans; after all, the attacks from so many Awakened were not easy to withstand.

Gu Changqing left the Treasure Pavilion and returned directly to Lingjiu Peak, kicking everyone out of their caves one by one.

"Get out here, all of you! I have questions!" Gu Changqing shouted from the hillside.

The cultivators he had beaten previously crawled out of their caves. There were over thirty of them, and they all bowed to Gu Changqing obediently.

"Senior Brother Gu!"

The thirty-plus people shouted in unison, which was quite an imposing sight.

Seeing them so polite, Gu Changqing felt that his "education" had been quite effective.

"Which of you knows where to find treasures that protect the soul?" Gu Changqing asked directly.

The crowd looked at each other. Finally, one cultivator stepped forward and bowed, "Senior Brother Gu, I have a 'Record of Treasure Appraisals' which mentions that in the northeast of Qingyang Prefecture there is a place..."

"Don't tell me about hearsay. I'm asking who on this mountain has one, or if there is one in the vicinity!" Gu Changqing interrupted him bluntly.

The cultivators of Lingjiu Peak favored fighting and brawling, so they didn't have a wide social circle. Cultivators from other peaks didn't even like to team up with those from Lingjiu Peak for missions.

Treasures that protect the soul are extremely precious; even if someone knew of one, they wouldn't leak the information. How could they possibly know?

"Go and find out for me!" Gu Changqing waved his sleeves. "Whoever brings me news will be rewarded. Magical artifacts, spirit stones, cultivation techniques—you can take your pick!"

He truly wasn't lacking in these things, and even if he were, they were easy to acquire.

The others understood this as well, especially the opportunity to befriend Gu Changqing, the newly rising powerhouse of Lingjiu Peak.

Just now, even three seventh-level Qi Refining cultivators couldn't withstand a single palm strike from Gu Changqing; many guessed that Gu Changqing must have reached the ninth level of Qi Refining.

With such strength, as long as one didn't provoke the Foundation Establishment cultivators or their direct disciples, one could walk sideways across all eighteen peaks.

They immediately agreed and set out to find information.

Gu Changqing then walked up the mountain, but he didn't stop at his own cave; instead, he continued climbing.

Some cultivators who hadn't dispersed yet noticed this, and their hearts skipped a beat.

"Is Senior Brother Gu planning to unify Lingjiu Peak?" one cultivator whispered.

The others looked at each other, agreeing that it was very likely.

Previously, Lingjiu Peak had had a few experts, such as Daoist Mi and Shentu. But one of them spent every day sunbathing on the peak as if he knew he couldn't break through and was just waiting to die, while the other often frequented the depths of the Ancient Savage Mountains and rarely returned even once a month.

These two were not as overbearing as Gu Changqing; if others didn't provoke them, they wouldn't provoke others.

But Gu Changqing was different.

His strength was just as formidable, but his actions were domineering and fierce. He also looked young, so it was very likely he wanted to unify Lingjiu Peak and use its resources to break through to Foundation Establishment.

After all, with Gu Changqing's strength and wealth, he could have moved to the top three peaks long ago, yet he chose to stay here—a fact that made it hard for others not to speculate.

Thinking this, the others became curious about whether Gu Changqing and Daoist Mi would fight, and who would win. Some began to watch from a distance.

From Gu Changqing's cave to the peak where Daoist Mi resided, there were only a dozen or so caves.

Gu Changqing kicked his way through them one by one. When he passed the courtyard he had liked so much last time, he heard the cultivator inside sneer, "Don't waste your effort. I won't come out!"

Gu Changqing glanced coldly at the courtyard and scoffed.

He thought to himself that once he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he would drag him out.

The strongest figures in the entire Lotus Ridge were two Golden Core masters, but they were largely detached from worldly affairs, leaving the management of Lotus Ridge to their disciples. Apart from them, there were only a few Foundation Establishment cultivators.

Who would be able to manage him by then?

Sect rules?

He was the law!

Gu Changqing kicked his way up to the next cave, and finally, someone spoke from inside: "Fellow Daoist Gu, I do not like to contend with others. Why don't we leave each other alone? What you do on this mountain has nothing to do with me, and I will not interfere with you."

Evidently, he had just learned what had happened below.

"Leave each other alone? Are you worthy? Come out and let me beat you, or I'll find a chance to beat you to death!" Gu Changqing sneered.

"Why must you be so aggressive, Fellow Daoist? How about this: if you can defeat Daoist Mi and Shentu, I will follow your lead from now on!" the man added.

Gu Changqing snorted coldly and beckoned to the distance. The cultivators watching from afar hurried over.

"Who is this?" Gu Changqing asked directly.

"This should be Senior Brother Jin Xiu!" one of them replied.

"Draw me a portrait of him, and tell me the moment you see him leave the mountain!" Gu Changqing sneered, his voice filled with undisguised malice.

"Why must you be so aggressive, Fellow Daoist?" Jin Xiu said from inside the cave, sounding somewhat angry.

"I am aggressive, so what?" Gu Changqing scoffed.

Jin Xiu had no choice but to bite the bullet and come out of his cave. He was a man in his forties dressed in silver robes, though his hair was already half-white.

Gu Changqing appeared before him instantly and struck with a palm.

Jin Xiu produced an ancient bronze mirror and shone it at Gu Changqing, saying, "Hit!"

A beam of yellow light shot from the mirror.

Gu Changqing immediately used his Turtle-Snake Bagua Lamp to protect his body, but the yellow light actually pierced through the lamp and landed on him.

Gu Changqing felt as if he weighed ten thousand tons, and even lifting his arms required effort—it was far more powerful than the abilities of gravity-based Awakened.

"Oh? This is interesting!" Gu Changqing's eyes lit up. It was his first time encountering such a magical artifact, and he felt it was no ordinary item.

He immediately released his Yin-Yang Child-Mother Swords from his sleeves, and a River of Blood surged from his hand, firing countless Blood Sea Bee Needles.

Above the River of Blood, a figure emerged—it was Fu Yi, holding a blood sword and shaking out ten thousand points of blood light.

When the others saw Fu Yi on the River of Blood, a chill ran down their spines, as if they had realized something, but seeing that Fu Yi's clothes and hairstyle were completely unlike those of Daye cultivators, they breathed a sigh of relief.

They couldn't quite determine what the figure on the River of Blood was—perhaps a type of magical artifact or something else entirely.

Jin Xiu immediately put away his mirror and retreated back into his cave.

Both the Blood Sea Bee Needles and Fu Yi's blood sword struck the cave's protective array, causing it to shake violently, which was a horrifying sight.

Inside the cave, Jin Xiu said, "Senior Brother's methods are brilliant. I am no match for you and am willing to follow your lead."

Although he had another magical artifact, he couldn't withstand Gu Changqing's relentless onslaught. Furthermore, the Hunyuan Mirror consumed immense amounts of spiritual energy, and even as an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator, he couldn't sustain it for long, so he surrendered immediately.

"It's not that simple! Come out and take a palm strike from me first!" Gu Changqing sneered.

The moment Jin Xiu put away the mirror, Gu Changqing felt the immense gravity disappear.

Jin Xiu smiled bitterly and walked out of the cave. Gu Changqing appeared before him in a flash and struck.

Jin Xiu burned a protective talisman, but Gu Changqing's palm strike left his protective light flickering and on the verge of shattering.

He felt as if a great cauldron containing mountains and rivers had fallen from the sky to suppress him, and a sense of fear arose in his heart.

Gu Changqing struck again. Jin Xiu dared not retreat into the cave, so he had to circulate his energy and raise his arms to block.

This time, his protective light shattered like paper, and his arms were broken by Gu Changqing, his entire body driven into the ground.

Only then was Gu Changqing quite satisfied. To practice martial arts, one must constantly challenge experts and break through one's own limits.

That is how one grows quickly!

"Thank you, Senior Brother, for your mercy!" Jin Xiu pulled himself out of the ground, his expression one of bitter helplessness.

He had never seen anyone as aggressive as Gu Changqing.

He painfully took a bag of spirit stones from his storage pouch and handed it to Li Youling: "A small greeting gift, please accept it, Senior Brother!"

He never thought that as an eighth-level Qi Refining cultivator, he would one day be robbed.

However, through this exchange, he confirmed one thing: Gu Changqing was indeed a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator. He wondered how he compared to Daoist Mi.

"Do you know where there are treasures that protect the soul?" Gu Changqing asked directly.

"I truly do not know!" Jin Xiu replied helplessly.

"Go and find out!" Gu Changqing turned and headed toward the summit, kicking Shentu's cave array on his way.

There was still no reaction.

Gu Changqing reached the summit and saw Daoist Mi still lying on his chair, looking like an old man on the verge of death.

Beside him, on a purple bamboo tea table, sat two teacups.

Hearing the footsteps, Daoist Mi opened his eyes and looked at Gu Changqing. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, sharper than any sword or blade—he no longer looked like an old man on his deathbed.

A moment later, the sharpness vanished.

He sat up, stretched, and said, "It is good for a young man to have drive, but too much drive can be trouble. How about this: I happen to know where a treasure that protects the soul is located. I'll tell you its location, and you stop bothering me from now on, how about that?"

He added, "And this item is right here on Lotus Ridge!"