San Yuan’s all-out attack caught the Gu master inside the coffin by surprise.
Lightning coursed through the swarm of black Gu insects, instantly annihilating every single flying pest.
Those that fell landed like marbles, bouncing a few times before lying still.
The coffin began to tremble, as if the person trapped inside was in a fit of rage.
Sensing an opportunity, San Yuan intended to press its advantage. It circled in the sky once before accelerating towards the coffin at full speed!
*Bang!*
They collided. A crack appeared on San Yuan’s wing, but the coffin was shattered into pieces!
After a deafening noise, the fragments of the coffin began to break apart, stirring up clouds of dust.
With a clattering sound, more Gu insects poured out of the shattered coffin, but mixed among them were various gold and silver treasures!
It seemed this Gu master had a fondness for glittering objects in life, and thus wished to take them into the afterlife.
In the blink of an eye, the coffin was completely destroyed. The scattered gold and silver formed a veritable mountain, a truly spectacular sight.
Though San Yuan was somewhat injured, it felt a flicker of joy at having broken the coffin.
But…
Where had the Gu master from inside the coffin gone?
San Yuan circled in the air, its flight speed hampered by its cracked wing.
Its eyes, however, scanned the mountain of treasure like radar.
The black Gu insects were all exposed. Some were still in their larval stage, wriggling within cocoons.
The adult Gu insects guarded the hoard of gold and silver, perhaps protecting the larvae, the treasures, or even the Gu master.
Suddenly, the adult Gu insects stirred.
They began to burrow madly into the treasure, as if searching for something.
Soon, the gold and silver at the top of the hoard started to roll down, as if something was about to emerge from above.
San Yuan had a premonition: the Gu master’s true form was about to reveal itself.
As expected, a highly decomposed corpse was pushed out by the Gu insects.
The corpse’s age and gender were indistinguishable, its face mangled beyond recognition, with only a few unsightly curls of hair on its head.
The Gu insects even crawled in and out of its orifices!
San Yuan couldn't help but feel a chill. Was this corpse somehow still alive?!
At this moment, the Gu insects did something else that San Yuan had not anticipated.
They began to eat the gold!
Tons of gold, meticulously crafted into various exquisite vessels, were gnawed upon by the Gu insects without a second thought, as if they were desecrating treasures.
In no time, all the gold was consumed. The previously black Gu insects had all turned golden!
The golden Gu insects radiated a lustrous sheen. Each wing was exquisitely detailed, as if carved by the most skilled artisan, but in reality, it was the work of nature’s artistry.
Then, the Gu insects divided into two groups. One group spread their wings and flew towards San Yuan, while the other crawled onto the corpse, attaching themselves to its surface!
The previous black cloud of Gu insects had transformed into a golden cloud, appearing almost ethereal, like a mass of golden auspicious clouds, yet brimming with hidden danger!
San Yuan employed its previous tactic, preparing to strike again with its lightning magic.
However, as it spread its wings and dived into the golden cloud of Gu insects, its attack was not as effective. The golden Gu insects were completely unfazed by the lightning!
They collided head-on with San Yuan’s wings, making a metallic clinking sound, like countless bullets striking San Yuan’s wings.
San Yuan let out a mournful cry. A small hole had been punched through its wing!
This was not the end. The golden Gu insects retracted their wings, swarmed onto San Yuan’s body, and began to devour it!
These ravenous Gu insects could consume gold and bronze completely, let alone San Yuan’s wooden body!
In the blink of an eye, half of San Yuan’s wing was gnawed away, riddled with holes like a leaf eaten by pests.
Deprived of its wings, San Yuan could no longer fly. It struggled a few times, realizing it had no strength left to fight.
Looking at the bronze bell that trapped Yan Shouyi, San Yuan made a decision and gathered all its strength to fly towards the bronze bell!
Yan Shouyi sensed San Yuan’s intention and understood its plan.
“San Yuan…”
Trapped inside the bronze bell, he gritted his teeth.
The bronze bell was too heavy; this was likely the only chance to escape.
“San Yuan, if we strike together, we can do it!”
With that, he set fire to the Gu insects on the ground, then leaped down. The moment San Yuan collided with the top of the bronze bell, he also slammed into the opposite side of the bell’s base.
This way, with an assault from both top and bottom, there was a sliver of a chance to move the bronze bell!
San Yuan drew closer and closer to the bronze bell.
The Gu insects beneath Yan Shouyi’s feet were also regrouping.
Three… Two… One!
Punch!!
*Dong!!!!*
San Yuan crashed into the bronze bell, its already riddled body shattering instantly!
Yan Shouyi also struck the base of the bronze bell forcefully, the vibrating sound nearly causing him to pass out in agony!
But hope was born from despair.
The bronze bell tilted slightly, and a gap slowly opened before Yan Shouyi!
Yan Shouyi seized the edge of the bronze bell and, with all his might, flipped the bell over!
With the combined effort of the two brothers, they had actually toppled the nine-meter-tall bronze bell!
*Dong!!~~*
The bronze bell crashed down, kicking up a cloud of dust and emitting a mournful chime.
“We’re out!”
Yan Shouyi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately looked for San Yuan.
Soon, he found San Yuan, its body battered and broken by the golden Gu insects!
San Yuan’s body, already modified by Yan Shouyi a second time, was much stronger than before.
Yet, it still couldn't withstand the series of attacks and the gnawing of the Gu insects.
“San Yuan!”
Yan Shouyi let out a low shout and rushed to drive away the Gu insects, but they clung to San Yuan’s body like persistent ticks.
This caused Yan Shouyi immense distress.
At this point, the only option was for San Yuan to temporarily abandon this body and have its soul stored in the Yin Wood of Lu Ban.
As Yan Shouyi was about to retrieve the Yin Wood, he suddenly remembered something else.
The Golden Swan Goose from Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, crafted by Huo Ban!
Huo Ban would not have created a golden swan goose that could only fly without reason; it must have been able to house souls, just like San Yuan’s body!
Yan Shouyi immediately took out the Golden Swan Goose from his satchel.
The Golden Swan Goose was intricately crafted and lifelike. Although made of gold, each joint could move as flexibly as wood, making it no less capable than San Yuan’s previous body!
“San Yuan, we’re abandoning this body. Come into the new one!” Yan Shouyi whispered.