As the six Heart-Bewitching Gu Butterflies circled and ascended, specks of brilliance rained down from their bodies. At first glance, they resembled silver snowflakes dancing in the air, a truly beautiful sight.
Under the sunlight, these silver specks transformed into a riot of colors, as if a seven-colored snow had begun to fall. Against the backdrop of the surrounding green vegetation, everyone present gasped in astonishment, their mouths agape.
Among these onlookers, only one person showed no surprise. Instead, a wail escaped their lips.
"Heart-Bewitching Butterfly Gu..." The voice belonged, naturally, to Hei Pao, the successor of the Ghost Gu lineage.
Before the sound had even faded, the Iron Corpse Poison Bees, which had been locked in a deadly aerial combat, began to dissipate at a speed visible to the naked eye. They melted away like snowflakes meeting the sun, vanishing completely without a trace.
Not only the Iron Corpse Poison Bees, but also the Mountain Specters controlled by the Corpse-Controlling Gu, were similarly dissolving. The surrounding trees and grass were also vanishing at a visible rate.
Within mere breaths, the once verdant mountain valley had transformed into a desolate wasteland, a patch of blackness. Compared to the surrounding green areas, it was an undeniable dead zone.
The flowers were dead, the grass was dead, all life had perished. Only the six Heart-Bewitching Gu Butterflies continued their graceful dance in the air. Then, one stopped fluttering its wings, and the others followed suit. Finally, they formed a beautiful arc in the sky and plummeted downwards.
They were like celestial maidens dancing in the air, painting their most beautiful dance. Before hitting the ground, they turned to dust. If one had not witnessed it firsthand, no one would have imagined that the culprits behind the scene were six Gu insects that resembled butterflies.
Silence. An absolute, profound silence. There was not a single insect chirp in the surroundings. Even the wind seemed to take a detour. The outside was eerily quiet, and inside the cave, our group was equally silent. If not for the occasional clattering of teeth, it would have been perfect.
"Is... is this still human?" the owner of the chattering teeth finally spoke.
Faced with Gui Jianchou's question, none of us knew how to answer. We had never witnessed anything so bizarre. It was more potent than any biological weapon.
No wonder they say one should not provoke a witch doctor. If you do, they can drag you back even from the underworld. This statement was now thoroughly verified.
No wonder Wu Yun could stand shoulder to shoulder with the Sleeping Daoist of Maoshan and the Grand Heavenly Master Fang of Longhu Mountain. With this single display, she could annihilate a small sect. Who would dare provoke such a fearsome woman? One would do well to avoid her.
Just as we were all stunned by Wu Yun's methods, a hoarse laugh echoed from outside.
"Haha... Heh heh... A good technique. I always thought the strongest Gu of the Wu Gu clan was the Golden Silkworm Gu. It seems that rumor is false. You have cultivated the Heart-Bewitching Butterfly Gu, something that exists only in legends. To deal with you, I will have to be serious."
As the voice fell, the Ghost Gu practitioner in black robes slowly rose from the ground, much like Tu Xingsun. First, a head emerged, then the body, and finally, he stood steadily before Wu Yun.
"Damn it... Isn't this guy Tu Xingsun? How did he emerge from the ground?"
"It shouldn't be, right? Tu Xingsun is a mythical figure. How could he..." Zhang Dabiao wanted to argue with Wang Defa, but he couldn't find a rebuttal as the man had indeed emerged from underground.
"What's there to be so surprised about? He's using the Vine Gu. When encountering danger, he quickly makes the Vine Gu burrow underground, excavate a safe spot, and then re-emerge. It looks strange, but it's actually a trivial matter."
At some point, Yue'er had also come to our side. However, for some reason, her expression towards Wu Yun outside the cave seemed somber, tinged with worry.
"Vine Gu? Is that also a type of Gu? I've never heard of it!" Wang Defa, in his probing nature, asked. But he had asked the wrong person. Yue'er wouldn't answer him, as her gaze was fixed on the outside.
Wu Yun's face was somewhat pale. Using the forbidden technique had caused some disorder in her spiritual energy. She had thought that by employing the forbidden Heart-Bewitching Butterfly Gu, she could easily subdue the black-robed man before her, but she hadn't expected him to evade it so easily.
The Heart-Bewitching Butterfly Gu was second only to the Golden Silkworm Gu, and very few people knew about it. The reason for using it was twofold: to quickly deal with the Ghost Gu successor and to impress Yue'er.
Her pride and joy, the Golden Silkworm Gu, dared not look up in Yue'er's presence, even showing fear. This was unacceptable to the proud Wu Yun. Although she was nearing forty, she had never experienced defeat in her Gu cultivation. Only when facing Yue'er, a girl not even twenty years old, did she taste failure. This was why she had immediately unleashed her ultimate move, the Heart-Bewitching Butterfly Gu.
"The Ghost Gu is nothing more than this? If I hadn't been quick enough to escape, you would have turned to dust by now. What time do you have to spout nonsense here?"
Wu Yun's taunt made the other party tremble with rage. The black robes covering his short stature shook uncontrollably.
"Heh heh... haha... It's been a long time since anyone dared to speak to me like this. Today, I will let you know the might of my Ghost Gu lineage." With that, the Ghost Gu practitioner in black robes removed his outer robe. When his form was revealed, everyone vomited, and even Yue'er gagged.
Was this still human?
What met their eyes was a body covered in a sickly green hue, dotted with lumps and cavities of various sizes. The lumps continuously exuded a white, paste-like viscous substance, while from the cavities, nameless insects occasionally emerged. After nibbling a few mouthfuls of the white paste, they would burrow back into the cavities...
"Ugh... Is this still human? How disgusting!"
"It's over. I'm going to gouge my eyes out..."
"..."
Various curses erupted from the mouths of the onlookers, but the most prevalent sounds were those of vomiting. The acrid stench once again filled the cave.
"I never imagined he would turn himself into a Gu nest. He's truly ruthless," Yue'er said, frowning with disgust as she observed the scene outside.
"Gu nest? What does that mean? A nest for Gu insects?" I asked, still feeling nauseous, and pursued the question with curiosity.
"Yes, exactly what you said. He uses his own body to raise Gu insects and utilizes their reproduction to nourish himself. He is now a Gu nest. As long as he is not dead, an endless stream of Gu insects will emerge from his body, making him incredibly difficult to deal with..."
Outside the cave, upon seeing his body, Wu Yun's expression turned grave, and her breathing became heavy.
"You actually managed to research this kind of evil Gu... It seems it was the right decision to expel you from the Wu Gu clan back then..."