106: A second life, luring you into the trap!

The quiet room was silent, save for the hum of the Formation in operation.

Gu Changsheng stared at the piece of charred wood in his palm, his gaze even more focused than when he was counting Spirit Stones.

"Slap."

With a flick of his hand, he slapped a High Grade Tier 2 talisman onto the stone door of the quiet room.

This was not enough.

He pulled four Formation Flags from his storage ring and planted them in the four cardinal directions. As spiritual power was injected, a layer of pale gray mist rose, completely isolating the already sealed secret room into an independent world.

Having done all this, Gu Changsheng finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Refining a death substitute puppet caused a massive commotion. If even a sliver of its Aura leaked, attracting the city's Law Enforcement Team would be a minor issue; if those old monsters with noses sharper than dogs caught the scent of "spirit-dwelling divine wood," Qingsong Immortal City would likely become his burial ground in an instant.

"Wealth is found in danger, but that danger must be within a controllable range."

Gu Changsheng sat cross-legged and adjusted his breathing.

The Qingyuan Mana inside him flowed slowly through his Meridians like a trickling stream until it had completed three great cycles, pushing his essence, energy, and spirit to their Peak state.

He extended his right hand, his index finger like a knife, and suddenly slashed across the palm of his left hand.

"Squelch."

The flesh peeled back, and blood gushed out.

Gu Changsheng didn't even flinch. Instead, he channeled his spiritual power to force out three drops of Life Essence Blood hidden within his heart.

These three drops of blood were not deep red but shimmered with a faint cyan-gold light. As soon as they appeared, the vitality within the secret room grew significantly denser.

Life Essence Blood is the Foundation of a Cultivator.

Losing even one drop would require months of bitter cultivation to recover.

An ordinary Cultivator would never be so wasteful, but there was only fanaticism in Gu Changsheng's eyes.

"Go."

He flicked his finger.

The three drops of essence blood landed precisely on the charred and cracked bark of the Sunken Yin Wood.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.

It was like boiling oil being poured into snow.

That piece of rotten wood, which had been lifeless and smelling of mildew, actually let out a shrill shriek similar to a baby's cry.

It was resisting.

It was also craving.

The cracks on the wood's surface instantly gaped open like countless thirsty little mouths, greedily devouring the life-filled essence blood.

In just a single breath,

the three drops of essence blood were completely consumed.

"Not enough?"

Gu Changsheng's face turned slightly pale, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

This spirit-dwelling divine wood was an ancient marvel. Although it had been dead for ten thousand years, that sliver of Innate spirituality had not been extinguished. To refine it for his own use, he had to feed it until it was full.

"Since you want to eat, then I'll let you eat your fill!"

Gu Changsheng's hands formed seals as he chanted the most obscure incantations from the Withered Wood Meets Spring Scripture.

Boom!

He no longer suppressed his cultivation.

The vast mana of the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage, carrying the boundless vitality within his body, turned into a pillar of cyan light and poured violently into the wood.

Withered wood meets spring.

At this moment, Gu Changsheng's face turned gray at a visible rate, and his originally full skin began to show signs of slight shriveling.

He was using his own life to trade for the wood's life.

Pain.

A pain that pierced deep into his marrow.

It felt as if his entire essence, energy, and spirit were being forcibly extracted by an invisible giant hand.

The piece of wood floated in mid-air, trembling violently.

Crack.

Crack.

The originally charcoal-black bark began to fall off in large chunks, revealing the dark red wood beneath.

Those wood grains were no longer static annual rings but began to twist and squirm, gradually transforming into a complex network similar to human Meridians and blood vessels.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

In the secret room, a second heartbeat actually rang out.

It was perfectly synchronized with Gu Changsheng's heartbeat, without the slightest discrepancy.

"Withered on the outside, flourishing on the inside."

Gu Changsheng gritted his teeth, a trace of blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. He slammed his hands together and roared at the ball of red light.

"Substitution!"

Hum!

A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted.

Gu Changsheng felt his Dantian empty out. That pool of Qingyuan Mana he had accumulated over many years was drained by a full seventy percent in an instant!

Had it been an Early Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator with an unstable Foundation, they would likely have been sucked dry into a mummy by now.

Light flared brilliantly.

Piercing cyan and red light filled his entire vision.

When the light dissipated,

the piece of rotten wood was gone.

In its place was a palm-sized puppet, floating quietly in front of Gu Changsheng.

The puppet was dark red all over, its surface covered in natural wood grains. Although its features were blurred, its charm was seventy percent similar to Gu Changsheng's.

Especially those eyeless sockets—deep and hollow, exuding a strange spirituality.

Gu Changsheng reached out with a trembling hand and grabbed the puppet in his palm.

It felt warm and smooth like jade, and even carried a hint of body heat.

The moment he touched it, a wonderful telepathic connection arose spontaneously.

It was as if this was no longer a dead object, but an extension of his own body.

"It's done."

Gu Changsheng's body went limp, and he slumped back onto the stone bed without any decorum.

He gasped for breath, his clothes already soaked with sweat; he looked as if he had just been fished out of water.

Weak.

Unprecedentedly weak.

But the smile on his face grew wider and wider, finally turning into a silent, wild laugh.

"Haha..."

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Gu Changsheng coughed up blood while laughing, his fingers still tightly clutching the puppet, his knuckles white from the force.

It was worth it.

All the essence blood, all the mana, all the pain.

At this moment, it was all worth it.

He could clearly perceive the power of laws contained within the puppet.

As long as he received a fatal blow, this puppet would instantly activate, taking all the damage in place of his true self and teleporting him randomly ten thousand miles away.

This was a second life.

It was his greatest assurance in this dog-eat-dog Cultivation World.

"From now on, no one below the Purple Mansion can kill me."

Gu Changsheng struggled to sit up and carefully stored the puppet in the deepest part of his Dantian.

Just then,

Boom!

A dull roll of thunder faintly penetrated the layers of Formations and reached the underground secret room.

Gu Changsheng's movements paused.

He looked up at the thick rock layer above, his gaze seemingly piercing through the earth to the distant night sky.

That direction... was outside the city.

A heart-palpitating fluctuation of spiritual power, even from dozens of miles away, still made the air tremble slightly.

That was the commotion of a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator fighting for their life.

There was even a hint of the heaven-and-earth pressure unique to a Purple Mansion True Person mixed in.

The hunt had begun.

Gu Changsheng withdrew his gaze expressionlessly.

He didn't even go to investigate the excitement.

That was a feast for the strong and a funeral for fools.

It had nothing to do with him.

"Sleep."

Gu Changsheng pulled a rejuvenation pill to restore his Origin Qi from his Storage Pouch, popped it into his mouth, and then fell asleep immediately.

This sleep was exceptionally peaceful... The next morning.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, splashing onto the streets of Qingsong Immortal City.

Despite the seemingly peaceful morning, a faint scent of blood permeated the air.

In the streets and alleys, countless Cultivators huddled together, whispering in panic.

Gu Changsheng had already resumed his appearance as a cold, middle-aged Daoist. He sat in the small courtyard of his Immortal Cave, holding a spirit fruit and munching on it slowly.

In his Sea of Consciousness, the golden panel lit up on time.

【daily intelligence refreshed】

【Intelligence 1: Last night during the Chou hour, a great Foundation Establishment battle broke out at the mass grave three hundred miles outside Qingsong Immortal City. Residual Scorching Sun Aura remains at the scene, and nothing grows within a ten-mile radius.】

【Intelligence 2: The Loose Cultivator Zhao Guizhen has fallen, leaving no remains. His Storage Pouch is missing, triggering a free-for-all between three factions.】

【Intelligence 3: Duobao Pavilion has claimed responsibility for the incident, sternly condemning the act of killing for treasure and stating they will strengthen security... though no one believes them.】

【Intelligence 4: Seven Qi Refining Stage Loose Cultivators who were watching from the sidelines last night had their heart Meridians shattered by the aftershocks due to being too close, dying on the spot.】

Gu Changsheng looked at these lines of crimson text without a ripple on his face.

"Crunch."

He took a bite of the spirit fruit, the crisp sound exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard.

Sweet.

Overflowing with juice.

"As expected."

Gu Changsheng swallowed the fruit, a mocking curve playing on the corner of his mouth.

"Men die for wealth, birds die for food."

That Zhao Guizhen thought that by buying a Scorching Sun treasure, he could change his fate and push for the Purple Mansion.

Little did he know that the moment he bid for the "Scorching Sun Dew," he was already a dead man.

Without enough strength to protect it, a treasure is but a death warrant.

Next, it would be his "old friend's" turn.

The crisp sound of chewing echoed in the small courtyard, and the juice of the spirit fruit slid down his throat, bringing a hint of coolness.

Gu Changsheng casually tossed the fruit pit into the soil and tapped lightly in the Void Realm.

His Sea of Consciousness trembled, and the originally blurred intelligence panel instantly became sharp and clear after the injection of two hundred Spirit Stones.

【Deduction successful】

【Target locked: Fierce Soul】

【Cultivation: Early Foundation Establishment Stage (floating corpse Qi, unstable Foundation)】

【Identity: Outcast of the Southern Border's Corpse Yin Sect, currently an Eastern Wasteland bounty hunter】

【immortal foundation: Decaying Transformation】

【Current Location: Qingsong Immortal City, Drunken Immortal Tower, Heaven-grade room】

【Real-time Status: Currently using the scent of cosmetics in the wine tower to mask the stench of a corpse, sewing a new female corpse puppet. Having been intimidated by pressure at the auction, he feels resentful and intends to intercept and kill "weak" bidders to vent his anger.】

"Vindictive?"

Gu Changsheng looked at these four crimson characters, his eyes showing no ripple, only the indifference of looking at a dead man.

This kind of person is like a rat in the gutter.

If you are strong, he shrinks into the shadows and grinds his teeth; if you show even a slight flaw, he will pounce and bite like a mad dog.

Leaving him alive overnight would only be disgusting.

"Since you want to play, I'll send you on your way."

Gu Changsheng stood up but did not head straight out.

He first went to the quiet room and adjusted his breathing in front of a bronze mirror.

The steady, mountain-like Aura belonging to the Middle Foundation Establishment Stage began to show a very subtle disturbance.

His face changed from cold to slightly pale, and a trace of wavering panic appeared in his eyes.

He looked just like a nouveau riche who had just come into a fortune, only to find himself being watched, anxious to flee yet trying to appear calm.

"Acting? I'm a professional."

Gu Changsheng looked at his "strong on the outside, hollow on the inside" self in the mirror with satisfaction, then turned and pushed open the courtyard door... Qingsong Immortal City, Drunken Immortal Tower.

This place was a den of luxury and a land of gentle dreams, the air forever filled with the sweet scent of cosmetics and the mellow aroma of wine.

Inside the Heaven-grade room, however, it was as cold as an ice cellar.

All the windows were sealed tight with thick black cloth, letting in not a single ray of light.

Fierce Soul sat cross-legged on the bed, holding a ghastly white bone needle, concentrating on stitching a young female corpse's back.

The corpse's skin was as pale as paper, yet it weirdly retained its pre-death elasticity, clearly having died not long ago.

"Damn old geezer..."

Fierce Soul cursed under his breath as he stitched, his voice as raspy as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"Daring to suppress me just because of your deep cultivation? Once I finish refining this 'glamorous corpse,' I'll definitely suck your essence blood dry!"

Just then, a black Jade Slip hanging from his waist suddenly vibrated.

Fierce Soul's movements paused; he put down the bone needle and probed it with his Divine Sense.

The next second,

a bloodthirsty, ecstatic grin suddenly bloomed on his sinister, withered face.

"Hehehe..."

"He's out?"

"And in such a hurry? He went to Duobao Pavilion to buy some rejuvenation pills and then ran toward the west of the city?"

Fierce Soul stood up abruptly, a red light flaring in his eyes.

"As I thought, he's just a fake!"

He had suspected before that although the old guy's Aura was terrifying, there was a hollowness in his Divine Sense, unlike something cultivated properly.

This sudden flight only confirmed his suspicion.

He must have used some secret technique or a one-time treasure to force his Aura up, hoping to scare off competitors.

"Finished acting and now you want to run?"

"How can it be that easy!"

Fierce Soul flipped his palm, storing the corpse puppet on the bed into his Storage Pouch. He then transformed into a trace of a ghost-like wind and slipped out through a crack in the window.

The hunting hour had begun... West of the city, the setting sun dyed the sky blood-red.

Gu Changsheng did not fly on a sword.

He stayed close to the ground, using the Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Step, his figure like a panicked rabbit darting through the wilderness.

His speed wasn't fast; he even stumbled a bit.

Every ten miles, he would stop and look back "warily," then swallow a Medicinal Pill and continue his journey.

This only further strengthened the confidence of the pursuer behind him.

"Caught up!"

Thirty miles away, Fierce Soul licked his dry lips, the greed in his eyes almost overflowing.

That old guy's Aura was becoming more and more chaotic.

And in his panic, he was actually running toward a dead end like "Soul-Falling Slope."

The Yin baleful Qi there was extremely heavy, and ordinary Cultivators would avoid it at all costs, but for a demonic Cultivator of the Corpse Yin Sect like him, it was a natural home field.

"Heaven is helping me!"

Fierce Soul no longer concealed his figure. Stepping onto a flying copper corpse, his speed suddenly surged, and he turned into a black line, pouncing straight ahead.