477: Chapter 477 The Mother Gu Pond of Ten Thousand Souls

In the border region between Tiannan Province and Siam, deep within the mountains.

A Miao village was hidden like an isolated island in the boundless sea of forests.

This place belonged to a true "three-no-jurisdiction" zone, where miasma and insect chirps blended into the background tone of this primitive jungle.

The night was deep and everything was silent, with only the occasional sound of barking dogs making the surroundings seem even quieter.

In the entire village, only a few stilt houses still glowed with dim yellow lights.

"Click."

A middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses and possessing an elegant temperament pushed open the window.

He gazed at the pitch-black dense forest outside the window, his brows slightly furrowed, and there was not the slightest trace of sleepiness in his eyes; instead, they flashed with a sharp light that was almost materialized.

That was the overflowing manifestation of highly concentrated Mental Energy.

He seemed to be carefully observing something, searching for the slightest clues hidden in the darkness.

"Professor, why are you still not asleep this late?"

On the bed in the inner room, a figure rolled over and sat up, yawning.

That person's hair was as messy as a newly dismantled bird's nest, his face was thin and long, and he still sported a tuft of mustache on his upper lip.

He was precisely Fang Cheng's maternal uncle, Li Dingjian.

"Aren't you the same?"

The professor standing in front of the window did not turn back, replying indifferently.

"The mosquitoes in this lousy place are bigger than fists. If we hold out any longer, I'll become Materials for blood sacrifice first!"

Li Dingjian raised his hand and slapped his arm, leaving a red mark.

Then he groped for the cigarette pack at the head of the bed, only to find that only a layer of foil remained, and they had long been smoked out.

"Sigh, buying a pack of cigarettes here is a luxury."

Sighing, Li Dingjian felt for his phone from the head of the bed again and lit it up; the prompt "Call not connected" on the screen was still lit.

He stared at the name "Fang Cheng" for a moment, stuffed the phone back, and added a bit of irritability to his tone:

"Before smuggling across, I called my nephew to report that I was safe, but that kid actually didn't pick up."

"Now it's even better, this ghost place doesn't even have a signal. In case my family thinks I'm missing, what should I do..."

"Rest assured."

The professor turned around, his gaze calm:

"Once we resolve the matters here, we can return immediately."

"But just when are we going to wait until?"

Li Dingjian scratched his messy hair, shuffled over in his slippers to the window as well, and looked toward the pitch-black forest outside:

"We disguised ourselves as merchants buying herbal medicine, and we've stayed in this godforsaken place for almost a week."

"When on earth will that old monster show up?"

Listening to Crow's anxious murmurs, the professor looked calm on the surface, but how could his heart not be anxious?

The purpose of the two of them coming to such a remote place was very clear.

One wanted to avenge his wrongfully killed brother-in-law, and the other was to eliminate a traitor who had once betrayed the organization.

Ever since obtaining specific intelligence regarding the Chen family's sorcery case at Naihe Bridge, the professor immediately realized that this matter probably could not be separated from one person.

That was the former core member of the "Utopia" organization, Xuanzhen.

Following this clue, the two investigated all the way from Dongdu to Tiannan, and then sneaked from Tiannan to the Nulong Mountains at the border.

Finally, they smuggled across the border and locked onto this village that did not even exist on the map.

Previously, the professor had continuously published missing person notices regarding some members of Utopia through Naihe Bridge.

Now that he had finally obtained clues about Xuanzhen, naturally he was unwilling to let it go easily.

Relying on his understanding from interacting with Xuanzhen back then, he knew the other party's many trump cards and special methods very well, and was also very familiar with that special aura left behind by him.

Coupled with the clues investigated from the Chen family's case, he further mobilized his mental perception ability to track him.

Only then did he determine the approximate location where Xuanzhen's true body was hidden.

Disguised as merchants purchasing rare herbs, they had already lived here for six days.

The nearly one week of investigation and discoveries made the two of them shudder.

In this village, many villagers had dull eyes, showing traces of being controlled by mental secret arts.

What made their spines even colder was that at night, faint sacrificial sounds could always be heard.

Quite a few villagers would quietly walk toward the deep mountains, as if performing a blood sacrifice ritual for some Secret Realm.

Three days ago in the deep of night, they had once quietly sneaked into that heavily guarded cave in the back mountain.

Inside the cave, there was a huge altar piled up with ghastly white bones.

Embedded at the top of the altar was a blood pool, which seemed to be the object of the villagers' worship, exuding a familiar and evil aura from within.

The professor immediately concluded that this was the fundamental reason why Xuanzhen could live for over a hundred years—the Ten Thousand Souls Mother Gu Pool.

It was not just a container, but an anchor point for the Soul to take root in the real world, and a powerful sorcery product refined by combining Siamese black witchcraft and Xuanmen secret arts.

The reason why Xuanzhen's "Soul-Devouring Domain" could survive after death, and even undergo Fusion with the mental Secret Realm, continuously being nurtured and growing,

entirely relied on the power of this mother gu for support.

Furthermore, the departed Souls killed by him would all be refined into child gu by the mother gu.

Ultimately achieving Fusion to become his power, allowing him to drive them at will, either transforming into evil ghosts to harm people, or possessing others and controlling their consciousness.

Although they figured out Xuanzhen's trump card, the two did not dare to act rashly.

The cave was usually heavily guarded; unless they forcefully barged in, they couldn't get close to the altar at all.

Once the guards were alerted and Xuanzhen's Divine Soul was made to return here early, a fierce battle was unavoidable.

Although the professor was also an S-class mental ability user, he still lacked confidence when facing Xuanzhen.

Even though the other party's Physical Body was destroyed and only a remnant Soul remained, he was a top-tier expert who had lived for over a hundred years, and hadn't even been born yet when the other party became famous.

Meanwhile, the professor had just been promoted to S-class not long ago, and his practical combat experience was also far inferior to the other party's.

Therefore, they formulated a safer plan, waiting for the best timing to strike.

"I know him too well. That guy is a cunning and cruel devil. We must never underestimate the enemy and must patiently wait for an opportunity."

The professor gazed intently at the night outside the window, saying in a low voice:

"Once we seize the opportunity, we will first destroy the Ten Thousand Souls Mother Gu Pool. Even if we cannot kill him, we can cut off his retreat and cause his strength to be more than half impaired."

"At that time, we will return to Cui City, tell the Chen family Xuanzhen's weakness, and join forces to strangle this scoundrel's inhabited Physical Body!"

"An opportunity..."

Li Dingjian muttered a sentence, his gaze sweeping across the two bulging canvas bags under the bed.

Those were the "big gift" specially prepared for Xuanzhen by them according to the previous plan.

Just as the two were whispering and discussing,

The professor suddenly raised his hand to press against the window frame, his expression changing abruptly.

"What's wrong?"

Li Dingjian immediately became alert, his hand unconsciously feeling for the handgun carried at his waist.

"Something's wrong!"

The eyes behind the professor's lenses narrowed slightly, his brows tightly furrowed:

"My Mental Energy captured a trace of unusual consciousness fluctuation, like... something is summoning the villagers."

As soon as his voice fell, human voices suddenly sounded one after another in the village.

The lights of the stilt houses lit up one after another.

Following closely were messy footsteps and shouts.

Before long, dozens of robust male villagers held high torches and hurried toward the mountain forest behind the village.

"It's estimated that something happened at the altar side. Our opportunity has come!"

The professor's gaze turned stern, then he turned his head to look at Li Dingjian:

"Everything according to plan!"

Li Dingjian nodded, without a second word grabbed a military green jacket, threw it over his body carelessly, and didn't even pull the zipper all the way down.

The two quickly dragged out the two canvas bags hidden under the bed, each picking one up.

Then without hesitation, they vaulted out of the back window of the stilt house, like two Night Owls, disappearing into the darkness.

In the dense forest, the "fire dragon" composed of torches was rapidly surging toward the back mountain.

Li Dingjian and the professor took advantage of the cover of the trees, without saying a word, just firmly trailing at the very back of the procession.

Those villagers held torches and marched in the forest, their figures as stiff as marionettes, yet their footsteps were shockingly fast.

Reflected by the firelight, it appeared exceptionally eerie.

They seemed to pay no attention at all to the two followers who had appeared in the shadows behind them.

Li Dingjian and the professor were one in front and one behind, equally flying along with vigorous strides.

Ever since absorbing the bloody rain at Miwu Mountain, the physical qualities of both had been greatly enhanced.

Casually carrying heavy parcels of dozens of kilograms, walking on the rugged mountain road, they were still extremely relaxed.

Li Dingjian was responsible for scouting the way and avoiding traps in front.

The professor released his Mental Energy to conceal their figures and auras, remaining vigilant against any potential "hidden sentries".

In a short while, the "fire dragon" stopped in front of a cave.

The leading villagers jointly pushed open a heavy iron door tightly wrapped by vines.

The pitch-black cave entrance was revealed, like a blood-stained giant mouth wanting to swallow people.

The torches filed in one after another, and the villagers burrowed into the cave one by one, their figures quickly swallowed by the darkness.

Li Dingjian and the professor hid behind a tree a hundred meters away, waiting with patience.

Until the last villager disappeared at the cave entrance, a dull "rumble" sound came.

The iron door closed from the inside, followed immediately by a heavy locking sound of "click".

The mountain forest instantly returned to silence.

In the darkness, the two exchanged glances and swiftly went around to the front of the iron door.

Li Dingjian grinned and felt out a slender, specially-made iron wire from his pocket.

Then he slowly inserted the iron wire into the keyhole, closed his eyes, and gently turned his fingertips.

Using the "Perception Pulse" ability, he quickly ascertained the position of the pins inside the lock core.

In just a few seconds, with two soft "click" sounds, the lock core popped open.

Li Dingjian opened his eyes and gestured an OK sign to the professor.

The two pushed the door open and entered, and a thick stench of blood and putrid odor suddenly hit them face to face.

Inside the cave, it was pitch black, and one could not see one's fingers.

Fortunately, the professor's mental perception far exceeded ordinary people, so he walked in front to lead the way.

Li Dingjian carried the canvas bag, followed him, and continued walking forward for about several dozen meters.

Passing through the deep corridor, the scene in front of them suddenly opened up.

This was a huge karst cave, with an altar built of white bones standing in the center, and many lighting torches surrounding it.

And at the top of the altar, the "Ten Thousand Souls Mother Gu Pool" with a diameter of several meters was like it had boiled.

It was constantly churning, emitting wisps of white smoke.

Those villagers looked like they were possessed by madness, with infatuated expressions, uttering meaningless "he-he" sounds from their mouths.

There were even several robust men who had been selected kneeling under the altar.

Respectively small knives slit their own wrists, chanting obscure syllables.

Their expressions were fanatical and pious, as if they couldn't feel pain.

After the fresh blood was filled in clay pots by a wizard, he stepped onto the altar with a solemn expression and poured it toward the blood pool at the top of the altar.

Those viscous plasma pools of unknown years of accumulation sounded like a beating heart, making "gudong", "gudong" noises.

This sound was extremely penetrating, causing the secretly watching professor and Li Dingjian to feel an inexplicable palpitation in their hearts.

At this moment, in the center of the blood pool, a dark red vortex was rotating at high speed.

If one possessed extraordinary perception, one could notice that strands of pure crimson energy were being pulled out by the vortex and sinking into the Void Realm.

"Xuanzhen is using the vital blood of these controlled villagers to replenish his own consumption!!"

The professor stared sharply at the vortex, quickly making a judgment:

"In my view, there is a high probability he is fighting a powerful enemy inside the mental Secret Realm, and the power of the mother gu blood pool is being pulled to its limit by him."

"Then shall we blow it up right now?"

Hearing this, Li Dingjian reached out to pull the zipper of the canvas bag.

"No!"

The professor grabbed him:

"Right now, the mother gu blood pool and Xuanzhen's true body are in a direct connection state. The moment we move, he will immediately detect it, and might even abandon the Secret Realm and retreat back here."

Immediately taking a deep breath, there was a bit more forbearance in his gaze:

"Wait, wait until he loses, or the moment the battle ends, that will be his most vulnerable time!"

The two could only wait like hunters in the darkest corner.

Time passed minute by minute.

"Gudong... Gudong..."

Suddenly, the beating rhythm of that "mother gu blood pool" abruptly stagnated.

Following closely, the high-speed rotating crimson vortex stopped.

"Hum—"

An indescribable sharp hum erupted from the blood pool.

Those crimson energy that had been drawn away seemed to be beaten back by an even stronger force, and began to surge backward crazily.

Rumble—

The entire cave began to vibrate violently, and gravel fell rustlingly.

That sturdy bone altar actually cracked open with a "crack" sound, forming countless spiderweb-like cracks.

"Ah—"

The villagers under the altar felt as if their Souls had been smashed by an invisible heavy hammer.

One by one, bleeding from the seven orifices, they fell to the ground on the spot, their bodies twitching violently, instantly losing all breath.

But sharp brilliance burst out in the professor's eyes.

"He has lost, right now!"

Speaking, he abruptly stood out from the shadow and decisively commanded:

"Crow, you go to the bottom of the altar first to install the explosives."

"Understood!"

Li Dingjian immediately rushed toward the altar base, unzipped the canvas bag, revealing rows of high-energy explosives inside.

Meanwhile, the professor carried another heavy canvas bag, with a cold expression, stepping up the staircase covered with white bones step by step.

The bloody water in the blood pool was still churning, and a blurred human face vaguely surfaced on the water surface.

High cheekbones and deep-set eye sockets—it was precisely Xuanzhen's haggard appearance.

Just when Fang Cheng used his fists to demolish the hall and blazing fire to incinerate the Secret Realm.

Xuanzhen was resourceful in an emergency, condensing a portion of his remnant Soul to expose it in the open, acting out heavily to beg for mercy.

Seeming to be blasted to death by the other party with one punch, he actually used a substitution method.

Taking advantage of the chaos of the Secret Realm's collapse, the other half of the remnant Soul threaded and shuttled through that terrifying spatial turbulence, escaping into the darkness.

Finally breaking through the Void Realm, fortunately surviving, and returning to the warm womb of the "Ten Thousand Souls Mother Gu Pool".

"Heh... Heheh..."

Feeling the blood sacrifice energy that had just flowed in, Xuanzhen let out a treacherous laugh of surviving a disaster in the blood pool.

"A mere hairy kid... yet he dares to play mind games with this old man? This old man has lived for a hundred and twenty-four years, and the bridges I've crossed are more than the roads you've walked!"

He greedily absorbed the essence of the mother gu pool, consolidating his remnant Soul.

But he did not have the slightest intention of taking revenge.

He was finally afraid.

From that young man, he saw incomprehensible terror and unfathomable potential.

This feeling, he had previously only seen on a few of the most powerful leaders of "Utopia".

"Monster... That kid is a true monster..."

He now just wanted to stay far away from that kind of person.

Even if he wanted revenge, it would have to wait until he fully recovered his strength, and then he could join hands with other members of the organization to strike.

"Humph, as long as there is an endless stream of blood sacrifices, this old man will be able to restore his Divine Soul in less than two years, and at that time find a suitable Physical Body..."

Xuanzhen churned in the blood pool, constantly scheming in his heart.

The only pity was that the "Soul-Devouring Domain" was destroyed by Fang Shijie's son. Wanting to re-condense it was not that easy.

Just as he was thinking self-consolingly, a calm voice suddenly rang out on the altar.

"Xuanzhen, long time no see..."

Hearing this, Xuanzhen was startled violently, looking at the newcomer in shock.

That was a middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses and having an elegant appearance.

(End of Chapter)