Chapter 397 Southern Border Gu God Sect

Li Ge had witnessed Yan Chu's prowess before.

She never expected that in the few months since they were on the Great Snow Mountain, Yan Chu would have become so much stronger.

On the Lotus Pedestal, he had consistently said little and done much, leaving her completely disarmed and in tatters.

Even she was like this, let alone the Black Lotus Holy Maiden, who had the lowest cultivation.

Tang Xi's face was flushed at this moment, her eyes shimmering with moisture, and her entire body was devoid of strength.

Although it was her first time, Yan Chu had not shown much tenderness or pity.

If not for the breath of True Yuan passed to her by the White Lotus Holy Master to sustain her, she probably wouldn't even be able to stand and would have collapsed instantly.

Though she was the last of the three women to endure the fire, she was the first to raise the white flag and surrender.

"Madam, what do we do now?"

The White Lotus Holy Master asked.

Yan Chu had finished with them and left alone; if they returned to the Holy Lotus Sect now, would they encounter strange looks?

However, after thinking about it, Li Ge felt it was unlikely.

After all, this matter had been requested by many elders in the Sect, and since they had established an intimate relationship with Yan Chu, those people would likely be too busy enshrining them to dare show any disrespect.

Even if they had any thoughts in their hearts, they would have to hide them deep inside.

Ming Shu didn't have as many thoughts as the White Lotus Holy Master; this was originally a transaction. If there was a need in the future, she would make more transactions with Yan Chu...

...

The Pure World Lotus Platform streaked across the sky, shattering countless clouds.

Mountains and great rivers receded below as Yan Chu left Nanzhou, heading toward the Hundred Thousand Mountains further south.

According to the news obtained from the mouth of the Qu River Divine Turtle, there was a Mother Gu in the Southern Border that had lived for thousands of years, worshipped as a deity by the hundred tribes of the Southern Border.

This Mother Gu might possess information regarding the Upper Realm.

Since Yan Chu had come to Nanzhou, he naturally had to go find it.

Now that Yan Chu didn't have to worry about the Heavenly Tribulation descending upon him, he wasn't in such a hurry. While reminiscing about the delicate sensations and the soft, fragrant warmth of the women he had just bid farewell to, he unhurriedly steered the Lotus Pedestal out of Nanzhou and entered the territory of Southern Wei.

Southern Wei was mountainous; two thousand years ago, this area still belonged to the Miaojiang territory.

To this day, its customs and culture still retain many of the habits of the original indigenous people, vastly different from the style of the nineteen provinces of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Yan Chu did not stop in Southern Wei, passing directly through. More than an hour later, he finally entered the miasma-filled Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Yan Chu had once looked up information about the Southern Border.

Within the Hundred Thousand Mountains, there were five powerful tribes, all ruled by the Gu God Sect. The old Sect Master of the Gu God Sect was none other than the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu, who had suffered setbacks at Yan Chu's hands multiple times.

If anyone in the Southern Border would know news of the thousand-year Mother Gu, it would have to be the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu.

This old thing had luckily escaped from Yan Chu's hands at Heavenly Pillar Mountain. Since then, no news of him had been heard, and it was unknown if he had even made it out of Heavenly Pillar Mountain alive.

Yan Chu steered the Pure World Lotus Platform and appeared directly above the Gu God Sect.

Unlike the Sects of Great Jin, there were no grand, continuous buildings here. The actual power holders were the Clan Chiefs of the five major tribes, and Disciples were trained within the tribes, so they naturally lived among the tribespeople without clear distinction.

Looking down from here, various entwined ancient trees covered mountain after mountain, with thick miasma drifting above the treetops.

However, beneath the trees, the miasma was not as thick, allowing people to walk and breathe normally.

Amidst the swaying shadows and interlacing vines, many people could be seen walking through the forest over decaying leaves.

The women mostly wore pleated flowered skirts with swaying colorful feathers adorning their silver hairpins, while the men mostly wrapped their heads in cloth and hung broken blades from their waists—typical attire for Southern Border tribesmen. Each moved with light steps, like apes or deer in the mountains, all possessing martial arts skills.

Those entwined trees were exceptionally tall; many trunks had been hollowed out, and many people lived within these tree hollows.

There were also those who lived in caves carved into the mountainsides. The buzzing of insects clearly reached Yan Chu's ears.

He only took a brief glance before withdrawing his gaze.

He had already sensed the location of the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu; the old thing was indeed still alive.

At the base of a mountain, inside a dark underground cavern.

The atmosphere here was cold and damp, with a few flickering candles casting an uncertain light within the cave.

Dozens of large vats were placed on the ground, with rustling and buzzing sounds coming from within. Numerous insects of various colors, the size of soybeans, crawled densely all over the walls of the vats.

An old man with a sallow face and messy hair sat cross-legged on the ground. The candlelight made his shadow sway continuously, his expression dark and gloomy.

It was indeed the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu.

Ever since he came out of Heavenly Pillar Mountain, he had secretly returned to the Gu God Sect.

No one knew of his return; even the high-level members of the Gu God Sect didn't know their Old Ancestor was still alive. They all thought he had died in Heavenly Pillar Mountain, and they had even held a grand funeral for him a year ago.

The reason the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu was being so secretive was for fear that Yan Chu would find out and come seeking revenge.

Ever since learning of Yan Chu's exaggerated battle achievements, he—a dignified Gu Dao ancestor who had Cultivated Innate Fetal Respiration—had been living in constant fear, and his spirit had withered significantly over the past year.

Yan Chu's pettiness was known to all under heaven.

Therefore, he only dared to hide underground and told no one.

This mountain had a Formation arranged by the Gu God Sect that could isolate Divine Sense probing. After a year, the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu had relaxed considerably compared to when he first returned.

"Yan Chu's cultivation is too high; perhaps he cannot appear easily, as the Heavenly Tribulation is very likely to find him..."

The Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu muttered to himself.

As someone in the Early Stage of the Origin Embryo, even he would trigger the Heavenly Tribulation.

If not for the meticulously bred Trace-Hiding Gu on his person, which could forge an isolation from the heaven and earth's perception, he wouldn't be able to be so at ease.

Just as this thought crossed the Old Man of Ten Thousand Gu's mind, suddenly, a violent roar of Buddhist chants resounded for a thousand miles.

Yan Chu sat atop the Lotus Pedestal, and a giant Buddha shadow appeared on his body, merging with him as he reached down toward the mountain below.

In the center of his palm, a Buddhist lamp flickered, surrounded by Buddhist fire.

Tathagata Palm, Golden Peak Buddhist Lamp!

The Formations arranged on these dozens of mountains activated automatically, and a layer of hazy poisonous mist spread from the treetops, forming a circular poison shield.

But facing Yan Chu's Tathagata Palm, this Formation didn't even last a single breath before it was broken. The Buddhist fire surged, purifying the poisonous mist completely.

Then, the palm power majestically pierced through the mountain, going straight to the underground.

It struck a pitch-black hole out of the high mountain. The surrounding mountains shook violently, birds in the forest flew in alarm, beasts fled, and ten thousand insects fell silent.

"Who is it??!!"

"Who dares to trespass into my Gu God Sect!!??"

From the surrounding mountains, several voices filled with shock and anger rang out.

Although the Gu God Sect was not well-known in the Central Plains, in terms of strength, it was not inferior to any of the Buddhist or Daoist Holy Lands.

"Hmph!"

Yan Chu gave a cold snort. The several people who had just shouted in anger groaned in unison, their Primordial Spirits shaken, their blood flowing backward, and blood seeping from their seven orifices by this single sound.