181: The flying tiger turns into a tiger, and the qi and blood increase greatly

“Su Mu… sixteen years old… a penniless orphan from the Wupeng District of Luan Shi City…”

Gu Changsheng closed his eyes, memories surged like a tide.

In this world, Strange Beasts ran rampant, dominating everything.

The Ghoul Human race established cities across the world, rooting themselves like nails in the earth, barely surviving.

The strongest among them was called the Yunlan Dynasty.

However, continuous outbreaks of beast tides were destroying these major cities, as if pulling out those nails.

A month ago, Luan Shi City had just experienced a beast tide, and more than half of its city wall was missing. Poor people like Su Mu were conscripted for forced labor, sent into the mountains to quarry huge stones.

Within half a month, more than half of the poor laborers died from exhaustion. Their bones were crushed into ashes, mixed into the crevices of the giant stones, and used to fill the city wall.

This body, unable to endure the hardship, chose to end its own life.

“What a desperate world…”

“Also, I brought a small portion of my magic power with me…”

Upon introspection, a transparent bubble floated in his Sea of Souls, containing a crystal-clear, jade-like magic crystal.

Gu Changsheng estimated that the total amount was roughly equivalent to the entire magic power of a True Core Realm cultivator.

“I need to use it sparingly… After all, there are no means to replenish magic power in this world.

Additionally, I need to find a way to fully summon my true body…”

The stronger the body upon which a whisper descends, the higher the limit of the descent.

For Gu Changsheng to fully descend, he would at least need to cultivate this body’s Body Refining to a level comparable to the True Core Realm.

Moreover, this method had a hidden restriction.

For a complete descent, the original lingering thoughts of the spirit body also needed to be resolved to avoid soul rejection.

“Let me see… what is your obsession…”

His Sea of Souls churned, pushing aside the mist-shrouded images, gradually approaching the core.

A month ago, a young girl leading a black dog suppressed a hundred thousand Strange Beasts, saving Luan Shi City.

The original body hid beneath the ruined city, gazing with fanaticism at the silver-haired girl in the Void Realm.

“To become Princess Yun Liu’s guard… is that all…”

He had originally thought his obsession would be to become the strongest person in the world, or to establish an immortal Dynasty, or something similar.

After all, wasn't this the age when people loved to fantasize the most?

“At the very least, he should marry this princess.

But instead… he wants to be a sycophant…”

Gu Changsheng’s face twitched involuntarily.

Gradually, his expression became peculiar.

This Princess Yun Liu, and the big black dog beside her… this familiar aura… weren't they his experimental subjects from a hundred years ago?

At that time, he was still trying to use golden witch blood as a knife to carve countless Formations within the bodies of Strange Beasts.

The person and the dog in his memory were the only two good products that remained.

All others had been destroyed.

“It seems things have become interesting…”

Gu Changsheng smiled faintly, his gaze sweeping around.

In the dark room, a faint candlelight flickered, casting the shadow of a horn bow on the wall, and the door creaked.

His home was truly bare.

He picked up a dark brown clay basin and used the reflection in the water to see his current appearance.

He was gaunt, with sunken eyes and an extremely ordinary face, just like a common Human Race member.

Only his ears were long and pointed, which was quite distinctive.

This was the mark of the Ghoul Humans in this world.

“Not bad… at least it’s a humanoid race…”

Gu Changsheng did not want to descend into a strange Strange Beast.

He sat cross-legged and began to ponder his future path of development.

“The ultimate goal is naturally to summon my true body… The prerequisite for this is to strengthen this body to a half-step Great Witch level… And the fastest way to improve Body Refining is to carve the Strange Beast Pagoda Formation and devour the power of Strange Beasts…”

Gu Changsheng’s eyes slightly darkened. He circulated his Qi and blood, attempting to engrave the Strange Beast bas-relief within his body.

A moment later, his Qi and blood dissipated, his face was pale, and his forehead was covered in large beads of sweat.

“This body is too weak; it can’t even initially condense Qi and blood or carve a Formation… I need to eat some bloody meat to replenish this body’s deficiencies.”

Gu Changsheng straightened up, took the horn bow and quiver hanging on the wall, and walked out the door.

Evening.

A bonfire blazed outside the doorway. A plump Strange Beast rabbit was skewered on a long wooden spit, and under the scorching flames, its pink raw flesh gradually cooked, emitting a rich aroma.

Greasy oil dripped into the fire, making crackling sounds.

“Almost ready…”

Gu Changsheng, ignoring the heat, took the Strange Beast rabbit off the wooden spit, tore open its steaming belly, and his throat moved with a gulp.

It was as if the rabbit meat before him was fatally attractive.

This was a physiological reaction brought on by his weak body.

A moment later, the rabbit meat was consumed. Gu Changsheng tried to circulate his Qi and blood to accelerate the digestion of the meat. A warm current rose from his stomach and circulated throughout his body.

“Grumble…”

After the meat was digested, his stomach once again felt hungry.

Gu Changsheng was expressionless. He skillfully took out a nearby hunting cage, which still contained seven or eight small Strange Beasts.

They were all products of his afternoon hunt.

In fact, if Gu Changsheng were willing to use his magic power, he could even hunt large Strange Beasts.

However, good steel should be used on the blade; magic power could not be wasted.

Roasting prey, devouring, and refining Qi and blood… After eight consecutive ones, that damned feeling of hunger finally disappeared.

If Gu Changsheng hadn't known how to circulate Qi and blood to aid in meat digestion, an ordinary weak body eating so much would have long since burst.

Hoo—

Dense Qi and blood surged within his body. Wisps of essence blood rose, converging like a knife, and under the guidance of his will, carved Strange Beast bas-reliefs throughout his body.

Gu Changsheng’s body was covered in a faint bloody glow.

After a long time, the sky was dimly lit, revealing the pale belly of a fish, and a ray of light shone through the window onto his body.

Clang—

The already dilapidated door was kicked open. A burly man holding a long whip burst in, carrying wooden shackles in his hand, a sinister and cruel smile on his face.

“Su Mu… time to work…”

Shadows enveloped Gu Changsheng, making him appear even smaller and thinner.

‘Corvée foreman…’

Gu Changsheng’s eyes gradually grew cold. He suddenly leaped from the bed, a blur picking up a feathered arrow from the quiver.

Pfft—

A sharp arrow pierced straight through the foreman’s throat, and blood gurgled out.

“You…”

The foreman’s eyes widened. He clutched his throat, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

Gu Changsheng watched coldly.

In his memory, this evil foreman withheld food and used torture to rush progress, all to extort money from the poor.

At least half of the white bones laid beneath the city wall were caused by these foremen.

“He can also replenish some Qi and blood…”

Gu Changsheng’s body was covered in a bloody glow. Wisps of Qi and blood rose from the pool of blood on the ground, integrating into his body through his pores.

A moment later, Gu Changsheng suddenly threw a punch.

Hoo—

A tiger shadow roared past, smashing through a large tree outside the house, which fell with a crash.

“The strength of one tiger… roughly comparable to a hundred jun of force. I can probably try hunting first or second-order Strange Beasts…”

Desolate mountain outside the city.

Bang—

A tiger shadow roared past, shattering the skull of a small mountain-sized Hyena-toothed Strange Beast, its foul blood flowing everywhere.

Gu Changsheng placed his palms on the Hyena-toothed Strange Beast’s head, a faint ghostly light appearing between his palms.

Immediately, the Strange Beast’s skull melted like gelatin, its essence flowing into his body, which felt like a fully filled pool, brimming with explosive power.

Clatter—

Gu Changsheng casually threw a punch, and a tiger shadow roared past.

However, this tiger shadow slowly grew wings on its ribs, and its size became increasingly enormous.

The flying tiger shadow swept past, and rocks exploded.

“The tiger shadow has transformed into a Biao (biao - a mythical beast similar to a tiger), possessing a thousand jun of strength… Sure enough, hunting large Strange Beasts leads to faster growth in strength…”

Gu Changsheng turned and walked deeper into the desolate mountain.

Behind him, white bones were spread across the ground, as if corroded by years, becoming dry and devoid of any moisture.