53: Intimidate the crowd

"An Innate Expert, huh? It's been many years since anyone reached that level."

"Who knows what kind of luck that Divine Image Sect stumbled upon? They were clearly on the verge of being annihilated, yet they somehow got involved with an Innate Expert."

"Isn't that right? But according to the intelligence, this Innate Expert seems quite young?"

"How is that possible! Then aren't we just living for nothing?"

"Whether it's true or false, we'll know once we see him."

"This Senior is quite bloodthirsty; it's best we be careful."

"..."

In the large courtyard, the Jianghu individuals gathered there naturally engaged in hushed conversations, though at this moment, their discussions were entirely focused on the newly appeared Innate Expert.

"They're here! They're here!"

Suddenly, everyone fell silent, turning their gaze towards the front.

What appeared before them was an overly young man, quite tall, reaching about one hundred eighty centimeters, dressed in simple training clothes, looking like a wandering young 俠客.

But the moment he saw the other party, Lin Zhong of the Pai Jiang Sect immediately widened his eyes and opened his mouth wide; he never imagined that the person appearing here would be an "acquaintance."

"Pat, pat, pat."

As Gu Chang appeared in the courtyard, it became terrifyingly quiet, with only his footsteps audible. All eyes on him were filled with curiosity, suspicion, doubt, and disbelief.

"Heh heh, quite a lot of people came."

Gu Chang's gaze swept over everyone present, then, without hesitation, he unleashed his terrifying aura without reservation!

Instantly, he seemed to become the eye of a storm, with surging waves and raging winds spreading out from him in all directions.

The deterrent power of the Refining Spirit Realm, Innate level, was unleashed without reservation at this moment.

Since things had come to this, Gu Chang decided to no longer hide anything. He had to awe everyone present, making them tremble in fear at the thought of his existence!

Only then could the entire Divine Image Sect develop steadily.

"Crack!"

"Giggle giggle."

"Senior! Spare my life!"

"Ah! We have offended Senior, please forgive us!"

"Help!"

"..."

Almost instantly, most of the people present knelt on the ground. Even First-rate Experts seemed to totter precariously before Gu Chang's aura, as if a great mountain was pressing down on their heads, threatening to crush their spines at any moment.

The weaker Jianghu individuals were even more directly prostrate on the ground, their livers and guts splitting, their inner terror magnified to the extreme. Some even soiled themselves on the spot, but at this moment, no one would mock them.

Everyone was struggling with all their might, pleading, only hoping that Gu Chang would spare them.

"Boom! Rumble!"

However, their only response was Gu Chang's increasingly terrifying pressure. Faintly, a giant appeared before everyone, and the moment it appeared, that oppressive feeling instantly reached its peak!

"Crack, crack, crack!"

"Bang! Bang!"

This time, even First-rate Experts had to kneel on the spot. No matter how tough their spirits or how strong their bodies, at this moment, everything lost its meaning!

"I heard you were looking for me?"

Seeing everyone present collapsed on the ground, Gu Chang slowly retracted his aura, then calmly questioned them all.

Instantly, everyone felt a great weight lifted, as if they had walked through the gates of hell and were now finally revived!

"Th-thank you, Senior, for showing mercy!"

"Yes, yes, yes, we are indeed here to pay our respects to Senior!"

"If there were any offenses, please forgive us, Senior!"

"We swear to heaven that from now on, we will never touch anyone from the Divine Image Sect!"

"My Tieyi Sect is willing to form an alliance with the Divine Image Sect!"

"Bah! Your Tieyi Sect still wants to climb higher?"

"..."

The Jianghu individuals who had come to their senses quickly expressed their stances, completely disregarding their current disheveled appearance of sweating profusely and pale faces.

"The Divine Image Sect has shown me great kindness. As long as I draw breath, I will protect their Legacy!"

"All other trivial matters will be handled by the new Sect Leader, Xie Wanling, from now on. If you have nothing important, do not disturb me."

However, Gu Chang was clearly not interested in these matters and simply stated his position directly to them!

"Understood! We understand!"

"From now on, we will never let anyone disturb Senior!"

"Thank you, Senior, for your magnanimity!"

"..."

Naturally, these people dared not say anything more and immediately made their assurances. Only after Gu Chang left did they slowly dare to stand up.

However, their trembling bodies still indicated that their hearts were far from calm at this moment.

"The matters of the Divine Image Sect are now in your hands, but remember, nothing is as important as your own strength!"

"After all, in this world, relying on mountains, mountains fall; relying on water, water flows away. Relying on anyone is not as good as relying on one's own strength!"

After leaving the courtyard, Gu Chang saw Xie Wanling, who had been waiting there, and earnestly admonished her.

Although he said he would protect the Divine Image Sect's Legacy, that was more of a statement. He couldn't stay in the Divine Image Sect forever, so in the future, they would have to rely on themselves.

"Yes! Wanling understands!"

Xie Wanling nodded heavily. No one understood this principle better than her.

Back then, when the Divine Image Sect produced three Innate Experts in a row, who in the Jianghu dared to slight their existence?

But when their strength declined, even forces like Silver Sword Villa, which had never produced an Innate Expert, dared to attack their sect.

"Good that you understand. From now on, you still come to the riverside to find me for a bowl of meat soup every day, strive to achieve the Vajra Body as soon as possible."

"Yes, thank you, Senior, for your guidance."

With that, Gu Chang left directly. Next, he planned to begin Cultivating the Mixed Origin Skill, and he couldn't abandon the martial Dao either, so he wouldn't be able to spare much time.

Xie Wanling respectfully waited for Gu Chang to leave before she began to deal with the issues of those Jianghu individuals.

How the Divine Image Sect developed naturally didn't require Gu Chang's concern. With his deterrence, the Divine Image Sect would surely quickly reclaim what it had lost.

With abundant resources, the Divine Image Sect would naturally grow and strengthen.

If, under such circumstances, it still couldn't develop, then Gu Chang would have no choice. At most, he could only look after Xie Wanling a bit more, as per his promise.

Thus, after Gu Chang returned to his ship, he fully immersed himself in Cultivation.

The entire day quickly passed. Gu Chang, who had been sitting still all day, couldn't help but move his somewhat stiff body.

"Hoo~ This Mixed Origin Skill is more difficult than I imagined. Absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi sounds simple, but doing it is like trying to catch fish in water. It not only requires sufficient focus but also some basic foundation."

"This world indeed has Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, but it is ultimately too thin. No wonder those Cultivators are unwilling to stay in the mortal world for long."

After Cultivating for an entire day, Gu Chang didn't know the situation of other Cultivators, but his own progress was exceptionally slow.

It took so much time just to absorb a tiny amount of Spiritual Qi into his body.

According to his estimation, at this rate, it would probably take at least a month, or even two months, to reach the first layer of Qi Refining!

Gu Chang was helpless about this. He had neither the Spirit Stones needed by Cultivators nor Medicinal Pills to aid Cultivation, so he could only endure the hardship.

After night fell, Gu Chang, as usual, entered the Reincarnation World to practice martial arts.

Although he had now successfully reached the Refining Spirit Realm and his Divine Statue Skill had entered the Innate level, neither of these had actually reached their limits, meaning his strength could continue to improve.

After all, while Cultivating Immortality was good, it was currently still a castle in the air, a flower in a mirror—something desirable but unattainable.

What truly allowed him to survive steadily was still the martial Dao!

"Hoo~ Inhale~"

In the valley encampment, Gu Chang returned once again. As he breathed and exhaled, the entire valley seemed to respond to him.

"What a pity, there is no Spiritual Qi at all in the Reincarnation World!"

"Next, I'll just continue practicing!"

After another attempt, Gu Chang completely gave up hope. So, he continued his practice, circulating the True Gang inner Qi within his body, constantly performing the Grand Cycle to temper his body and enhance his physique.

This was also a very slow process, whether it was Spirit Refining or Divine Statue Skill.

While Gu Chang was practicing, the valley encampment was also developing rapidly.

Gu Chang's reputation had now completely spread, as there were only a few Refining Spirit Experts in this world.

So, when Gu Chang returned to Da Wu Mountain, many common people, craftsmen, and even martial artists came to join him, seeking protection or his guidance.

This caused the population of Da Wu Mountain to grow, and various talented individuals gathered under Gu Chang's command.

Among these people, some were skilled in military formations, some in civil affairs, and others in strategy.