Chapter 8 Calabash Brothers Save Grandpa

As soon as those words were spoken, not only did Gu Heng not leave, but he also stared straight at it. His gaze... seemed a bit fanatical?

"Human, are you provoking this King?"

The Golden-Winged Tiger laughed, its front claws pawing the ground. "Since you seek death, this King shall grant it!"

"Wait!"

Gu Heng suddenly raised his hand and shouted.

The Golden-Winged Tiger paused, a hint of mockery flickering in its eyes. "What? Now you want to beg for mercy? Too late! Unless you hand over..."

"No."

Gu Heng pointed to the clearing. "I wanted to tell you that the sixty meters ahead is my private restricted zone. For the sake of your tiger life's safety, I suggest you don't come over."

Just now, as his cultivation broke through to the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, the System's 'Passing By' range had also undergone an upgrade.

[Ding! Host's cultivation has broken through; Passing By range has doubled!]

[Current Base Range: 60 meters.]

[Note: This is the Aura of the strong. Within a sixty-meter radius, neither humans nor beasts should approach.]

"Sixty meters?"

The Golden-Winged Tiger was stunned for a moment, then threw its head back and laughed wildly. "Roar, hahaha! Human, have you been scared stupid? Or do you think you can scare off this King with such clumsy bluffs?"

With that, an incomparable Aura erupted as it stepped directly into the so-called "restricted zone."

"If you had known this would happen, why act so—"

"Ugh..."

Before it could finish, its voice came to an abrupt halt.

Immediately following that, a power of unknown rules descended upon it instantly.

[Detected Host is passing by target: Golden-Winged Tiger (Middle Stage Golden Core Yao Beast).]

[Executing Action: Forcefully Passing By all of its cultivation!]

Buzz!

The tiger's body stiffened, and the golden light on its surface instantly dimmed.

It discovered in horror that its Yao Core, condensed over hundreds of years, had... shattered in that instant?

"My... my Yao Core?!"

As the cultivation was transferred, the Golden-Winged Tiger's massive head collapsed into the mud, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"..."

The entire area fell into a dead silence.

The two crippled tigers nearby were dumbfounded; their heads were buzzing as they witnessed this scene.

That works too?

At the same time,

The Golden Core Stage cultivation spiritual energy washed through Gu Heng's Meridians, and his Aura began to climb steadily from the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment.

Late Stage Foundation Establishment...

Foundation Establishment Peak...

Crack—

The shackles were broken.

Inside Gu Heng's Dantian, a Golden Core radiated light, rotating slowly.

Early Stage Golden Core!

Middle Stage Golden Core!

Gu Heng opened his eyes, a golden light flashing briefly within them.

In reality, the Golden-Winged Tiger's cultivation hadn't disappeared; it had simply transferred to him.

Accompanied by the Breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm.

Boom!

In the sky, dark clouds gathered abruptly, and thunder rolled.

“Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation?”

Gu Heng looked up at the brewing purple lightning, his brow arching slightly.

Cultivators act against the heavens; forming a core will inevitably draw down a Heavenly Tribulation.

"Oh ho! Heavenly Tribulation! It's the Heavenly Tribulation!"

Seeing the Heavenly Tribulation descend, hope rekindled in the Golden-Winged Tiger's eyes as it roared, "Human! You plundered my cultivation, you will surely suffer divine retribution! This Nine Heavens Profound Thunder will definitely blast you into—"

Before it could finish its words.

Gu Heng just calmly glanced up at the tribulation clouds and shifted his feet slightly.

[Ding! Detected Host is passing by target: Golden Core Heavenly Tribulation (Ordinary Grade).]

[Judgement Result: A passerby has no need to undergo tribulation.]

The next second.

The moment the lightning fell, it spun around aimlessly in the air twice.

Then...

It dissipated.

"..."

The Golden-Winged Tiger's mouth hung open. This freaking works too!?

Is the Heavenly Tribulation your relative or something?

"It's over... everything is over..."

The Foundation Establishment Stage Multicolored Tiger had completely broken down by now.

It had originally hoped its old man could turn the tables, but its old man had delivered himself even faster than it did.

Watching Gu Heng approach step by step, it seemed to make a decision. It turned toward the depths of the dense forest and let out a shrill howl,

"Father is in trouble! Grandfather, save me!!!"

Gu Heng's footsteps paused.

Good grief, after beating the young one comes the old one, and after beating the old one comes an even older one?

Is this whole family the Calabash Brothers? Delivering themselves one by one?

The crippled Golden-Winged Tiger was stunned upon hearing this, then promptly slapped its son on the head.

"Shut up, stop shouting! Your grandfather... he's been dead for a long time!"

"Ah?" The Multicolored Tiger was dumbfounded. "Dead... dead? How did he die?"

"Fifty years ago, he went to the back mountains of the Qingyun Sect to steal Spirit Medicine, and ended up bumping into that perverted Sect Master named Ye Wentian..."

The Golden-Winged Tiger had a look of 'unbearable past' on its face. "I heard he was skinned on the spot to make a tiger-skin coat, and even his bones were taken to be soaked in wine..."

"..."

The air fell into silence.

Gu Heng's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

Good grief.

So it was that old fox Ye Wentian's doing.

However...

Gu Heng stroked his chin, a sense of relief bubbling up in his heart.

"It's a good thing he's dead."

He muttered to himself.

If that Nascent Soul Stage grandfather were still alive, wouldn't that shout force him to 'open for business' and pass by someone again?

Wouldn't his cultivation then soar straight to the Nascent Soul Stage?

"A family should be neat and tidy..."

Gu Heng sighed and prepared to strike down with his palm.

"Don't! Don't kill me! I know a secret!" Seeing this, the Golden-Winged Tiger hurriedly shouted.

"Sorry, I'm not listening."

Gu Heng said as he struck down.

If you don't pull up the weeds by the roots, they'll grow back with the spring breeze. Since a grudge had already been formed, he couldn't leave any hidden dangers.

The three tigers fell silent forever.

Gu Heng used his Middle Stage Golden Core cultivation to casually refine the tiger bodies and take the tiger skins, preparing to leave.

He felt something, and his ears twitched slightly.

After promoting to the Golden Core Stage, his Divine Sense had undergone a qualitative leap.

Vaguely, a few loud conspiratorial whispers drifted from afar.

"Hmph, it's really like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. For a mere Utility Disciple, why must the three of us take action?"

"Exactly, I heard he's just an ant at the Qi Refining Stage. The Wang family is being quite generous this time, actually moving the Blood Fiend Sect."

"Stop the nonsense. We take people's money to eliminate their disasters. The Wang family said they want to see him alive or see his corpse."

Gu Heng's gaze narrowed.

Wang family? Blood Fiend Sect?

...

Fifteen minutes ago.

Qingyun Sect, Cliff of Reflection, the cold wind was biting.

Wang Teng was kneeling before the cliff face, reflecting on his mistakes.

When the Wang family learned of his punishment, they had already made arrangements, even setting up a soft couch and several plates of Spirit Fruit.

At this moment, a grey-robed elder stood behind him.

"...Clan Elder, is it really necessary?"

Wang Teng held a Spirit Fruit, somewhat puzzled. "That kid is just a utility worker. Even if he's a bit strange, just sending a Foundation Establishment Stage death soldier to kill him would suffice. Why spend a fortune to hire gold-tier assassins from the Blood Fiend Sect? And two Nascent Souls and one Spirit Severing Peak at that?"

"This lineup is enough to wipe out a small Sect!"

Wang Teng felt his family was making a mountain out of a molehill.

"What do you know?"

"True, you don't use a cannon to kill an ant. However, it's just to be safe."

The elder stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sinister. "That kid could make you suffer on the Guanyun Platform and even make that old fox Ye Wentian look at him differently; he's definitely not as simple as he appears on the surface. If we only sent a Foundation Establishment or Golden Core, and he happened to escape, or if he has some trump card within the Sect, we would alert the enemy and have endless trouble!"

"For a variable that we can't see through, we absolutely cannot give him any chance to grow!"

"Moreover..."

The elder paused, revealing a sinister smile. "These three are from the Blood Fiend Sect, not our Wang family's death soldiers. They operate through a middleman, doing work for money. Even if they are caught red-handed, as long as that Gu Heng is dead, there will be no witness, and the Sect won't be able to trace it back to our Wang family."

Speaking of this, the elder felt disappointed and poked Wang Teng's forehead.

"As for you! Where has the ruthlessness I usually teach you gone? Having a woman's heart! What can you do besides cause trouble? That Top-grade Heavenly Star Stone is gone, so be it. If we can use this opportunity to eliminate a hidden threat, it's worth it."

"But you? Making a fool of yourself in public and even getting punished by being sent to the Cliff of Reflection!"

Wang Teng shrank his neck, not daring to talk back.

In his heart, he thought: 'What an expert!'

Ginger is indeed spicier when it's old!

Two Nascent Souls and one Spirit Severing Peak to kill a Qi Refining Stage?

Isn't this just a dimensional reduction strike?

"Hmph, that kid is getting off easy!"

Wang Teng gritted his teeth, his eyes full of gratification.

But immediately after, he whispered, "But... Clan Elder, I'm innocent! My things were really stolen! That really was a Top-grade Heavenly Star Stone..."

"Shut up! Haven't you lost enough face already!"

...

Hundred Flower Mountains,

Gu Heng stood on a treetop, using the leaves to conceal his figure, watching three dark shadows flickering in the distance.

"Good grief... these three black-robed guys are actually coming for me!"

Although he guessed that petty fellow Wang Teng would retaliate, he didn't expect it to come so quickly, nor did he expect such a grand gesture.

Those are Nascent Soul and Soul Transformation experts!

They would be big shots anywhere, and now they're actually grouping up to farm a low-level mob like him from the newbie village?

"They really think highly of me."

Gu Heng glanced at the System panel.

[Current Cultivation: Middle Stage Golden Core.]

[Passing By Range: 120 meters (automatically upgrades with cultivation level).]

[Remaining Passing By uses: 4/6]

"One hundred and twenty meters..."

Gu Heng narrowed his eyes.

These three unlucky bastards, in order to search for his traces, hadn't revealed their cultivation, and the distance between them...

"Is just within range."

At this time.

Mid-air.

The three black-robed people suddenly stopped.

"Boss, I found him."

The assassin on the left held a compass and let out a light hmph. "That kid's Aura is right below, but... it's a bit strange."

"What's strange about it?" Xue Ya said impatiently. "Could he be a Golden Core?"

"He is... and, this Aura fluctuation seems a bit strong..."

Before the assassin could finish speaking.

The three of them unknowingly entered a Domain.

One hundred and twenty meters.

Gu Heng stood under a tree, looking up at the two Nascent Soul assassins, his mouth curling into an exaggerated arc.

[Detected high-value targets entering Passing By range!]

[Targets: Late Stage Nascent Soul Cultivators (two).]

[Executing Action: Randomly selecting one lucky audience member to pass by their cultivation!]

Buzz!

In mid-air, the Nascent Soul assassin on the left holding the compass suddenly stiffened.

"Ugh..."

A muffled groan sounded, and then, under his companion's horrified gaze, the Nascent Soul Stage spiritual energy around him instantly withered.

As if he had been struck by high-voltage electricity, he fell straight down from the sky.

"Third Brother?!"

The leading Soul Transformation expert no longer hid, his Spirit Severing Peak Divine Sense expanding wantonly, frantically searching through the dense forest.

"Who are you?!"

His pupils shrank; Third Brother was at the Late Stage of Nascent Soul! He was crippled just like that, without a sound?

A diagram appeared in his hand, along with a supreme treasure. The treasure radiated light as he compared it to the portrait, and he was suddenly stunned. This was the target they were supposed to hunt?

But the intelligence said he was just a Qi Refining Stage utility worker?

"Incorrect intelligence?"

His brow furrowed. "That bunch of trash from the Wang family could even get the target's cultivation wrong?"

However, he breathed a sigh of relief again.

So what if he's at the Golden Core Stage?

In front of a Spirit Severing Peak, separated by two major Realms, there was no difference between Golden Core and Qi Refining.

"Hmph!"

"So it's a junior at the Golden Core Stage; you've hidden yourself quite deeply."