Seeing the vines in Yan Junyu's palm, everyone cautiously stepped back a few paces, except for Qi Ze, who stepped forward. He attached Spirit Power to his fingertips, pinching a vine to study it. Yan Junyu instinctively felt the need to protect him, and the originally vicious vines instantly became supple. The black barbs were all retracted into the stems, and the jade-like, smooth branches and leaves swayed gently in the wind, appearing somewhat adorable.
"Can you control it?" Qi Ze tugged at a small leaf, rubbing it.
"At first, I couldn't. When you touched it, in a panic, I naturally understood how to do it." Yan Junyu stared at the young man's pale fingertips.
"Good. This indicates that you've already developed a telepathic connection with the Gu. But what we need to do isn't to tame it, but to assimilate it. So, this level is far from enough." Qi Ze took out a handful of black crystals as fine as sea sand, yet with a purity of a hundred percent. He evenly scattered them on the ground, forming a circular pattern. Then, he took out nine large, fist-sized black crystals, placing them at the pattern's spirit acupoints.
Yan Junyu asked curiously, "What's the difference between taming and assimilation?"
"Taming is turning this Gu into your servant, for you to command. Assimilation is transforming it into a part of your body." Qi Ze walked outside the camp and set up a huge barrier array to prevent attracting a swarm of creatures.
Wolf Fang was both terrified and interested in Master Qi's methods, and at this moment, he mustered up the courage to ask, "Young Master Qi, from what you said, it seems like taming is better. Having one more servant means one more combat power." He couldn't imagine the consequences of assimilation. Turning something part insect, part plant into a part of one's body sounded terrifying!
"That's where you're shortsighted. Taming is indeed easier than assimilation, and you don't have to endure too much bodily pain, but the tamed Gu still retains its intelligence. If the master's power weakens and they can't suppress it, it will turn on them. The higher the level of the Gu, the greater the chance of this happening." After setting up the barrier array, Qi Ze slowly walked back to the camp and continued, "Assimilated Gu have their intelligence erased. They are a part of you or a weapon, at your disposal."
"In that case, assimilation seems safer." Yan Junyu nodded.
"Yes, but you will suffer more. Which do you choose?" Qi Ze looked at him seriously.
"I'm not afraid of suffering."
"Good. Come sit over here, I'll teach you a chant." Qi Ze pointed at the circular array three meters in diameter, set up with black crystals. "From today onwards, I will set up an array like this for you every day. You must sit at the array's center and recite this chant, without stopping all night. Remember, you can't stop, even if you're in so much pain you feel you're dying!"
"I remember." Yan Junyu walked in without hesitation, sat at the center, and gazed at the young man. As long as this person was within sight, if he lifted his eyes, he could see them no matter what hardships or pain he endured, he believed he could withstand it.
"Little Master Li, please help guard the area and prevent any uninvolved people from coming to disturb us." Qi Ze sat down cross-legged, politely speaking.
"Okay." Li Ziqian hesitated for a moment before saying, "Master Qi, you don't have to call me Little Master Li, you can call me by my name."
"Then you should stop calling me Master Qi all the time. I'm still young." Qi Ze made a joke.
The two exchanged a glance, their expressions light and easy. Yan Junyu felt no jealousy. Their always using honorifics showed that the relationship between these two was still formal, far from as intimate as his.
"Alright, I'll say a line, and you repeat it. Pay attention to the flow of your inner Spirit Power. Your memory has been unlocked, so you should know how to channel your energy, right?" Qi Ze's hands were suspended in the air, placed at the ends of his knees.
"I know." Yan Junyu nodded while adjusting his sitting position, then skillfully channeled the Spirit Power. He listened carefully to the young man's pronunciation, then repeated it line by line. The nine black crystals responded, slowly releasing black mist to envelop him.
The chant had a suppressive effect on the beast in his belly, but the demonic aura released by the black crystals allowed it to grow and strengthen. Deploying both methods at the same time felt like both ice and fire, or being caught between heaven and hell, making the beast immediately restless. It struggled and howled while greedily feeding on the demonic aura. This was quite a torment for Yan Junyu, almost costing him half his life.
But he didn't pause a single syllable. After repeating it several times, he no longer needed Qi Ze to lead him; he could recite the chant fluently on his own. His abdominal skin was almost split by the countless tendrils writhing and jabbing inside. The three vines wanted to burst out of his palm and swarm out. But the chant that Qi Ze had etched onto his body beforehand took effect. Every time it was struck, a burst of golden light would be emitted, suppressing the beast's resistance.
Others didn't understand what was happening, they only saw Yan Junyu sitting in a black mist, his body intermittently emitting golden light. Occasionally, a few large bulges would appear on his abdomen, then quickly recede. This went on repeatedly for the entire night. Those watching were unnerved for him, but he didn't even wrinkle his brow.
Wolf Fang guarded him for most of the night before fearfully going to sleep, telling his confidants, "In the future, when you see the Yan family's troops, stay far away. Yan Junyu has such perseverance, he's bound to be a tough character!" If it had been him, could he have endured such pain? This question surfaced in everyone's mind, only to be tremulously denied.
When the morning light spread over the camp, the black mist enveloping Yan Junyu was finally absorbed by him, and the crystal powder and nine fist-sized black crystals that formed the array disappeared.
"How do you feel?" Qi Ze stood up, shaking off the dew from his hair.
"You kept watch over me all night?" Yan Junyu's eyes shone.
"Your Big Brother Li and I kept watch over you all night." Ouyang Ye dampened the mood by speaking. Xiaohei floated down from a branch, patting its chest, seemingly saying, "And me."
"Thank you. I feel good." Yan Junyu extended his palm, calling out three vines. They were tender and soft, shaking as they came to Qi Ze, gently teasing his wet black hair, then rubbing against his cheeks.
"I couldn't control them completely yesterday, but now I can." Yan Junyu retracted the vines, his ears turning slightly red. What he hadn't told the young man was that if necessary, he could perceive everything through the vines. How smooth the young man's hair was, how warm his skin was, were transmitted with crystal clarity into his sensory world.
"Controlling it is only the first step," Qi Ze reached out, plucking a small leaf from the vine, explaining, "The chant I taught you last night is the Soul Destruction Chapter, it can wipe out the intelligence of low-level spirit beings. I don't know how far it can grow, so I can't accurately tell you how long it will take to end this pain."
His fingertips gently stroked the veins on the leaf, sighing, "Perhaps in two or three months, it will be over, or perhaps for the rest of your life, you will never be free."
Yan Junyu struggled to control his body's reaction, his voice hoarse. "You won't abandon me, right?"
"Of course not." Qi Ze let go of the leaf and nodded firmly.
Yan Junyu breathed a sigh of relief, slightly hunched over, whispering, "Then it's okay. No matter how long, I can endure. Sorry, I'm going to take a shower."
Qi Ze thought the Gu was acting up again and hurriedly had two soldiers support him down. Only Li Ziqian glanced thoughtfully at his lower abdomen. Although camouflage clothing was very loose, certain people had too much capital, which could not be hidden. Could pain arouse someone? He had never heard of it.
Yan Junyu spent half an hour in the bathroom before coming out. The group had breakfast, folded up various buildings, and put them into the Interspatial Button before setting off again. Science and technology developed too quickly, which didn't seem to be good for humans. Once they encountered strong electromagnetic interference, airships, spaceships, and flying cars were completely useless. Instead, four-wheeled cars were more convenient. Neither the Yan family's troops nor the Red Phantom Star Thieves had the habit of carrying antique cars around, so they had to walk.
Fortunately, the enhanced humans had strong physical fitness, and their speed wasn't slow. It took them seven hours to reach their original destination, and along the way, they collected a lot of toxins. Qi Ze kept his Spirit Eyes open all day, whichever toxic substance had the most Spirit Power, that was what he had everyone collect. When they stopped to set up camp, many were injured, even Wolf Fang had risked his life for Master Qi, helping him get a transparent fish.
"Master Qi, your eyes are really good. Everything you choose is the hardest to get toxic substance." After abandoning his ulterior motives, Wolf Fang got along well with the Yan family troops.
"Do you know how Gu is created?" Qi Ze was in a good mood, playing with a pile of test tubes.
"Put it in a jar and feed it poison." Wolf Fang answered.
"It's not that simple. To raise Gu, you must first select countless young Gu, put them in a large jar, fill it with poison, and let them kill each other. The ultimate survivor is the mature Gu. Then, take countless mature Gu, put them in a large jar, fill it with poison, and let them kill each other again. The ultimate survivor is the black Gu. After black Gu, there are silver Gu, after silver Gu, gold Gu, after gold Gu, Gu king, and after Gu king, a divine Gu. So you see, this small amount of toxic substance is completely insufficient." Qi Ze encouraged them, "Please continue to work hard tomorrow."
Wolf Fang's face turned green, not knowing how to respond. A thief was dissatisfied and yelled, "We have nothing to do with Yan Junyu, why should we risk our lives for him?"
"Will this energy stone suffice as compensation?" Qi Ze took out a fist-sized white crystal.
Wolf Fang's eyes blazed, he couldn't help but reach out to take it. Although all the detectors couldn't be used, just by his eyes, he could determine that the purity of this energy stone was extremely high. The higher the purity of the energy stone, the more crystal clear and transparent its color. A stone as pure as the one in Master Qi's hand, without a trace of impurities, was something he had never seen.
"A level ten energy stone?" Wolf Fang's breathing quickened.
"How many levels do you think a hundred percent purity energy stone is worth?" Qi Ze asked him in return.
"That's impossible!" Wolf Fang immediately denied it.
"If you don't believe me, it's fine." Qi Ze retracted the white crystal, speaking nonchalantly, "Without you, we'll just be a bit slower, it's not a big hindrance." If it hadn't been for the fact that Wolf Fang was a 2S-level Water-type ability user who could help him capture aquatic toxic creatures, he wouldn't have been willing to take out such a top-grade Spirit Stone.
Wolf Fang didn't dare to sell out his brothers for no reason, so he turned around and stopped talking.
Qi Ze took out a black crystal and fed it to Yan Junyu, then started to refine the Gu. Fortunately, the poisonous creatures on this planet had good aptitude. If selected individually, any one of them could be called Gu king, so it didn't require starting from the mature Gu stage. The pottery jar he chose today was larger than yesterday's, and the poisonous juice poured in was twice as much. His palms were filled with fusion power, blending the fire and darkness elements in the air into two black flames.
"Today's procedure seems different from yesterday?" Yan Junyu whispered.
"The procedures will be different every day." Qi Ze's hands were full of black fire, pressing against the belly of the jar and slowly bringing the poisonous juice to a boil. He explained, "The Gu refined today will always be more powerful than yesterday's, so the methods of assimilation will become increasingly severe."
Yan Junyu nodded and asked no more. Li Ziqian and Ouyang Ye had long since moved away. Their nerves weren't as tough as Young Master Yan's. Xiaohei sat in Ming Rui's arms, drooling.
The black demonic fire boiled the poisonous juice without end. Qi Ze looked at the color before dumping the toxic creatures in. After a fierce struggle, the one that survived this time was a thin, finger-sized venomous snake. Its black scales shimmered with a cold blue light, with a single horn on its forehead and blood red eyes. It looked much more terrifying than yesterday's silkworm.
"Eat it while it's hot." Qi Ze caught the snake and handed it to Yan Junyu.
Yan Junyu held the snake's vital seven-inch point, about to put it in his mouth, when Ouyang Ye, who had been secretly glancing over, suddenly said, "If the person you like saw this scene, do you think they would be left with a psychological shadow, and from then on, never dare to kiss you?"
Li Ziqian chuckled, and the soldiers covered their faces, not daring to look at the captain's ghastly expression. Yan Junyu, who had never known the words "fear" or "timid," actually hesitated. He looked at the young man and asked, "Will you be disgusted?"
"What does it have to do with me?" Qi Ze rebuked, blushing.
"Would you dare to kiss me?" Yan Junyu persistently asked. The members of the Red Phantom Star Thieves were a bunch of hooligans who loved to join in the fun. They cheered and laughed, repeating, "Master Qi, do you dare to kiss Young Master Yan? If you dare, we'll respect you as a real man!"
"I'm a real man without kissing!" Qi Ze shouted angrily.
"In your eyes, I'm a monster, right?" Yan Junyu swallowed the venomous snake, his expression bitter. "I understand."
"You understand nothing!" Qi Ze couldn't stand his self-destructive appearance and pulled him over, fiercely biting down on his lips. He frowned and asked, "Is this okay? I'm not afraid of anything, why would I be afraid of a little bug?"
Yan Junyu genuinely smiled, using the pain's strength to press the young man onto the grass, hugging him tightly. Ouyang Ye's face turned green, wishing he could kick him away. Li Ziqian poked the fire with a wooden stick, giving him tow words â perfect assistant.
Qi Ze didn't dare to push the man away, for fear of injuring him, so he lay obediently flat, allowing him to bury his head in his shoulder, breathing heavily, and gently biting. Originally, Yan Junyu thought that each episode would be more intense than the last, but this time, he actually felt it wasn't enough. If he could only be unrestrained with the young man when he was in pain, he would rather prolong the process indefinitely.
After continuously refining dozens of Gu kings, the group finally arrived at a forest shrouded in thick fog.
"Wear your gas masks, this forest is very abnormal." Yan Junyu ordered in a deep voice.
"It's true. All the forests have withered, but this forest is so lush. It looks wrong." Li Ziqian's hands transformed into beast claws, picked a leaf, crushed it, and frowned, "This plant we've already tested on the road is non-toxic, but here, it's highly poisonous. It's due to the environment."
"Uh-huh, be careful not to touch any plants. We'll set up camp on the sandy ground at the edge of the forest." Although he had to endure unimaginable pain every day, Yan Junyu's body was visibly recovering at a speed that could be seen with the naked eye. He seemed to become taller, stronger, and more agile, and possessed extraordinary self-healing powers. In the beginning, he needed others to help him capture toxic creatures, but later, he did everything himself. Moreover, his combat methods were very bizarre.
Three vines grew from each of his hands, with a blue flower blooming at the tips. The petals were lined with teeth, which, when inserted into the bodies of plants or animals, could instantly drain them. He was like a reaper, leaving nothing behind wherever he went. As time passed, the vines grew thicker and thicker. The black thorns all over the stems constantly exuded sticky fluid, which looked incredibly poisonous.
The current Yan Junyu, described in his own words, was indeed like a monster. Of course, when the vines were retracted, he was still that elegant young marshal, his demeanor more restrained than before.
"Are today's toxins enough? If not, I'll go find them." He put down the young man on his back and asked softly.
"Enough. You shouldn't wander around alone. If you're in danger, we won't know." Qi Ze disapproved.
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Yan Junyu laughed heartily.
The group began to set up the camp and then allocated patrol shifts. Li Ziqian hugged Ming Rui and wandered at the edge of the forest. Xiaohei floated above their heads, holding a plump poisonous insect in its hand. Suddenly, a gust of wind struck. Li Ziqian immediately took Ming Rui to dodge, but Xiaohei was entangled by a vine and stuffed into a gaping mouth.
It was a giant insect beast, weighing at least a ton, covered in black carapace. Countless vines extended from the bottom of the carapace, attacking all living things. The ground began to sink, indicating that it had been lurking in the sandpile waiting for an opportunity to strike. Li Ziqian, Xiaohei, and Yan Junyu became its top targets.
"Shoot, quickly shoot!" Wolf Fang roared, holding up his particle gun. Dense fireballs hit the insect beast, causing its tentacles to break off. However, the danger hadn't been averted, but had become worse. The broken tentacles transformed into a complete, albeit smaller, insect beast, attacking the camp.
A swarm of insects formed in the shortest time possible. Even if Yan Junyu's vines could drain them, they couldn't keep up with their peculiar rate of division.
"Close in around me, quickly!" Qi Ze decisively ordered.
Everyone gradually came to his side, firing projectiles in all directions. Qi Ze summoned the small mecha, gave it a radioactive orestone, and commanded, "Blow it up!" The small mecha's thrusters emitted a shrill whistling sound, flying at a speed too fast to catch the afterimage in front of the giant beast. It fired a pulse cannon into its mouth and threw the radioactive orestone inside.
A mushroom cloud accompanied by a deafening sound rushed into the sky. The insect beast was blown into countless pieces, falling like rain onto the ground. In a moment, they developed into new insect beasts. Guided by instinct, they crawled in a certain direction. The insect swarm in the camp also turned in the same direction, surging forward. The team members who were about to be devoured in a few steps showed expressions of surviving a disaster.
All the small insect beasts crowded into a huge sphere, killing and eating each other. It wouldn't take long for them to turn back into a complete giant beast, then launch an attack. These insects seemed to have no natural predators and couldn't be killed. No matter how small the fragments were shattered, they could develop into brand new individuals.
A profound fear pressed on everyone's hearts, leaving them breathless. But a sudden turn of events occurred. Those insects that had crowded together suddenly exploded like splintering mercury, rolling all over the ground. Their tentacles twitched slightly before going limp, dead through and through.
"Why did they suddenly die?" Ouyang Ye asked, trembling.
"It's the radioactive orestone." Qi Ze recalled the small mecha and handed it a black crystal the size of a soybean. The small mecha immediately hugged it and bowed, overjoyed.
Several soldiers put on protective suits and ran over to clear away the insect corpses. Sure enough, they found a radioactive orestone and a black, octagonal crystal at the bottom. "What's this?" They held up the crystal and asked.
"Let me see." Qi Ze's eyes lit up, subconsciously wrapping the black crystal with Spirit Power to prevent another insect swarm. The radioactive orestone was collected by Li Ziqian into the Interspatial Button. Radioactive materials could not only kill insect beasts, but also humans, and had an extremely negative impact on the surrounding environment. So, unless absolutely necessary, they could not use this self-destructive method.
"Young Master Qi, what the hell is this? Those insects seemed to give up attacking us just to fight over it." Ouyang Ye said, still in shock.
Qi Ze knocked on his head, pondering. "This should be an inner core, only high-level insect beasts can condense it. After swallowing it, a newborn insect beast can instantly evolve." However, this was just a conjecture, and the truth needed further verification.
Qi Ze paced in the devastated camp, and his breathing became rapid as he thought of something. He forcefully grabbed Yan Junyu's hand and said hoarsely, "I have a way to refine the divine Gu for you once. If this inner core is effective, my idea will definitely work. That way, you won't have to endure the intense pain every day anymore." It seemed that only the last sentence was what he truly wanted to say.