Reverend Rizzsanity

Eleven familiar faces surrounded Bai Shou. The Dreamer Gu mimicked the user's features, so they also sported long brown locks, a toned and slender form with some muscle near the shoulders and thighs. Each lay on the ground, sleeping peacefully. However, from these eleven Dreamer Gu Worms fluctuated the aura of a Rank 5 Gu. Each Dreamer Gu needed to experience 1000 Dream Cycles to reach Rank 5, something Bai Shou achieved with a few Rank 5 Gu Worms since they allowed a Dreamer Gu to extract 500 Dream Cycles.

But that was barely the beginning. Now advanced to Rank 5, these Dreamer Gu experienced no suppression and displayed an extraordinary improvement in condensing the True Meaning from every Rank 4 and Rank 5 Gu Bai Shou allowed them to consume, resulting in a rapid improvement of her understanding of the Dao and the boost in attaining new comprehensions.

She was still nowhere near a Grandmaster's Realm. However, the sheer paths in which she'd accomplished master-level attainment were soul-numbing.

Bai Shou was already a Master in Strength, Refinement, Earth, Poison, Transformation, Wisdom, Rule, Archery, Human, and Flying Paths/Professions. However, it merely took a month and a good chunk of the rare Gu in her once-packed Aperture to add Qi, Space, Phantom, and Ice Paths to the list of master-level attainment.

She was also close to attaining a Master-Level Attainment in the Wood Path.

Despite all this, Bai Shou hadn't touched her stock of Purple and Gold Relic Gu Worms for the Dreamer Gu. It was already evident that becoming a Grandmaster with her current wealth and resources was a deluded idea unless she actually put in the work, which could take a fraction of a second to an unknown number of years. However, she did use two Gold Relic Gu to advance her first Aperture's cultivation from Rank 4 Upper Stage to Peak Stage, dealing with the suppression of the Regional Qi in one Aperture.

Ordinarily, all a Gu Master needed was one Gold Relic Gu to achieve that. However, suppressed by the regional qi, Bai Shou had to consume two of these to enjoy the intended effects.

As for the remaining Rank 4 and Rank 5 Relic Gu Worms?

She intended to save them until she reached Rank 5 in the first Aperture, where she would use another three Purple Relics to advance her cultivation before trying to research the rest and craft a recipe to artificially refine these Gu Worms.

The more attainment she received, the further her ambitions soared.

The Relic Gu Worms' Series was of natural creation, having never boasted any recipe since the dawn of mankind. But that did not imply creating a recipe was impossible. Furthermore, Bai Shou could only wonder if the Relic Gu Worm's advancement to the Immortal Rank was possible.

And if it was… what would be its effects?

Her situation had stabilized to a certain extent, allowing her to think all these. The advancement of her Aperture meant that her Aperture walls were more nourished and could bear more pressure. She still had thousands of rare and extinct Rank 1-3 Gu Worms and dozens of Rank 4-5 Gu Worms she hadn't allowed the Dreamer Gu to devour. Now, she could endure the pressure of such weight.

Yet, these gains were nothing compared to the use of Dreamer Gu.

No, she did not imply their wondrous effects of increasing one's Attainment.

Bai Shou… she experienced all these Dreams, too. She had access to the Dreamer Gu Worms' memories and watched everything they encountered…

—And refined.

There was a reason why Bai Shou stopped using external Gu Worms for the Dreamer Gu to extract Dreams from.

No, she wanted the Dreamer Gu to refine.

A Gu that looked like a human refined more Gu!

All these Gu were used in Dreams itself. She had long understood their uses.

There was the Dream Soul Flower Gu, a special Gu that healed one's soul when dreaming.

Then came the Dream Skip Gu, which allowed the Dreamer Gu to skip whatever they were dreaming and instantly gain its benefits.

The Recurring Dream Gu allowed users to Dream the same visions for ten cycles.

Focused Dream Path Gu lets the user observe the right path, or at least a fraction of the right path, to clear the dream.

At first, Intense Dream Gu appeared self-harming, but it was actually an offensive Gu that the user could use to bind the target in a realistic dream!

Shatter Dream Gu was its counter, allowing a Gu Master to shatter the dream. However, unlike the Dream Skip Gu, the Shatter Dream Gu did not bless the Gu Master with boosted comprehension.

The Qualitative Dream Gu produced the effects of a Hundred Dream Cycles with one cycle. If Bai Shou used it during the Dreamer Gu Worm condensing the entirety of Rank 5 Gu into one cycle, that is, 500 cycles worth of Dreams, the result would be a startling 50000 Dream Cycles at once!

Now that she had the time, Bai Shou wanted to maximize her growth from the Dreamer Gu and adopt the use of the Gu they produced.

The Dream Path…

'I'm still not sure if it's a real thing. For all I know, it could be a subset of the Phantom or Soul Paths,' Bai Shou narrowed her eyes. She'd already used the Scan The Dao Killer Move on the Dreamer Gu Worms and the Gu they produced.

Each boasted a soft-pink, almost dream-like state of nothingness within their dao fragments.

And while the Dreamer Gu could contain the Dream Path Gu in their Apertures, she herself could only house them in her mind.

So, her mind had one Rank 4 Shatter Dream and Rank 5 Intense Dream Gu.

All these were expendable, but getting their materials was also surprisingly 'local.'

The materials for these Gu could only be found in one's Dreams. Bai Shou knew how to access the mysteriousness of the Dream and allowed her Dreamer Gu Worms to enter these realistic Dreams borne from her memories to continuously refine several Gu Worms.

'I clearly cannot become a Grandmaster without an appropriate plan,' She exhaled. 'The Qualitative Dream Gu is my best bet. I didn't use the Rank 5 Strength Path Gu I got from the Land Spirit… let's accumulate the Qualitative Dream Gu and use them all to see just how many Dream Cycles I need for a Grandmaster-Level attainment.'

Much to her pity, the Dreamer Gu couldn't use the Dream Path Gu to increase the Dream Path Attainment.

Again, she wasn't sure if that was a thing. However, she understood that creating a new Path wasn't a unique and unseen concept in the Gu World. Had the Dreamer Gu been able to devour the Dream Path Gu, she could have been sure of what Path they belonged to based on the True Meaning she received.

Still, the Dream Path wasn't the greatest mystery in her life.

No.

'So, what paths do you guys belong to?'

She contemplated for the umpteenth time, already having used the Scan The Dao Killer Move on the three Lifespan Gu resting in her Apertures.

Similarly, Bai Shou had cross-referenced their Dao Fragments with the ones in her body. Her being alive proved she had a lifespan, which allowed her to notice a matching portion of the same fragment she discovered in the Lifespan Gu.

150 Years.

350 Years.

And 500 Years.

A total of 1000 Years.

That's how much Lifespan Gu she possessed due to the Blessed Land. The Lifespan Gu was a crucial material in refining the Second Aperture Gu!

The 150 Years Lifespan Gu released a Rank 2 Gu Worm's aura, the 350 one boasted a Rank 4 Gu Worm's aura, and the 500-year one pulsated with the Rank 5 Gu Worm's aura.

And surprisingly…

They defied the one rule all mortal Gu Worms shared—the regional qi's suppression.

Bai Shou had once dreamt of learning this Gu Worm's secrets to find another method to deal with the Regional Qi suppression. However, it was useless. The Lifespan Gu Worms were as much of a mystery to her as the Gu refined by the Dreamer Gu.

Still, they were too rare to be used by the Dreamer Gu… at least, until she could find a way to get master-level attainment out of the Rank 4 or Rank 5 Lifespan Gu at once, leaving her with the remaining two.

The Dreamer Gu needed to experience and assimilate around 7500 Dream Cycles' worth of True Meaning. And… she still hadn't managed to refine another Qualitative Dream Gu. It was too rare and outstanding. And the materials found in one's Dreams were random. She couldn't plan or predict around something random, leaving her helpless in the matter.

'I even asked the Dreamer Gu if there was a way to create a Gu to counter the randomness of the materials found, but they were also clueless. While outstanding, the Dreamer Gu have their limitations, too.'

Still, the Dreamer Gu Worms acted as an excellent storage area for the Gu Worms since they also boasted an Aperture. So, Bai Shou transferred a lot of Gu into their Aperture, explicitly refusing to let them convert said Gu Worms into Dream Cycles.

It was the final portion of how she managed to deal with the excess Gu Worms in her Aperture.

'It's already been a month.' Bai Shou stretched her arms, grunting in annoyance when she felt the fabric around her breasts push them up. 'No wonder Nina and so many others complained about their sizes… and I just liked squeezing 'em.' An unapologetic smirk touched Bai Shou's lips. She had been fortunate enough to not experience any periods.

It was mostly due to her intense body refinement, which made her less human in a way. Bai Ning Bing also didn't experience said bloodshed… but boy, did she endure the nights of heightened hormonal activity.

If one was optimistic enough to think that way, there was another silver lining to all this.

Bai Shou grunted, feeling the urge to piss.

An ordinary Gu Master would succumb to helplessness and squat.

But not Bai Shou.

She stood up as her body slightly inflated. Her once lean muscles tensed and inflated, filling her less-than-modest robes. Her softer features sharpened, and her long brown hair darkened and shortened till they reached her neck. Glimmering green orbs took over her brown irides, and her once soft chesticles were now well-defined pecs.

"Sigh…"

Bai Shou hummed softly, pulling out the Little Giant King's dick to relieve her urges.

Still suppressed due to the Regional Qi, the transformation was deceptively short, only allowing Bai Shou to experience her manhood during these crucial periods.

Indeed, a silver lining.

'Where was I?' Bai Shou thought. 'Ah, it's been a month. I can extract the Adaptive Qi to refine another Rank 3 Human Adaptive Qi Gu.'

She smiled in relief. Just a few months more, and she'd reach her former peak…

Nay, armed with better attainment and methods, she would have surpassed the Lo Jik from Three Kings' Inheritance!

<<<>>>

"What is that?" Bai Shou whispered, her gaze instantly locked on the conspicuous golden horse sculpture before the Rhino Stomp Sect's entrance. The horse sculpture was life-like and appeared ordinary at a glance, posing by standing on its hind limbs like a valiant stallion.

By every right, it should have been an ordinary, man-made sculpture in reverence to a horse's might and grace. However, she felt alarmed. Previously, she continued using the suppressed Heaven and Earth Before My Eye Gu Worm to observe her surroundings from a third person's POV, but she found the horse sculpture to be a surprising eyesore.

'It's placed directly on one of the weaker nodes in the array I exploited before.' Her gaze sharpened. 'What is that sculpture? Did the Sect's higher-ups coincidentally leave the sculpture out there?' She glanced at the several Rhinoceros sculptures decorating the fortress, each boasting a somber steel-gray palette. 'Yeah, right. They would love a Golden Horse.'

'If it's not the Sect Master's doing… does that mean they invited a third party?' Bai Shou mused. It was one of the more reasonable deductions. Of course, the horse sculpture could also be an elaborate prank from one of the Sect's enemies.

'Hmm…' Bai Shou continued staring at the sculpture. Why would anyone leave an ordinary sculpture out there? And worse, why would the Sect Master allow something so gaudy to remain on his doorstep?

'Is it a Gu?' She puckered her lips in contemplation. The horse sculpture boasted no aura. However, that didn't imply the sculpture wasn't a Gu or a creation of an unknown Gu Worm.

Bai Shou wasn't aware of any Gu that looked like a golden horse sculpture or created one.

Given the open terrain, Bai Shou couldn't directly inspect the sculpture without using the Invisibility Gu. Still, the sculpture's position was too conspicuous to be ignored.

So, she moved around the plain for a while, observing the fortress from every spot before returning to her original position after a few quiet hours. The surrounding Gu Masters performing odd maintenance jobs and rearing the rhinoceros remained oblivious to her existence. Still, Bai Shou chose to be even more careful. The Golden Horse Sculpture was a new development, and she had to open up to the possibility that the sect might have also gotten their hands on a see-through Gu Worm to bolster their investigation.

'Sigh…'

She stopped and shook her head.

'The Sect's prison was only useful because I wanted to try out my modified recipe and Killer Moves without causing issues in the Village, which has proved to be a relatively safe haven.'

Bai Shou's expression betrayed her uncertainty. Trying to infiltrate the Sect after a notable change held little benefit to her existence.

So what if she couldn't get another Rank 3 Human Adaptive Qi Gu?

She already had access to a village filled with mortals.

Her eyes suddenly widened in comprehension.

'I used one mortal's qi and tempered it using several Gu Master's qi. The opposite should also be possible. I'm a Rank 5 Gu Master in a village filled with mortals…'

She let out a devilish smirk before turning around decisively.

Still, she paused and cast a doubtful glance at the horse sculpture.

It wasn't ordinary.

Bai Shou's gut assured that much.

But curiosity often killed several cats, and Bai Shou wasn't willing to ruin a good thing by challenging whatever the Sect might have planned. And in case all of it was in her head…

So what?

<<<>>>

'How curious…'

Wisdom Carriage Master patted the golden horse sculpture under the gentle moonlight. The nights in the Spirit Plains were peaceful and uneventful, a testament to the Rhino Stomp Sect's prestige and dedication to maintaining law and order in their surroundings, leading them to become a rare local hegemony cherished by most mortals.

The Sect Leader Lin and the aged Elder Ku stood a little away from him.

It had been an entire month since they invited the eccentric Wisdom Path Gu Master, and they didn't have any doubts about the man's expertise. After all, as they waited for the thief, Wisdom Carriage Master went ahead and helped the Sect in several different ways regarding administration and resource management.

It was useless to others, but a Wisdom Path Gu Master's unbiased opinion and suggestions turned the sect into a well-oiled machine, allowing every cog to fit in its place and improve the structure of the organization called the Rhino Stomp Sect.

However, all this came with a cost…

Sect Leader Lin's only son.

"Do you regret your actions, Sect Leader Lin?" Wisdom Carriage Master suddenly spoke, his coarse voice drifting with the cold wind, snapping the duo spectators' attention.

"The sacrifice you made proved fruitful. I could use my Killer Move to predict three different scenarios because of the clues I found from your illegitimate son. He was a bastard, yes? At least, you were sure of it."

Sect Leader Lin quietly gritted his teeth as the Wisdom Carriage Master turned around.

"I hope you don't regret your decision," the enigmatic Gu Master smiled peacefully. "Are you aware of the world's greatest thief?"

"Y-you mean the Demonic Venerable?" Elder Ku spoke after noticing Sect Leader Lin's reluctance to converse about his sacrificed son.

"Indeed, the mighty Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable," Wisdom Carriage Master smiled. "Do you know what he said? Quotes of different Venerables indirectly shaped our understanding of the world, society, and the Dao. Humanity's hero, the First Son of Humanity, Primordial Origin Immortal, stated: Man is the spirit of all living beings, and Gu are the essences of Heaven and Earth."

He gently stroked the sculpture's tail, continuing, "Similarly, Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable famously ridiculed the mysterious Theft Path—his creation. He said: Thieves will stay hidden and prioritize their benefits. Everyone else unable to do so is either a robber or a leader."

Sect Leader Lin's and Elder Ku's expressions stiffened as they instantly realized how Thieving Heaven Demon Venerable directly called every Leader a robber. Yet, they had no rebuttal. Even if they ignored the awe a Demon Venerable's name left in their hearts, Thieving Heaven wasn't even lying.

"Our target is undoubtedly a thief," Wisdom Carriage Master chuckled. "He is still hidden. But what was his objective?"

The man continued walking around the horse sculpture as if inspecting something.

"The most important clue was your bastard, Sect Leader Lin. The thief was interested in a mortal to refine something."

Sect Leader Lin finally snapped.

"You stated something about three deductions. Please excuse my manners, Senior. However, the thief never returned. Was that one of your predictions? If so, the sacrifice you boast in justice's name is a laughable joke at best."

Elder Ku's heart nearly gave out as beads of cold sweat rolled down his temples once he noticed Wisdom Carriage Master halting.

"Oh?" the eccentric Gu Master chuckled. "But he did return. And, of course, your impatience is excused, Sect Leader Lin. This sculpture is far from ordinary, and it detected our unannounced guest stalking the sect's ground from that direction before taking a round of the perimeter."

The duo's eyes widened.

"Your sacrifices were not in vain," he continued peacefully. "A thief that stays hidden fears the loss of his objectives. Our thief is hidden and has an explicit interest in mortals. However, he was very cautious and gave up on the rare few mortals in the sect. Yes, it was indeed one of my three predictions. Now, we know more about the thief and can proceed accordingly."

"Anything you wish, Senior," Elder Ku tossed his Sect Leader a cautious glance before speaking.

"Hmm. I would like to tour and inspect the surrounding mortal settlements. If I'm not wrong, there would also be a few Gu Masters' families around, yes?"

These families were different from established clans in the Southern Border.

"Yes," Elder Ku nodded.

"Notify them all," Wisdom Carriage Master smiled breezily as the golden sculpture turned into light and entered the man, revealing it was never an ordinary mortal creation.

<<<>>>

"Hey, little guy." Bai Shou smiled casually and patted the startled cat in Yin-Yin's cottage. She slumped on the dusty mattress with an exhausted huff before closing her eyes to deduce and modify the already modified recipe.

The key materials would remain the same; however, Bai Shou understood she needed to adjust the refinement method and process instead. At most, it would take a few days of sincere effort before a positive result would be achieved.

Unfortunately, the results weren't as satisfactory as Bai Shou had hoped for within the predicted duration. Despite being a suppressed Rank 5 Gu Master, the modified recipe was stuck at Rank 2 and either needed more than a thousand mortals to show improvement or more Rank 3 and 4 Gu Masters. In this scenario, she lacked both quantity and quality.

'Still,' she got to work. 'It's better than nothing. I'll just have to go through my entire stock of materials to create dozens of Rank 2 Human Adaptive Qi Gu.'

The only advantage which assured Bai Shou was the adequate number of mortals. She could already refine several Rank 2 Human Adaptive Qi Gu and get started on supporting her core Gu Set. After all, it would take five Rank 2 Adaptive Qi Gu to tackle the suppression on one Rank 4 Gu.

And already having overcome the suppression of her first Aperture, Bai Shou was keen on recovering her Strength Path Set!

However, as things have been lately, misfortune seemed to have a knack for snooping around her business.

<<<>>>

'That's the second one,' Bai Shou sighed in relief after freeing the Rank 4 Dragon Travel Tiger Step Gu from the regional suppression.

Aside from that, she'd already recovered quite a bit of her strength by freeing five other Rank 4 Gu Worms thanks to the Rank 3 and five Rank 2 Adaptive Qi Gu she'd refined before.

While she planned to delve further into Refinement and Human Path, the recovery of her Strength Path Gu dealt with her immediate concerns. Also, she still had materials for 19 more Rank 2 Gu, allowing her to recover the other desirable Rank 4 Gu as she refined more Adaptive Qi Gu.

As for the other recovered Rank 4 Gu Worms?

First, Bai Shou did not bother with the Borrow Strength or All-Out Effort Strength. The Borrow Strength was primarily useless because it depended on the Rank 5 Sky Strength Gu, which cannot provide immediate assistance. Second, the effects of All-Out Strength Gu were too conspicuous, and Bai Shou only had ten Beast Phantoms. She didn't want to risk any exposure connecting her to Lo Jik, including the barely recognizable Beast Phantoms.

Finally, she had a third Gu Worm, which she'd chosen to hide due to its rarity and how it combined the use of All-Out Effort and Bitter Strength Gu!

The Rank 4 Self Strength Gu!

Still, it had its issue…

Bai Shou had to ensure the demise of any witness whenever she used the Gu Worm.

The third Gu Worm was the Little Giant King Gu, and yes—its use contradicted her belief of not being recognized. But she had limited options in the first place. All the Strength Path Gu were supposed to be a form of backup until she recovered her peak.

The fourth Gu worm was none other than the Strength Qi Gu for mid-range action.

And finally, the fifth Gu was the Self-Reliance Gu.

Attack, Healing, and Movement—Bai Shou covered her basics. The Little Giant King also provided physical defense.

'And my soul is barely protected by Chen Jiu,' Bai Shou sighed. The Heavenly Specter barely registered its surroundings and stuck close to the former due to their connection through the Soul Oath Gu Chen Jiu used in the Shang Clan City.

'I need to find a way to deal with the Oath Gu Worm's effects on my soul. Well, one of the most clear-cut methods is to become a Land Spirit's master and have it suppress the effects of the Oath Gu. The second method would be to transcend as an Immortal and let the Heaven and Earth's pure qi wash away all the undesirable Dao Marks—"

Bai Shou's thoughts halted once she noticed a sharp gleam twinkling from a distance under the harsh afternoon sun.

'What is that?'

She frowned, instantly using one of the spare investigative Gu to enhance her vision.

Her expression darkened once she noticed the golden horse sculpture above a red ceremonial carriage.

'A coincidence?' she momentarily thought before shaking her head and retreating. Again, she was far too weak to tackle a small-sized sect without fearing consequences, much less a mid-sized sect.

Why else would she sneak around?

'But if that weird sculpture is on the move, I could try refining another Rank 3 Human Adaptive Qi Gu from the sect prison,' Bai Shou barely thought of it when she noticed the carriage moving through the settlement without stopping, steadily following her tracks somehow.

'A see-through Gu?' Bai Shou furrowed her brows. 'No. I would be instantly attacked if they could directly visualize me. It's something else at play.'

Bai Shou decided to change directions and noticed something amusing.

The carriage followed her exact tracks instead of the general direction.

So, it did not turn the second she changed direction but followed the entire route.

Still…

She had other misgivings.

'That Rank 5 Wisdom Carriage Gu…' Bai Shou observed the distant Rank 5 Wisdom Path Steed Gu. Unlike the Steed Gu Worms Bai Shou possessed, the Wisdom Carriage Gu did not boast outstanding speed on land, water, and air. However, anyone within the carriage could think fast, mimicking the use of a Thought Gu! It was a rare and desirable Gu Worm.

'But the one chasing me is an unknown Initial Stage Rank 5 Gu Master,' She gulped, calculating her chances.

The sight of the carriage was enough to make her willing to rob and plunder.

'I could use the Refine Will Gu to give that Rank 5 Gu Master a scare, but that works against me. I'd have to take the pursuing Gu Masters by surprise to get what I want. There's also another issue. I don't know anything about the Central Continent and what kind of connections this Rank 5 Gu Master might have.'

This wasn't an issue for Bai Shou in the Southern Border.

'And worst of all… what if the Gu Master is a Wisdom Path or Soul Path Gu Master? I don't have enough defenses against them.'

She continued jogging into the forest, her thoughts shooting off from one idea to another, changing from sinister plots to honest escapades.

'There's an easy way to find out the limits of my pursuers…' Bai Shou suddenly tossed a Rank 1 Gu Worm and continued jogging forward. However, she slowed and observed the carriage move past the dropped Gu Worm.

With that, she tossed another unneeded, nevertheless rare, Rank 2 Gu and continued.

Once more, the carriage and the Gu Masters inside seemed oblivious to the Gu and chased at the same pace.

Finally, Bai Shou tested things with a Rank 3 Gu, and the carriage still moved ahead without registering a discreet Gu stuck to the other side of the leaf, which was quite literally next to the moving carriage. The carriage's Rank 5 Aura scared away other surrounding Gu and beasts.

'So, it's locked onto me something that's not aura, vision, scent, hearing, soul, and other base senses,' Bai Shou observed, growing calmer.

'It doesn't even register my Will. My Gu Worms are filled with my Will. But the carriage moved past them. It's either a way to throw me off or a genuine limit to the opponent's investigation method.'

'That leaves surprisingly few options, and the most prominent of these methods is to follow my… Dao Marks.' Her gaze blazed with comprehension. 'It's probably an Information Path method. The Rank 5 Wisdom Path Steed Gu and a suspected Information Path Investigation Gu or Killer Move… the opponent is either a Wisdom Path Gu Master or an Information Path Gu Master. Being both wouldn't be surprising either.'

'The Wisdom Path has a close relationship with the Soul and Enslavement Path due to the requirements of heightened soul foundation. However, the Wisdom Path displays a great co-relation with the Information Path not because of lacking Dao Marks' conflict but because of how these two paths practically support each other.'

The Wisdom Path is good at deductions, and the Information Path is outstanding at detecting clues and exchanging information. These two complement each other well, allowing a Wisdom Path Gu Master's deduction to reach a whole different level.'

Bai Shou maintained her brisk pace. Her gears turned to a risky but doable plan.

It wasn't contradictory to her oath with Chen Jiu because Bai Shou had now discovered and deduced some crucial hints about the opponent. So, the risks would not be considered suicidal or intentional self-harm without understanding the cost and benefits.

Bai Shou instantly used the Heaven and Earth Before My Eyes Gu to scout her surroundings before she released her Steeds.

The Elephant perished in the skirmish within the Ba Gui Blessed Land, leaving Bai Shou with the Rank 5 Thousand Li Earthwolf Spider, Blood River Python… and the White Form Immortal Snake Gu.

Once proud and intimidating, the Blood River Python appeared dejected and starving.

The Earthwolf fed on ground and minerals, so feeding it wasn't a challenge.

The White Form Immortal Snake's feed was expensive—the water from spirit springs. However, Bai Shou had stored quite a bit of it before she left the Shang Clan.

However, the Blood River Python enjoyed the bare minimum from the Sustenance Gu. It never tasted fresh blood after Bai Shou's appearance in the Central Continent.

Still, it was a massive creature, nearly 40 meters long and proportionately wide, that instantly appeared in the carriage's view. The python hissed loudly, spreading its blood-red hood in all its glory to hide the White Form Immortal Snake flying into the sky and the Earthwolf Spider digging into the ground.

"A Blood Gu!" Elder Ku gasped before growling. "So, it was a demon indeed!"

Still calm, Wisdom Carriage Master observed the Steed with a small smile playing on his thick, bee-stung-like lips.

"Hmm, a traveler," he informed, gesturing the Elder to calm down. "It appears to be Rank 5, but its aura is weakened and suppressed. This thief is most likely from the Eastern Seas and must have recently entered the eastern portion of our Central Continent."

"Senior, that would mean he might be a Rank 5 Gu Master," Elder Ku spoke worriedly.

"No," Wisdom Carriage Master shook his head. "He is a Rank 4 Gu Master and a suppressed one at that. The Blood River Python is not only suppressed but also hungry. It's also not in any blood pond and cannot display its maximum potential. The thief wants to intimidate us with such a desperate act—like a dog baring its fangs but being all bark and no bite."

"Oh…" Elder Ku sighed, growing calm. However, he still mobilized one of his Gu as the hair grew all over his body to form a protective armor for emergencies.

Wisdom Carriage Master had no opinion about it and even looked slightly impressed by the cautious Elder.

*Hiss*

The Blood River Python hissed terrifyingly, its sound scaring away a good portion of surrounding animals as its gigantic body crushed the nearby forest with a slow, deliberate coil. However, the Wisdom Carriage still followed Bai Shou's tracks in an unbothered fashion and steady pace.

*Swish*

The Blood River Python shot ahead, alarming the Rank 3 Elder. However, it turned into a ray of blood-red light the next second and vanished from the spot.

'Hmph.'

Wisdom Carriage Master smiled coldly as the carriage turned around.

'Indeed, the thief is a desperate party and cannot afford to lose his current set of Gu. That was why he was refining something in the prison.'

*Thud*

*Thud*

The carriage suddenly trembled, snapping the Rank 5 elite from his thoughts. As usual, the carriage would roll over smaller rocks, which would cause the insides to experience uncomfortable jerks and shifts. However, the Wisdom Carriage Master and Elder Ku suddenly found their bodies tumbling inside as the carriage sank and tilted downwards.

"Eh? Somebody covered a shallow hole, Lord Carriage Master," Elder Ku inspected and frowned. "It must be that demon trying to inhibit us!"

"Or the nearby hunters trying to catch prey," Wisdom Carriage Master sighed as he noticed the other signs of mortal tampering.

*Puff*

A cloud of dreamy white smoke suddenly covered them from the sky, making Elder Ku yelp in fear.

"Oh, no! I cannot see anything, Lord!"

"Relax," Wisdom Carriage Master revealed. "It's the Rank 5 White Form Immortal Snake Gu Worm's ability. That Steed Gu releases a lump of smoke that sticks to the target and messes with their direction and vision. We cannot see each other, but my tracking method surpasses vision. And we can still hear each other. There is nothing to be afraid of inside the carriage."

'So, the Blood River Python was a distraction. Still, the Rank 5 Snake Gu must also be suppressed.'

The carriage moved again, and as Wisdom Carriage Master expected, the weakened ability soon dissipated, returning their visions.

'This thief has some intriguing Gu Worms,' Wisdom Carriage Master smiled and chased steadily.

*Thud*

Yet, his carriage seemed to have entered another mortal trap.

'Sigh, I will need to modify my Killer Move later.'

*Puff*

The lump of smoke covered them again.

It happened a few more times as the duo relaxed.

"Heh," Wisdom Carriage Master chuckled. "The thief is intimate with the surroundings while we aren't. They must have realized the weakness of my Investigation Killer Move by now and are trying to get some distance. However, they will never succeed in escaping. If we can find them once, we can find them again."

Still, the Rank 5 expert frowned.

"Isn't that right, Elder Ku?"

*Snore*

Before the Wisdom Path expert could say anything else, his eyelids suddenly felt the heaviest they'd been in the past decade, and his head slumped down. Meanwhile, the carriage rolled to a stop as the smoke dispersed so that a figure could enter it.

***

Alternate Title: Big Stonks; Rank 5 Dreamer; Elevated Attainment; Growing At a Startling Pace; Sweating Heavenly Will Noise; Bai Shou: What Doesn't Kill Me Makes Me Stronger~~; Recovering Strength; The Eerie Sculpture; The Extraordinary Horse; For Justice and Madness; The Righteous Thief Method; Children of Humanity; The First Hero and Son of Humankind; Primordial Origin Oozes Aura Gu; Even Wisdom Falters To Dream; The Dream Path Hoard; Ever Growing Uses of the Human Path; The Future Scourge of Central Continent; The Village Resources; Other Human Path Gu Masters: Slaughtering Everyone For Resources *Bai Shou: Reusable Resources Goes Brrrr*; Based AF; Human Path Supremacy?; The Mystery of Lifespan; Heaven Path Goes Brrrr; Busted Dreamer Gu; The Wisdom Path Steed; The Steed Wars; Information Path Chase; Wisdom Path Gu Master VS Wisdom Path Master

***

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