Chapter 88 - 87: Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu
Chen Yuan had managed to enter the Zhenwu Hall through his connection with Liu Suifeng.
Even if Liu Suifeng hadn’t sent someone to find him, he would have paid Liu Suifeng a visit on this trip to the Main Hall.
Following Uncle Zhong, Chen Yuan entered Liu Suifeng’s residence, only to find Liu Feiyan holding two Giant Swords—each nearly as tall as she was—out to her sides, maintaining her balance.
Moreover, she wasn’t using any Inner Strength; she was purely tempering her physical power. By now, she was drenched in sweat, her face flushed red.
"Oh, Brother Chen, you’re here."
Seeing Chen Yuan, Liu Feiyan quickly greeted him and was about to lower the Giant Swords in her hands.
"Keep training. Young Friend Chen’s arrival has nothing to do with you."
Liu Suifeng’s voice drifted from inside the house. Hearing this, Liu Feiyan’s face fell, and she went back to her bitter training.
Chen Yuan gave her a helpless look and walked into the house.
"Greetings, Lord Liu."
Inside, Liu Suifeng was sitting cross-legged on the floor. A tea set was arranged on the low table before him. His hair was casually draped over his shoulders, and he held an ancient bamboo scroll.
"Sit."
With a wave of his hand, Liu Suifeng gestured for Chen Yuan to sit and poured him a cup of tea.
"I’ve spoiled that girl Feiyan these past few years. She has talent, but she’s too playful and not diligent enough. I must temper her personality."
Liu Suifeng looked up at Chen Yuan, his expression serene. "I’ve heard all about what happened in Linyuan City. Being the first to discover the remnants of the Blood God Sect was a great contribution. You did very well."
Chen Yuan was about to offer a humble reply, but Liu Suifeng, as if reading his mind, waved his hand. "It’s just the two of us here. There’s no need for such pleasantries."
"You haven’t been in the Zhenwu Hall for long. From an outsider’s perspective, how do you see the Hall’s development?"
Chen Yuan countered, "Lord Liu, do you want to hear the truth, or do you want to hear pleasantries?"
"I can hear pleasantries from anyone. Of course, I want the truth."
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and said gravely, "The truth is, discipline in the lower ranks of the Zhenwu Hall is lax. Both Inspectors and Guardian Envoys have their own agendas, colluding with local Jianghu Forces and selling out the Zhenwu Hall’s interests."
"If this continues, the lower ranks of the Zhenwu Hall will rot completely, and it will become incapable of keeping Ning Province under control."
Of course, there was one thing Chen Yuan didn’t say.
’The lax discipline below is due to unqualified leaders above.’
’As the Controller of the Zhenwu Hall, Chao Hongtu seems somewhat negligent. He spends most of his time cultivating in the Main Hall and rarely goes on inspection tours to other parts of Ning Province.’
’With the Hall Masters of the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu all pursuing their own interests, it’s no wonder the subordinates aren’t doing their jobs properly.’
Liu Suifeng sighed. "A very precise assessment. But the Zhenwu Hall wasn’t always like this."
"Back then, when the four of us founded the Celestial Martial Alliance, countless heroes from the Jianghu of Ning Province answered our call."
"Internally, the local Jianghu Forces either submitted and joined us or chose to offer resources to help us fight the Court."
"Externally, we defeated several of the Court’s armies, even forcing them to mobilize elite border troops to suppress us."
"But it’s only been a few decades, and to think the Celestial Martial Alliance of old has fallen to this state."
"Amnesty? Heh, it seems our amnesty cost us all our courage from back then."
A sardonic smile touched Liu Suifeng’s lips, though it was unclear who it was aimed at.
"By the way, what reward did the Grand Commandant give you for your contribution this time?"
"A Third-Turn Profound Yuan Pill, an Upper Grade Elixir from Medicine King Valley."
Liu Suifeng shook his head gently. "The Grand Commandant is being a bit stingy. The threat from the Blood God Sect is immense. Discovering it a day earlier means it can be resolved a day sooner. Your contribution is worth more than that."
"When did our Zhenwu Hall become incapable of even upholding the four words ’clear rewards and punishments’?"
Liu Suifeng stood up, rummaged through his bookshelf, and pulled out a booklet, handing it to Chen Yuan.
"I recall you’ve practiced a Buddhist Cultivation Technique before?"
Chen Yuan nodded.
"Perfect. I found this Cultivation Technique in the ruins of an Ancient Buddhist Sect when I was young. It doesn’t align with my own Martial Dao, so I never practiced it. Take it."
Chen Yuan glanced at the Cultivation Technique. Written on it were the words: *Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava*.
Chen Yuan’s eyelid twitched violently when he saw the name.
This *Six Paths of Vajra Mantra of Master Padmasambhava* was part of the *Nine-Character Secret Mantra* from the Esoteric Sect of the Ancient Buddhist Sect.
The *Nine-Character Secret Mantra* was on par with a Supreme Divine Skill. It was said that once the True Words Spell was cast, one could perceive the past and future, wielding infinite power.
However, this Supreme Technique had long been lost, with only a few of its Spells circulating in the Jianghu. Each one was considered Celestial Level.
For Liu Suifeng to casually give away a Celestial Level Technique—the reward was astonishingly generous.
Chen Yuan took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "What does Lord Liu want me to do?"
Liu Suifeng gave Chen Yuan an appreciative look.
He liked dealing with intelligent people; it saved him the time and effort of lengthy explanations.
"You’re just a Guardian Envoy right now. There’s not much you can do, and I don’t expect you to do anything."
Liu Suifeng cleared his throat, his gaze on Chen Yuan turning profound. "But I believe that with your strength, you will soon secure a place for yourself in the White Tiger Hall."
"I am in charge of the Shadow Guard, and I have cultivated a group of people who are not on the official roster. Once you become an Inspector, I want to place them under your command in various locations."
"The foundation of the Zhenwu Hall is rotten. Some people may not care about it, but I must. It is my life’s work."
"Only by completely replacing the blood at the lowest levels—by cutting away the rotten, decaying parts—can the Zhenwu Hall be revitalized."
Chen Yuan nodded. "Rest assured, Lord Liu. You were the one who recommended me to the Zhenwu Hall, so I will naturally stand with you."
"However, there is one thing I’m curious about. Why did you choose me for this task? After all, I’m just an outsider who joined the Zhenwu Hall a few days ago."
"Because I have no one left."
Liu Suifeng continued, "To be precise, the people under me are all the kind who must remain in the shadows, who cannot hold high-ranking positions."
"To me, one’s own people aren’t necessarily reliable. And outsiders aren’t necessarily unreliable."
Chen Yuan could roughly guess that although Liu Suifeng and Chao Hongtu were brothers in name and acted amicably in public, in reality, there were likely some hidden secrets between them.
Otherwise, Liu Suifeng wouldn’t have had to secretly use the Shadow Guard to train another group of Martial Artists, while publicly having only a handful of subordinates.
"Right, Lord Liu, you are famously learned and have a vast knowledge of the world. There’s something I’d like to ask you to take a look at."
"Knowledge of the world? I just enjoy reading a wide variety of books."
Liu Suifeng smiled. "This world is full of countless strange and wondrous things. I can’t guarantee I’ll know what it is, but show it to me first."
Chen Yuan took out a small red pouch and produced the Golden Cicada he had obtained after killing Qin Honglian.
Chen Yuan still hadn’t figured out how to use this thing, so today was the perfect opportunity to ask Liu Suifeng.
Liu Suifeng’s nickname was Tiansuanzi. His knowledge was profound, and he had dabbled in all sorts of miscellaneous subjects.
Of course, the most important thing was that Chen Yuan wasn’t worried he would covet the Golden Cicada.
As one of the founders of the Celestial Martial Alliance, Liu Suifeng’s resources were astonishingly vast—he could casually give away a Celestial Level Technique.
"Oh? A Six-winged Golden Cicada. This is a fine item."
Liu Suifeng picked up the Golden Cicada and examined it closely. "Have you ever heard of the Ten Great Evil Gu and the Ten Great Immortal Gu of Miaojiang?"
Chen Yuan nodded. "I have. Is this Six-winged Golden Cicada one of the Ten Great Evil Gu or Immortal Gu?"
’In the original story, there were plotlines involving the Ten Great Evil Gu and Ten Great Immortal Gu of Miaojiang, but I don’t recall a Poisonous Insect called the Six-winged Golden Cicada being among them.’
Liu Suifeng shook his head. "The Six-winged Golden Cicada is not, but it is one of the main ingredients for refining the Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu, one of the Ten Great Evil Gu."
"Immortal Gu have strange effects and can enhance the Gu Master themselves, while Fierce Gu are primarily for combat and slaughter, possessing astonishing power."
"The Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu is one of the finest among them. It’s said that it can tear the heavens and rend the earth, with a sharpness that surpasses even Celestial Soldiers."
"Two thousand years ago, an Emperor of a Dynasty attacked Miaojiang to seize an Immortal Gu that could extend one’s lifespan."
"At that time, a Miaojiang Grand Diviner unleashed the Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu. With a flap of the insect’s wings, an army of thousands was instantly reduced to a bloody rain of flesh and gore."
"But the Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu has never appeared since, as its ingredients are extremely rare."
"A two-winged Golden Cicada is just an ordinary Poisonous Insect. A four-winged one is a rare variant, exceedingly scarce."
"The Six-winged Golden Cicada is born from a further mutation of the four-winged variety, an existence one might not encounter in a thousand years."
"If you can find the other rare Poisonous Insect, the Blood Spirit Celestial Eye Moth, and refine them with a Secret Technique, you can create the Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu."
"However, the Blood Spirit Celestial Eye Moth is also a rare Poisonous Insect that one might not see in a thousand years. So, while your Six-winged Golden Cicada is precious, its value is somewhat... situational."
"But if you took it to Miaojiang, to those Miaojiang Gu Masters, its value would be comparable to a Celestial Level Technique."
Chen Yuan nodded in understanding. "Thank you for the clarification, Lord Liu."
’It seems Qin Honglian of the Yin Mountain Five Ghosts had a significant status in Miaojiang. She was definitely not an ordinary Gu Master.’
’An ordinary Gu Master would never have access to a rare Poisonous Insect of the Six-winged Golden Cicada’s caliber.’
If he had the chance, Chen Yuan wanted to take a trip to Miaojiang and see if he could refine this Blood Spirit Heaven-Tearing Gu.
In terms of combat power, the Ten Great Evil Gu were said to be second only to Divine Artifact Demon Soldiers.
They could even be considered Divine Artifact Demon Soldiers that couldn’t produce a Divine Artifact Incarnation and had a limited lifespan.
Just then, Uncle Zhong knocked on the door. "My lord, Feng Wushang has left the Grand Commandant’s side and is looking for Young Friend Chen."
Liu Suifeng waved his hand dismissively, and Chen Yuan also stood up to take his leave.
After Chen Yuan left, Uncle Zhong watched his departing figure with some worry.
"My lord, is this Chen Tian truly reliable? He may have saved the young miss, but we don’t know much about him."
Liu Suifeng said flatly, "I don’t know. My Tiansuanzi abilities can predict changes in the weather and the world, but the one thing I cannot predict is the human heart."
"What about the people on our own side whom we thought were reliable? They either died prematurely or were swiftly corrupted, colluding with the enemy."
"I don’t know if Chen Tian is reliable, but he is an intelligent man. As long as I give him enough, he will naturally choose to stand with me."