20 RI

Cold air blew all over the place, accompanying ice blades in flight. Steel fists howled in the wind, and fangs growled their fury.

Xiong Li and the other's fight against Bai Ning Bing had reached its climax.

Not that much time had passed since the battle began, to be honest. But as the pressure from Bai Ning Bing intensified, Xiong Li and the others started to feel that time dragged on longer with the difficulty he posed. @@novelbin@@

Xiong Jiang's face was dim as water, Xiong Lin's forehead dripping with cold sweat, while Xiong Li maintained a serious gaze.

At this point, even Xiong Li had to suppress his anger and admit Bai Ning Bing's formidable strength. Even though Bai Ning Bing suppressed his Rank three cultivation, and only fought with Rank two Gu worms, he displayed strength that was able to suppress their entire group.

But even then, the truth was that Bai Ning Bing had not even given it his all. This was not intentional to prove a point, rather, it was a precautionary measure against Fang Yuan.

To Xiong Li and the others, their motive was simple, it was to arrest or kill Bai Ning Bing.

But to Bai Ning Bing, the situation was more complicated.

He needed to fight back the Xiong Li group on one end, while simultaneously being on guard to prevent Fang Yuan's sneak attack on the other end.

He had seen Fang Yuan using the Stealth Scales Gu with his own eyes, thus in battle he needed to make sure to divert some of his attention to prevent Fang Yuan's attack.

But till now, Fang Yuan had not made a move.

"Did he leave? Impossible! Although it is our first meeting, he is not the type to retreat! He will definitely act. He is just biding his time." Bai Ning Bing waved his ice blade and suppressed Xiong Li, while his thoughts raced in his mind.

Not only did he have to use his brawn to fight the Xiong Li group, he also had to compete with Fang Yuan using his wit.

Fang Yuan refusing to attack was increasingly putting pressure on himself. A sheathed sword is the most dangerous, because one would not be able to predict where the sword is going to stab.

Although Fang Yuan had not struck, and was secretly watching the battle, he had been able to divert Bai Ning Bing's attention all this time. If not for this diversion, the Xiong Li group would have lost long ago, otherwise they would not be able to hold on for so long.

"This Bai Ning Bing is very meticulous. First he killed the bold lightning wolf decisively, reducing a pawn that I could use. Next he risked getting injured to killing the healing Gu Master in Xiong Li group. All these actions are the most sensible decisions to make in his situation. Although he is engaging in serious combat with Xiong Li group, he is still holding back to prevent my attack, in fact..."

Under the shadow of a nearby tree, Fang Yuan crossed his arm as he watched, his eyes shining with uncertainty.

It was not that he did not want to strike, but he just could not find an opportunity to.

He was not anxious though.

The longer this dragged on, the more battle strength would be drained from Bai Ning Bing. The Ten Extreme bodies had a supreme primeval essence recovery rate, much more than A grade, but it still was spent up over time.

The longer Fang Yuan waited, the more primeval essence used up in Bai Ning Bing's aperture, and the more the scales of victory would shift towards Fang Yuan.

If Bai Ning Bing's aperture had no primeval essence left, so what if he is the Northern Dark Ice Soul Body? One moonblade and he's beheaded!

Fang Yuan knew this, and Bai Ning Bing was aware of this fact as well.

Although he currently had the upper hand, his heart was getting heavier.

"I cannot continue like this!" Bai Ning Bing's blue eyes shone as he took a large step back, pulling some distance from the Xiong Li group.

Next he gulped, his throat expanding like something had risen from his stomach into his mouth.

His jaw was raised high as he opened his mouth in difficulty.

An icy blue colored small bird popped out of his mouth, its head raising above his white teeth. It looked around and soon found a locked onto a specific gaze.

Jumping out of Bai Ning Bing's mouth, the small, icy bird flapped its wings strongly, flying towards Xiong Li.

The the small blue bird was cute like a pigeon, but Xiong Li and the others' faces lost their colour upon seeing it.

"Rank three Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu?"

"Get away from it, quickly!"

The Xiong Li group frantically tried to dodge around, but this blue ice bird was not like the moonblade; once sent out, it was locked on to the target.

"Boom!"

It smashed into the support Gu Master in Xiong Li group, before promptly exploding.

Frosty air blew all over the place, and the piercing blue light from the explosion lit up the entire battlefield.

The next second, the blue light dispersed, and a partially transparent block of ice was revealed, a cold watery blue in color.

The Gu Master was visibly sealed within the ice block, his face still retaining the fear and anxiety before death, but he had lost all signs of life.

Even though Bai Ning Bing was already a Rank three Gu Master, once a Rank three Gu worm was used, his suppressed Rank two primeval essence in his aperture would be rapidly used up. At the same time, it cannot display the true power of a Rank three Gu worm. Moreover, once used, during the following period, the enemy can make use of this opportunity to attack.

But Xiong Li's group of three were frozen in shock instead, startled by this Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu.

Bai Ning Bing did not follow up the attack, and instead turned around and left, attempting to leave the battlefield.

This was a wise decision, for if he continued, the situation would become more disadvantageous for him.

"Damn it..."

"Bai Ning Bing, don't run if you have guts!"

"Big brother Xiong Xin was killed by him, kill him, take revenge for brother Xiong Xin!!!"

Xiong Li group cursed loudly, but could not catch up.

Originally, the four of them were barely enough to form an encirclement, but now that they had one less person, their blockade was easily broken by Bai Ning Bing.

Seeing that Bai Ning Bing was about to leave the battlefield, at this time, a moonblade flew out from among the bushes, and a person leapt out and quickly following after.

"Bam!"

Bai Ning Bing's ice blade waved, and dispelled the moonblade. But his abdomen was hit by someone, throwing him back by three large steps.

During this period, Xiong Li and the others were sobered from their stupor, getting close and surrounded Bai Ning Bing again.

Bai Ning Bing ignored the three, staring at the newcomer instead, chuckling.

"So you finally appeared . . ."

"It's Fang Yuan!" Xiong Lin's eyes shone, seeing a glimmer of hope.

"Fang Yuan, good job!" Xiong Jiang was overjoyed, shouting.

Xiong Li stayed silent; although he seemed rash, his thoughts were more meticulous than anyone else. Fang Yuan did not strike earlier, but suddenly appeared . . . was he watching the battle all along? The thought of this possibility brought him unease.

Fang Yuan smiled mildly, showing a victorious appearance, but his heart sank. Bai Ning Bing's act of retreating was to force him to appear. Fang Yuan was clear of his intentions, and saw through it, but so what if he did? He had to show up.

Xiong Li's expression was also taken into account, and he had expected it.

"Rest assured, everyone." He opened his mouth. "I've informed the clan, just hang in there for a little longer, reinforcements are coming!"

Xiong Li was relieved at once.

Xiong Lin, Xiong Jiang's battle spirits were ignited, and Bai Ning Bing suddenly laughed loudly, "Haha, so he's called Fang Yuan, such an interesting guy... I only want to kill you even more now!!!"

"I'm afraid you're not capable enough to achieve that." Fang Yuan's eyes shone with cold light, taking a step forward.

"Bai Ning Bing, the heavens want you dead, you're finished!" Xiong Jiang gritted his teeth, running into Bai Ning Bing.

"Bai Ning Bing, you are too arrogant, you will pay the price today!" Xiong Lin growled, moving towards Bai Ning Bing's back.

"Fang Yuan, stay back a little, back us up and prevent Bai Ning Bing from escaping." Xiong Li said.

If Fang Yuan interfered, it would destroy the chemistry the three of them shared.

Battle continued.

Fang Yuan's expression was tranquil while he continued to constantly attack, treating Xiong Li's words as if they were air.

The Xiong Li group frowned; outsider interference would cause the battle formation to be chaotic, and their cooperation would start to fail. But Fang Yuan's every attack was ruthless and decisive, having a strong grasp of opportunity, instead being of great help to them.

At first, Xiong Li growled threateningly at him, but soon, he shut the fuck up. His frowning face slowly eased, and his brows started to raise instead, revealing his surprise towards Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan did not strike much, but each attack he made had great implications on the battle. Once his master level methods were displayed, he instantly grasped the battle in his hands.

Xiong Li's group of five originally were at a disadvantage when fighting Bai Ning Bing, and ended up getting two of their members killed. But once Fang Yuan joined in, along with the three's combined combat prowess, they managed to suppress Bai Ning Bing into a corner.

"Bai Ning Bing, just go and die!"

Xiong Li growled loudly, jumping up and landing heavily. His ten fingers intertwined to form a punch, slamming toward Bai Ning Bing.

Bai Ning Bing wanted to dodge, but Fang Yuan appeared at that moment, and at the same time shot out a moonblade, blocking the direction where he wanted to leap.

Bai Ning Bing had no choice but to endure Xiong Li's attack.

"Water Shield Gu!"

From his nostrils, two lines of water vapour coiled around his body, forming a spherical barrier of condensed moisture.

With a loud impact and a compressed pop, Xiong Li's heavy punch landed on the barrier, breaking through it instantly.

But this act also caused the punch to lose all its built up velocity and allowed Bai Ning Bing to escape death.

Even so, Xiong Li took a glance at Fang Yuan, showing signs of admiration. If not for his superb cooperation, this hit would've been avoided by Bai Ning Bing. It would not have forced Bai Ning Bing to take the hit head on, expending his primeval essence.

"Water Shield Gu again..."

Fang Yuan did not mind Xiong Li's gaze, but focused on Bai Ning Bing, frowning.

It was this Water Shield Gu that alleviated Bai Ning Bing's predicament. The defensive power of the water shield was superior to even the White Jade Gu.

But it had a weakness — he needed to form a ball shape and rely on the moving water to draw the force away, dispersing the damage in order to display its full defensive capabilities.

If Bai Ning Bing was up against a wall, he cannot form a ball shape and his defense power would be greatly reduced.

There are many forests on Qing Mao Mountain, but even then Bai Ning Bing had been very careful, making sure not to get into a tight spot.

"As long as I beat this Water Shield Gu, I can put Bai Ning Bing in a tight spot. But how?" Fang Yuan was thinking, but suddenly Bai Ning Bing's mouth opened, and a new blue bird flew out.

Xiong Li and the others were fearful of this attack, but Fang Yuan was not flustered in the least.

He snorted coldly, shooting a moonblade.

With a bam, the moonblade hit the ice bird, causing it to explode.

Bai Ning Bing growled in a low voice, he was too close by, and after the ice bird exploded, he was hit by it too.

The impact caused him to fly up and then fall on the the ground. At the same time, half of his left limb was frozen, losing its ability to fight.

"Divine opportunity!" Seeing this, Xiong Li's eyes shone with brilliance, shouting "Go die!" and his arms gathered to form another punch towards Bai Ning Bing.

This hit was too heavy, and as Bai Ning Bing was on the ground, the Water Shield Gu's defensive capabilities were less than half of the usual; if this hit his head, there was no doubt that he, Bai Ning Bing, would instantly die.

-x-X-x-

Seeing that Xiong Li's fist was about to hit Bai Ning Bing, Xiong Lin and Xiong Jiang both showed a joyful expression.

Only Fang Yuan stood far away, his eyes shining with solemnness.

With his understanding of Bai Ning Bing, how could he commit such a beginner's mistake?

As expected, at this moment!

Bai Ning Bing suddenly struck; his right hand and forearm's flesh all turned into a transparent blue frosty ice, from outside his finger bones could be seen.

His fingers gathered straight, forming a palm blade and striking like lightning, puncturing Xiong Li's heart!

"Urgh!" Xiong Li's descending body came to a halt.

He stared with wide-opened eyes, lowering his head and staring at his chest in disbelief.

"How can this be?"

"Lord Xiong Li!"

With the sudden twist of events, Xiong Jiang and Xiong Lin could not believe it.

"You think my right arm was really broken by your punch? Naive! I already used the Rank three ice muscle Gu, and trained a body of ice muscles, this is the ultimate defense! The reason I pretended earlier was to give a certain someone a surprise." Bai Ning Bing slowly got up, showing disdain in his eyes, and at the end of his speech, he looked towards Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan's expression was calm, staring at him too.

Plop.

"Bai... Ning Bing...." Xiong Li opened his mouth, saying his last words with difficulty. Bai Ning Bing's ice hand spread out some cold air and froze his heart, cutting off his life force!

"Scheming scumbag, I will fight it out with you!" Xiong Lin saw Xiong Li's death firsthand, and under the extreme pain and anger, he ignored his own danger and charged towards Bai Ning Bing.

"Xiong Lin, calm down!' Xiong Jiang acted in time, restraining Xiong Lin.

"Group leader is dead, we are no longer his match, quickly leave, I'll block him!" Xiong Jiang controlled his sadness and said.

"Brother Xiong Jiang..." Xiong Lin was dumbfounded, his eyes turning red.

Xiong Jiang shrugged his hand backwards and took a step forwards, blocking Bai Ning Bing.

Shadow Bond Gu!

The shadow below his feet suddenly came alive, distorting creepily, connecting itself to Bai Ning Bing's shadow.

"I have the Shadow Bond Gu! Once I get hurt, Bai Ning Bing takes the same damage. He won't kill me so easily. Xiong Lin, you are still young and have better talent than me or group leader, go away quickly!" Xiong Jiang's gaze was locked onto Bai Ning Bing as he shouted.

"Brother Xiong Jiang!" Xiong Lin's eyes were teary, he knew the weakness of the Shadow Bond Gu.

In the previous battle, Xiong Jiang had used the Gu worm too, but once Bai Ning Bing pulled sufficient distance, the shadow would split. Xiong Jiang saying this was just to console him.

Especially now, Xiong Jiang did not have enough primeval essence; he had already used up too much, and even the Roaming Zombie Gu had stopped working.

Xiong Lin's feet seems to have taken roots, as he refused to move a step. He turned around, staring at Fang Yuan, "Fang Yuan, why are the reinforcements not here yet?!"

Fang Yuan did not speak, only staring firmly at Bai Ning Bing.

Bai Ning Bing moved his right arm, and after a while, his right arm regained its fleshy state. He used a mocking tone, "Reinforcements? Hehehe, they would've come long ago if it was the case, but this is all a lie. Tsk tsk tsk, you are even more naive than the other one. You really think such a cheap method like Shadow Bond Gu can restrain me?"

He stared at the shadow in disdain, not giving a fuck.

"Fang Yuan, is this true?" Xiong Lin clenched his fist, eyes speaking fire as he asked furiously.

Fang Yuan did not care about him, but stared at Bai Ning Bing, his mouth curling into a smile, "That move earlier, it expended your primeval essence right? By now, how much primeval essence do you still have in your aperture?"

Xiong Li used a defensive Gu worm but it was weaker than Fang Yuan's White Jade Gu. The result was that his defense was penetrated, but such an attack is clearly not owned by a Rank two Gu Master.

According to the earlier situation, Fang Yuan guessed that Bai Ning Bing used the Rank three Frost Demon Gu.

This Gu's ability was strong, renowned among the Rank three Gu, but overuse harmed the user. Joint problems were just a light symptom, but if serious, one's muscles could be frozen and damaged, thus it needed to be used with other Gu worms.

Bai Ning Bing had said earlier that his muscles had become ice muscles, and could take the cold of the frost. Thus, when used together with the Frost Demon Gu, they complemented each other.

This was still Bai Ning Bing using Rank two primeval essence to forcefully activate a Rank three Gu worm, so it had to have high consumption, but he needed to use such a method to break the stalemate.

Bai Ning Bing's expression changed; the move earlier had caused a great consumption of his primeval essence, and Fang Yuan saw through it.

Thus, after killing Xiong Li, he did not strike again, but used the talking time to recover.

He laughed heartily, nodding, and confessed, "Not bad, my primeval essence is running dry, I left my right limb unused to lure you to attack. But you didn't fall for it. Hehehe, the real battle is just starting, isn't it?"

Fang Yuan squinted.

If Bai Ning Bing denied it, he would attack without doubt. But Bai Ning Bing confessed, showing a look of fearlessness...

Either that Bai Ning Bing knew he was going to die, showing no fear towards death, or he probably had other strong trump cards and had great confidence in surviving.

Ordinary Gu Masters only had three to five Gu worms, even Qing Shu and Chi Shan, were as such.

But there are exceptions.

For example Fang Yuan, with the Moonglow Gu, White Jade Gu, Stealth Scales Gu, Four Flavour Liquor worm, Spring Autumn Cicada, Earth Communication Ear Grass and Nine Leaf Vitality Grass, he had seven Gu worms in his possession.

Bai Ning Bing was the Bai clan's hope and had the Northern Dark Ice Soul body, an absolute genius. From the start of his cultivating journey, he had received the full support of his clan, his wealth definitely greater than Fang Yuan.

Up till now, he had displayed over six Gu worms. Fang Yuan was sure that he had others.

And these Gu worms allowed him to be calm despite being in this position of having little primeval essence.

Actually, the most troublesome kind of opponent is like him.

Not only having talent, but not fearing death, and having large amount of Gu worms in hand.

With these three, it greatly affected a Gu Master's battle in terms of victory or loss. Especially Gu worms, with a strong or special one, it can allow a Gu Master to overturn the situation.

Bai Ning Bing's Frost Demon Gu was a Rank three Gu worm, so even with Fang Yuan's White Jade Gu defending, he could be penetrated. This is also why Fang Yuan had not engaged Bai Ning Bing personally.

Fang Yuan had used Gu Yue Man Shi, Xiong Li and others to fish out Bai Ning Bing's secrets. After all, only knowing one's enemy can one be assured of victory.

In comparing talent, Fang Yuan was only a C grade. Compared to Bai Ning Bing, it was a world of difference. Bai Ning Bing started cultivating earlier and had the clan's assistance, and he had more outstanding Gu worms in his possession than Fang Yuan.

In terms of temperament, his fearlessness towards death made him almost invulnerable.

The difference between the two was that Bai Ning Bing was strong, and Fang Yuan was weak. This is the truth, he had to accept it and understand it.

But battles are interesting because the strong might not necessarily win, and the weak might not always fall.

Fang Yuan wanting to win against the odds, it was not impossible, but he had to use all of the methods he had, and make use of all the strength he could gather.

"Gu Yue Man Shi was just the beginning, and Xiong Li group is not the end." Thinking so, Fang Yuan struck.

With a moonblade, a head flew away, and blood spewed!

This moment, Bai Ning Bing's iris shrunk to pin-size, his face changing colour.

Fang Yuan's moonblade did not attack him, but was aimed at Xiong Jiang's head.

Xiong Jiang did not expect Fang Yuan's betrayal; Bai Ning Bing's pressure was too great, and all his attention was gathered on the latter.

He did not have much primeval essence left, so to conserve them, he did not maintain the Roaming Zombie Gu, thus getting one-shotted.

Bam!

Bai Ning Bing's face was pale as he vomited a mouthful of blood, and at the same time, his ears, nose and eyes had blood traces.

Ever since the battle started, this was the most severe injury he had sustained. @@novelbin@@

Shadow Bond Gu!

With the shared damage effect, when the Shadow Bond Gu Master sustains an injury, the chain-linked Gu Master takes 10% of the damage. Now that Xiong Jiang is dead, his injuries were connected through the shadow and transmitted to Bai Ning Bing.

This injury with a direct effect, even if Bai Ning Bing had the Water Shield Gu, it cannot block against it.

"Fang Yuan, what have you done?!" A second later, Xiong Lin came back from shock and shouted in a furious voice, heartbroken.

Fang Yuan ignored him, his body glowing with white jade light as he charged towards Bai Ning Bing.

Bai Ning Bing getting such an injury, his body was wavering, and his head was dizzy, his battle strength dropped drastically. Seeing Fang Yuan attacking, he retreated immediately.

"Bai Ning Bing, didn't you want a life and death battle?" Fang Yuan chased relentlessly.

Bai Ning Bing gritted his teeth, escaping silently. His footsteps were messy, but he forced himself to focus, ignoring Fang Yuan's taunting.

Although he knew he was a dying man and did not fear death, he was not stupid, and with such a dangerous situation, his heart grew calmer.

Xiong Lin stood on the spot, not choosing to help Fang Yuan chase Bai Ning Bing.

His heart was filled with pain and anger. He hated Bai Ning Bing, and also detested Fang Yuan.

Bai and Fang moved closely, traversing the valley.

As time passed, Bai Ning Bing's injuries slowly recovered, and his nose and eyes stopped bleeding. Slowly his footsteps became more composed.

He did not simply run away, but during this time, used his Gu worm to heal his body's injuries.

Fang Yuan's pursued and his heart was secretly shocked.

"Previously Bai Ning Bing's primeval essence was almost fully expended, but during this time, the amount he recovered was enough to heal his own injuries. Northern Dark Ice Soul body, Ten Extreme talents, what sort of primeval essence recovery speed is this!"

The more he knew, the more determined he was to kill Bai Ning Bing.

Moonglow Gu!

Fang Yuan sent a moonblade around the size of a face flying; it flew across the sky, emitting a buzzing sound.

Bai Ning Bing heard this sound and tried to dodge, but his arm still got sliced away.

An injury appeared and blood poured out, but the injury was quickly covered by a layer of frost, stopping the blood.

Bai Ning Bing had obtained the ice muscles, and once this is achieved, it was like the Black and White Boar Gu's strength increase — it required no primeval essence to sustain.

But Bai Ning Bing's heart continued to sink. Before his old injuries healed, new injuries would come; evidently, Fang Yuan wanted to slowly grind him to death!

-x-X-x-

"Hehehe, there has never been anyone who forced me into such a state! Fang Yuan, you... are interesting. Once I recover adequately, I'll definitely kill you!!" Bai Ning Bing screamed in his heart as he ran.

The killing intent from Fang Yuan had him feel suffocated.

This to him, was an unprecedented experience.

The thick aura of death made his body shudder, and it developed a twisted sense of excitement.

Behind him, Fang Yuan was chasing and getting closer.

"Take this!" He suddenly flicked his wrist, and threw a black coloured Gu worm.

Fang Yuan's steps came to a halt as if an enemy had appeared, but once he got closer, he found out that this was the Plunder Gu from Xiong Zhan.

Splat.

With a light sound, Fang Yuan caught this Gu worm in his hands.

The Plunder Gu was a black beetle, and at a normal size, its head had a pair of metal antenna, and its back had white spots.

Once the Spring Autumn Cicada revealed its aura, Fang Yuan easily refined this Plunder Gu and kept it in its aperture with some use of its primeval essence.

He continued chasing.

For Bai Ning Bing to even use such a method, it showed the severity of his injuries and the desperate situation he was in. But with this action, the distance between Fang Yuan and him had been pulled apart again.

"Unfortunately, I lack a movement Gu worm. If I had such a Gu worm, I would have caught up to Bai Ning Bing already." Fang Yuan sighed in his heart.

"This Fang Yuan, he actually refined the Plunder Gu instantly?" Bai Ning Bing was shocked in his heart.

He obtained this Plunder Gu and had been refining it for the last few days. Although there were improvements, the process was tough and he did not succeed. This is also because Xiong Zhan's death had an indirect relationship with him. The will of this Plunder Gu originated from Xiong Zhan, thus, it had greater hatred towards Bai Ning Bing and raised the difficulty in refining it.

But Fang Yuan instantly refined this Plunder Gu, and Bai Ning Bing who only used his side vision to see this could feel his heart turn shocked and dismayed.

There are a few Gu worms that can achieve this.

But Bai Ning Bing had never owned one, to think that Fang Yuan would instead?

Unknowingly, he had become more wary of Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan's image in his heart had intensified in a dangerous and mysterious way.

However, as time passed, Fang Yuan's heart was the one that sank.

The longer it dragged, the more primeval essence would be recovered by Bai Ning Bing, and the lesser injuries he has. Fang Yuan's advantage over him would become milder and milder.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to kill him this time!" Fang Yuan sighed in his heart.

According to this development, it won't be long before Bai Ning Bing's injury and primeval essence recover sufficiently.

Although Fang Yuan had been using the Moonglow Gu to intensify the injuries on him, the Northern Dark Ice Soul body's talent is too outstanding, it can be said to be a gift from heaven. The primeval essence recovery rate was even faster than Fang Yuan using primeval stones.

"Unless... the people in front encountered a wolf pack, and are trapped. Or there will be a Gu Master group appearing, and can temporarily block Bai Ning Bing. But if it is a Bai clan group, I'm in danger."

Fang Yuan's thoughts flowed like a whirlpool as he started to have intentions to retreat.

Their chase was a long road, but in the middle they did not encounter a single pack of wolves or a Gu Master group. This meant to say that Bai Ning Bing who is selecting the escape route also has a recon Gu worm and can avoid danger.

Qing Mao Mountain is so huge, he can escape in all directions, Fang Yuan has no way to force Bai Ning Bing to run in one direction.

"Against the wolf tide, the most important thing is to be united and not be isolated by the wolf tide. Once you are isolated, you are in danger," Qing Shu told Fang Zheng as they were rushing on the road.

"If the opponent is the bold lightning wolf pack, we can defend using terrain, and defeat them head on. But if it is the frenzy lightning wolf pack, the first thing to do is retreat, then use the Signal Gu, and wait for the surrounding Gu Masters to regroup. We need at least three groups to cooperate to have a good chance of defeating the frenzy lightning wolf. Of course, opponents in the wolf tide are not just lightning wolves, but also Gu Masters."

Saying so, Gu Yue Qing Shu paused.

The other four knew who he was talking about.

Evidently, it was Bai Ning Bing.

These days, Bai Ning Bing had been challenging people all over, suppressing his cultivation and only using the Rank two red steel primeval essence, and found trouble with Xiong Li, Chi Shan and the rest.

From what he declared, Gu Yue Qing Shu is his next target.

"If we encounter Bai Ning Bing..." Gu Yue Qing Shu continued, "The best would be to avoid battling."

This sentence entered Fang Zheng's ears and caused his heart to feel disturbed.

In his heart, Gu Yue Qing Shu, although mild on the outside, had a tough personality and stuck close to his principles. From Gu Yue Qing Shu, he could feel a strong sense of kinship. Towards Gu Yue Qing Shu, he respected and loved him, and naturally was not willing to see Bai Ning Bing being superior to Qing Shu.

"Everyone is discussing Bai Ning Bing, what kind of person is he?" Fang Zheng frowned and asked.

The three other people in the group became solemn.

Gu Yue Qing Shu smiled kindly towards Fang Zheng, "He is Qing Mao Mountain's number one genius! Fang Zheng, listen well. You are still young, and have A grade talent, you might be able to surpass him in the future. So before you fully grow up, avoid direct conflicts with him. Remember the story I told you before? Lowering your head and raising it — sometimes, people have to lower their heads."

Fang Zheng looked towards Qing Shu, and when they made eye contact, he could not help but nod and respond, "I understand, Brother Qing Shu. Please be rest assured."

"Good..." Qing Shu was still speaking, when suddenly the recon Gu Master interrupted, "Not too far away ahead, there is a Gu Master rapidly moving."

Everyone's expressions changed.

The healing Gu Master Gu Yue Yao Hong's expression was solemn, "Must be a small group that got scattered by the wolf pack, let's go save them."

Fang Zheng said instead, "Could it be Bai Ning Bing, doesn't he travel alone usually?"

"It could be him, or not. But if it really is a Gu Master that got lost, no matter which village, they are our alliance mate. We have to go save them," Gu Yue Qing Shu said, turning direction and charging towards the Gu Master.

The four around him followed closely.

But quickly, the recon Gu Master spoke, "It is not a Gu Master, behind the first Gu Master, there is another one."

"It's actually two Gu Masters huh. It seems that the situation is just like Sister Yao Hong had said. It should be a group that got separated by the wolf packs," Gu Yue Fang Zheng sighed a breath of relief.

Gu Yue Qing Shu's expression was unchanging, but the other three's expression became more relaxed.

At this point, if one was observing from a higher point of view, they would see Qing Shu's group, Fang Yuan and Bai Ning Bing, getting closer along the mountain road.

"Oh?" Bai Ning Bing's expression changed. He had a recon Gu, and he felt that a group of five Gu Masters were approaching.

He quickly changed his direction.

Although he had a recon-type Gu worm, it could not detect the identities of the people ahead. Every Gu worm had one ability, thus it had pros and cons.

Taking Fang Yuan's Earth Communication Ear Grass for example, it can hear noise and is most sensitive to footsteps, but it cannot discern information like male or female. And if a Gu Master uses the Silent Step Gu, they can conceal their footsteps and he would not be able to detect them.

Not knowing who it was, to play it safe, Bai Ning Bing chose to avoid them.

But this time, the situation was different. Qing Shu's group was full of elites, and their recon Gu Master was a professional as well.

"There's someone!" Soon after, Fang Yuan detected the existence of Qing Shu group.

He was sprinting, and his right ear had roots growing out, but did not go into the ground, thus his detection range was not even half of its peak.

Bai Ning Bing changed his running direction again.

But Qing Shu group followed closely, changing their direction to match.

This way, be it Bai Ning Bing or Fang Yuan, their expressions turned serious.

The two were extremely clever, they knew at once: This unknown group is the biggest uncertainty, it would definitely affect the result of the battle.

"If it is a Bai clan group, I will immediately use the Stealth Scales Gu and retreat. But if it is the other two clans, hehe." Fang Yuan's eyes shone with coldness.

He knew that this decision carried certain risks.

If it was a Bai clan group and the Gu Masters among them had a detection method, he would be chased into a dead end.

But if he lost this prime opportunity, he would probably never have another shot at killing Bai Ning Bing.

Furthermore, whichever clan the Gu Masters are from, Fang Yuan had a 66% chance, while Bai Ning Bing only had one third, so Fang Yuan had reason to gamble.

As they sprinted, the two parties continued to get closer.

"We can almost see them, right behind that turning point," the recon Gu Master pointed at a curve along the mountain path.

They could not help but slow their footsteps, awaiting the meeting further ahead.

A white figure turned around the corner, and appeared in front of them.

"Bai Ning Bing!" Fang Zheng shouted in dismay, he had obviously seen Bai Ning Bing's portrait before.

The other four, even Qing Shu's expression sank.

"Bai Ning Bing is in such a sorry state, he must've encountered a frenzy lightning wolf pack."

"Hmph, he deserves this, travelling alone in the wolf tide, what airs is he trying to put on?"

Everyone at once, did not go up and meet with him.

Bai Ning Bing's movements and expression, showed signs of escaping, this caused Qing Shu group to feel happy internally.

But at this moment, Fang Yuan shouted from over the corner, "Bai Ning Bing, why are you running? I must kill you today!"

Saying this, he was trying to test water.

Using the Earth Communication Ear Grass, he knew that around the corner, there was an unknown group of five.

If it is a Bai clan group, this proclamation would invite their intense rebuttal.

Around the corner, Qing Shu and the others heard this and their eyeballs rolled wide.

"What's going on?" @@novelbin@@

"There's actually someone chasing and trying to kill Bai Ning Bing?"

"Did I get it wrong, something like this is happening?"

"Getting Bai Ning Bing into such a pathetic state, who in the world is behind him?"

Gu Yue Yao Hong could not help but look at each other, a look of shock all over their faces.

Gu Yue Fang Zheng was shocked and suspicious, "This voice, why is it so familiar?"

Before he could remember the owner of the voice, Fang Yuan turned around the corner.

"What?" Gu Yue Qing Shu's serious expression turned into dumbfoundedness.

The other four stared with their eyes wide opened; after seeing Fang Yuan appear, their eyeballs almost dropped.

"This, this, this!" Gu Yue Yao Ji opened her mouth wide, big enough to swallow a duck egg.

"Big brother!" Fang Zheng was tongue tied.

"It's him?" Even Gu Yue Qing Shu with outstanding composure, was shocked beyond words.

-x-X-x-

Who was Bai Ning Bing?

The number one genius of Qing Mao mountain—someone who could single-handedly change the structure of the three clans, whose cultivation speed left everyone dumbfounded, dimming the luster of even A grade geniuses. No one doubted his future accomplishments; even his enemies had no choice but to accept the fact his talent was unparalleled.

However, now someone was actually making this genius flee in such a wretched state.

No one among the Qing Shu group expected this.

What was even more astonishing was that the person chasing after Bai Ning Bing was actually from their clan: Fang Yuan.

Regarding their impressions of Fang Yuan, they were mainly based around the arena battles and chasing away River Swallowing Toad. And since the moment Fang Yuan had admitted defeat to Xiong Li, his true strength was widely underestimated.

"When did Fang Yuan become so powerful?"

The Qing Shu group found this difficult to accept.

Fang Yuan turned around the corner.

"Gu Yue Qing Shu!" His mind jolted when he saw the Gu Yue Qing Shu group.

"I won the gamble. Bai Ning Bing, today will be the day you die," Fang Yuan thought. He shouted, "Little brother, you were here! Great! Quickly stop Bai Ning Bing! He is a heinous murderer who killed the Xiong Li group and even our clan's Gu Yue Man Shi group!"

"What?"

"But our clans have signed a treaty!"

"No, nothing is too excessive for Bai Ning Bing."

"So it was like that! No wonder Fang Yuan was able to chase Bai Ning Bing....."

The Qing Shu group was shocked and came to a realization. It seemed that after Bai Ning Bing had fought several intense battles, his fighting power had fallen to its lowest state—allowing Fang Yuan to luckily seize the upper hand.

"Am I really going to die here? No, I have just enough primeval essence to self-detonate the Frost Demon Gu. I still have hope!" Bai Ning Bing thought in his mind. In front of him was the Qing Shu group and behind him was Fang Yuan. The situation was extremely unfavorable.

Actually, there was a rift in Fang Yuan and Fang Zheng's relationship; Fang Zheng naturally wouldn't heed Fang Yuan's words.

However, Bai Ning Bing didn't know of this. As an outsider, he only saw the similarity in appearance between Fang Zheng and Fang Yuan, and firmly made a choice.

He lifted his right arm, pouring all the hard-earned primeval essence that he had recovered into the Frost Demon Gu in his right palm.

The muscles in his right arm transformed into a light blue ice. One could clearly see the white bones of his arm within the ice.

Bang!

With an explosive sound, Bai Ning Bing's whole right arm suddenly self-detonated.

Steam and mist arose, and an intense chill started to crazily pervade the surroundings.

Snap, crack.

Pure, white frost spread onto the narrow mountain path in the blisteringly hot summer, covering the soil and the trees. The temperature abruptly dropped.

"He sacrificed his entire right arm!" Fang Zheng was aghast by Bai Ning Bing's ruthless move.

"Quick, retreat." Gu Yue Qing Shu grabbed Fang Zheng and hurriedly ran away.

Great amounts of frost rushed towards them like the wolf tide.

It would be very troublesome if they actually got frozen.

Fang Yuan retreated to a distance of hundred steps along with the Qing Shu group as the onslaught of frost gradually dwindled.

Originally, the mountain path had been full of lush trees, filled with the fragrance of wild plants. Now, it had become a world of ice. The trees were all frozen and there was a thick layer of snow on the ground.

Fang Yuan stepped onto the snow and approached the middle of the mountain path.

Bai Ning Bing's whole body was frozen in ice like an insect in amber, his expression still showing the malevolent decisiveness and ruthlessness of his personality.

"He.... suicided?" Fang Zheng muttered. The Qing Shu group had quickly followed after Fang Yuan.

"No!" Qing Shu's expression was very heavy. "Bai Ning Bing has already formed ice muscles, this layer of ice crystals won't freeze him to death and will instead act as his armor, giving him time to recover."

Fang Yuan stared closely at Bai Ning Bing and threw a moonblade.

Screech.

The moonblade produced a crisp sound when it struck the ice crystals.

On the three meters high and two meters wide ice crystal, there was only a shallow scar. But in just a moment, the cold aura within the ice crystal filled the injury and the scar disappeared.

"Fang Yuan, is what you said earlier true?" Qing Shu turned his gaze towards Fang Yuan.

"Of course. Only Xiong Lin remains of the Xiong Li group and he can testify for me. We can't stay here for too long; the details will have to wait. We must quickly leave this place." Fang Yuan nodded and answered.

He had made up his mind to leave.

He knew he was unable to destroy this ice crystal. Even if they were to combine their strengths to destroy it, it would waste a lot of time and primeval essence.

If Bai Ning Bing broke out of the ice, their fighting strength would have dropped and his fighting strength would have recovered, making it a bad situation if a battle started.

"Leave? Why should we leave?" Fang Zheng couldn't refrain from asking in a loud voice. "Bai Ning Bing has already destroyed his right arm and with the battles he went through, he is tired both mentally and physically. We can break open this ice crystal and activate the Signal Gu for the clan's reinforcements to eliminate him! This is an extremely rare opportunity."

Everyone's hearts were moved by these words.

"Since Fang Yuan could chase Bai Ning Bing and try to kill him, why can't we do the same?" Several Gu Masters looked at each other and they couldn't help but have such thoughts.

"If we kill Bai Ning Bing, we will become great heroes of the Gu Yue clan!"

"But if we kill him, won't the Bai village start a war in their anger? And now, there is the wolf tide...."

"No, it is exactly because there is a wolf tide that even if we kill Bai Ning Bing, Bai village will just have to swallow their bitterness."

"Right, a dead genius isn't a genius!"

The group members discussed, their minds set on the fame and glory.

"Truly stupid, how can you imagine the power of the Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique?" Fang Yuan squinted his eyes while sneering inwardly. He was not going to accompany these people if they wanted to look for death.

Gu Yue Qing Shu also hesitated.

He, no doubt, had much deeper understanding of Bai Ning Bing than the rest of the group.

He didn't know of the secret of the ten extreme physiques, but he didn't have much yearning towards the fame from killing Bai Ning Bing, either.

He was indifferent towards fame and profits; he had once been nurtured by Gu Yue Bo as the next clan head, but he willingly gave up this position to Fang Zheng.

His true concerns lay within the interests of the clan, and his heart was intricately linked with the clan's well-being.

"Bai village's emergence is completely due to Bai Ning Bing. If we kill Bai Ning Bing, our Gu Yue Clan will remain the number one clan of Qing Mao mountain! Although Bai Ning Bing is a Rank three Gu Master, I have the Wood Charm Gu and the ability to fight with him. Moreover, he just lost his right arm and he will certainly need some time to get used to the absence of a limb. This can be the greatest disadvantage in a life and death battle!" Qing Shu thought.

Gu Yue Qing Shu's gaze turned resolute.

Fang Yuan was observing Qing Shu's expression the entire time; he realized what the latter had chosen to do when he saw Qing Shu's expression.

"If Gu Yue Qing Shu uses the Wood Charm Gu without any regards to the consequences, he will be much stronger than the average Rank three Gu Master and even have the power to surpass levels and fight. However, the one he is facing is Bai Ning Bing who possesses the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique. The battle definitely won't be easy. Since Bai Ning Bing can dilute his primeval essence and suppress his cultivation, he can naturally restore his Rank three cultivation. Right now, he has enough time inside the ice crystal to remove this restriction. Once he breaks out, he will very likely be as a Rank three Gu Master."

Bai Ning Bing was extremely talented and Fang Yuan had needed external help to fight against him even when Bai Ning Bing's cultivation was suppressed to Rank two.

Once Bai Ning Bing enters Rank three, his fighting strength would rise by several times. Fang Yuan was the main cause of the loss of his right arm. When the battle begins, Bai Ning Bing's ruthless temperament will definitely target Fang Yuan.

Moreover, Fang Yuan had some concerns and didn't want to reveal his true strength in front of Gu Yue Qing Shu.

Thus, Fang Yuan immediately expressed his intention to leave and left the battlefield, ignoring the urges of others to stay.

"He really left? Such a coward."

"Hmph, him leaving is good. If he were to meddle, it might instead destroy our tacit teamwork."

"Hahaha, it really frightened me when I saw him chasing after Bai Ning Bing. Now, it seems Fang Yuan is indeed Fang Yuan: a coward who admitted defeat in the Gu battle competition!"

"Quit it, everyone has their own ambitions. At least, he gave us intel on Bai Ning Bing before he left. Moreover, he will inform the clan who will send reinforcements." As Qing Shu gazed at the departing figure of Fang Yuan, his brows slightly furrowed.

"Group leader, you are too kind. There is no need to justify for cowards like Fang Yuan."

"Right, although Fang Yuan is Fang Zheng's older brother, the way I see it, one is earth and the other is heaven."

" I, I have already stopped talking with Fang Yuan," Fang Zheng's face grew red, he felt ashamed at Fang Yuan's running away before battle.

"Fang Zheng, you leave too," Gu Yue Qing Shu suddenly spoke.

"What?!" Fang Zheng's eyes were wide open.

"As the clan's only A grade talent, we can't lose you. Bai Ning Bing may have lost an arm, but the following battle will definitely be very dangerous. For the clan, we can die, but you, Fang Zheng, must not die."

The other four members were all moved.

"Well said!" A bright laughter echoed and an old Gu Master appeared.

"Lord elder." Fang Zheng promptly paid his respects. He recognized this man as a very senior clan elder.

The elder drew near, looking at Gu Yue Qing Shu with praise, "Gu Yue Bo raised a great adopted son. With such feelings of fighting to the death for the clan, why would we have to worry about our Gu Yue Clan not expanding?"

Fang Zheng was still growing up and after the Wang Er's assassination attempt, the clan had sent an elder to always follow Fang Zheng and protect him.

"Fang Zheng, you don't need to take part in the fight. But don't leave; you can just observe from a distance. Isn't it just a Bai Ning Bing? I've always heard about how outstanding he is and how he has the strength of an elder. Hmph, now it seems he is only just a kid. How much battle experience can he have? Mutilating himself, he is really amateurish!" The elder snorted in disdain.

Gu Yue Qing Shu still wanted to persist in his own viewpoint, but it wouldn't be good to refute the elder's decision.

As a junior, he needed to respect the old and take care of the young. How could he so easily refute and question his elder?

-x-X-x-

The time Bai Ning Bing took to break out of the ice was shorter than anyone had imagined.

With a loud crack, the ice crystal began to fracture, the cracks intensifying until it completely broke from within.

The clan elder, Gu Yue Qing Shu, Gu Yue Yao Hong and the others, totaling up to five altogether, had surrounded him. Gu Yue Fang Zheng was standing far away on the mountain slope, staring at the battle from a higher ground while staying vigilant. Once a Bai clan Gu Master group appears, he has to send out a warning immediately.

"Bai Ning Bing, you dare to kill the Gu Masters in our clan, breaking the three clan alliance openly. Paying a life for a life is natural law! What else do you have to say?" the clan elder said with a haughty snort.

Bai Ning Bing did not pay him any mind, staying quiet and staring at his right arm instead.

His left arm floundered in vain, grasping nothing as it was reaching for something that wasn't even there in the first place.

He started to frown, his face dim like water as lightning started to nurture between his eyes.

"Actually forcing me to lose off my right arm, this guy is called Fang Yuan, right..." Listening to Xiong Li and Qing Shu's words, he had already learned Fang Yuan's name.

Muttering, Bai Ning Bing's pair of crystal blue eyes was filled with extremely callous killing intent.

His body emanated the oppressive aura of a Rank three Gu Master. As Fang Yuan had predicted earlier, with the capabilities to seal his own cultivation, Bai Ning Bing was also able to release the restrictions on it. It was just that in the battle earlier, he did not have sufficient time to unlock it.

Now, the white silver primeval essence of Rank three filled his aperture fully. The dense primeval essence placed great pressure on his surrounding aperture walls; Bai Ning Bing knew that he was moving towards the path of destruction.

A Gu Master's aperture produced primeval essence, and the primeval essence in turn, nurtures the aperture.

The truth being, as long as the primeval essence exists within the aperture, it acts as a form of nurturing towards the aperture. It is just that this effect is not very evident, far less effective than the Gu Master using the primeval essence to do so.

This was similar to how a still sea water would still have a corrosive effect towards surrounding rocks, but this effect is less evident than the waves hitting on the rocks.

But to the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique, after attaining Rank three, even if they do not expend primeval essence, as long as the primeval essence is stored in the aperture, the nurturing effect would be the same as if a Gu Master was actively using the primeval essence to nurture their aperture.

This is the secret behind the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique's ability to raise a Gu Master's cultivation at rocket speed.

Moreover, this nurturing effect would become stronger as the primeval essence is refined. At Rank four, as long as primeval essence exists within the aperture, they would nourish the aperture and the effect would be several times better than a regular Gu Master using primeval essence to nurture their aperture.

With ordinary Gu Masters, the higher their cultivation, the slower the speed of cultivation. However, the ten extreme physiques were the opposite — the higher the cultivation, the stronger their aptitude and the faster their cultivation, until they explode into oblivion.

As an analogy, it is similar to a person in free fall, dependent on the posture and qualities of that person, they would continue to accelerate as they descended, albeit dying a horrible death once they reach the ground.

The ten extreme physiques' cultivation technique is falling from the highest point with the most suited conditions to fall faster than anyone else. As their cultivation gets faster and faster, it only gives them the temporary glory that they attain before they face the threat of death approaching. Like a meteor landing on Earth, moving toward its own destruction; the point where it shines the brightest comes only at the very moment where it burns up completely in the atmosphere.

Earlier, the reason Bai Ning Bing had diluted his white silver primeval essence into red steel primeval essence was for because of this.

Right now, his aperture was completely filled with white silver primeval essence again, and he could feel that every second, his cultivation was steadily rising and improving.

"Actually forcing me to use the white silver primeval essence, and even making me go as far as to sacrifice the Frost Demon Gu! Where is Fang Yuan?" Bai Ning Bing's killing intent intensified as he asked. His blue iris swept across the surroundings, but could not find a trace of Fang Yuan.

The Frost Demon Gu that he sacrificed was a Rank three Gu worm, one that he only managed to refine after three failures and consuming a large amount of resources. Now that it was gone, it is truly a waste.

Although Bai Ning Bing is Rank three, it only happened recently, and even with the clan's support, he could not hog all the resources to himself. Thus, he only had two Rank three Gu worms. Now that the Frost Demon Gu is gone, he only had the Blue Bird Ice Coffin Gu left.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt angered! Since the start of his youth, he had never suffered such a loss!

If Fang Yuan was here, he'd have attacked in a frenzy with no one able to stop him.

Bai Ning Bing's disregard caused the Gu Yue clan elder to feel greatly humiliated.

"Arrogant young lad, eat my moonblade slash!" He shouted, and jumped.

"Hmph!" Bai Ning Bing's left arm swept, and the frost air that gushed out formed into a long ice blade.

The original ice blade he created was only over a meter long, but now it was two meters in length, with an even deadlier edge and greater frost energy.

Ching!

The Clan elder raised both hands shining with moonlight to collide with the ice blade, emitting a metallic noise.

The Clan elder's face was full of shock however as he took a step back, and both his palms clapped together and slashed out.

Golden moon slash!

A curved moonblade, over a meter long with a golden body, emitted a dominating aura as it flew out.

The golden moonlight reflected on Bai Ning Bing's pale face. He laughed as he raised the ice blade in his left hand, attacking head on.

Clank!

Moonblade and ice blade colliding, the golden moon disappeared, and the ice blade broke into small fragments of ice.

"This is a battle between Rank three Gu Masters? Really strong, not only the ice blade, but also that golden moonblade, I cannot block either!" Far away, Fang Zheng watched in fascination, with his lacking knowledge.

"How can this be? A Rank two Ice Blade Gu, managing to block my Rank three Moonhand blade, as well as the golden moon!" Clan elder stared with bulging eyes, disbelief in his tone.

The Northern Dark Ice Soul physique had a strengthening effect towards Ice Gu, a variation of water-type Gu. In addition, this boost grew stronger as the Gu Master's cultivation rose.

Bai Ning Bing, at Rank three in cultivation, can make a Rank two Gu worm display Rank three power. When he is Rank four, if he used a Rank four Gu worm, it would have an effect that can even surpass Rank five.

Firstly, he suppressed his cultivation, thus only the effect of recovering primeval essence remained. Now that his limiter was off and he was back to Rank three, the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique's true ability was starting to show up.

"Hmph, old man, you don't know a lot of things." Bai Ning Bing's feet paused, holding his ice blade horizontally, as he started to rotate.

Huhuhu...

The intense sound of the wind enveloped him as he became faster and faster.

Howl!

The wind seemed to have transformed into a beast howl, a five meter sword storm forming after a matter of minutes.

The tornado-like winds were white in color, whipping out and causing the people nearby to have numbed senses.

"Quickly dodge!" Even a clan elder, upon seeing this, did not dare to challenge it — he quickly avoided.

But the other Rank two Gu Masters could not manage to dodge in time.

The ice blade storm came at once, with a speed three times or even greater than before.

Ah——!

As soon as the two male Gu Masters were caught up in the storm, their cries came to a stop. In a matter of seconds, they were already minced to a paste by the ice blades and lost their lives on the spot.

"Save me!" Gu Yue Yao Hong screamed in fear, seeing that she was about to be swept into the tornado and perish.

Green Vine Gu!

Gu Yue Qing Shu shot out green vines, which quickly coiled around Gu Yue Yao Hong's waist like snakes.

Just as he was about to drag her back, the ice blade storm had already reached her, devouring her in one shot.

Swish swish swish.

The ice blades instantly went to work, cutting this female Gu Master into five or six pieces. The icy air had already frozen her blood before she could bleed.

Soon after, these pieces were further cut into smaller pieces, forming palm-sized frozen corpse fragments.

"Yao Hong!" Seeing this scene, Qing Shu grieved with sorrowful eyes.

"Sister Yao Hong..." On the slope, Fang Zheng could not take such an intense scene, kneeling on the ground with a soulless gaze, tears overflowing from his eyes.

"Damn it, Steel Shirt Gu!" The clan elder took a deep breath as his body glowed with black light, looking as he was covered in a steel armor.

He used both arms to cover his face as his legs sprinted, charging towards the icy blue ice blade storm.

Chink chink chink.

He charged inside bravely.

In a few breaths time, the ice blades hacked on his body numerous times, emitting a crisp sound.

A moment later, the storm ended.

Bai Ning Bing and the clan elder faced each other.

"Old thing, you are asking for death." Bai Ning Bing's blue iris were purer, complementing his white hair and white clothes while standing still in the cold winds.

His left hand's ice blade had already broken into two. But this did not stop it from penetrating the elder's heart.

"Huh..." Clan elder lowered his head, staring at his left chest, his mouth emitting a sound of helplessness and shock.

Bai Ning Bing let go of his right hand, abandoning this ice blade. He walked past the clan elder, steadily approaching.

Behind him, the clan elder's face was covered with a light blue frost, and soon he collapsed onto the ground to never get up again.

Far away, Fang Zheng saw this scene and his irises shrunk to the size of pins, intense fear spreading throughout his body.

This was out of his wildest dreams.

A grand Rank three clan elder actually died like this. This Bai Ning Bing is so strong?!

"Where is Fang Yuan? Tell me, and I can let you die peacefully." Bai Ning Bing walked towards Gu Yue Qing Shu.

"Bai Ning Bing..." Gu Yue Qing Shu sighed deeply, staring at Bai Ning Bing without fear, "You and I have fought over ten times, you are getting stronger, and right now I have to admit that you have surpassed me. But your strength cannot cause me to betray my clansman. Come, fight me!"

"Just you? Hehe." Bai Ning Bing snorted in disdain, turning around to look at Fang Zheng, raising a brow. "That is Fang Yuan's brother?"

Gu Yue Qing Shu's expression changed, taking a big step out and blocking Bai Ning Bing. "Don't think of finding trouble with him!"

Bai Ning Bing's face sank. "You are quite an interesting opponent, keeping you alive can add some colour to my life. But my mood is very bad now, don't take my patience for granted. Tell me nicely, which direction Fang Yuan went."

Gu Yue Qing Shu replied him in the most direct way with action.

He closed his eyes, and opened them again.

Wood Charm Gu!

-x-X-x-

Under the power of the Rank three Gu worm, Qing Shu's eyes turned into a jade green colour.

At this moment, his aura changed. From a vibrant human, it turned into a deep serene forest feeling.

"Oh?" Bai Ning Bing showed slight shock unknowingly. He pouted in dissatisfaction, "It seems that after a long time, you've gained some interesting new skills."

Icicle Gu.

He willed the Gu, and five sharp icicles appeared out of nowhere.

"Go." Bai Ning Bing's ice hand pointed, and the icicle shot out.

Pow pow pow.

From Qing Shu's palms, two vines grew out. The vines danced in the air like two snakes, dancing agilely, easily deflecting the icicles.

The icicle changed directions, only scraping Qing Shu's shoulder, and stabbed deeply into the ground, the hard mountain rock, and the forest that stood like a statue.

Qing Shu easily broke through the attack, causing Bai Ning Bing's attack to be futile.

Bai Ning Bing laughed coldly, "Your whipping skills got better, but I want to see, how many icicles can you block?"

Saying so, Bai Ning Bing's eyes shone with a mild blue light.

Ten icicles appeared immediately, floating in front of him before shooting towards Qing Shu.

After that, ten more were created... @@novelbin@@

Like this, over several times, it turned into an icicle rain.

Swoosh...

The icicle tore through the air, emitting a sound that shocked people's hearts.

Qing Shu dodged while manipulating his green vine with both hands, dancing like a shadow.

His whipping technique after countless practices, had gotten to a level where he could command them like his fingers, fully in sync.

But there was too many icicles; Qing Shu was bound to miss some, and his shoulder was hit by an icicle.

The icicle penetrated his right shoulder, and the tip appeared from behind him.

Pin Needle Gu.

Qing Shu controlled the pain, sweeping his long hair. From the tips of his hair, numerous jade coloured pin needles shot out.

The pin needles engulfed Bai Ning Bing, but he managed to activate the Water Shield Gu in time — it had gotten stronger too, and was much thicker than before, being no weaker than a Rank three Gu worm's defense.

The pin needles entered the water shield and slowed to a halt, before being purged by the water currents.

But this also forced Bai Ning Bing to stop his icicle attack.

Seeing this opportunity, Qing Shu ignored the pain and pulled out the icicle from his shoulder by force.

There was no blood dripping out, one was due to the icicle's cold air, and the other was because his body was gradually turning into wood.

Bai Ning Bing kept the Water Shield Gu, his gaze attracted to Gu Yue Qing Shu's injury.

From the opening on his torn shirt, he could see Qing Shu's injury, revealing the rings of the tree trunk, and his flesh could be seen recovering at an observable speed, and on the newly grown muscles, the tree's ring lines were formed.

At the same time, both his ears started to become longer, and his hair turned jade green, with green leaves growing within. Both his hands, from the fleshy colour of a normal person, turned darker and more reserved. His skin became harder, and turned into the brown tree bark.

This was the first time he had used the Wood Charm Gu without considering the consequences!

The Wood Charm Gu was causing him to turn into a tree spirit, and at the same time, Gu Yue Qing Shu could feel the rich natural essence in the air.

These essence could not be felt by ordinary Gu Masters. Only special lifeforms like tree spirits could feel, absorb and use them.

Gu Yue Qing Shu felt that he was soaking in his mother's liquid, thick essence enveloping him, giving him a strong sense of fulfillment.

On his body, the Moonwhirl Gu did not change, but the Green Vine Gu, Pin Needle Gu and the vitality grass all showed signs of growth. With Qing Shu's identity as a tree spirit, when he uses these wood attribute Gu worms, their power is amplified!

Gu Yue Qing Shu breathed deeply, he had never felt so strong before! The rich natural essence gave him an almost infinite source of primeval essence to use. This was the power of the Wood Charm Gu.

But in his heart, a deep sense of fear also rose.

He knew that if he was greedy over this strong and comfortable feeling, and used the Wood Charm Gu without restraint, he would eventually turn into a dead treeman.

Any thing had its price.

Gu Yue Qing Shu soon suppressed this fear. He stared at Bai Ning Bing and said two words —"Let's fight."

Thus, the intense battle started.

Green vine vs Ice blade, Icicle vs Pin needles!

One was the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique, with insane primeval essence recovery rate, and the other was the wood charm tree spirit, using all the natural essence as his own.

This battle, had far surpassed the realm of ordinary Rank three Gu Masters.

Fang Zheng stood on the slope, watching dumbstruck. He had never seen such an all-out intense fight!

Normally speaking, Gu Masters have limited primeval essence, and they always have to keep 10% of it as reserves. Carefully using them, like thin ice.

But now, be it Qing Shu or Bai Ning Bing, both were using it without constraints as if they had an unlimited supply of primeval essence.

The entire path was wrecked by their battle. Huge trees fell and were destroyed, mountain rocks smashed to bits.

After a long time...

Blue bird ice coffin Gu!

Bai Ning Bing grabbed an opportunity and opened his mouth, and from within, an ice blue bird flew out.

The flying bird chirped, its body like a pigeon, but under the boost of the Northern Dark Ice Soul physique, it gradually turned into the size of an eagle while flying, and after circling for a while, flew towards Gu Yue Qing Shu.

Gu Yue Qing Shu could not dodge in time, so he faced it head on.

Bam.

A sound explosion later, Gu Yue Qing Shu was frozen in an ice crystal as large as a room.

"It's over..." Bai Ning Bing sighed as he had not fully enjoyed himself.

He saw the immobile Gu Yue Qing Shu within the ice crystal, and muttered, "Thanks for providing me such an interesting experience, this battle is the most exciting one I've had thus far. Qing Shu, your death has meaning, I will remember it clearly."

"Lord Qing Shu!" On the slope, Fang Zheng shouted loudly.

"Why are you shouting, you mere ant, the next one will be you." Bai Ning Bing snorted, walking towards Fang Zheng.

At this point, the sound of the ice crystal breaking entered his ears.

"How can this be?" He turned around and saw that within the ice crystal, Qing Shu had undergone a massive transformation.

His body became bigger, and his Rank two Gu Master outfit was almost ripped.

His hair turned into green vines, and palm-sized leaves grew on it endlessly, turning into a thick greenery.

His fingers had turned into sturdy wood, his limbs turning into thick tree branches, only having a rough form for his arms and legs.

With a sound, the ice crystal broke completely.

Gu Yue Qing Shu stood up; he had already changed in appearance completely, the original delicate and handsome human face turned into a sharp-nosed, huge eye tree spirit face.

He was three meters tall with a strong body, wearing tree barks as his armor, and on them were large amounts of leaves and vines.

Bai Ning Bing stared at his transformation in shock; compared to this Qing Shu, he was like a child beside an adult.

"This appearance, did you refine the Wood Charm Gu? This Gu is way harder to refine than my Frost Demon Gu!" Bai Ning Bing found the answer.

"Tree spirit wood charm can use the essence in the air, no wonder Gu Yue Qing Shu had such ample primeval essence." He realized at once, but got more confused.

He asked the question in his heart, "Qing Shu, using the Wood Charm Gu like this, aren't you afraid of turning into a dead treeman? So what if you win me? You're destined to die!"

"Bai Ning Bing..." Gu Yue Qing Shu's voice became low, "I understand you like I understand myself. You and I are both orphans, adopted by the clan leader. Yet we walk on such different paths. A tree dying in a forest is nothing, for as long as the forest exists, numerous trees will continue to grow and rise up. Let's have our final battle, my nemesis!"

Saying so, hundreds of green vines assaulted Bai Ning Bing like giant pythons.

"For the clan? What a fool!" Bai Ning Bing retreated in a rush.

But the green vines' speed was faster than before by several times, quickly chasing up to Bai Ning Bing.

Bai Ning Bing controlled his body and dodged nimbly. Green vines thick as an arm swept near his body, hitting the soil or the mountain rocks, causing the soil to fly and the rock fragments to scatter.

Water Shield Gu!

Bai Ning Bing could not dodge in time, and created his shield.

Qing Shu had seen through the weakness of this Gu worm. He did not attack forcefully, but manipulated the vines to wrap around the shield.

Next, he pulled back his strength, and the water shield came into contact. The surface water current moved quickly as it hit the green vines, causing water to splash everywhere.

The water shield could not endure the strength of the green vines' restriction, and shrunk in size, on the verge of collapsing.

"Not good! If the water shield breaks and I get entangled in the green vines, I will get killed by Gu Yue Qing Shu!" Bai Ning Bing in the water shield was sure of his situation.

In the next moment, the water shield exploded.

Bam!

An ice blade storm exploded from within, becoming larger and larger.

Bai Ning Bing purposely withdrew the Water Shield Gu's defense — since defending couldn't work, he had to fight offense with offense!

At once, the temperature fell and cold air emanated.

The white ice blade storm flew towards Qing Shu. The vines could not stop this tornado, and were cut into numerous segments by the ice blades.

"Nice timing." Gu Yue Qing Shu had no fear, his large body bravely entering the ice blade storm.

With a bam, he knocked onto the white colour tornado.

He opened both hands, wrapping around it.

Crack crack...

The sharp ice blades cut through his body, and numerous leaves and tree bark were sent flying.

The delayed sense of pain assaulted him as Qing Shu growled in pain, but did not let go, using all his strength to grip the tornado.

The ice blade storm was actually shrinking under his strength.

"Damn it! This maniac that doesn't care for his life..." Bai Ning Bing scolded internally. In this situation there was no other way, he could only create more ice blades and rotate faster, competing with Gu Yue Qing Shu.

The ice blades slashed on Qing Shu's body and gradually became blunt, but under the Ice Blade Gu's power, they sharpened once again.

The battle was at a stalemate, out of their control, and no one could hold back and stop.

Either Gu Yue Qing Shu kills Bai Ning Bing, or Bai Ning Bing kills Qing Shu. Pitting offense with offense, the battle was filled with bravery and intensity.

-x-X-x-

Fang Zheng stood far away, not even daring to take a deep breath as he watched.

The battle had reached the climax, the winner and loser will be decided in this showdown.

"Lord Qing Shu, hang in there!" Fang Zheng was so nervous his body was shaking, he knew that going over would only cause trouble, thus he could only cheer for Gu Yue Qing Shu loudly.

As if he heard Fang Zheng's voice, the ice blade storm got smaller, forcefully suppressed by Qing Shu.

"Damn it, I can actually get into a situation where my primeval essence is insufficient..." Bai Ning Bing gritted his teeth, rotating slower as his primeval essence recovery could not keep up with his expenditure, getting into a helpless situation.

The Northern Dark Ice Soul physique's primeval essence recovery is very fast, but the recovery speed at Rank three is still slightly inferior to the tree spirit's ability to extract natural essence. If Bai Ning Bing could cultivate to Rank four, his recovery speed would greatly surpass the Wood Charm Gu.

Except, in life and death battles, there is no "if".

Whether its win or lose, the results have to be accepted.

Eventually the ice blade storm stopped, but Gu Yue Qing Shu also paid a heavy price.

His arms were large like a horse carriage, and at the moment on his left arm he had two fingers left and three on his right. Both his palms were sliced off by half due to the ice blades.

But when his palms gradually gathered together towards the middle, new tree branches grew again rapidly from his palm, interweaving together.

The two palms formed a wooden cage, trapping Bai Ning Bing within.

"Damn it!" Bai Ning Bing gritted his teeth. His primeval essence was running dry, he could only be at Qing Shu's mercy.

"We won!!" Far away, Fang Zheng jumped at this sight.

"Am I going to die...?" Bai Ning Bing shouted in his heart, his eyes widening as he saw the two palms approaching. When both palms clasp together, he would be smashed into a bloody meat pie.

But the palm's speed became slower, and slowly stood in mid-air.

Bai Ning Bing was stunned momentarily, before realizing that Gu Yue Qing Shu's body had developed problems, instantly being overjoyed.

"Damn, I was so close..." At this moment, Gu Yue Qing Shu's heart was filled with helplessness. His hands had lost all senses, completely turning into wood.

At the same time, he gradually lost the connection to his intestines and lungs. The Wood Charm Gu's ability had corroded his entire body, bringing him to the brink of death.

"No, it cannot end like this! I can still use the Green Vine Gu!" Gu Yue Qing Shu forced himself to focus and activated the Green Vine Gu.

Numerous thick vines appeared and attacked Bai Ning Bing through the openings of the cage.

Bai Ning Bing dodged quickly but he had undergone several battles, and his stamina was greatly depleted. Furthermore, there was little space in the cage, and he could not move much, thus eventually a vine entangled onto his right leg and tripped him.

"It's over." Qing Shu sighed in relief, as he quickly moved tens of green vines to follow up.

At his moment of life and death, Bai Ning Bing's aperture finally recovered enough primeval essence for his usage requirement.

He used all the primeval essence without further thoughts, sending it all into the Ice Blade Gu, and formed a new ice blade.

The ice blade was sharp and cut off the green vine on his right leg. Bai Ning Bing rolled in a sorry state, managing to avoid tens of vines.

The green vines hit the ground and penetrated the thick earth. The soil flew around, and the green vines attacked once again.

Bai Ning Bing breathed heavily as he used the ice blade to defend desperately.

The green vines attacked from all directions, as if he was walking on thin ice. A single mistake by Bai Ning Bing would cause him to be instantly killed by the vines.

But he was after all a top tier genius. With the stimulation of death, he squeezed out all the potential in him, and his evasive actions became quick and clear.

Although he was tripped sometimes by the green vines, he managed to avoid the danger and eventually kept his life.

The green vines were cut by the ice blades, and their amount became less and less.

It was not that Qing Shu did not want to activate the Green Vine Gu and produce more vines, but it was because the surrounding natural essence had been almost fully absorbed by him.

Although outside, there was still essence in the air gathering, the diluted essence in the air was no longer able to fulfill the Green Vine Gu's needs.

There was an even worse piece of news — the Wood Charm Gu's strength had completely corroded Gu Yue Qing Shu's body, and was starting to take over his consciousness.

Gu Yue Qing Shu's consciousness started to become dazed, and he had intermediate blank outs.

The aura of death was blowing on his face.

"Is it going to end? No..." He was indignant, forcing his mind to focus and put in the last ditch effort in killing Bai Ning Bing.

He could no longer see anything, for the Wood Charm Gu had taken over his eyes, and he could not hear any longer either, his ears merely an accessory now.

He only had a meagre sense of touch.

Relying on Bai Ning Bing's retaliation, he judged the distance and position, and attacked.

His efforts were rewarded, as Bai Ning Bing was finally captured. A vine wrapped around his neck and raised him up, gradually tightening.

Bai Ning Bing could feel difficulty in breathing, it was no use even if he opened his mouth. Along with Qing Shu, they was progressing towards death.

Fang Yuan breathed roughly, an intense battle had ended.

On the floor laid five corpses with opened eyes, they were all Bai clan Gu Masters.

Relying on the Stealth Scales Gu to sneak attack, with the advantage of the Moonglow Gu and the strength of two boars along with his 500 years of experience, he displayed shocking abilities.

Although he told Qing Shu he was going to return to the village, it was just an excuse.

After leaving for a distance, he used the Stealth Scales Gu to hide himself, moving around the battlefield and going to the area where Man Shi and Xiong Li died.

He collected the Gu worms in Man Shi and his groupmates' corpses, and when he got the Xiong Li's corpse, he found that the corpse was missing, not to mention their Gu worms.

"It seems that Xiong Lin collected their corpses. What a waste, I wanted to get Xiong Li's Brown Bear Innate Strength Gu." Fang Yuan sighed.

Leaving Xiong Lin alive was not what he wanted.

But back then, after he had killed Xiong Jiang, Xiong Lin was already vigilant, thus killing the latter would expend much effort.

At that time, Bai Ning Bing was close by. If Fang Yuan and Xiong Lin fought, Bai Ning Bing would be overjoyed.

"But the Brown Bear Innate Strength Gu might not be on Xiong Li's body. He already has the strength of a bear, he might have given the Gu back to his clan already."

Fang Yuan focused his gaze and escaped the mountain path battlefield.

Qing Shu and the others fighting against Bai Ning Bing would cause a huge commotion, and it will be detected by the surrounding wolf packs and Gu Masters.

Although Fang Yuan was not optimistic about Qing Shu's group, he had seen firsthand the power of the Wood Charm Gu in his previous life. Against Bai Ning Bing, there would at least be an intense struggle.

He was unwilling to give up such a chance, thus he chose to wait at the surroundings.

At times, Gu Masters were attracted by the sounds of the intense battle, so Fang Yuan lured some wolf packs over and restrained them.

Those that he cannot stop, Fang Yuan would strike with his own hands.

"The mountain path battlefield's noise has come to a halt, it seems they are deciding the victor already." His right ear had roots growing out, digging into the mountain walls, allowing Fang Yuan to hear some things from the battlefield.

Honestly speaking, Qing Shu's performance was better than expected. After Bai Ning Bing lost his right arm, the effect on his battle strength was much greater than Fang Yuan had expected.

But soon, Fang Yuan's expression changed.

He heard large amounts of footsteps from two directions, heading towards the battlefield.

One direction was from Gu Yue village, while the other direction was from the Bai clan village.

Each group had at least twenty people. It was not something a bold lightning wolf pack could block, and Fang Yuan could not lure two groups of wolf over anyway.

"It seems the news about this battle has been found out by someone, so these are the reinforcements sent by the two clans, I have to enter the mountain path immediately."

Fang Yuan's distance was shorter, thus being the first to enter the mountain path.

The battlefield's scenario was not out of his expectations.

From the cage's opening, he could see Bai Ning Bing hanging by the vines on his last breath, but was still barely alive.

"The ice muscles' defense are stubbornly sustaining Bai Ning Bing's life. Hmph, unfortunately, you have encountered me." Fang Yuan's killing intent surged as he took a few steps forwards, sprinting towards Bai Ning Bing.

Swish swish swish.

Suddenly, a flurry of pin needles surrounded Fang Yuan like rain droplets.

It was Gu Yue Qing Shu's Pin Needle Gu, attacking Fang Yuan.

"What is going on?" Fang Yuan retreated immediately, avoiding the pin needle rain.

He focused the gaze at the large tree, realizing at once, "It seems that Gu Yue Qing Shu's consciousness had been blurred to the point where he can no longer differentiate between friend or foe. He's merely relying on his will and attempting to kill Bai Ning Bing. Anyone that intrudes the battlefield would be regarded as an interferer by him."

At this moment, Bai clan Gu Masters appeared from the mountain path.

Seeing such an intense battlefield, their faces showed a shocked expression.

"The lad over there, don't make any unnecessary movements!" A Rank three Gu Master shouted towards Fang Yuan, his tone full of warning and threat.

"This Bai Ning Bing is such a cockroach." Fang Yuan seeing this scene, laughed coldly in his heart, knowing that he could not have the last strike.

Firstly, Qing Shu's consciousness was blurred, a green vine was insufficient to kill Bai Ning Bing who had the ice muscles.

For Fang Yuan to get close to Bai Ning Bing, he had to break through Qing Shu's trap, but this way, it would divert much of his attention and might even help Bai Ning Bing in escaping his predicament.

Even if they broke through by force, Bai clan's Rank three Gu Masters and Rank two elites were not for show, they would definitely stop him.

Furthermore, fighting against Bai Ning Bing had danger as well.

Bai Ning Bing's aperture had recovered primeval essence sufficiently to at least use the Blue bird ice coffin Gu.

Even if Fang Yuan managed to kill Bai Ning Bing, these Bai clan elites would not let go of him, they would definitely kill Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan sighed in his heart, "The distance is too long, there are at least twenty steps to get to him, and my Moonglow Gu's attack range is only ten steps, furthermore... to kill this Bai Ning Bing who is destined to die anyway, I would need to put my life at such risk, greatly interfering with my rebirth plans, it is not worth it."

Thinking so, Fang Yuan took a few steps back.

This was evidently a weak and cowardly movement, causing the Bai clan Gu Masters to breath a sigh of relief.

-x-X-x-