Chapter 136 – Geomantic Pearl

Chapter 136 – Geomantic Pearl

"Let's go!"

Xu Guangquan glanced at the Outer Core cultivator who had just been blasted away, then decisively chose to retreat. The man was seriously injured—continuing the assault under these circumstances would be far too dangerous.

As much as he coveted the Lu Clan's second-tier top-grade spirit field, no treasure was worth more than his own life.

Watching Xu Guangquan and the others flee in disgrace, Gu Mo chose not to pursue them. After all, his true body needed to remain low-key. If he killed members of the Xu Clan, who knows what sort of karmic consequences that might bring?

So, Gu Mo let his Pseudo Core incarnation handle it.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

After putting some distance between themselves and the Lu Clan, Xu Guangquan finally let out the frustration that had been building up inside him. He had paid such a heavy price for this operation, only to return empty-handed.

"Senior Sha, is that spirit planter really that powerful?" Xu Guangquan turned to the still pale-faced Sha Wen.

"Are you questioning me?" Sha Wen's face darkened.

If he hadn't reacted quickly just now and activated his defensive artifact in time, he'd likely be a corpse by now. Thinking of the destroyed artifact, Sha Wen felt a sharp pang in his heart.

The Xu Clan would have to compensate for that loss.

"N-No, that wasn't my intention," Xu Guangquan hurriedly corrected himself, shaken out of his rage. He had actually just questioned an Outer Core cultivator—what was he thinking?

"Who's there?!"

Sha Wen ignored him and focused ahead. At some point, a figure had silently appeared on the desolate road. Although this was just a barren stretch of wilderness, Sha Wen had a strong hunch this person was here for them.

Shing!

The figure said nothing in response. Instead, a flying sword was unsheathed. As the man made his move, his cultivation was laid bare.

"Pseudo Core!"

Feeling the spiritual pressure from the figure, Sha Wen's expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, he turned to flee. Had he been at full strength, he might not have feared a Pseudo Core cultivator.

But now, with his defensive artifact destroyed and injuries still lingering, going up against one would be suicide.

"Senior Sha!"

Seeing Sha Wen flee, Xu Guangquan called out anxiously. If the Outer Core cultivator ran off, what would happen to the rest of them, mere Foundation Establishment cultivators?

"Fend for yourselves!" Sha Wen shouted without turning back. Given the circumstances, why would he risk his life for Xu Guangquan and the others?

But just as he prepared to flee at full speed, a bright crimson cherry appeared before him. Before he could even process what was happening, a wave of bone-chilling fear surged up from his heart.

He tried to veer off-course to dodge, but a terrifying sword light came crashing down like it would split the heavens itself. His path of escape was completely cut off. In utter desperation, Sha Wen unleashed every ounce of strength he had, hoping to carve out a path to survival.

But with a thunderous explosion, everything was obliterated.

"Ahhh!"

An Outer Core cultivator had been instantly annihilated—this scene sent Xu Guangquan and the others into a panic, their livers and guts trembling with terror. They immediately scattered in all directions, desperately trying to escape with their lives.

"Still trying to run?"

After taking down the Outer Core cultivator, Gu Mo exhaled slightly. This Pseudo Core incarnation who intercepted Xu Guangquan's group had rushed over from Immortal City.

To ensure none of his targets got away, Gu Mo had eliminated the Outer Core cultivator at full power. After all, the incarnation wasn't particularly fast; if the enemy escaped, he might not be able to catch up.

To guarantee the kill, Gu Mo had used his last second-tier top-grade cherry bomb and unleashed his most powerful Heaven-Splitting Sword Art to finish the job.

Now that the Outer Core cultivator was dead, the remaining Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't stand a chance. Even though the incarnation wasn't fast, the gap in cultivation realms made their escape impossible.

Before long, Gu Mo retrieved a storage pouch and leisurely made his way back toward Immortal City. Since the Outer Core cultivator had been destroyed by the cherry bomb, all his loot was gone too.

Now, Gu Mo could only hope that the Xu Clan leader's storage pouch held something of value—otherwise, this whole trip would've been for nothing.

Lu Clan.

"Thank you, Master, for saving our lives!"

Now that Xu Guangquan's group had retreated, Fang Jiaoyan finally let out a breath of relief. She bowed respectfully toward Gu Mo. Just moments ago, this Master Hu had casually launched a fireball that forced back an Outer Core cultivator—what kind of terrifying power was that?

"You still have a lot to deal with. I won't keep you," Gu Mo said, waving his hand and opening the defensive formation, allowing Fang Jiaoyan to leave.

He was right—after such a catastrophe, the Lu Clan had too many things to handle. Chief among them was dealing with the traitor, Lu Rong.

Apologizing briefly to Gu Mo, Fang Jiaoyan left her daughter behind and led the remaining clan elites back down the mountain to their ancestral grounds.

At that moment, Lu Rong sat in the clan leader's seat, face grim and conflicted. While he had successfully become the head of the Lu Clan, Xu Guangquan hadn't just slaughtered the faction loyal to Fang Jiaoyan—he'd wiped out Lu Rong's own allies as well.

Looking around, only a few survivors remained. The Lu Clan had clearly entered a state of irreversible decline. From now on, they'd likely have to live under the shadow of the Xu Clan just to survive.

"That damned Xu Guangquan…"

Lu Rong was about to curse in frustration when his expression changed drastically—Fang Jiaoyan had returned, flanked by the remaining elite members of the clan.

"You…?"

Lu Rong stared in disbelief.

"Surprised we're still alive?" Fang Jiaoyan's eyes burned with killing intent. Everything the Lu Clan had suffered stemmed from this old man. Because of him, countless clan members had perished.

"Kill him!"

With that command, Fang Jiaoyan and the remaining elites lunged at Lu Rong. Though he was at the late Foundation Establishment stage, his advanced age had left his vitality severely depleted. He was no match for Fang Jiaoyan, especially with other elites assisting her.

Before long, Lu Rong was slain.

Though the traitor who caused the clan's disaster was dead, Fang Jiaoyan felt no joy. The Lu Clan had suffered catastrophic damage.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say they'd need decades to recover—assuming everything went smoothly. Realistically, though the Xu Clan had retreated for now, there was no guarantee they wouldn't come back.

In their current state, the Lu Clan had no way to withstand another invasion.

Fortunately, with Lu Rong dead, the contract he had signed was void. But if the Xu Clan still wanted to destroy them, they had plenty of methods to do so.

Their only hope for survival now was to request continued protection from Master Hu.

Of course, protection came at a price. They couldn't expect him to do it for free. But their most valuable asset—the second-tier top-grade spirit field—had already been leased to the Master. Fang Jiaoyan had nothing else of real value left to offer.

Southern City, Cultivation Abode.

Gu Mo's Pseudo Core incarnation returned leisurely to the abode he had rented in the southern part of the city, ready to examine the spoils of battle. The only thing worth anticipating this time was Xu Guangquan's storage pouch. The rest—either obliterated by the cherry bomb or just trash from low-level cultivators—was meaningless.

With the divine sense and mana of a Pseudo Core cultivator, cracking an unclaimed storage pouch was effortless.

"Not bad."

Gu Mo scanned the pouch with his divine sense. Inside were a decent number of spirit stones, pills, and even a high-grade magic weapon: a flying sword.

Gu Mo had only been using a mid-grade sword until now—this would be a good upgrade.

Interestingly enough, all the magic weapons for this Pseudo Core incarnation—from the initial low-grade flying sword to the current high-grade one—had been looted from enemies.

Even that top-grade flying sword would eventually be exchanged for a top-grade abacus-type treasure, which itself had been a spoil of war.

"Hmm? What's this...?"

Continuing to sort through the contents of the storage pouch, Gu Mo pulled out a small box. Upon opening it, he found an earthy yellow pearl inside. From it, he felt the immense weight and solidity of the earth.

"A Geomarrow Pearl!"

Gu Mo was no longer the clueless novice he once was. With his pseudo-Core incarnation frequently attending various gatherings, his perspective had broadened considerably. He immediately recognized the origin of the pearl.

The Geomarrow Pearl was a treasure of the heaven-and-earth spirit material tier, with a single, focused effect: it could upgrade the grade of a spiritual vein.

"So that's it!"

In that moment, Gu Mo finally understood why Xu Guangquan had been so fixated on the Lu Clan's second-tier top-grade spiritual field. With the Geomarrow Pearl, it could be upgraded to a third-tier field.

The jump from second-tier to third-tier represented a complete shift in class. With a third-tier spiritual land, a family would have the foundation necessary to become a Golden Core-level clan.

"Not bad at all."

Gu Mo stroked the Geomarrow Pearl, deeply satisfied. The third-tier spiritual field he had been dreaming of was now within reach. The only issue was that the land he currently rented belonged to the Lu Clan. Even if he upgraded their land to third-tier, once the lease expired, he wouldn't be able to take the field with him.

As for asking the Lu Clan to compensate him—given their current state, that was simply out of the question.

Moreover, did the Lu Clan, in its current weakened state, even have the strength to protect a third-tier field? Upgrading it might actually become the very thing that destroys them. They had barely been able to hold onto a second-tier top-grade field before; now, even at their peak, they wouldn't have been able to defend a third-tier one—let alone now, in decline.

Therefore, Gu Mo decided to hold off on using the Geomarrow Pearl to upgrade the land. He would wait for the upcoming grand auction to see if there were any third-tier fields available for lease—or even a second-tier top-grade field he could buy and then upgrade himself.

Having made up his mind, his pseudo-Core incarnation rose to deliver the Geomarrow Pearl to his true body. Incidentally, he was also out of Cherry Bombs, so he'd need to pick up a couple more.

Thanks to the recent upgrade of his Sunflowers to tier-three, the pace of plant cultivation had improved considerably. During this time, Gu Mo had restocked several tier-two top-grade Cherry Bombs.

As for the tier-three Cherry Bombs, Gu Mo planned to produce them only once he had accumulated a sufficient number of tier-three Sunflowers. Right now, his priority was upgrading the Sunflowers—once he had enough of them, advancing other plant types would become much easier.

However, just as the pseudo-Core incarnation stepped out of the cave dwelling, it abruptly turned back. The timing wasn't right to visit the true body.

Out on the open space by the Lu Clan's spiritual fields, Gu Mo and Fang Jiaoyan sat across from each other at a stone table.

"Master Hu, this humble woman toasts you!"

Fang Jiaoyan raised her cup and downed the spiritual wine in one gulp. Gu Mo gazed thoughtfully at her. Dressed in a sheer white gown, every gesture of hers revealed a glimpse of allure. Her intentions were clear—barely short of spelling them out.

Feeling Gu Mo's gaze on her, Fang Jiaoyan's cheeks burned with heat. Though married, this was the first time she had ever tried to seduce another man.

But given the Lu Clan's dire situation, Fang Jiaoyan knew they had nothing else of value to offer in exchange for Master Hu's protection.

In the end, she had decided to use the one asset she still had—her own body—in the hope of winning Master Hu's favor and, by extension, his protection of the Lu Clan.

Naturally, Gu Mo understood her intent—and he was certainly tempted. She was, after all, the beauty coveted by many cultivators. Though already married, the mature allure she exuded was far beyond that of young maidens.

Tempted as he was, Gu Mo still didn't make a move. He could guess what she wanted—his protection for the Lu Clan. But Gu Mo had no plans to stay here long-term. As soon as the opportunity arose, he would leave.

Since he couldn't make any promises, he wouldn't accept anything from her.

After several rounds of spiritual wine, Fang Jiaoyan—already somewhat tipsy—grew anxious at Gu Mo's continued silence. She had made her intentions more than clear. Why hadn't Master Hu responded? Whether it was acceptance or rejection, she needed an answer.

Fang Jiaoyan knew she was a married woman, no longer pure, and might be deemed unworthy. She was prepared for rejection. If it came to that, she would even offer her daughter to serve as a handmaiden to Master Hu.

This Master Hu was the Lu Clan's last lifeline. Fang Jiaoyan wasn't about to let go easily. Abandoning him would be the same as abandoning the clan's hope for survival. For the sake of her family's continued existence, she and her daughter were ready to give everything.

To have even one lifeline in a moment of desperation was already a blessing. Many clans, when facing destruction, don't even have a single straw to grasp at. They simply vanish into oblivion.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, I won't be staying here long. I cannot make you any promises," Gu Mo finally said with a long sigh.

Upon hearing this, Fang Jiaoyan couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. As long as he wasn't rejecting her out of disgust, that was enough. As for his statement about not staying long—her mind quickly turned.

"As long as Master is willing to give my daughter a few pointers, that would be enough for me," she said. Since she couldn't keep him here, she would at least seek guidance for her daughter. If her daughter could truly become a spiritual plant cultivator and successfully cultivate the sword bamboo, then the Lu Clan could become a first-tier supplier.

That would give her leverage, breathing room, and a path forward for the clan.

As she spoke, Fang Jiaoyan stood and bowed deeply to Gu Mo—this time, the bow was even more grand and... generous than before. And that grand, generous gift was now moving directly toward Gu Mo.

Whether it was the spiritual wine or deliberate intent, Fang Jiaoyan suddenly staggered and fell straight into Gu Mo's arms.

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