"Wow… was this Gu really this powerful? It's far stronger than the Metal Spear Gu… good thing I killed Bai Bing Yi before he had the chance to use it."
Jian Long muttered inwardly, his eyes shining with clear astonishment.
Due to his ignorance of the Gu Master world, he assumed that this was the true power of the Lightning Moon Gu, without questioning the reason behind this sudden superiority.
But what caught his attention even more—
was not just the power.
It was the feeling.
Closeness… harmony.
As if this Gu had been made specifically for him.
A smooth, comfortable sensation, completely free of resistance.
As though controlling it required no real effort.
He extended his awareness further into it.
And began to experiment.
The sphere of lightning moved before him, responding instantly to his will.
Then—
he began to change its shape.
From a sphere…
to a cube.
Then into a cone.
Then a radiant star formed from threads of lightning.
It wasn't difficult.
In fact, it felt strangely natural.
Then he pushed it further.
He began increasing its size.
Growing…
and growing…
while its density gradually decreased.
Until—
it became as large as a house.
A massive sphere of lightning filled the space, emitting a low hum that carried an imposing, terrifying presence.
At that moment—
if any member of the Bai clan had been there…
they would have frozen in place.
Perhaps even dropped their jaws in shock.
Because even among the Gu Masters of the clan—
only a few veteran elders could manipulate the Lightning Moon Gu with such precision and flexibility.
Those who had spent years training and mastering it.
Yet Jian Long—
had only just begun using this Gu.
And still…
he controlled it as if it were a part of his own body.
"Alright… this isn't the time to play. I have to escape quickly."
The sphere of lightning dissipated, and silence returned to the cave.
Then he turned, ready to leave—
But… his steps halted.
His heart tightened suddenly, as if something was pulling him back.
When he thought of that wealth… the mountain of primeval stones behind him.
He hesitated for a moment, then turned around.
He walked back slowly toward the mountain, his eyes fixed on it.
He extended his hands, scooped up a large handful of primeval stones, and raised them before him.
He looked at them in silence—a long gaze… filled with emotion, as if he were looking at his beloved.
Then he brought them close to his face and kissed them.
After that, he slowly opened his palms.
The stones scattered from between his fingers, falling to the ground with a soft sound, like drops of cold rain.
But he did not look at them as they fell.
Instead, he raised his hand and pointed toward the mountain.
His eyes were sharp.
His voice was low… but firm.
"I will come back, no matter how long it takes… wait for me."
Then he turned—
and left.
...
After a day—
three people gathered at the site of the battle.
They stood in silence, surrounding what remained of the bodies of Bai Xiang and Bai Bing Yi.
There was not much left…
shattered bones, and torn pieces of flesh barely clinging to them.
Yet despite that, Bai Zhong Shui, using the Dog Nose Gu, had confirmed that the remains belonged to them.
The expressions of the three darkened.
Grief and anger mixed in their eyes.
But the one most affected was Bai Bing Zhe.
The moment he was certain, his knees gave out, and he fell to the ground, his eyes fixed on the bones that had once been the body of his twin brother, Bai Bing Yi.
His body trembled.
Then a muffled sound escaped his chest… turning into restrained sobbing, filled with pain.
To any ordinary person, the scene would appear as if a wild beast had killed them.
But to someone with even a bit of logic, like Bai Shang, it was not reasonable.
Bai Shang slowly raised his gaze.
He was the one assigned to lead this group, and he had already realized that something was wrong.
"If it were only Bai Bing Yi, that would be acceptable. He is a Rank 1 Gu Master—his death at the hands of a Hundred Beast bear is normal. But Bai Xiang, a Rank 2 Gu Master… someone with his experience and strength is not the type to die like this. Even in the worst case, he should have been able to escape."
Bai Shang frowned slightly, then quickly turned and asked:
"Is there anyone nearby?"
The reply came immediately from Bai Zhang Shui—no.
Bai Zhang Shui was an investigative-type Gu Master, in her late twenties. She had a well-proportioned figure and beautiful features, if not for the scar that cut across her face—stretching from the corner of her mouth, across her right eye, up to her forehead.
She did not need Bai Shang to explain his suspicions.
From the moment she saw the bodies, she had already realized that this was no ordinary incident.
That was why, from the moment they arrived, she had already deployed her Gu worms, silently scouting the area.
She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them and spoke calmly:
"No one within a two-kilometer radius."
A trace of relief appeared on Bai Shang's face.
But it did not last long.
He nodded, then said in a firm tone:
"Continue searching the battlefield. I want any trace—any evidence that points to a battle between Gu Masters."
Then he bent down toward the bodies.
"As for me, I'll examine their corpses."
After a few minutes, Bai Zhang Shui returned from inspecting the surroundings and said in a calm but sharp voice:
"I found piercing marks on the surrounding tree trunks, as well as on the ground. The pattern of penetration suggests a metal spear-type weapon."
She paused briefly, then added:
"But I found no spear nearby. However, I suspect it is the trace of a Metal Spear Gu."
The group had arrived after killing the Hundred Beast King Bear, and thus they were already aware that it only possessed two Gu worms: Wind Blade Gu and Jade Fur Gu.
Therefore, her conclusion was a clear confirmation of one thing…
another Gu Master had intervened in this battle.
Bai Shang nodded slowly and said:
"This matches what I found here."
He raised his hand and pointed to the remains of Bai Bing Yi's skull, where only the lower part of the forehead was left.
There, faint piercing marks could be seen, as if a metal spear had directly penetrated the bone.
Then he shifted his hand and pointed to Bai Xiang's spine bones, which showed signs of crushing and unnatural fractures—damage that could not have been caused by beast claws alone, but by the force of a rigid metal weapon.
"It is certain that the bear was not responsible," he said after a brief silence.
"This means the killer is a Gu Master… and he deliberately made it look like the work of the bear to mislead us and divert our attention."
Throughout the entire process, Bai Bing Zhe had remained silent, detached from reality, as if his soul still lingered on the battlefield of death.
But upon hearing the words "Gu Master," his body suddenly trembled.
He slowly raised his head from the ground.
His eyes had turned completely red, filled with madness and suppressed rage. His expression was twisted by grief and fury, like a wounded beast on the verge of explosion.
Then he screamed in a hoarse voice that almost turned into a howl:
"Who… killed my brother?!"