Thump!
Thump!
To everyone's disbelief, Fu Bin's two halves of a body, like two tattered rags, fell separately to the ground, turning into two messy piles of 爛肉.
Silence.
The entire battlefield fell silent. The two sides who had been fighting stared blankly at the two piles of mangled flesh on the ground and the lone, proud young man standing there.
Everyone couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing.
What just happened?
Fu Bin, a Rank 3 Gu Master, descended from the sky with immense power, intending to instantly kill a mere Two-Turn Gu Master.
Then, he was sliced in half by that Two-Turn Gu Master's blade?
What a joke!
Unfortunately, reality never jokes with people.
Having decided to expose his strength, Zhou Ming, since he had already killed a Rank 3 Gu Master, had nothing more to worry about.
With the Rank Three Grass Flying Gu activated, Zhou Ming's figure instantly accelerated, leaving trails of afterimages in everyone's eyes. His speed was too fast; no one could capture his movements.
The Blade Light Gu suddenly erupted with dazzling blade light. As Zhou Ming's figure flickered, the chilling blade light instantly covered a large area of the battlefield. Countless heads flew into the sky, blood splattered the ground, and a tapestry of blood and light intertwined, forming a beautiful canvas of slaughter.
In just a few breaths, the enemy Gu Masters within several hundred meters were all completely annihilated.
The enemy Gu Masters further away were already terrified by this horrifying slaughter, desperately trying to escape.
For a time, the area within a hundred meters centered around Zhou Ming became the safest place on the entire battlefield.
"Zhou Hao!" Zhou Hao called out, yet dared not step forward, his manner cautious.
Zhou Ming looked at them, about to say something, when he suddenly looked up into the distance. A fierce battle fluctuation came from there; the high-level combatants of both sides had begun to engage.
Zhou Ming knew that the opponent had Rank Four combat power, and his own five Rank Three Family Elders wouldn't be able to hold on.
If all of his Rank Three Family Elders died, even he might not be able to escape, let alone Zhou Hao and the other two.
'Then let's go.'
Having made a decision in his heart, Zhou Ming's figure suddenly vanished, only to reappear a few seconds later.
The time interval was so short that the people around him all thought they had just imagined it.
He had made a trip to the Main God Space.
"Take this!" Zhou Ming rushed to Zhou Hao's front and directly shoved a Flower Bud Gu into his hand.
"This is for the three of you. Think carefully about when to use it!"
Leaving this sentence, and without waiting for Zhou Hao to react, Zhou Ming's figure flickered. He once again activated the Grass Flying Gu and swiftly rushed towards the center of the battlefield.
Zhou Hao refined the Flower Bud Gu in his hand. With a sweep of his mind, he was so startled that he nearly threw the Flower Bud Gu away. He then quickly clutched the Flower Bud Gu tightly in his hand, thought for a moment, and simply put the Flower Bud Gu directly into his Aperture.
What did he see?
Relic Gu! So many Relic Gu!
Bronze Relic Gu, Scarlet Iron Relic Gu! Enough Scarlet Iron Relic Gu for all three of them to advance to Two-turn Peak!
"Given to the three of us..." Zhou Hao suddenly looked up, but Zhou Ming's figure was no longer visible, and he couldn't help but be stunned... Zhou Ming moved quickly, soon passing through various skirmishes and arriving at the very center of the battlefield.
That was the battlefield of Rank Three and Rank Four Gu Masters, the most intense part of the fighting. Gu Masters with lower cultivation automatically avoided it, not daring to approach, lest they be swept away and killed by the battle's aftermath.
The five Rank Three Family Elders of the Zhou Family, facing four opponents, were completely at a disadvantage, being suppressed and unable to lift their heads, struggling to hold on with no power to retaliate.
The reason for this situation was simple: the opponent's Rank 4 Gu Master had made his move!
That was a Rank 4 Metal Path Gu Master. At this moment, he activated his Gu, and his entire body became golden and resplendent, like a golden statue. He allowed various attacks to land on him, neither dodging nor avoiding, completely unharmed, with astonishing defensive power.
Beneath his feet was a golden cloud, supporting his body as he floated in mid-air, looking down at everyone from above.
Around him revolved several golden rings, their edges incredibly sharp. They attacked enemies according to his will, flying rapidly in the air.
Another resplendent golden centipede, its body like a child's arm, lay prostrate on the golden cloud beneath his feet, its two golden, mung bean-sized eyes rolling around, seemingly searching for a suitable moment to attack.
Such a powerful Rank 4 Gu Master, merely by himself, forced the Zhou Family Elders to defend with all their might just to block his attacks.
Fortunately, this Rank 4 Gu Master and the three Rank 3 Gu Masters he led were clearly not from the same Family. They were unfamiliar with each other and did not coordinate well, leading to mutual losses in their attacks.
On the Zhou Family Elders' side, it was a completely different scene. The five Family Elders each had different focuses, either attacking or defending, coordinating with each other. Although they struggled to endure the storm-like attacks, they ultimately sustained no significant damage.
The performance of one of the Family Elders particularly caught Zhou Ming's attention. He was a Wood Path Gu Master. At this moment, his entire body was half-mutated into a tree spirit, with green vines entwined around him. Leaves sprouted from his hair, his skin turned brown like hard tree bark, and his feet were also wrapped in green vines, as if roots had grown, anchoring him to the earth.
The Wood Path Gu he used was incredibly powerful, completely exceeding the level of a normal Rank 3 Gu Master.
It was only by relying on his sustained output that the five Zhou Family Elders managed to hold on until now, without an early collapse.
"Wood Charm Gu!"
Seeing this scene, Zhou Ming's eyes widened instantly, and he cried out the name of a Gu in his heart.
The Wood Charm Gu could allow a Gu Master to transform into a tree spirit to fight.
Tree spirits, these beings, could directly absorb Origin Qi from heaven and earth, rapidly replenishing their own Origin Essence consumption. Moreover, they could also enhance the power of Wood Path Gu.
Therefore, after a Gu Master transformed into a tree spirit, their endurance greatly increased, and the power of their Wood Path Gu also increased significantly, leading to a substantial boost in combat power.
However, although the Wood Charm Gu was powerful, its side effects were also quite terrifying: it could not be used for long periods.
Using the Wood Charm Gu to transform into a tree spirit would continuously erode the Gu Master's body. If used for too long, the Gu Master's body would gradually lignify, eventually becoming a stiff wooden puppet, and their consciousness would become muddled like a tree, living no different from being dead.
Looking at the state of this Family Elder, it was clear that his body had already begun to mutate. Even if he were to deactivate the Wood Charm Gu and exit the tree spirit state now, some parts of his body would already be lignified and stiff.
'He won't last much longer!' Zhou Ming instantly made a judgment, his figure flickering as he charged towards the enemy Gu Master.
The Deception Gu lowered his aura to its minimum, making him indistinguishable from the grass and trees on the ground; the Elusive Gu made his figure ethereal and difficult to capture; the Grass Flying Gu boosted his speed to its limit.
"Swish!"
A thick, dark green vine suddenly wrapped around the ankle of an enemy Rank 3 Gu Master. Before he could react, the immense force that erupted directly pulled him, sending him flying backward.
"Damn it! Help..."
Before that Gu Master could cry for help, a blade light flashed across his neck, and a head immediately flew off. His body, still dragged by the Iron Vine Gu, was thrown and landed on the grass a hundred meters away.
"Who's there!" The enemy Gu Master reacted, shouting in surprise.
Zhou Ming's speed was even faster. As he charged towards the enemy Gu Masters, he continuously waved his hands, throwing out Spicy Chili Gu like grenades towards the enemy Gu Masters.
"Quick, get out of the way!" The enemy Gu Master roared, either dodging or activating defensive Gu to resist.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clusters of fiery red light exploded in the air. The fierce wind raised by the explosions howled, and heat waves rolled.
Two figures stumbled out of the flames. One of the Gu Masters, still smoking, had just landed when a blade light suddenly illuminated before his eyes.
That Gu Master was terrified, thinking he couldn't escape death. Just then, a golden ring flew in and collided with the blade light.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several crisp collision sounds rang out consecutively. Blade light flashed, golden light surged, but the Dao light was always unable to break through a small golden ring.
The firelight dissipated. The Rank 4 Gu Master still stood motionless in mid-air. The explosion of the Spicy Chili Gu had not left a single trace on him.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Several more golden rings flew over. Zhou Ming's wrists flickered, and blade flowers bloomed, deflecting each golden ring. However, he knew he had lost the chance to forcefully kill another Rank 3 Gu Master and could only retreat helplessly.
With a flash, Zhou Ming had retreated to the side of the Zhou Family Elders.
Seeing several Family Elders scrutinizing him with wary and suspicious gazes, Zhou Ming snorted coldly: "My name is Zhou Ming!"
"You're from the Zhou Family?" The Family Elders were greatly surprised.
"Nonsense! I'm from the same generation as Zhou Lin!"
Zhou Ming roared. Suddenly, he saw the golden rings around the Rank 4 Gu Master fly over again, and immediately launched a counterattack.
Iron Vine Gu flew out, like agile swimming Dragons, dancing left and right, knocking away all the golden rings.
"Ah—!"
A sharp shriek suddenly rang out. The Ghost Wail Gu's scream, carrying a power that could pierce one's Soul, spread wantonly across the battlefield, making everyone who heard it involuntarily clutch their heads, feeling a needle-like pain in their brains.
The Ghost Wail Gu's attack was area-of-effect, indiscriminately affecting friend and foe. Zhou Ming's attack this time hit everyone within the range, including the Zhou Family Elders behind him.
Even the Family Elder who was muddled due to using the Wood Charm Gu showed pain in his eyes, and then his consciousness regained clarity.
The only one on the entire field who showed no signs of being affected was the Rank 4 Gu Master standing on the golden cloud.
Even his two eyeballs had turned golden. He stood with folded arms, coldly watching Zhou Ming, then suddenly extended his right hand and pointed at Zhou Ming.
Hiss!
The golden centipede, as thick as a child's arm, beneath his feet suddenly raised its head to look at Zhou Ming, then its body sprang out like a spring, charging towards Zhou Ming like a sharp arrow.
Zhou Ming neither dodged nor avoided. The Blade Light Gu in his hand once again lit up with dazzling blade light. Under Zhou Ming's Realm as a Blade Dao Great Master, the Rank Three Blade Light Gu unleashed incredible power.
The blade light was continuous, and the light and shadows illuminated everyone. In an instant, Zhou Ming didn't know how many slashes he had made. The centipede's body passed through the blade light and disintegrated in the air behind Zhou Ming.
Pieces of carapace and tiny legs scattered in disarray, emitting their last golden light under the sun's rays, and then vanished.