The crossbow, though intricate, was not a treasure. To Wu Xinyu, it was inconsequential. All he ever wanted was the Soul-snatching Arrow!
When Lu Junyi mentioned the Soul-snatching Arrow, Wu Xinyu knew he had no chance of reclaiming it. This made him harbor even greater animosity toward Gu Sheng.
There was no way around it; Lu Junyi held a position of immense power and influence. Even if his father were present, he wouldnât dare act recklessly. Naturally, Wu Xinyu couldnât hold Lu Junyi accountable for this. All he wished now was for Lu Junyi to quickly inform his father to come and take him away. He couldnât bear to stay another minute around Gu Sheng!
"Great Elder, this boy nearly killed several of us in the Red Cloud Mountain Range. Letting him off so easily seems far too lenient!" Gu Sheng frowned immediately after the crossbow was returned and spoke sharply.
Wu Xinyu immediately exploded with rage: "Didnât all of you come out of it perfectly fine? And you killed four people from our Thousand Poison Sect, one of whom was even at the Silver Bone Realm. Isnât that enough? What more do you want?!"
Gu Sheng sneered coldly in response: "Your Thousand Poison Sect and our Holy Pill Sect both issued killing orders. The fact that I killed your people means they lacked the skillâwhatâs wrong with that? You yourself are at the Silver Bone Realm. Given the circumstances, you knowingly entered the Red Cloud Mountain Range with your subordinates, effectively conceding to the killing orders. Even if I had killed you, it would have been entirely reasonable!"
Wu Xinyuâs face flushed bright red with anger: "How dare you compare yourselves to me?! I am a man of extraordinary status. If you kill me, your Holy Pill Sect will face catastrophic consequences!"
With a sudden swish, Gu Sheng drew the single-edged blade in his hand: "A man of extraordinary status? Then let me see just how tough your life truly is. I want to find out if I can cut you down!" With that, Gu Sheng raised his blade to strike.
"Elder Lu! Save me!"
Wu Xinyu had not expected Gu Sheng, a mere low-ranking disciple, to act so recklessly in front of Lu Junyi. Frightened out of his wits, he quickly called out to Lu Junyi for help.
"Enough! His status is indeed unique and cannot be judged by ordinary standards."
Hearing this, Gu Sheng halted the blade just above Wu Xinyuâs head. He glanced at Lu Junyi with undisguised dissatisfaction: "Great Elder, who knows how many of our people this boy has slaughtered in the Red Cloud Mountain Range? If we let him leave so easily, how could we face the brothers whoâve perished? Wouldnât that make other factions see our Holy Pill Sect as weak and cowardly?"
Gu Shengâs cutting remarks immediately caused Lu Junyi and Qin Xue to fall into deep thought.
They couldnât deny there was some truth to Gu Shengâs words.
Wu Xinyu noticed the shift in Lu Junyiâs expression and knew trouble was brewing. He hurried to defend himself: "Donât you dare slander me! This is my first time entering the Red Cloud Mountain Range. As soon as I arrived, I ran into the five of you. I havenât killed any other members of the Holy Pill Sect!"
Lu Junyiâs gaze fell on Gu Sheng: "In your opinion, then, what should we do?"
Gu Sheng sheathed his blade and presented the plan he had already devised: "Great Elder, since this guyâs father holds a distinguished position and clearly cherishes him greatly, why not extort a hefty sum from them? Thatâll teach the Thousand Poison Sect to respect the rules. Otherwise, if they keep letting those who think highly of themselves meddle in our affairs, wouldnât our Holy Pill Sect disciples hesitate to fight, fearing death? How could we justify the sacrifices of our fallen brothers?"
Lu Junyi couldnât help but laugh upon hearing this: "Youâre a crafty one! Very well, then. Since Wu Gui was willing to give him the Soul-chasing Arrow for protection, itâs clear this boy holds great value in his fatherâs eyes. Letâs take this opportunity to extort a good sum!"
After some careful deliberation, Lu Junyi proposed a fairly reasonable ransom: "Xiao Xue, send someone to inform Wu Gui that his son is in our custody. Tell him to bring a Yellow-level, low-grade treasure within three days to redeem him!"
"Youâll stay here with me for now. Letâs see how long it takes for your father to come for you."
Upon hearing this, Wu Xinyu felt as though heâd been granted a reprieve. He was genuinely afraid of staying any longer with Gu Sheng. But Lu Junyiâs next words felt like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head.
"Gu Sheng, youâll stay as well. Iâm quite busy, and I donât have the time to keep an eye on him. You watch over him for me. Since you captured him, the ransom will also go to you."
Gu Sheng was caught off guard by this turn of events but couldnât help feeling a bit elated. After all, it was a treasure!
Even in a major sect like the Holy Pill Sect, only a few core disciples at the Golden Bone Realm with exceptional standing had access to treasures. Most treasures were held primarily by the sectâs senior officials. Gu Sheng never imagined such a treasure would fall into his hands.
The difference between the Stone-breaking Crossbow and the Shattering Star Crossbow had already taught Gu Sheng how much a powerful weapon could enhance combat ability!
With the aid of a treasure, Gu Sheng was confident that his combat capacity would reach a new level. The next time he encountered someone at the Silver Bone Realm, he believed he could defeat them without even using poison!
"Thank you, Great Elder!"
"Xiao Xue, do remember to register Gu Shengâs sect contribution points later. If he meets the conditions for promotion, arrange for him to select a new peak as soon as possible."
After dismissing Qin Xue and the others, Lu Junyi returned to the alchemy lab on the second floor to study the method of refining Bone Marrow Building Pills. He no longer concerned himself with Gu Sheng and Wu Xinyu.
At this point, Wu Xinyuâs fear of Gu Sheng had reached its peak. Alone in the same space with him, Wu Xinyu curled into a corner in terror.
Gu Sheng, looking at Wu Xinyu, couldnât help but laugh: "I didnât expect you to be so valuable! Donât worry. To me, a Yellow-level, low-grade treasure is far more precious than your life. I wonât kill you."
Gu Sheng wasnât one to waste time. He sat cross-legged and began practicing the Shadow Concealment Skill.