Gu Sheng was struck so hard that his blood surged and he couldnât help but spit out a mouthful of fresh blood. However, even then, he still had no intention of retreating to defend himself; raising his blade once again, he charged at Ni Chen.
Ni Chenâs mind was already overwhelmed by intense pain, leaving him unable to react. Gu Shengâs blade cut across his neck directly, and his head lightly floated off into the air.
In exchange, Gu Sheng took two more punches, but using the opportunity, he continued to advance a short distance forward.
Gusts of wind rushed toward himâthe giant birds were already closing in. Gu Sheng couldnât afford to check his injuries and hurriedly activated the Shadow Concealing Skill and the First-level Speed, quickly pulling away.
The giant birds had initially aimed to attack Gu Sheng, but once their target disappeared, their aggression naturally shifted to Kang Xiaofeng and Wu Xinyu.
The two were already at the end of their strength, and under the onslaught of six giant birds, their voices quickly vanished.
Gu Sheng, relying on the Shadow Concealment Skill and the Snake Breath Skill, managed to evade detection by the giant birds.
After the giant birds slaughtered every member of the Thousand Poison Sect in the valley, they hovered above the cliffs for a long time. Unable to find any trace of Gu Sheng, they returned to their nest.
Only then did Gu Sheng let out a long sigh of relief. This battle had been the most intense and dangerous fight since he began practicing martial arts!
He silently counted himself lucky to have acquired the Shadow Concealment Skill from Qian Jin in the past. Otherwise, given todayâs circumstances, even if he had mastered a top-tier martial arts technique, he wouldnât have escaped unscathed.
Judging by the current performance of the Shadow Concealment Skill, Gu Sheng was certain that its complete version must be a high-grade martial arts technique!
Although Qian Jin had only given him a partial version, Gu Sheng wasnât overly concerned. With the panelâs existence, he knew he simply had to immerse himself in grueling cultivation. As for the subsequent paths of the technique, the panel would naturally complete themâperhaps even upgrade and develop them further!
After undoing the Shadow Concealment Skill, Gu Sheng found a resting spot outside the valley nearby. Not until then did he have time to tend to his injuries.
Kang Xiaofengâs two punches had landed solidly, leaving a small hollow on Gu Shengâs back. His flesh was mangled, revealing faint traces of silver-white bone within.
Gu Sheng pulled out a healing pill, swallowed it, and began regulating his breathing to restore his strength.
As the giant birds had returned to their nest, Gu Sheng dared not enter the valley recklessly. After recovering a bit of energy, he immediately turned around to search for Shi Lezhi.
Shi Lezhi had been injured by an arrow shot from Gu Sheng earlier. Trusting Wu Xinyu and the others, he chose not to leave but instead stayed put to treat his injuries, waiting for their victorious return.
In Shi Lezhiâs view, Wu Xinyu and his group were numerous, with Liu Bin, Kang Xiaofeng, and Ni Chen being notable elites in the Silver Bone Realm. To him, a newly entered Silver Bone Martial Artist like Gu Sheng shouldnât pose any threat at all.
"Heh, heh. Come to think of it, I really should thank Gu Sheng. If not for him, I wouldnât have been able to latch onto Wuâs thigh. Iâve long had enough of that Holy Pill Sect. Despite my remarkable management skills, they only relegated me to overseeing menial disciples. Preposterous! Now, Wu recognizes my talents. Though, I wonder when Wu will take power. If I could secure even a steward role, I wouldnât go back to that miserable sect!"
After finishing his treatment, Shi Lezhi leaned against a tree and began fantasizing about his prospects. As the vision of becoming a steward danced in his mind, he couldnât help but chuckle to himself.
Upon overhearing Shi Lezhiâs laughable monologue from the shadows, Gu Sheng smirked coldly and said, "Save that blissful dream for the afterlife! Perhaps there, youâll have better luck making it come true."
Gu Sheng dissipated the Shadow Concealment Skill, revealing himself and slowly walking toward Shi Lezhi.
Seeing Gu Sheng erupt into view, Shi Lezhiâs expression drastically changed. His heart was stricken with awe, and he stammered, "You... youâve returned? What about Lord Wu and the others?!"
Shi Lezhi urgently glanced toward the direction where Wu Xinyu and his group had previously ventured.
Gu Sheng revealed a faint smirk. "Since Iâve returned, what do you think has become of them?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Youâre just a newly advanced Silver Bone Martial Artist! How could you possibly defeat Lord Wu and the others!"
Shi Lezhiâs expression turned hysterical with disbelief, though facing Gu Sheng alone now, the pressure was unbearable. He scrambled to his feet and attempted to flee.
Gu Sheng leisurely picked up several small stones from the ground. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the stones flying at Shi Lezhi.
By Gu Shengâs hand, even these small stones carried formidable power. Each impact left Shi Lezhi shrieking in pain.
Gu Sheng specifically aimed for Shi Lezhiâs feet. By the time the last stone left his hand, Shi Lezhiâs legs were riddled with bloody holes, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Fueled by strong survival instincts, even with his legs rendered useless, Shi Lezhi refused to give up. He frantically clawed at the ground, dragging himself forward.
Gu Sheng approached him and stomped down forcefully on Shi Lezhiâs back.
"Ahhh!"
The stomp fractured Shi Lezhiâs spine with loud crunches. He shrieked in agony and went limp. Gu Shengâs foot lifted him and flipped him over with a quick flick of his toe.
"Donât kill me! Please, donât kill me! Killing a sect brother is a grave crime according to the Holy Pill Sect rules. If found out, thereâll be no good end for you either!"
Shi Lezhiâs spine was shattered, leaving him crippled, but he still clung to hope for survival, even leveraging the sectâs rules to intimidate Gu Sheng.
Gu Sheng hoisted Shi Lezhi up and pulled two arrows from his waist quiver, pinning him to a nearby tree.
"Rules? Now you think to lecture me on rules? Then why didnât you consider those rules when you killed Liu Yiming?"
At the sound of Gu Shengâs icy, emotionless voice, Shi Lezhi couldnât help but shudder. "He... he was merely a menial disciple! Not covered by those rules! Whereas I am an official sect discipleâmy father is a steward! If you kill me, youâll owe your life! With your talent, youâre destined to become an Inner Sect Disciple, even a Core Disciple. Thereâs no need to throw that away for a mere menial disciple. Besides, Liu Yiming meant nothing to you personallyâwhy sacrifice everything for him?"
Shi Lezhi scrambled to analyze the situation, desperate to sway Gu Shengâs decision.
Though his spine was crushed and he was far from mobile, as the saying goes, a bad life is better than a good death. If survival was possible, he would grasp at any chance.
The Holy Pill Sectâs rules did indeed include this clause, which had been the reason Gu Sheng hadnât intended to kill Shi Lezhi initially. But upon discovering the true circumstances of Liu Yimingâs death, Gu Sheng had sentenced Shi Lezhi to death in his mind!
As for the sectâs rules? He cared nothing for them! In his eyes, Liu Yiming and Shi Lezhi were equalâboth lives worth the same.
Blood debts must be paid. An eternal law!
"Sacrifice everything? Was it worth it?"
Gu Shengâs gaze was resolute: "Of course, it was worth it! And rest assured, I wonât let you die so easily. Iâll make sure youâre carved to pieces!"
Saying this, Gu Sheng picked up a flying dagger that had belonged to a Thousand Poison Sect disciple. After wiping off the deadly poison layered on its surface, he began to slice into Shi Lezhi.
Gu Sheng had a thorough understanding of human anatomy. Each incision avoided Shi Lezhiâs fatal organs. After every cut, Gu Sheng would even thoughtfully apply hemostatic powder to prevent excessive bleeding, ensuring Shi Lezhi could hold on a bit longer and wouldnât perish prematurely.
The excruciating pain made Shi Lezhi scream wildly. After dozens of cuts, he fainted from the agony.
Of course, Gu Sheng wouldnât let him off so easily. He set aside his blade, fetched some cold water, and splashed it on Shi Lezhi.
The cold water revived him, and Gu Sheng resumed cutting.
Repeating the cycle, Gu Sheng carved upwards of four to five hundred cuts before stripping all the flesh from Shi Lezhiâs body. At this point, his internal organs were fully exposed.
A Martial Artistâs life force is exceptionally potent, especially when Gu Sheng had meticulously avoided Shi Lezhiâs fatal points during the process.
Even stripped of his flesh, Shi Lezhiâs organs continued functioning, leaving him alive.
By now, Shi Lezhi had abandoned all hope of survival. He only begged Gu Sheng for a swift and merciful death.
"Kill me! Please, I beg youâend this quickly!"
The severe pain had numbed Shi Lezhiâs nerves. His glazed eyes pleaded to Gu Sheng.
Gu Shengâs body was drenched in blood as he tossed aside the last chunk of flesh he had just carved off. Coldly, he said, "Dying now wonât be so easy!"