"Elder of the Forbidden Land, these two people intruded into Miaojiang without permission. I was ordered by the Second Elder to bring them back to Miao Village," Miao Lie said, bowing.
"They trespassed into the Forbidden Land on their own accord. I intended to kill them for that, but since this is the case, they are yours to take. Take them away," the elder said, then turned and entered the cave.
"To think that they even dared to enter the Miao Tribeâs Forbidden Land, you two really have some nerve, take them away," Miao Lie, giving Ye Luo and the Wild Bear a cold glance, snorted.
Following that, Ye Luo and the Wild Bear were taken away from the place. They made no resistance as they were, in fact, intending to go to Miao Village. Since these people were bringing them there, why would they resist? Plus, the elderâs earlier attack had left them with serious injuries; they couldnât have resisted even if they wanted to.
Under the escort of this group, Ye Luo and the Wild Bear entered Miao Village. The entire village was made up of ancient-style buildings, vast and impressive. People in Miao attire were everywhere. They were taken directly into the main hall, where Miao Changâan, the Second Elder, and Miao Xiaoling were present.
"Ye Luo!"
Seeing Ye Luo, Miao Xiaoling smiled and came over, saying, "Are you alright? You look injured."
"Iâm fine. By the way, where are Uncle Nie and Zi Yun?" Ye Luo asked urgently, as his Clairvoyant Eye activated.
He quickly located Nie Yuntian and the others and let out a sigh of relief, but then his brow furrowed slightly as he noticed something else.
"Are you the one who has broken my Miaojiangâs Gu Insect spells several times?" the Second Elder asked, his eyes coldly fixating on Ye Luo.
"Yes, itâs me. You must be the Second Elder," Ye Luo said, looking at the Second Elder.
"Ever since the Miaojiang Gu Insects emerged, there has never been anyone able to break them. I didnât expect someone as young as you to do so; quite extraordinary indeed," Miao Changâan said, his eyes showing a hint of astonishment while watching Ye Luo.
"Father, Second Elder, it was he who rescued me from those mysterious people last night. Otherwise, I wouldnât have been able to return. Please donât make things difficult for him, and donât make things difficult for his friends either," Miao Xiaoling pleaded with Miao Changâan and the Second Elder.
"Second Elder, what do you think..." Miao Changâan looked towards the Second Elder.
The Second Elder glanced at Ye Luo and said, "Since he is the Saintessâs life-saver, weâll wait until Nie Yuntian experiences the agony of âMyriad Gu Devouring Heartâ after three days, and then weâll let him leave Miaojiang."
"Please, Second Elder, release Uncle Nie and his entire family as well," Ye Luo said directly.
"Hmph, youâve intruded into Miaojiang and harmed our people. Not killing you is already a concession in light of the life you saved of the Saintess. Itâs absolutely impossible to release Nie Yuntian and his family. Say another word, and Iâll kill all of you together," the Second Elderâs eyes flashed with a sharp killing intent.
Miao Xiaoling signaled to Ye Luo, who said no more. Getting the Second Elder to release Nie Yuntian and his family so easily seemed unlikely; he had to find another way.
"You two are powerful, and to prevent you from causing any trouble, you will now ingest the Soul-devouring Gu. This Gu Insect is specially designed by our tribe to control people. Once you consume it, the insect will enter your brain, and at our command, it will devour your souls. So, youâd better behave," the Second Elder said, looking at Ye Luo, "Youâre quite adept at breaking Gu, arenât you? I want to see if you can break this Soul-devouring Gu."
Subsequently, Ye Luo and the Wild Bear were forced to swallow the Soul-devouring Gu, and as soon as the Gu Insects entered their bodies, they burrowed into their brains.
Immediately after, the two were taken to a room where they were locked up with Nie Yuntian and his family.
"Ye Luo!"
Looking at Ye Luo, Nie Yuntian and the others called out to him.
"Big brother!" Zi Yun got up and quickly held onto Ye Luoâs hand, her eyes filled with a hint of fear.
"Itâs okay, Iâm here, no need to be afraid," Ye Luo said calmly.
"I didnât expect that the two of you would be captured as well. This time it seems Iâve dragged you down too," Nie Yuntian said, his face showing a trace of apology as he looked at Ye Luo.
"Uncle Nie, you donât need to say that," Ye Luo said, turning his gaze to Nie Wenyu and the other woman.
"How are you two?"
Ye Luo checked the two womenâs condition. They werenât in great shape, but fortunately, there was no immediate danger to their lives.
"Ye Luo, thank you for coming to rescue us sisters," Nie Wenyu said, her eyes holding a sliver of gratitude as she looked at Ye Luo.
"Ye Luo, if thereâs a chance to leave this place, I will definitely marry you," Nie Wenling said to Ye Luo directly.
Ye Luo smiled but did not take Nie Wenlingâs words to heart.
"Are you both alright?" At that moment, Miao Xiaoling walked in.
"Xiao Ling, what is this Heart-Devouring Thousand Gu?" Ye Luo asked Miao Xiaoling.
"The Heart-Devouring Thousand Gu is our Miao Tribeâs most severe punishment. Ten thousand Gu insects infest the body, and eventually, these insects will bite and consume the flesh, making the victim experience an agony so intense that they wish for death," Miao Xiaoling explained indifferently.
Upon hearing Miao Xiaolingâs words, Nie Wenyu and her sisterâs expressions changed. Nie Wenling looked at Nie Yuntian and said, "Dad, what should we do now? In three days, you will... and I... "
"Alright, Wenling, donât worry. All of this is something I should bear. Itâs just hard on the two of you," Nie Yuntian sighed.
"Uncle Nie, rest assured, I will definitely rescue all of you," Ye Luo said solemnly, his eyes flickering.
"Ye Luo, donât be reckless. You all have been infected by the Soul-Devouring Gu. Your lives are completely at the mercy of the Second Elder, and with the multitude of experts in the Miao Tribe, you wouldnât stand a chance to escape here with your abilities," Miao Xiaoling warned.
Ye Luoâs eyes shifted as he looked at Miao Xiaoling, "Xiao Ling, I need your help, arenât you the Miao Tribeâs Saintess?"
"I... although I am the Miao Tribeâs Saintess, I have no actual authority. But donât worry, Iâll try to persuade the Second Elder again. Just donât do anything rash for now," Miao Xiaoling told Ye Luo before she left.
"It seems I have to deal with this Soul-Devouring Gu first," Ye Luo muttered to himself. Now, if he didnât resolve the Soul-Devouring Gu issue, their lives would be completely in the hands of the Second Elder.
However, after studying the Soul-Devouring Gu, Ye Luo discovered it wasnât like the other Gu insects he had encountered before. It resided within the brain, and expelling it was not going to be easy.
In the blink of an eye, night fell, the dark sky twinkled with stars, and in the primordial forest of Miaojiang, a group of people were moving forward, each holding a device in their hands.
It was the team of assassins from the Blood Wolf, led by the man known as Blood Shadow. Besides him, there were four other experts dressed in black cloaks, all in the Semi-Saint Realmâthey were the four experts previously dispatched by Blood Shadow.