"Huh? What does that mean?"
"Every so often, whether a long or short time passes, a certain person among the Ni family's Gu Masters will experience a phenomenon of bloodline condensation. If they endure it, an Immortal Gu will gradually form within their body."
Qi Zai turned his gaze toward the vast sea of clouds ahead and continued, "What Ni Ren did was meant to help the future generations of the Ni family produce Gu Immortals. He was truly extraordinary. The Immortal Gu he refined into the bloodlines of his descendants cannot be extracted by anyone else. Even if one tried to reforge it, failure would be inevitable. Moreover, these Immortal Gu were all specifically chosen by him — they require no Immortal Essence to activate, and even ordinary mortals can use them. The only catch is that the price is rather steep."
Qi He blinked rapidly, a note of admiration rising in her heart toward Ni Ren: "If I had the help of an Immortal Gu, perhaps I could have weathered the tribulation on my own."
Qi Zai suddenly let out a few cold, sinister laughs, a bone-chilling aura radiating from him: "Ni Ren meant well, but unfortunately, over the span of several thousand years, not a single Gu Immortal has ever emerged from the Ni family. The Immortal Gu he selected carry too heavy a price. When mortals wield Immortal Gu, even if no one else can steal them, it's like an infant clutching a treasure — how could they possibly remain safe?"
"The moment an Immortal Gu manifests inside a member of the Ni family, we call that person the current Mud Phase. The first Immortal Gu to appear within the Mud Phase's body is a path-type Immortal Gu called 'Right or Wrong.' This Gu allows the user to learn information between heaven and earth and blurt out the answer, but they can only say two words: 'yes' or 'no.' For each answer given, the Gu Master's lifespan is reduced by fifty years."
Qi He's brow furrowed lightly: "Fifty years of lifespan? The price is that steep? Then how could the current Mud Phase possibly agree willingly?"
Qi Zai smiled but did not answer.
Qi He's body suddenly trembled faintly.
She had over sixty years of life experience and had seen her share of worldly affairs. Now she finally grasped the deeper implication behind Qi Zai's words.
"One answer costs the current Mud Phase fifty years of life. How could he agree willingly? But Seventh Grandfather is a Gu Immortal, and the current Mud Phase is nothing more than a mortal. Whether he's willing or not — what does it matter?"
"The Ni family has fallen so far. I'm afraid the ancestors of the Qi family had a hand in that as well."
"And our own Qi family — our situation is hardly better. Did the ancestor Gu Immortals truly have no way to help?"
In that moment, a chill crept into Qi He's heart.
After that, Qi He fell silent for the remainder of the journey, rarely opening her mouth.
Qi Zai pressed his lips together. He had always been a man of few words.
But this time he had said quite a bit, all to educate his junior, Qi He. Now that she had ascended to immortality, she was a member of the Qi family's Gu Immortals.
The Qi family did not operate by righteous principles. If a Gu Immortal among their ranks harbored incompatible ideals, it would inevitably become a drain on the family's internals.
Qi Zai had been subtle, but Qi He had clearly caught on to his meaning.
"Mud Mountain isn't far. This trip to the Ni family — why not let Qi He handle it? Even if this branch of the Ni family is sacrificed, it would be of no consequence." With that thought, a sliver of cold light flashed through Qi Zai's eyes.
With a thought, the Air Sect Lion beneath him began a slow descent.
All that filled their vision was a vast whiteness of clouds and mist.
Before long, the Air Sect Lion broke through the cloud layer, and Qi He's view opened wide before her — ten thousand miles of rivers and mountains, green hills and clear waters, all sprawling beneath her feet. This was a grandeur and magnificence she had never witnessed as a mortal, and her spirit was momentarily captivated.
Among the mountains, one peak stood out like a crane among chickens — a towering black mountain, strikingly conspicuous.
Even the trees upon it were predominantly brown-black in color.
"Hm?" As they drew closer, Qi Zai's gaze sharpened.
Soon, Qi He noticed the anomaly as well.
On the eastern side of the mountain, in the sunlit area, a stockade had once stood.
But now it had been reduced to ruins. Blood pooled on the ground, and corpses lay strewn everywhere.
Not only were there human bodies, but also the carcasses of various beasts.
"How could this have happened?" Qi He cried out in shock.
The Air Sect Lion descended slowly onto the blood-soaked ground, and the two Qi family immortals walked across the battlefield.
The thick stench of blood assailed their nostrils. The grisly scene before them made it difficult for Qi He to keep looking.
Qi Zai, on the other hand, wore a face of cold indifference, murmuring, "The soil here at Mud Mountain is special. The blood hasn't fully dried yet. Clearly, the massacre of the Ni family happened only a day or two ago."
"There's something odd. The variety of beasts here is enormous — this is no ordinary beast tide. The Ni family's luck truly is terrible, to have encountered this kind of beast tide," Qi He added.
Qi Zai swept the area with a frigid gaze: "Hmph, what beast tide — this was clearly the work of man! The only beast tide at Mud Mountain is the Mud Monster tide."
Qi He was startled: "What? Who could be so cruel as to commit such an unconscionable act!"
Then, after a moment's reflection, she said, "Whoever did this could command ten thousand beasts — an extraordinary ability. When did the Southern Border produce such a slave-path Gu Master?"
"Hmph! This person is no Gu Master — they're a Gu Immortal." Qi Zai walked to the center of the stockade.
In the middle of the ruined stockade lay a thick layer of black sludge, starkly distinct from the surrounding crimson bloodstains.
"This branch of the Ni family was in possession of a Desolate Beast mud monster. But now this mud monster has perished and disintegrated. No matter how powerful a slave-path Gu Master might be, beast tides alone could never have brought down a Desolate Beast mud monster. Only a Gu Immortal could have done this!" Qi Zai said in a low voice.
"A Gu Immortal?" Qi He had not expected it to be a Gu Immortal.
A peculiar feeling rose within her: she had lived for decades and never once laid eyes on a Gu Immortal. Yet recently, while enduring her tribulation, she had met her Seventh Grandfather, and now she was learning of yet another Gu Immortal's trail.
"I'm now a Sixth Transformation Gu Immortal. My level is different, and so the things I encounter have undergone a complete upheaval," Qi He sighed inwardly.
Qi Zai's expression grew even colder.
He had come here to find the current Mud Phase. But with the Ni family stockade slaughtered to the last, the chances of his plan succeeding were now vanishingly slim.
"Hmph! Slaughtered the entire Ni family and simply walked away? I'd like to see just who you think you are."