On Alliance Slope, the three major clan formations among the Gu Masters were no longer as clearly divided as before. Gu Masters now covered the entire hillside, with only faint traces remaining of three somewhat denser clusters.
The Gu battles were a form of venting, as well as a form of compromise.
In a world where strength was the foremost value, having power meant earning respect, and only then could a foundation for cooperation be established.
Ever since Xiong Li had challenged Fang Yuan, no other Gu Master had come looking for him.
Fang Yuan was merely a newcomer. He had not had much interaction with Gu Masters from the other two families, let alone any grudges or entanglements. As for the Gu Masters within his own stockade, under circumstances like these, they would never challenge a fellow clansman.
Moreover, Fang Yuan's voluntary surrender had only made the other Gu Masters lose whatever interest they had in him. What was there to boast about in defeating such a "lazy," "cowardly" opponent?
There were two ways to avoid being trampled on. The first was to become a powerhouse, so strong that no one dared trample you. The second was to become such dirt that no one deemed it worth their while.
Fang Yuan cared nothing for the reputation of being dirt or a powerhouse. He had always acted without regard for methods, caring only about results. No one coming to challenge him suited him just fine.
The contemptuous, dismissive gazes of those around him, he simply ignored. If he couldn't even endure such looks, what talk was there of pursuing the Demonic Path?
The alliance had successfully concluded, and the Guye Clan, Bai Family, and Xiong Family had temporarily reached a pact.
First, the enactment of laws. The three clans would temporarily set aside past grievances to jointly combat the Wolf Tide. In times of crisis, mutual aid was mandatory. Simultaneously, internal killing was strictly prohibited. An Investigation and Supervisory Unit would be established. Upon discovery, the murderer would be the first to be expelled from the clan, and the three families would jointly sanction the killer, demanding their life in return. Should the murderer flee, their relatives would pay with their lives.
Even if a Gu Master died, the Gu Insects recovered from their corpse had to be turned in. Privately hoarding or using them would be treated as murder. Once the Gu Insects were submitted, they could be exchanged for Battle Merits...
Second, the establishment of the Battle Merit Board. Displaying in real-time the performance rankings of the various squads from the three great families, based on squad units. One Electric Wolf eyeball would be exchanged for ten points of Battle Merit. Battle Merits could be redeemed for Gu Insects, Yuan Stones, and other materials.
The appearance of the Battle Merit Board naturally sparked unparalleled enthusiasm among the Gu Masters.
The results of sparring matches with Gu could not necessarily dictate the outcome of a real battle. Take Xiong Jiang and Bai Bingyi for example; besides the Water Drill Gu, Bai Bingyi naturally had other offensive means. Meanwhile, the effective range of Xiong Jiang's Shadow Mourning Gu was only ten meters.
Furthermore, any single battle would have many factors influencing its outcome.
Sparring matches lacked a certain persuasiveness, but the Battle Merit Board offered a much fairer stage for competition.
All the Gu Masters from the three great families worked tirelessly to hunt Electric Wolves, striving for a better ranking on the Battle Merit Board.
This concerned not only their own glory but also the honor of their respective families.
The top three positions on the Battle Merit Board, in particular, presented an unprecedentedly fierce competitive landscape. Almost every other day, the rankings among the top three would shift.
Before long, more than a month had passed.
Winter gave way to spring, and all things began to flourish.
After a battle ended.
Fang Yuan stepped across the remnants of snow on the ground, his breathing slightly labored as he surveyed the battlefield around him.
On the battlefield, more than a dozen Electric Wolves lay dead. Wolf blood and torn carcasses were scattered everywhere, and the thick stench of blood permeated the air.
Awooo…
Just then, the sound of wolf howls suddenly rang out from nearby once more.
Fang Yuan's expression shifted slightly. Drawing on his experience, he knew a wolf pack was rapidly closing in on this location.
Had it been any other Gu Master, after such an intense battle with insufficient True Essence remaining in their Empty Orifice, they would most likely have already considered retreating. But Fang Yuan paid no mind to any of that. He simply crouched down again and continued harvesting the eyeballs from the wolf carcasses.
His movements were practiced and efficient, but even so, by the time he finished harvesting, he had already found himself half-encircled by the wolf pack.
This was a medium-sized wolf pack — over a hundred remnant wolves, their glowing green eyes radiating a fierce and vicious light as they stared fixedly at Fang Yuan without letting up.
Fang Yuan stored the wolf eyes away, rose to his feet with a faint smile, and then his figure rippled like water before slowly vanishing from the spot.
The charging wolf pack erupted into a sudden commotion. Many of the remnant wolves halted in their tracks, their postures betraying confusion and hesitation.
After all, they were merely beasts. Such a miraculous sight was beyond their comprehension.
"Though this is partly because electric wolves primarily rely on their eyes to observe, not their noses. Electric wolves are wondrous creatures of this world — their eyesight is as sharp as an eagle's, but their sense of smell is no better than a human's. My Concealment Scale Gu happens to counter beasts like electric wolves, but it wouldn't fool a dog's nose." Fang Yuan knew exactly what he was doing.
The Concealment Scale Gu was something he had already successfully refined before the Gu contest. It resembled a fossilized carp — dull and grey — resting upon the True Essence sea within his Empty Orifice, letting the waters of True Essence flow over the lifelike scales on its surface.
As for the Scale Gu he had previously lacked, he had naturally exchanged the Black Pig Gu and the Green Book to obtain it.
With this Concealment Scale Gu, Fang Yuan departed safely right under the noses of the entire wolf pack.
This sort of situation had already occurred many times over the past few days.
Ordinary wolves or dogs would have a keen sense of smell. But Lightning Wolves were different. Their speed was great, and they lacked sharp eyesight, often colliding with trees and mountain rocks.
But nature was fair. While it had granted them sharp wolf eyes, it had stripped them of their keen sense of smell.
The Thunder Crown Wolf King, however, was different again.
With the Concealment Scale Gu, Fang Yuan could navigate an ordinary wolf tide with ease. But before a Thunder Crown Wolf King — a king among ten thousand beasts — he could not hide.
This was because the Thunder Crown Wolf King's eyes often harbored Lightning Eye Gu, a Gu Insect capable of piercing through concealed forms.
Besides the Lightning Eye Gu, there were in fact many other Gu Insects that could detect the hidden Fang Yuan.
For example, the Snake Tongue Gu, which could sense heat. The Beast Tongue Gu, which allowed a Gu Master to gain information from conversations with wild beasts. The Wind Ear Gu, which could sharpen a Gu Master's hearing to extreme sensitivity.
Therefore, possessing the Concealment Scale Gu did not mean Fang Yuan was safe and sound. At best, it was a small means of preserving his life.
When he returned to the mountain stronghold, it was still midday.
The spring sun was bright and warm. People came and went before the stronghold's gates. Unlike in years past, the travelers on the road were mostly Gu Masters, with only a handful of ordinary mortals.
Under the influence of the wolf tide, the wilderness was far from safe. Hunters did not dare venture into the mountains at all, and the farmland lay abandoned.
On the streets, however, the Gu Masters were in high spirits. They streamed back from the outskirts stained with blood, or set out with vigorous energy.
They discussed the rankings on the merit board, shared their experiences and insights from hunting Lightning Wolves, or debated the prowess of outstanding Gu Masters from other strongholds.
Fang Yuan blended into the crowd and walked into the mountain stronghold, arriving at the square before the Patriarch Pavilion.
A stage had already been erected in the square—this was where merit points were exchanged.
A large number of Gu Masters had gathered here. First Transformation Gu Masters were busy recording entries, while a portion of Second Transformation Gu Masters jostled together, trading blood-stained wolf eyes for merit points.