"Pant… pant… pant…" Gu Yue Fang Xiang gasped for breath, hiding among the exposed roots of an ancient tree.
The tree soared high into the sky, its enormous roots jutting out above the ground in a tangled, interlocking network — an excellent hiding spot.
Gu Yue Fang Xiang had finally managed to shake off his pursuers, earning himself a brief chance to catch his breath and recover.
Blood still trickled continuously from his nose and mouth. He hurriedly wiped his lips with the back of his hand, then began examining his condition.
His expression grew somber. He discovered over a dozen wounds across his body, three broken bones, and most critically, damage to his internal organs that demanded immediate treatment.
Still, he did not panic.
After all, this was far from the first time he had sustained injuries like these.
Gu Yue Fang Xiang tore open the front of his garment. His clothes had already been shredded to tatters from the fierce battle, so they ripped apart easily, revealing a chest covered in thick black hair.
A long, deep gash ran across his chest, exposing the stark white of broken ribs beneath.
Clenching his teeth, he activated a Gu Insect.
The healing Gu Insect resembled a centipede. It burrowed into his body through the wound and immediately suppressed the internal bleeding.
Before long, the creature emerged from his body caked in blood and settled over the wound. Its hundred pairs of legs pierced directly into the flesh on either side of the gash, and the searing pain made Gu Yue Fang Xiang hiss through his teeth.
Then the centipede slowly applied force. Its hundred pairs of legs dragged the torn flesh together with a faint creaking sound, finally forcing the massive wound to close — barely.
This kind of treatment only addressed the symptoms, not the root cause. But Gu Yue Fang Xiang knew perfectly well that there was simply no time for proper healing right now.
"There's blood over here!"
"Quick, come quickly!"
"Be careful, everyone. This scoundrel is a tough one."
"What's there to be afraid of? Even if he has Fifth Transformation cultivation, after taking the leader's Remnant Refinement killer move, most of his Gu Insects should be destroyed."
"Heh heh, that's exactly the kind of thinking that's already gotten over a dozen strong fighters killed by his hand."
"That half-breed Gu Yue Fang Xiang truly is a freak!"
A wave of discussion drifted over, and Gu Yue Fang Xiang's expression changed instantly.
"Damn it! They've caught up already. I just finished treating my wounds…" Gu Yue Fang Xiang gritted his teeth and checked the few remaining Gu Insects in his Empty Orifice.
Having held out this long, most of his Gu Insects had been destroyed. The survivors were all damaged as well — forcing them into use now would cause them to shatter and disintegrate.
These Gu Insects were ones he had painstakingly accumulated over time, but now he had no choice but to use them.
"Sleep-Conceal Gu, you're all I've got now. Please, just hold on a little longer!" Gu Yue Fang Xiang prayed silently as he activated the Gu Insect to hide himself.
It was merely a Fourth Transformation Gu Insect, but its concealment ability was remarkable — nearly rivaling that of Fifth Transformation. In Gu Yue Fang Xiang's long career of fleeing and hiding, this Gu had saved his life on numerous occasions.
The only drawback was that once activated, it forced the Gu Master into a deep sleep. The deeper the sleep, the better the concealment.
Gu Yue Fang Xiang lost all awareness of the outside world.
What he did not know was that not long after he fell asleep, the Sleep-Conceal Gu shattered completely into fragments.
His pursuers continued to search the area.
Seeing this from where he lay hidden, Mao Twelve gave a light wave of his hand. An Immortal Gu killer move took effect over Gu Yue Fang Xiang instantly.
One of the Hairy Man Gu Masters — a yellow-furred one who was part of the pursuit — searched with great diligence, examining the cluster of tree roots where Gu Yue Fang Xiang was concealed.
Gu Yue Fang Xiang was right before his eyes, yet he simply could not see him.
Eventually, the pursuers concluded that Gu Yue Fang Xiang had already fled the hillside and pressed deeper into the mountains after him.
When Gu Yue Fang Xiang awoke and found himself temporarily safe, he breathed a long sigh of relief.
Then, seeing that the Sleep-Conceal Gu in his Empty Orifice had completely crumbled to dust, a fresh wave of fear washed over him, and he silently rejoiced: "So the Sleep-Conceal Gu did hold on until the critical moment, letting me escape the pursuit. Those chasers have already moved on to the next peak — this is the perfect opportunity for me to get away!"
Overjoyed, and with his injuries now stabilized, he immediately rose and departed.
He trudged through the dense, dark forest with utmost caution, doing everything in his power to leave no traces of his passage.
After more than half a day, the sky suddenly turned overcast, and a strange mist began to swirl through the trees.
Gu Yue Fang Xiang arrived before a deep mountain pool, surveyed his surroundings, and felt mildly satisfied. He decided to stay here for a while to recuperate.
"This is a good water source. Wild beasts will surely come to drink here. Whether it's the water or the meat, both will serve as excellent provisions."
"With any luck, I might even find some Gu refinement materials from the hunt — I can refine new Gu Insects to fill the gaps in my arsenal!"
Gu Yue Fang Xiang had extensive experience living alone in mountain forests.
He was a mixed-blood — half Hairy Man, half human. On the Black Fur Continent, where the Hairy Men were the dominant rulers, he had suffered endless contempt.
Even his own mother, the City Lord of Iron Wire City, had treated him coldly.
During his childhood and adolescence, his greatest wish had been to win his mother's recognition through sheer effort.
However, due to his mixed heritage, his Aptitude for Gu refinement was far inferior to that of the Hairy Men. And the Hairy Men prized Gu refinement above all else.
Fortunately, Gu Yue Fang Xiang had secretly come into his own opportunities, acquiring various cultivation techniques through different means and sheer coincidence.
He trained tirelessly, repeatedly performing feats that astonished those around him, gradually changing his mother the City Lord's view of him and winning her genuine acceptance.
But such good fortune did not last. Iron Wire City was subjected to a sudden attack and nearly destroyed. The City Lord risked her life to carry Gu Yue Fang Xiang to safety.
On the verge of death, the City Lord of Iron Wire City told Gu Yue Fang Xiang about his origins: "My son, your mother has wronged you. You have always wanted to ask who your father was, haven't you?"