Beast Tamer Ascension-Chapter 41Book 4: : Stone Man Gu

Vol 4 Chapter 41: Stone Man Gu

After learning where Cold Moon Sword Immortal had gone, Lin Jing patted his butt and set off to find the Abbot of Bodhi Temple.

"I came here with sincerity, how long does your Buddhist Sect intend to keep discussing? My time is precious too. If it won't work out, then forget it."

Compared to the Green Bodhi Tree, it was obvious that the key to activating the Celestial Artifact was more important. Lin Jing also didn’t want such a treasure to fall into the hands of the Netherworld Hall.

As far as he knew, the Hall Master of the Netherworld Hall and the Sect Leader of the Yin Corpse Sect were brothers, disciples of the same master.

This was a little-known secret. Lin Jing himself hadn’t known at first, until the Demon Emperor told him after destroying the Yin Corpse Sect.

Well, let's just assume those two brothers have a good relationship...

Since the Netherworld Hall was also a potential enemy, Lin Jing naturally wouldn’t give them the chance to grow stronger.

"Don't be anxious, Holy Son, don't be anxious." Facing Lin Jing who came knocking, the Abbot of Bodhi Temple greeted him with a smile.

"This old monk has already sought instructions from the Buddha Lord. It shouldn't take too long to get an answer."

"I don't have time to wait. Once you have the answer, just send the Bodhi Tree to this location." Lin Jing threw over a map.

The Buddha Lord’s incarnation was currently negotiating with the Demon Emperor’s incarnation about spreading the Buddhist teachings among the Demon Race. Giving away a Bodhi Tree was just a goodwill gesture. Lin Jing didn't think the Buddha Lord would refuse.

He didn’t plan to wait here any longer, and was ready to head toward Martial Emperor City with Gao Sheng to catch up with Cold Moon Sword Immortal.

"I understand. Once the Buddha Lord agrees, Bodhi Temple will immediately send the Holy Tree." The Abbot of Bodhi Temple pressed his palms together, curious about what urgent matter Lin Jing was so anxious to attend to.

..........

That day, a huge spatial vortex appeared above Bodhi Temple, and nine Thunder Dragons pulled a spirit boat out of it.

In terms of cultivation, the prodigies of the Thunder Dragon Clan might only be at the Nascent Soul Stage, but in terms of speed, even ordinary Nascent Soul Transformation cultivators might not match them.

"Holy sh*t." Even though Gao Sheng was a second-generation immortal, he had never seen such a spectacle. Not just him—even his Nascent Soul stage grandfather wouldn't be qualified to have nine Thunder Dragon prodigies pulling his carriage.

"Thanks, brothers." After boarding the flying boat along with Lin Jing’s clone, Gao Sheng muttered to the Thunder Dragon prodigies.

"Sit tight, we’re taking off." Lin Jing smiled. Immediately, the Thunder Dragons roared, and accompanied by lightning and thunder in the sky, the flying boat shot through the clouds like a streak of immortal light.

With the assistance of the nine Thunder Dragon prodigies, they traveled at an incredible speed, and within just a few days, they reached the edge of the Western Desert, seeing from afar the Martial Emperor City, known as the number one city under heaven.

Martial Emperor City was grand and majestic, surrounded by walls tens of meters high, truly deserving its reputation as a city-shaped Celestial Artifact, far more magnificent than the capital of any Ancient Kingdom.

"We're going down." On the flying boat, Lin Jing said to Gao Sheng.

Inside Martial Emperor City, although entry wasn't as strictly controlled as the Ancient Kingdom's capital, that was only for humans. As for the Thunder Dragon prodigies, Lin Jing had them stay in place. This trip was merely to find Cold Moon Sword Immortal, no need for a high-profile entrance.

He and Gao Sheng traveled together on foot toward the city gates. As they approached, Lin Jing saw Martial Emperor City's iconic Stone Man Army!

On the city walls, dense ranks of stone soldiers stood vigilantly, gazing outward. Each stone soldier exuded the aura of a seasoned general, carrying a bloodthirsty presence.

"Speaking of which, he should have less than eight Rare Gu left under his control now, right?" Seeing the Stone Man Army, Gao Sheng couldn’t help but ask.

"Elder Thunder Gu of the Gu God Sect likely died in Tongtian City. As for my Thunder Tribulation Gu, whether he got it or not..."

Martial Emperor nodded: "Yes, eight left. Don’t know if he’ll have a chance to collect the others..."

"That Thunder Dragon Clan, seems they also didn't get the Stone Man Gu, otherwise they wouldn’t..."

The stone soldiers lining Martial Emperor City's walls were exactly the masterpiece of one of the Ten Rare Gu, the Stone Man Gu.

The core power of the Stone Man Gu lay in its “Petrification Poison,” which could completely turn any infected life form into stone, becoming a slave controlled by the Gu worm.

However, the truly terrifying part wasn’t just that.

The Stone Man Gu was a poison insect that resembled an earthworm and was extremely skilled in earth-related techniques. Thus, its vessel could survive, hide, and cultivate deep underground, making it almost impossible to destroy. This earth-type ability ensured the Stone Man Gu’s vessels could evade most powerful enemies.

Furthermore, its poison could "kill earth veins" swiftly, poisoning spiritual veins, not just affecting people but also directly crippling a sect’s foundation, making it extremely hard to defend against.

"This, actually, is both easy and hard," said Gao Sheng nearby.

"Although the Stone Man Gu is in the hands of Martial Emperor City’s City Lord’s Mansion, Martial Emperor himself surely looks down on such things."

"That's why, after obtaining the Stone Man Gu, it was always passed around different cultivators within the City Lord’s Mansion."

"The current holder of the Stone Man Gu is Martial Emperor’s youngest disciple, Fang Renzong."

"It’s said Fang Renzong is naturally belligerent and loves betting matches. I wonder if he’s daring enough to put the Stone Man Gu up as a wager."

"A few years back, it was still in his senior brother’s hands, but after the Fortune Gold List came out, to strengthen the younger disciple, the senior brother gave him the Stone Man Gu."

Lin Jing smiled, "You're suggesting that I, a Core Formation Stage cultivator, should challenge Fang Renzong, Martial Emperor's successor currently ranked sixth on the Fortune Gold List, and already at Early Nascent Soul Transformation?"

Although Fang Renzong was the youngest among Martial Emperor’s four disciples, his cultivation was already at the Early Nascent Soul Transformation Stage!

Gao Sheng laughed awkwardly and scratched his head, "That’s why I said, it’s not easy."

"But it’s indeed an opportunity. If the Stone Man Gu were still in the hands of those three Void Mystical Stage successors, it would be hard to get. But if it’s with this younger Nascent Soul one, maybe we can lure him into a wager..."

"Huh?" Gao Sheng froze, "You're serious? Core Formation against Nascent Soul? No, wait, Lin Jing's Dragon Carp has already reached Nascent Soul, so Nascent Soul against Nascent Soul?"

Lin Jing gave him a sideways glance and said, "It’s worth a try. If I can't beat him, I’ll just break through to Nascent Soul myself."

Now that his Heavenly Demon Physique was complete, he was planning to forcibly ascend to Nascent Soul anyway to cause trouble for the Ancient Imperial Prince and the Ancient Clan Princess. Testing his strength against Martial Emperor's successor along the way wasn’t a bad idea either, provided Fang Renzong was willing to gamble.

As they walked along, they paid the spirit stones to enter the city successfully. But just after stepping into Martial Emperor City, Lin Jing suddenly remembered something.

He hesitated and said, "I almost forgot. Back when I was in the Cavern Heaven, I killed one of Martial Emperor City’s prodigies. Although I used a fake identity, by now it wouldn’t be hard to link it back to me... I looked into it;that guy’s blood relatives have been thirsting for revenge, saying that the hatred of killing a son is irreconcilable. Am I basically walking into the lion's den now?"