Chapter 228: The Soul-Parasitic Gu and Zhang Rongling's Quest for the Golden Core

The Soul-Parasitic Gu is among the most extraordinary gus in the world.

In one of the external brains, meticulously versed in gu cultivation, a thought suddenly emerged. This knowledge had initially been gleaned by Chen Luo in Blackstone City through Madam Hua’s connections. To him, it had merely left a impression, but to these external brains, it was akin to ‘past-life memories’. Especially regarding matters aligned with their cultivation path, they could easily recall and master such information.

“The most extraordinary gus in the world?”

Chen Luo’s eyes contracted as he examined the peace talisman once more. Indeed, he now perceived its true nature. At first glance, it appeared as a small rectangular ornament with intricate patterns etched on its surface. However, these patterns were actually transformations of gu worms. The Sealer of the Fusion Spirit had used his divine abilities to fuse and seal them, rendering the talisman seemingly ordinary.

A great cultivator who had reached Foundation Establishment Perfection and was on the verge of charging towards the Golden Core stage, Elder Fusion Spirit had undoubtedly had his own remarkable experiences. This gu worm seemed to be his greatest encounter. During the Demonic Heart Tribulation, Chen Luo and this elder had been uncle and nephew across a lifetime. Chen Luo had shown him kindness, but when the elder’s life force was dissipating, he chose to gift this item to Chen Luo—a form of repayment, perhaps.

Soul-Parasitic Gu: Feeds on souls, enhances itself by refining host souls. This gu is what puppet cultivators dream of.

The memories of this gu continued to surface in Chen Luo’s mind.

“Soul-Parasitic?”

Chen Luo gazed at the corpse puppet before him, now reduced to a mush of flesh. He had a visceral understanding of this gu’s power.

The corpse puppet was soulless; the Soul-Parasitic Gu had lodged itself in the heart, devouring everything from the inside out. The scant residual soul energy had coalesced into a single point, transforming into this monstrous thing. If the soul energy were whole, the Soul-Parasitic Gu could have breathed life into the body, controlling it to move and act like a living person.

Perhaps I could use this thing to impersonate others

The thought flashed through Chen Luo’s mind before he swiftly suppressed it.

Once again, he raised his hand.

A dense wave of spiritual energy scattered outwards, forming a mist that gripped the convoluted mess of veins and nerves in front of him. With a single, forceful tug, a tearing sound rang out as the gu worm was extracted. This was the most common extraction method used by gu cultivators. As long as the gu was one’s own, it was easy to remove using this technique.

Though Chen Luo hadn’t studied it, he instinctively knew how to use it.

His first attempt felt just as effective as when he had done it before his death.

Free from the corpse puppet’s heart, the gu swiftly retracted, transforming back into a golden talisman that floated in Chen Luo’s palm.

“People may not work, but if we’re just talking about souls…”

Chen Luo’s mind raced back to the three mystical insects he had acquired from the rogue cultivator Wang Cangxiao. Those creatures had been gathering dust in his possession all this time. Controlling mystical insects was different from ordinary insect manipulation; all he currently had at his disposal was basic insect control magic. Even with Wang Cangxiao’s brain in hand, he wouldn’t be able to command those three mystical insects. If released, they’d surely take off in a heartbeat.

But now, with the Soul-Parasitic Gu, he could think of a new approach.

Insects and gu worms were inseparable.

By using the Soul-Parasitic Gu to control mystical insects, he could give his enemies quite a surprise if the insects were killed. A perfect plan! Later, after mastering the breeding methods for mystical insects, he could remove the Soul-Parasitic Gu and use it elsewhere.

Chen Luo flicked his Pest Control Pouch, and a silver-colored centipede flew out. Despite being sealed for so long, it had continued to gnaw on the spiritual energy he had imprisoned it with, consuming almost half of it.

This was the terrifying aspect of mystical insects—they were incredibly hard to kill, and even sealing them with spiritual energy wasn’t a solution. Given enough time, they could still break free.

The moment the silver-colored centipede was released from its spiritual energy seal, it began to writhe, its body twisting uncontrollably. Chen Luo wasted no time, pressing the Soul-Parasitic Gu he held directly onto the centipede.

As soon as the Soul-Parasitic Gu touched the silver centipede, a layer of pale golden radiance emanated from the Peace Talisman. These golden strands connected to the silver centipede, resembling tens upon hundreds of golden threads. The sight waseel-inducing. Sensing the danger, the silver centipede struggled fiercely, voraciously devouring the spiritual energy around it, its claws raking wildly through the air.

Two mystical creatures locked in a battle of wits!

It was clear that the Soul-Parasitic Gu held the advantage, as this creature was renowned for its parasitic abilities. The golden threads gradually penetrated the silver centipede’s body, and its struggles slowly weakened as a faint golden glow began to emanate from it.

Only then did Chen Luo finally get a clear look at the Soul-Parasitic Gu.

Those golden threads were not strands of energy, but rather millions upon billions of tiny gu insects! A single Soul-Parasitic Gu was so small that an ordinary person couldn’t see it; even with divine sense, one would easily overlook it without careful attention. The Peace Talisman was, in fact, an aggregate of countless Soul-Parasitic Ghu.

Moments later, all the Soul-Parasitic Gu had spread throughout the creature. The unique bug’s color transformed into a dark golden hue. Under Chen Luo’s control, it raised its pincers, emanating a fierce aura.

Cao Zuo attempted to sense it.

The Soul-Parasitic Gu were brought from the Demonic Heart Tribulation and had already been refined. With these gu present, Chen Luo effortlessly controlled the silver-colored centipede.

“It seems to work indeed.”

After sensing it briefly, Cao Zuo was impressed by the extraordinary nature of this unique bug. It was no wonder even his vast sea of insects couldn’t fend off these three at the time. This sparked an idea within him; perhaps later he could cultivate more such unique bugs. Once they formed their own sea, he would have no equal among peers.

Leading the parasitic centipede, Chen Luo reached the cave entrance and pushed aside the blocking stone.

Thunderous rumble.

With the giant stone rolling aside, fresh air rushed in, invigorating his spirit. A cold breeze gently blew, revealing a landscape of trees and mountains in the distance. The formation he had set up upon entering the cave remained intact, indicating that no one had passed by during his seclusion.

“Go forth.”

Standing at the cave’s mouth, Chen Luo directed the silver centipede to fly out.

Buzz-zz!

The silver-colored centipede extended its back, sprouting two pairs of thin, translucent silver wings. With a single vibration of these four wings, it vanished from sight in an instant—a feat so swift that even Chen Luo’s keen eyes barely registered the movement. Whether practicing Insect Control or Corpse Manipulation, the fundamental power behind both disciplines was divine sense. Having cultivated the Blackstone Secret Technique, Chen Luo’s realm of divine sense had long since reached the peak of Foundation Establishment: the great circle.

Even now, his divine sense continued to grow at a steady pace, surpassing that of ordinary practitioners at the great circle stage of Foundation Establishment. When wielding such power to control extraordinary insects, the results were naturally incomparably effective.

The dark golden centipede emerged from the woodlands, instantly piercing through the trees ahead, sending wood chips flying in all directions. With a flare of its wings, it began to weave in circular patterns, each sweep causing more trees to crumble under the onslaught of this metallic thread.

“Geng Metal Qi,” Chen Luo murmured, channeling spiritual energy into his divine sense. A faint golden aura materialized around the silver centipede, imbuing it with the might of one of the Five Elements: Metal. With his current strength, the Geng Metal power he infused was magnified to unimaginable sharpness.

As Chen Luo extended his divine sense further, the silver centipede’s speed increased exponentially. It streaked through the air, leaving behind trails of afterimages—almost omnipresent.

The sound of collisions faded away, replaced by a deep, penetrating hum.

The black storm billowed outward, lifting chunks of rock into the air.

The silver centipede, infused with Geng Metal Qi, was incredibly sharp. Both rocks and trees turned to dust at its touch, crumpling like tofu in its path.

The centipede flew further and further, creating a dark golden storm that spread out like a tornado. After traveling a significant distance, Chen Luo’s divine sense reached its limit. In the distance, he saw a relay station.

A rugged mountain path led to an old relay station.

This was the world of ordinary people. Chen Luo controlled the silver centipede, careful not to allow it to destroy this place as well.

“Pines stand tall in ancient forests, clear fish swim in tranquil pools.”

An old man riding a donkey sang as he traveled through the mountains. Chen Luo directed the silver centipede to land on a nearby tree. He had discovered another ability of the Soul-Parasitic Gu - amplifying divine sense.

Originally, his divine sense would have ended at this point. However, thanks to the Soul-Parasitic Gu, his divine sense increased significantly. It was as if he had added a ‘way station’ that allowed him to clearly ‘see’ everything happening around the relay station.

A loud roar echoed through the valley.

A ravenous black bear lunged from the shadows, its╝s nearly four meters long. The beast’s eyes glinted with a menacing crimson, hunger having completely eroded its rational mind.

“A monster?!” The old man, seated atop his donkey, was momentarily stunned before terror set in.

He had traversed this path dozens of times, never hearing of any bears in the vicinity. But with death looming before him, he had no time to ponder the incongruity. In one fluid motion, he somersaulted off the donkey’s back, drawing a short blade in an attempt to steel his nerves.

Yet how could his feeble efforts compare to that of a black bear imbued with demonic energy? His hand trembled uncontrollably around the hilt of his knife, while the poor donkey lay paralyzed on the ground, too terrified to move even a muscle.

Boom!

In the split second before the bear could pounce, a flash of dark golden light streaked through the air like a celestial beacon. The old man, too stunned to process what had transpired, watched as the bear’s head suddenly exploded, spraying gore in all directions. The massive beast toppled to the ground, its life extinguished in an instant.

“Divine beings have intervened!” The old man, shaken to the core, dropped his knife. Kneeling on the ground, he began to prostrate himself repeatedly, his head striking the earth with a rhythmic thud-thud-thud. He had not seen the silvery centipede; all he had witnessed was the demonic bear lunging forward, followed by the thunderous explosion that ended its life.

For the old man, this mystical experience was an unforgettable journey that would etch itself into his soul forever.

After devouring the bear spirit, a stream of dark golden light streaked across the heavens, reappearing outside the cave.

The radiant form circled several times, gradually losing speed before hovering steadily in mid-air, its four wings trembling slightly.

This creature is more than ten times stronger than the one Wang Cangxiao controlled, Chen Luo mused. Its velocity is astonishing, and with the addition of Geng Metal Qi, its penetrating power has increased dramatically. It’s as if the innate ‘Geng Metal Qi’ has been transformed into a living entity, making it even more perfect.

If Wang Cangxiao’s controlled insect had possessed such capabilities, he might not have met his tragic fate.

Chen Luo had quickly estimated that after fusing with the silver centipede, the Soul-Parasitic Gu’s speed now matched the peak of Foundation Establishment, making it invisible to ordinary people.

He reached out, gently lifting the silver centipede with his hand.

As he gazed at the wondrous creature, Chen Luo’s heart found peace.

The lingering effects of the Demonic Heart Tribulation vanished completely, signaling that his cultivation had advanced to a new level.

To ordinary people, his current abilities were nothing short of divine miracles. Just like the old man earlier, unable to comprehend who or how he had been saved, could only reverently exclaim ‘a divine immortal’ in awe.