Inside the shack was a gaunt person, with skin that was flaking off, rotten blue flesh and a belly that was plump and bloated like a pregnant woman and squirming, as if there were too many gu insects living inside this person.

Yet they were not bothered, they were sitting in the lotus position, with a gu insect in hand, they were muttering something.

Suddenly, the gaunt person seemed to notice them and looked towards them.

In a time less than that of a blink of an eye, the person crushed the gu insect in their hands and shouted, "Heavenly Ghost will grant Immortality!"

Just as this person said this, Hou Shu's Sea of Consciousness started to burn in crimson and azure flames, making his expression morph into one of horror as he tried to pull Bai Ling back and escape.

But it was too late, before Hou Shu could pull her back, the ginseng root-like trees and the earth erupted, releasing an ocean of gu, enveloping everything and anything.

The obscenely high life signatures were because of these gu insects!

Hou Shu wasn't someone who would be hapless in perilous moments, he quickly started to chant, "Profound Martial! I beseech you, lend me the Northern Oblivion Waters!"

Icy waters glowing in black appeared around Hou Shu like a coiling dragon, forcefully distancing the ocean of gu from him for two zhang.

Yet in half a breath, water started to turn illusory, flickering as if it was about to disappear, Hou Shu was not someone suited to use water elemental techniques.

Hou Shu was not in distress about it, he continued chanting, "Flame Ancient! I implore you! Bestow upon me the Southern Auspicious Flames!"

With Hou Shu as the center, thin rays of pink flames started to spread in all directions around him in rapid succession.

Just as the flames were about to get in touch with the flickering water, Hou Shu brought his two palms together and roared, "Kunpeng Taiji Explosion!"

Flames and Water combined, forming a whale made of clouds, with wings spanning many zhang, putting out an invisible pressure that forced the ocean of gu insects back even further.

Just as it was completed forcing them back, the kunpeng roared and flapped its enormous cloudy wings, dispersing itself in all directions, causing an unprecedented explosion.

The blinding light and the unprecedented shockwave displaced the ocean of gu, sending countless of them flying in every direction for almost a li, yet it was not enough. Before Hou Shu could take this window of opportunity and escape, more gu fell upon him, there were too many of these.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Hou Shu cursed, "These gu are of fire element on the surface but have hidden wood element! Water nourishes wood and wood feeds fire, making my method restricted!"

But at this moment, the gaunt person abruptly emerged from the ocean of gu under him and grabbed his leg, sending some type of electricity that seemed to originate from the person's squirming bloated stomach.

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"So many internal gu!" Hou Shu exclaimed, "But thunder originated from fire! You are underestimating me!"

Hou Shu easily sent the gaunt person flying, but it was still wasn't enough, there were more people similar to the gaunt person emerging from this accursed ocean!

Even if Hou Shu is strong, he can't keep up with this unending siege.

He gnashed his teeth, his look unsightly, "Looks like I have no choice but to use that method..."

Moment he said, a blinding yet illusory azure light emerged from Hou Shu, revealing an illusory figure akin to young Hou Shu, his Nascent Soul!

The Nascent Soul wrapped its arms around Hou Shu, embracing him tightly.

Burning in azure flames, it shoots through the ocean of gu, burning even these fire elemental gu insects!

But just as they left the Chijia village for ten li, the ocean of gu caught up to them and submerged them once again.

"So the enhanced spiritual qi is to support the gu so they can leave Chijia village!" Hou Shu exclaimed, "But I won't lose my life here, Nascent Soul, burn, burn, burn!"

The Nascent Soul started to burn in even greater flames, making almost all of the gu insects in ten li of them burn up completely leaving not even their ashes.

But this was just the side effect, by the time gu insects finished burning, Hou Shu and his nascent Soul had left the seventy-five thousand mu radius.

Such speed is comparable to Soul Transformation experts performing spatial merge!

But this speed was not without its cost, the moment Hou Shu exited that accursed area, he crashed into the barren plains akin to a fallen star, destroying the soft ground of the plains and creating a crater spanning a bit more than a mu.

But Hou Shu didn't get up, he stayed there unconscious for two days. After that, he slowly woke up and soon sat in a lotus position, separating all the flame spiritual qi from the wood spiritual qi and drawing it in.

This process went on for many days, completing only after two full moons.

Hou Shu slowly opened his eyes, he looked towards his Nascent Soul, which was sitting in a lotus position opposite to him. He didn't recall it back, he never had the chance to.

"This journey to the Chijia village was really perilous," Hou Shu mumbled softly, every time he saw his Nascent Soul, it made his heart ache as if it was stabbed by tens of thousands of daggers.

Hou Shu's Nascent Soul looked like a young man in his early twenties, an exact copy of what he looked like at that age. But now, the Nascent Soul was like an older adolescent. If the previous appearance could make one think Hou Shu and they were a pair of eldest and youngest brothers, then the current appearance could make one think they were father and son, only if they could ignore that one of them was an illusory figure shining in azure light, which was dull and even more transparent now.

"I was treading on thin ice back there, one wrong step and what would have awaited me was death," Hou Shu then sighed, "Nevertheless, I still suffered losses regardless. I was at the pinnacle of Nascent Soul Great Completion stage, but I am barely at Great Completion, if I was a bit more injured, I am afraid I would fall back into Late stage."

Abruptly, Hou Shu shook his head, "There is no use in wallowing in my losses. I should head back to Yan Family's territory and report what I have found. I would get the Incorporeal Nurture Gu regardless if I succeeded or failed."

Saying this, Hou Shu beckoned at his Nascent Soul with two fingers, recalling it back into him.

He then took out his glorious and radiant ship Vajrayana.

Just as he was flying towards it, the quiet Sea of Consciousness of his started to burn in vigorous azure and crimson flames, shocking Hou Shu.

"Why did they surface!? They didn't appear when I was submerged by the ocean of gu insects!" Hou Shu's eyes widened as he put his vigilance to the highest degree.

Despite his constant searching for threats, they were rendered futile, leaving him no choice but to stop searching, "This place is too dangerous, I should leave quickly."

Thus, Hou Shu quickly boarded Vajrayana and left the Barren Plains, heading straight for the Yan Family's core area, Tian Yan Grotto Palace.