Intense pain made the veins on Zhou Yingxiong's forehead bulge, cold sweat pouring down his face, his features contorting.
Yet, he uttered not a sound.
No cries of agony, no furious threats.
Instead, step by step, he crawled away, dragging two long, conspicuous blood trails.
Bai Zihe ignored him.
He went to the center of the courtyard, prioritizing rescuing Miao Yinuo.
Miao Yinuo opened her eyes.
Seeing it was Bai Zihe, her eyes instantly reddened. She threw herself into his arms, "Brother Bai... I thought I would never see you again!"
She was still a child!
Bai Zihe gently patted her back, comforting her softly, "Miaomiao, I am here. No one can hurt you anymore."
"Mmm..."
Miaomiao responded with a sob.
*Snap, snap, snap!*
The Gu master leader saw this scene, a grim smile appearing on his lips.
"Truly touching!"
"But I wonder if you, Bai Zihe, have the strength to boast so brazenly!"
Despite Bai Zihe's swift and decisive attack earlier.
The combat power of Gu masters could never be judged by common sense. It was not uncommon for post-natal martial masters to defeat congenital ones, nor for congenital martial masters to battle grandmasters with the aid of Gu worms.
Moreover, they had so many of them.
Therefore, these Miao Gu masters were not afraid of Bai Zihe.
Bai Zihe turned to face them and suddenly smiled.
A smile that was... brilliant.
A chillingly eerie brilliance.
"You..."
"Kill yourselves and retain your last shred of dignity."
After speaking, Bai Zihe paid them no further attention.
But his words, upon reaching the ears of the Gu masters, ignited their fury.
"Arrogant!"
"Presumptuous!"
"Seeking death!"
The Gu master leader's dry lips parted, and he uttered two cold words: "Attack!"
At his command.
All the Gu masters produced their Gu worms.
Their battles were largely fought through Gu worms, with little direct physical confrontation.
Bai Zihe moved Miao Yinuo behind him.
Then.
He faced all the Gu masters alone.
"Squeak..."
"Hiss--"
"Hiss hiss hiss..."
In an instant, the entire hall was filled with ear-piercing sounds, bizarre and chilling, making one's scalp tingle.
Hundreds, thousands of Gu worms surged towards Bai Zihe.
Some were solitary, immense in size and terrifyingly fast...
Others swarmed together, forming clouds of blood or black mist, sending shivers down one's spine...
And some emitted a strange glow, a single glance at which would cause dizziness and disorientation; they specialized in psychic attacks!
The next second.
All the Gu worms converged before Bai Zihe.
An ordinary person would likely have been scared out of their wits by this terrifying spectacle.
But Bai Zihe...
Suddenly narrowed his eyes and glared.
*Buzz!*
As if divine light flashed, radiating immense brilliance!
Upon seeing this, the Gu worms let out a flurry of urgent screeches, then, as one, they flew backward.
No matter how the Gu masters urged them, they dared not approach again.
Even more so.
Some Gu worms fell to the ground, convulsing and spitting blood, dying on the spot.
A single glance, divine power spanning ten thousand miles!
It was indeed that terrifying.
All the Miao Gu masters' faces contorted with extreme displeasure at this moment.
But the Gu worms' innate instinct to avoid danger was unshakeable; they had no way to counter this outcome.
The Gu master leader, with a dark expression, gritted his teeth and roared, "Consume the Eternal Life Gu!"
Miao Yinuo could not be endangered.
He had long been prepared to sacrifice anything.
The numerous Gu masters' faces changed upon hearing this.
But seeing the rampant and arrogant Bai Zihe before them, they finally gritted their teeth and, following their leader's command, produced a live...
Gu worm!
Yes, a Gu worm.
It was pure white, unlike ordinary Gu worms.
An uninformed observer might mistake it for a young honeybee larva, harmless to humans and animals.
But once it appeared, it immediately latched onto the Gu masters' hands, feeding on their vital blood and flesh, utterly bloodthirsty and diabolically venomous.
With each bite of blood and flesh...
Its form underwent a visible transformation.
A streak of blood red ran from its head to its tail, its front-facing bloody fangs growing more ferocious and imposing.
Then.
These Gu masters actually swallowed the creatures.
*Hiss hiss hiss--*
Once the Gu worms entered their bodies, they seemed to have arrived in paradise.
Although the scene inside could no longer be seen.
The sound of gnawing and tearing continuously echoed.
One could only imagine what was happening within.
And the Gu masters...
Underwent a drastic transformation.
Their bodies enlarged significantly, but their skin cracked with black blood patterns. Their eyes, noses, ears, and mouths all shrunk inwards, becoming minuscule.
Their overall appearance...
Was that of a Gu worm with a human torso.
This was their final life-saving measure for this expedition!
Once the Eternal Life Gu was consumed, they would transform into human-shaped Gu worms, possessing formidable, unparalleled strength and some of the abilities of Gu worms.
"Bai Zihe..."
"Prepare to die!"
The Miao leader, transformed into an Eternal Life Gu body, was exceptionally powerful.
As he spoke, his throat pulsed, and his voice became hoarse, sounding incredibly terrifying.
He advanced towards Bai Zihe step by step.
"Brother Bai, be careful!"
Miao Yinuo immediately warned him.
As the daughter of the Gu King, she naturally knew what the "Eternal Life Gu" was.
"After consuming the Eternal Life Gu, they will all become Gu worms wearing human skin, their bodies incredibly resilient, possessing some of the Gu worms' abilities, and their strength greatly increased..."
"Each of them can rival a grandmaster!"
Grandmaster...
Bai Zihe scoffed.
He had likely killed more grandmasters than these Gu masters had ever seen.
*Boom!*
Not long after Miao Yinuo finished speaking.
In the blink of an eye, the Miao Gu masters had charged in front of Bai Zihe.
This speed...
Indeed rivaled that of a grandmaster!
"Die!"
The Gu master's throat moved, emitting a chilling hiss. He brought his fist down directly.
"Miaomiao, turn around."
After giving the instruction, Bai Zihe moved like a phantom.
In an instant.
He grabbed the Gu master's arms in mid-air and pulled with all his might.
*Rip!*
A crisp sound echoed.
Despite the mutated Gu master's strong physique, Bai Zihe’s immense strength tore him in half, killing him on the spot.
*Splash splash splash!*
Blood splattered onto the ground, like a rain of blood.
The pungent, fishy odor instantly permeated the entire hall, the scene becoming excessively bloody and violent.
However, Bai Zihe's easy dismemberment of the Gu master did not instill fear in the remaining Gu masters. Instead, it ignited their inherent ferocity, akin to that of Gu worms.
At once.
All the Gu masters surged forward, attempting to overwhelm Bai Zihe with sheer numbers.
"Excellent!"
"Saves me the trouble of killing them one by one!"
Bai Zihe let out a soft shout and plunged into the crowd.
He followed suit.
His attacks were swift, precise, and ruthless. At a pace of nearly one every three to five seconds, he tore all these Gu masters to shreds.
The entire process took less than a minute.
Silence returned to the hall.
Miao Yinuo, however, covered her mouth, nose, and eyes, unable to bear watching.
Until...
Bai Zihe's voice was heard.
"In the face of absolute strength, all flashy tricks are mere clouds!"