Born as an ant, I was summoned to ascend to immortality.

Chapter 76 Ten Thousand Gu Devouring the Heart

Strands of tangible Yin energy, intertwined with malevolent energy accumulated over countless years, were forcibly extracted and detonated from the depths of the earth's veins.

With a deafening roar, the Three Talents Crimson Sun Formation collapsed under the violent impact, and the three people in charge of the formation suffered backlash one after another, as if struck by a heavy blow.

The surging Yin energy, mixed with the aftershocks of the collapse of the Three Talents Formation, swept outwards!

Liu Zhaoyuan activated the imperial seal to protect himself in time, but he was still shaken and his blood and qi churned. The two guardians were even more disheveled, thrown back by the shockwave, and landed heavily on the ground, barely alive.

From afar, Zhou Li could only see a deep pit, a hundred feet in diameter, centered on the Ping Shui Bie Yuan.

Fortunately, the hilltop where he was located was far from the great formation, and he was not directly affected by the shockwave. Even so, the towering shockwave still sent the three people on the flying boat flying.

Zhou Li was deeply shocked by the power of this formation. Although he did not understand the formation principle of the Nine Yin Nine Fiends Disintegration Formation, he could tell that it used the fiendish energy to detonate the Yin veins of this place.

The denser the accumulated malevolent energy, the more yin energy it will trigger, and the greater the explosive power of the explosion.

Zhou Li felt a deep tremor in his heart, wondering how many resentful souls this Hundred Gu Hermit had collected to generate such a massive amount of malevolent energy.

The dark red glow in the southern sky now resembled a bloodthirsty net, enveloping the entire Netherworld Realm.

"Senior Brother Zhou!" A loud voice transmission flooded Zhou Li's mind, "What happened over there? Why is there such a commotion?"

Zhou Li lightly touched the Yin-Yang Bell and sent a telepathic message back to Yang Yang, telling her about his arrival at Ping Shui Villa with King Liu and the others.

"As expected, it was this Hundred Gu Hermit who was behind this. Good heavens, how much resentment from living beings has he accumulated? No wonder the Xuanming Pill contains the power of blood evil."

Zhou Li instructed, "The situation here is complicated. Be careful to conceal yourself and observe the situation."

After ending the telepathic communication, Zhou Li turned his gaze back to the deep pit.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, Bai Gu Sanren could be vaguely seen slowly rising to his feet. His black robe was tattered, and his body was covered in scorch marks and bloodstains.

He forcibly drew upon the Yin energy of the earth's veins, almost draining the source of his fake core, but his injuries were very minor, and his aura remained strong.

The elephant-shelled beetle, its carapace riddled with cracks and its patterns faded, still faithfully guarded Bai Gu Sanren, clearly a tactic he had prepared specifically for this spiritual explosion.

Zhou Li had no time to comfort the Princess and Liu Xixi behind him. Instead, he looked at the other side of the pit, where a powerful aura still lingered.

After the smoke and dust cleared, Liu Zhaoyuan's figure was revealed. He was holding a precious seal in front of him and had only suffered minor injuries.

Zhou Li thought to himself, "This King Liu has indeed been hiding his strength. Qixia Kingdom has won this battle."

Seeing that the Nine Yin Nine Fiends Disintegration Formation had failed to severely injure Liu Zhaoyuan, Bai Gu Sanren roared angrily and forcibly commanded the Spirit Devouring Poison Spider and the Golden Knife Mantis to attack Liu Zhaoyuan again. He then set up his escape light and turned to rush towards the mountain where Zhou Li was.

"Boy, may I borrow your Qian Yuanzi Sword?"

After saying that, he flicked his finger, and a "Shadow Puppet Gu" suddenly flew out, shooting straight at Zhou Li's brow!

Despite the fact that Bai Gu Sanren had exhausted most of his strength, he was still a powerful expert who had entered the Pseudo-Core Realm, two major realms higher than Zhou Li. The Gu worms that flew out of his sleeves were far beyond what Qi Refining could block.

"You audacious sorcerer! Do not harm the envoy!" Liu Zhaoyuan shouted, but he did not move an inch, quietly watching Zhou Li face danger.

Zhou Li was already on guard. Even if he had the Qian Yuanzi Sword, he would never lend it out.

He gently patted the bronze ruler at his waist, and at the instant the Shadow Puppet Gu touched his body, a vast and majestic blue light burst forth from in front of Zhou Li.

The blood-red sky lost its color under the bright blue light, and everyone heard a "humming" sound.

The azure light, like a pillar, arrived first despite being behind, not only pulling the Shadow Puppet Gu back, but also continuing its momentum, like an azure dragon breaking through the clouds, crashing heavily into the chest and abdomen of the Hundred Gu Scatterer!

The bronze ruler in the Discipline Hall contains the full force of a Golden Core cultivator's strike; even a Hundred Gu Hermit in his prime would find it difficult to withstand its sharpness.

"Bang!"

The elephant-shelled beetle in front of Bai Gu Sanren was torn to pieces, and the protective true essence on his body also collapsed instantly.

His chest visibly caved in, and he flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily to the ground, his breath plunging to rock bottom.

After the bronze ruler struck, its light dimmed and its spiritual power disappeared.

Bai Gu Sanren knelt on the ground, trying to struggle to his feet, but he could barely move. He raised his head with difficulty, not looking at Zhou Li, but staring intently at Liu Zhaoyuan with his gray eyes.

The mask on his face finally slipped off slowly under the enormous impact, revealing a face covered in scars.

The scars were dense and crisscrossed, almost covering the entire face, leaving only the eyes that looked at Liu Zhaoyuan, filled with resentment and unwillingness.

As Zhou Li shielded Liu Xixi, she let out a piercing scream upon seeing that face.

"Gu...Gu Lang?! How could it be you?! Your face..."

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears.

Liu Zhaoyuan and the princess were both stunned, staring incredulously at the hideous face.

Zhou Li was also slightly taken aback. Judging from this situation, Bai Gu Sanren was actually the missing inner disciple Gu Heng.

Gu Heng coughed violently, blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth. He looked at Liu Xixi, a flash of pain in his eyes, but it was instantly overwhelmed by hatred.

"Why... Gu Lang, why did you leave without saying goodbye? And how did you end up like this? You even tried to harm me and my aunt..." Liu Xixi looked at Gu Heng with heartache, tears streaming down her face.

"Why? Ha...hahaha..." Gu Heng chuckled softly, the laughter aggravating his injuries and causing him to cough up more blood clots.

"You'll have to ask your good uncle about that!" He pointed his bloodied hand at Liu Zhaoyuan, his voice hoarse.

"Liu Zhaoyuan, back then I caught you raising Gu in the Netherworld Cave, using the Heart-Eating Gu to devour the heart blood of children within the territory to cultivate your demonic arts! Fearing exposure, you trapped me in that Gu nest!"

"In that Gu nest, I cried out to heaven but received no response, and there was no way to call out to earth. Those poisonous insects burrowed into my meridians and gnawed at my flesh and blood. The pain of being devoured by a thousand Gu is unimaginable to any of you..." Gu Heng's voice was filled with grief and indignation.

The warm breeze of the Netherworld swept across the hills, but his words sent chills down everyone's spines.

"I should have died, but I clung to life, unwilling to accept it! I lived in symbiosis with those Gu worms, feeding them with my own blood and relying on Yin energy to prolong my life. I struggled for three whole years before finally crawling out of that hell!"

He ripped open his shirt, revealing gruesome scars all over his body that looked particularly terrifying in the sunlight: "This face of mine, this cultivation level, are all thanks to you, Liu Zhaoyuan!"

"The malevolent energy within the Nine Yin Nine Fiends Dissolving Array is all due to the bloodshed you have committed. You deserve to die for the evil you sowed yourself. I have transformed into the Hundred Gu Scatterer, solely to tear open your hypocritical facade and see what kind of heart lies within!"

These words, like towering waves, impacted everyone's mind and spirit.

Gu Heng then turned her gaze to Liu Xixi, her eyes filled with a hint of sorrow: "Xixi, if I had any intention of harming you, you would have died a thousand times over..."

Liu Xixi collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale. Liu Zhaohan stared at Liu Zhaoyuan, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Liu Zhaoyuan, who had always maintained a gentle facade, now had dark, sinister eyes and a chilling aura emanating from him.

Zhou Li watched all of this silently, taking in everyone's reactions.

The deep waters of the Netherworld were stirred up by this dying man.