"Gu Tao!"
Seeing Commander Gu, Gu Han's eyes instantly turned red.
"Let her go!"
"Gu Han?"
Commander Gu released his hand and stared at Gu Han, sizing him up, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Your injuries have indeed recovered!"
"I said..."
Gu Han pressed closer, step by step.
"You let her go!"
"Not bad!"
Commander Gu suddenly laughed.
"Gu Han, you're still the same Gu Han! Holding onto this girl means holding onto your life!"
As he spoke,
he gently placed his large hand on A Sha's neck.
The meaning was self-evident!
"You!"
Gu Han suppressed the killing intent in his heart and stopped.
"What exactly do you want!"
"Naturally, your life!"
Commander Gu said unhurriedly, "The Young Lord said that in one month, he will depart for the Great Qi Martial Academy. During this time, he doesn't want to be troubled by you, the patricide. Do you understand?"
"Patricide?"
A hint of sadness flashed in Gu Han's eyes.
"Do you believe such words? You were promoted by my adoptive father personally, his trusted confidant. I've always regarded you as an elder since childhood. Do you think... I would be so deranged as to kill my adoptive father?"
"Gu Han."
Commander Gu shook his head.
"You're still as naive as ever!"
As he spoke,
he wiped his hand and took out a long spear from his storage ring. The spear was crimson red, engraved with countless runes, and looked much better than the long sword in Gu Han's hand.
"Fire Cloud Spear!"
Gu Han's mind was greatly shaken.
"Why is my adoptive father's Fire Cloud Spear in your hand!"
"No reward without merit!"
Commander Gu was expressionless.
"This spear is naturally my deserved reward!"
"So that's it!"
Gu Han immediately understood his meaning, his voice like weeping blood, enunciating each word.
"You also had a hand in harming my adoptive father!"
"One always has to strive for greater heights, don't they? I diligently followed Gu Tian for so many years, not for... a mere Commander position!"
"You ungrateful dog, I'll kill you!"
"Stop!"
Commander Gu's large hand tightened slightly.
"If you come over, she dies!"
Although he was at the Meridian Opening eighth-level cultivation at this time, the Gu Han opposite him always gave him a vague feeling of extreme danger.
Cautious by nature, he
naturally wouldn't let go of A Sha, this important bargaining chip.
"Young Lord!"
A Sha sobbed uncontrollably.
"Wuwuwu... Don't mind me, you... you run away quickly!"
In her simple mind, Gu Han, having just recovered from serious injuries, was naturally no match for Commander Gu.
"Speak."
Gu Han suddenly calmed down.
"What do you want!"
"Naturally, I want you dead!"
Commander Gu sneered.
"First, put down your sword, then yourself... Ah!"
Suddenly,
he cried out in pain.
A Sha had bitten his hand with all her might!
"Fool!"
He was furious.
"I'll kill you!"
His large hand tightened slightly, and A Sha's small face instantly turned crimson. However, she was determined to die and refused to let go, instead biting even harder than before.
She hated!
Hated her own uselessness!
And even more, hated Commander Gu's despicable nature!
The grievances and sorrow accumulated over these days all erupted at this moment!
Her large, clear black and white eyes stared fixedly at Commander Gu, but they had lost some of their muddledness and gained a hint of profoundness and eeriness.
Suddenly meeting her gaze,
Commander Gu's expression momentarily blurred!
Just then!
"Gu Tao!"
A chilling voice rang out from the opposite side, like the cold ice of the Nine Abysses!
"How dare you!!"
As the voice fell, a light suddenly shone in the dark dense forest!
Commander Gu also instantly woke up!
However...
That light was too fast!
So fast that he couldn't react at all. Just as the corner of his eye caught it, the light had already arrived before him!
Da Yan Sword Qi!
In a flash of lightning, the Sword Qi instantly swept past his left shoulder, then disappeared into the depths of the dense forest, nowhere to be found!
"This..."
He was completely stunned.
"What exactly is this..."
Before he could finish speaking, blood gushed out, and his left shoulder and left arm were completely separated from his body!
"Ah!!"
By this time,
he finally felt the intense pain. His body tilted, and he half-knelt on the ground!
And Gu Han
took the opportunity to step forward and gently embrace A Sha.
"Young Lord..."
A Sha's voice was a bit weak.
"I'm sorry, A Sha has implicated you..."
"It's my fault, I shouldn't have left you here alone."
"Young Lord, A Sha is so tired..."
"Then sleep for a while."
Gu Han gently stroked her head.
"When you wake up, Young Lord will make you something delicious!"
"Okay..."
Before she finished speaking,
she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Gently setting her down, Gu Han slowly approached the pale-faced Commander Gu.
"You... deserve to die!"
"Gu Han, I..."
"My adoptive father's spear, do you even deserve to hold it?"
Pfft!
A flash of sword light, and the long spear and Commander Gu's right arm instantly fell to the ground!
"Gu Han..."
He endured the excruciating pain, struggling to lift his head, his pale face covered in cold sweat.
"I know I was wrong!"
"I also know I deserve to die!"
"But... we still have so many years of friendship. When you were little, you used to ride on my neck every day, you... haven't forgotten, have you?"
"So."
Gu Han was expressionless.
"You want me to let you go?"
"..."
"Alright! Lend me one thing, and I'll agree!"
"What?"
Commander Gu's face lit up with joy.
"Good! I can give you anything you want, the Fire Cloud Spear? Take it, I don't deserve to use it!"
"No!"
Gu Han shook his head.
"I want to borrow your head to offer as a sacrifice to my adoptive father!"
Pfft!
As the words fell,
a flash of Sword Qi, and Commander Gu's head instantly fell to the ground, his eyes still retaining a trace of joy!
"Adoptive father!"
Gu Han bowed deeply to the long spear.
"This is the first one!"
"Those who harmed you, not a single one will escape!"
"Want to go to the Great Qi Martial Academy?"
He glanced into the distance, his face filled with grimness.
"In one month, all of you will pay with your lives for my adoptive father!"
...
"Useless!"
"Bastard!"
Inside the main hall of the Gu Family.
Gu Yang looked at Commander Gu's corpse placed before him, furious.
"You can't even deal with one Gu Han, what are you good for!"
Below,
several guards trembled, not daring to breathe.
"Enough!"
Above,
Gu Chang coldly glanced at Gu Yang.
"Maintain composure in important matters, have you forgotten all the lessons I taught you!"
..."Yes, Grandfather!"
"I ask you!"
Gu Chang's gaze shifted, falling on the several guards.
"Did you personally see Gu Han kill Gu Tao?"
"This... we didn't see it, but Commander Gu's wound..."
"Father!"
Beside Gu Yang,
a middle-aged man suddenly spoke.
"Something's strange! Gu Han was still a cripple yesterday, but today he has the strength to kill Gu Tao. Then..."
He was Gu Yang's biological father, Gu Cheng!
"Retreat!"
Gu Cheng waved his large hand, dismissing the guards.
"If he really did it, to fully recover his strength in just one day and have the power to slay Commander Gu, it must be because of that golden seal!"
"But..."
Gu Cheng frowned deeply.
"We all saw that day, Gu Tian went mad, recognizing no one, how could he possibly give the golden seal to Gu Han?"
"Careless!"
Gu Chang's eyes were deep.
"We only saw him go mad, but we didn't know to what extent he went mad. Perhaps... he maintained his last bit of clarity, and we were all deceived by him!"
"Father! If that golden seal is truly in Gu Han's hands, will he also go mad like Gu Tian?"
"Possibly!"
Gu Chang's eyes were deep.
"Of course, whether he's mad or not, this menace must ultimately be eliminated. I made one mistake, and I absolutely cannot make a second one!"
"Immediately issue a bounty to the Loose Cultivators of the Barren Forest: Gu Han defied and murdered his adoptive father, wantonly killed clansmen, and shows no remorse! Anyone who captures him, regardless of life or death, will be rewarded with two thousand yuan crystals and a High Grade Spiritual Artifact!"
"Grandfather!"
Gu Yang felt a little pain in his heart.
"So much..."
Two thousand yuan crystals was already close to half a year's worth of his resource allocation.
And Magic Treasure in the world naturally also had grades.
Magical Artifact, Spiritual Artifact, Treasure Artifact, Profound Weapon... and also divided into Low, Mid, High, and Supreme Grade.
And a High Grade Spiritual Artifact was something that even if one searched the entire Gu Family, they wouldn't find many.
"It's nothing!"
Gu Chang waved his hand.
"The Barren Forest is too vast, and the Gu Family's limited manpower is far from enough! Furthermore, if you can successfully go to the Great Qi Martial Academy, this small expenditure can be repaid tenfold, even a hundredfold!"
"Grandfather, rest assured!"
Mentioning the Great Qi Martial Academy, Gu Yang regained his confidence.
"My cultivation will soon have a Breakthrough, and I'm also about to master the Family's Blazing Flame Burning Art to the state of perfect integration of form and spirit. This spot is mine alone!"
"Good!"
Gu Chang's face finally showed a smile.
"Truly worthy of being the Qilin son of my Gu Family!"
"The future of my Gu Family rests upon you alone!"
...
Barren Forest.
As always, the deeper one went, the darker it became.
Amidst the heavy shadows,
two figures, one in front and one behind, advanced unhurriedly.
The one in front
had a youthful face with white hair, was full of vigor, and had a benevolent expression.
Half a step beside him was an effeminate, clean-shaven, hunchbacked old man.
"Chief Steward Li, are your injuries alright?"
"Cough cough... Thank you, Old Xue, for your concern. This old one was careless, I didn't expect that Fire Toad to have evolved to the sixth-rank!"
"You've worked hard."
"Old Xue, what are you saying? This old one came this time just to protect your safety. The Seventh Prince's cold poison is getting more and more severe, and it all depends on Old Xue."
"Sigh..."
The person in front sighed.
"This old one's method can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause! If my revered master were here, everything would not be a problem!"
"Ghost Doctor, he is unpredictable and elusive, and hasn't appeared for decades. The Eastern Wilderness is so vast, where can we find him? Alas... why is the Seventh Prince's fate so bitter!"
"Fortunately."
Dr. Xue was somewhat relieved.
"We found quite a few Spirit Medicine this time. After we return... Eh?"
"What's wrong, Old Xue?"
"This scent... it seems to be yang fruit?"
"yang fruit?"
Chief Steward Li's face lit up with joy.
"Isn't that one of the Spirit Medicine we need?"
"Exactly!"
"Good, good, good, Old Xue, please wait a moment, this old one will go ahead and scout!"
"Be careful, where yang fruit grows, there must be Scarlet Flame Snakes. Once they mature, they are sixth-rank Yao Beasts, and their fire poison is absolutely not to be underestimated!"
"Old Xue, rest assured, this old one knows what he's doing!"
As he spoke,
Chief Steward Li continuously circulated his body, instantly moving far away.
Along the way,
he followed the fragrant scent and quickly found the strangely shaped small tree, and this place was exactly where Gu Han and the little snake had battled!
"Eh?"
A smile froze on his face.
"Gone?"
The small tree in front of him was bare, only a trace of the fragrant scent remained, but where was any trace of that yang fruit?
"Darn it!"
He cursed under his breath, his gaze swept around, and instantly landed on a newly opened cave not far away.
"You inside!"
"Get out for this old one!"
His voice was sharp and harsh, instantly spreading far and wide.
A moment later,
a young man, holding a tattered long sword, walked out with a wary expression.
It was Gu Han!