Chapter 36 - Spirit Refining Tower?

On the street, Zhou Yuan played with the two bronze as he walked alongside Yaoyao.

Yaoyao's footsteps suddenly paused as she said, "What's up with her?"

"Hehe, what a coincidence."

After being discovered by the duo, the green-haired girl grinned as she hopped forward and said to Yaoyao, "You're so pretty big sis."

Zhou Yuan massaged his forehead as he explained, "We met her earlier. She wants to buy Tuntun."

Yaoyao observed the green-haired girl and slowly remarked, "A beast heart communicator."

The green-haired girl's smiling face finally changed slightly, now somewhat on guard as she stared at Yaoyao. It was the second time someone had seen right through her in a single glance.

"You're pretty formidable big sis." Said the green-haired girl rather apprehensively. Some wariness was now present in her eyes when she looked towards Yaoyao. She wanted to leave, but her eyes involuntarily looked towards Tuntun.

"Are you not selling?" The green-haired girl pouted.

Yaoyao's tone seemed to contain some interest as she responded, "Tuntun is a free creature. If you're able to make it follow you, we will not stop it."

"Really?" The green-haired girl's large eyes brightened.

Yaoyao crossed her arms and nodded.

"Don't regret your words!" The green-haired girl's eyes rotated in thought. She practically leaped in front of Zhou Yuan, and looked at the lazy-looking Tuntun in his arms, before she very carefully reached out a hand as the mysterious pattern on the back of the hand began to glow.

Due to her ability to communicate with Genesis Beasts, the green-haired girl had never encountered a Genesis Beast who could resist her. This was why she could easily pass through any mountain forest that was overflowing with Genesis Beasts.

Hence, she believed that the mysterious little creature before her eyes would follow her once she established a connection with it.

Rays of light emerged from the green-haired girl's palm and shined on Tuntun's head. A pattern similar to the one on the back of her hand slowly began to take shape on Tuntun's forehead.

Upon seeing the pattern appear, joy immediately revealed itself on her pretty face.

Crack.

However, the moment her smile appeared, the pattern on Tuntun's forehead began to disintegrate. Tuntun still had the same lazy appearance from before and merely growled at her.

"Ah? How is this possible?" The green-haired girl was dumbstruck. This was the first time she had encountered such a situation.

Unable to believe she had failed, she suddenly bit the tip of her finger, causing a dash of red to appear. She began to draw in the air, ultimately culminating into a glowing blood-red pattern that descended onto Tuntun's forehead.

However, the pattern did not last for long and swiftly disintegrated once again.

"Why?" The successive failures made the green-haired girl frantic.

Yaoyao explained in a dull voice, "Because its bloodline is too powerful."

"You are too weak in its eyes. For example. while walking on the road, would you pay any attention to an ant that wishes to communicate with you?"

The green-haired girl had also received a rather substantial blow. Her crestfallen appearance was pitiful.

At this moment, Yaoyao chuckled and said, "And it seems rather displeased about you, as if you have offended it but not to the point of killing otherwise you would have already been swallowed by it long ago."

She then turned her head and shot a look at the two bronze tokens in Zhou Yaun's hands. "Are you going to the Gu clan's Spirit Refining Tower?"

Zhou Yuan nodded. "We plan to have a look."

The green-haired girl said, "I'll also be going tomorrow. I spent fifty thousand Genesis crystals to buy a spot!"

"Heehee, our encounter is part of fate, and I'd be happy to befriend the two of you. I am called Luluo." Said the green-haired girl. However, her large eyes were still mostly focused on Tuntun.

Although she had failed earlier, the girl was still extremely fond of Tuntun.

Zhou Yuan was not rather interested in her so he monotonously replied, "Zhou Yuan, and this is Yaoyao"

Zhou Yuan, big sis Yaoyao, we should go to the Spirit Refining Tower together tomorrow. It would be good to watch each other's backs." Said Luluo with a lovely smile.

"Watch each other's backs?" Zhou Yuan's eyes flashed. "Isn't the Spirit Refining Tower a place to temper the Spirit? Do you feel that there is some danger?"

Luluo's large eyes blinked, a trace of craftiness flashing within them as she answered, "Who knows? But one should be careful of any kind of 'free lunch', right?"

"Agreed."

...

Nighttime.

Inside a certain large manor at the center of Gu City.

Dull yellow lamp light lit up a secret room where the atmosphere was rather secretive.

"Has everything been prepared?" A raspy voice rang out in the secret room. One would see a figure under the lamp light. His appearance was that of a middle-aged man, but his face was shrunken with age. Light flickered between his brows, emitting powerful Spirit undulations.

"Yes, father."

A young man in white respectfully nodded. It was Gu Lang.

The old-looking middle-aged man nodded, a dark and stern look in his eyes as he said, "Choose some suitable ones amongst them to have their Spirits extracted. With the nourishment they provide, my Spirit should be able to reach the advanced Corporeal stage. When that happens, our Gu clan's power will rise once again."

"The two elders and I will oversee things tomorrow."

Gu Lang nodded and retrieved a string of bronze tokens from his sleeve. Lifelike portraits could be seen on the tokens. "I've already done the selecting. They will become food once they enter the Spirit Refining Tower."

He gently tapped a bronze token, his gaze tinged with playfulness and mockery as he stared at two particular ones amongst them. The portraits on these two tokens belonged to Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao.

He tenderly touched Yaoyao's portrait, desire gushing in his eyes.

"I've said this before, you won't be able to escape the palm of my hand."

...

At the same time, Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan were discussing their plan in the room of their inn.

After their discussion was over, Yaoyao looked a little dumbfounded.

"Zhou Yuan I wanted to ask you something."

"Please do"

"Since when did you start taking pleasure in robbing others?"

"Ehh?", now it was Zhou Yuan's turn to be shocked.

Now that he thinks about it, he did take pleasure in robbing people who took action against him.

First Qi Manor, now the Gu clan, but Zhou Yuan could not admit that it was robbing as it would tarnish his image.

"Aahmm! Yaoyao that it is not robbing but just Spoils of war it is our right as victors", Zhou Yuan replied with a straight face as an aura of righteousness began to bloom around him.

"And Yaoyao please do not accuse me of things like this in the future as I am an Upright and morally Righteous person"

"Of course. Just like how Water isn't wet."

Zhou Yuan nodded for a second before realizing something.

"Wait Water is wet right?"

"No Comment"

It seemed that Staying with Zhou Yuan had also affected Yaoyao as she had also started her cultivation of the Dao of Shamelessness.

..

..

The next day.

The entire Gu City had become abuzz with excitement and activity as countless people flooded towards the center of the city. Today was the day the Gu clan opened its Spirit Refining Tower.

No one in the area did not know of the wonders of the Gu clan's Spirit Refining Tower. It was due to the existence of this tower that the Gu clan was able to specialize in Genesis Runes and have each member achieve high attainments in Spirit cultivation.

This was why numerous people would flock when the Gu clan opened the Spirit Refining Tower to the outside every year, evidently hoping to borrow the wonders of the tower to strengthen their Spirit to the next level.

The huge manor at the center of the city had opened its doors to welcome the guests that had come from all over.

Zhou Yuan, Yaoyao, and the green-haired girl called Luluo also arrived together as a group.

The trio followed the crowd and eventually ended up at the center of the manor where an enormous black stone tower stood on an empty spacious land. Countless ancient patterns had been carved into the body of the tower, pulsing brightly like a beating heart.

"Is this the Spirit Refining Tower?" Luluo was brimming with curiosity.

A figure dressed in white arrived in front of the tower. It was Gu Lang whom they had met yesterday.

Gu Lang also caught sight of the Zhou Yuan duo, or to be more precise, Yaoyao. As for Zhou Yuan, the former's gaze merely skimmed over him, evidently completely unconcerned about the latter.

Gu Lang smiled warmly at Yaoyao before his gaze turned towards the crowd as a loud and clear voice rang out, "Everyone here should know that today is the day my Gu clan opens the doors of the Spirit Refining Tower to outsiders. The tower has the effect of tempering one's Spirit, a point that I believe everyone here is already familiar with."

The crowd fervently gazed at the Spirit Refining Tower.

Gu Lang smiled again when he saw this as he continued, "However, there is something I have to mention beforehand. There are certain risks in the tower, so I hope that everyone will be a little careful."

However, the only thing everyone could see at this moment was the tower. Who could have possibly heard Gu Lang's warning?

A faint smile was plastered on Gu Lang's face, while a strange look flitted across his eyes.

"Open the tower doors!" Gu Lang loudly shouted, and the doors of the Spirit Refining Tower slowly rumbled open.

As the tower doors opened, a humming sound seemed to emerge from within the tower, a sound that made one's hair stand on end.

Swish!

However, there was not the slightest bit of hesitation in those who were grasping the bronze tokens in their hands, their figures rapidly shooting forward the moment the tower doors opened.

Zhou Yuan did not move for the time being. Instead, his gaze looked towards Yaoyao as he asked in a low voice, "How is it?"

Yaoyao's gaze had been glued to the ancient patterns on the tower ever since they had arrived here. Upon hearing Zhou Yuan's voice, her pupils seemed to swivel for a moment as she replied, "It seems you were correct, it is just as you informed me about."

He smiled at Luluo and said, "We'll be going in, you're free to make your own decision."

After finishing, he and Yaoyao moved forward together, dashing into the Spirit Refining Tower.

Luluo pouted as she watched their figures. "As if I'm afraid!"

Thus, she too followed without any hesitation.

...

After entering the tower, a vast inner space greeted them.

As the trio walked within the tower, it felt as if they were in a desert. From time to time. they would catch sight of some of the other figures that had entered.

Luluo's large eyes continuously scanned their surroundings as she remarked, "I don't see anything that can temper the Spirit."

Yaoyao gently stroked Tuntun as she replied, "Wait a little."

Not long after Yaoyao's words faded, a faint mist suddenly began to fill the tower. A weak black hue emerged from within the mist as a faint humming sound spread.

"It's the Spirit Refining Mist. Absorbing it will temper the Spirit!" Several ecstatic voices rang out in the distance. These individuals sat down straight away and began urging their Spirit to absorb the faint black mist.

"Spirit Refining Mist?" Luluo was slightly stunned. She had heard of this mist before. It was extremely difficult to create and was considerably pricey. It was hard to believe that the Gu clan was willing to allow outsiders to take advantage of it.

Luluo also spoke out in amazement, "This is the good stuff."

However, Yaoyao suddenly said to Luluo, "Don't breathe it in."

Luluo's heart shivered at her words, with no hesitation whatsoever as she brought out her Genesis Qi to cover her body, completely isolating himself from the black mist.

The little ice-blue bird on Luluo's shoulder also spit out a cloud of cold Qi that quickly wrapped around her.

Yaoyao waved her hand, summoning a ball of the black mist, and began observing with rapt attention. A short while later, she slowly said, "What a devious trick."

Luluo hastily asked, "What's going on?"

Yaoyao flicked her finger, dispersing the black mist as she explained, "This mist can indeed be considered a type of Spirit Refining Mist. However, a few extra ingredients have been added…"

"Once ingested, one's Spirit will gradually become intoxicated, eventually making it impossible to free oneself."

"Come, let's continue walking."

Yaoyao's long leg took a stride forward, passing by figure after figure. Everyone had their eyes tightly shut with a look of intoxication on their face, while a faint black mist lingered between their brows.

Yaoyao's pretty face remained unchanged as she gazed at the black mists and said to Zhou Yuan, "Looks like your guess is not wrong."

"What do you mean?" Confused Luluo looked towards her.

Yaoyao smiled faintly. "There was something wrong with the patterns on the tower from earlier. Now that we've entered, I'm even more certain…"

"I'm afraid that this tower is not a Spirit Refining Tower."

"But.. a Spirit Devouring Tower."

"No wonder the Gu clan members have strong Spirits that seem rather hollow and unconcentrated… it turns out that they have been relying on this Spirit Devouring Tower to cultivate."

...

In the depths of the black tower.

Gu Lang stood in front of a mirror, watching the various happenings inside the tower that floated within.

There was also a black crystal ball in front of the mirror. The crystal ball was connected to the ground, black Qi churning inside it as Spirit energy continuously poured into it from all directions.

Behind Gu Lang were three stone platforms where three figures were seated, powerful Spirit ripples pulsing from between their brows.

Gu Lang grinned as he watched the scenes inside the mirror when he suddenly recalled a certain beauty. He immediately tapped the mirror, causing it to glow as a certain image began to surface.

When the image appeared, however, the smile on Gu Lang's face suddenly turned rigid.

He had just seen the Zhou Yuan trio slowly walking inside the mirror, not absorbing any of the 'Spirit Refining Mist'!

At this moment, Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan seemed to sense that they were being observed and suddenly lifted their head. The Spirit between their brows vibrated, dispersing the picture in the mirror.

Behind Gu Lang, the Gu clan leader and two elders also felt this disturbance and immediately rose to their feet, faces frosty as they demanded, "What's going on?!"

One of the elders said in a grave voice, "Their Spirit cultivation is not weaker than our own, why are they inside the tower?!"

Gu Lang's expression had become pretty ugly. How could he have expected this? Why had the seemingly frail little beauty he invited suddenly turned into a ferocious wolf? And that boy who was just a Qi Nourishing expert how did have such spirit Cultivation?

The other elder spoke up at this moment, "What do we do? They have discovered the secret of the Spirit Devouring Tower!"

There was a grim expression in the Gu clan leader's eyes. Killing intent flashed within them as he regained his cool and said, "Since it's already come to this… we'll just have to make sure they die here."

.

.

Inside the Spirit Devouring Tower, the trio of Zhou Yuan, Yaoyao, and Luluo walked through the black mist.

Yaoyao's footsteps suddenly paused, her red lips parting slightly as she said, "They've discovered us and are likely going to deal with us soon."

On the other hand, Luluo's large eyes brightened slightly, unmistakably eager to do battle.

The trio stopped walking. After some silence, they saw the black mist to their front heave as 5 figures slowly descended, landing some distance away.

The leader of the group had a shrunken aged face. It was the Gu clan leader, Gu Qiu.

Gu Qiu's deep-set eyes were akin to a malicious spirit as he stared at Yaoyao and Zhou Yuan and slowly remarked, "I did not expect that someone would be capable of discovering the secret of my Gu clan's Spirit Devouring Tower."

Yaoyao nonchalantly asked, "Aren't you afraid that news of you using such a method to strengthen the Spirit will spread?"

Gu Qiu's eyelids raised as his raspy voice sounded, "My Gu clan has already warned everyone that there will be risks before entering. Who else is there to blame but yourselves for choosing to enter? Moreover, my Gu clan is not unreasonable. We only take the Spirits of a few individuals each year while the majority are even allowed to benefit from the Spirit Refining Mist."

Luluo made a funny face at him as she interjected, "How shameless!"

Yaoyao said, "The benefit you speak of is only temporary. Your Spirit Refining Mist secretly contains an insidious poison that damages the Spirits of those who absorb, making it difficult for any further progress."

Gu Qiu chuckled. "Anything mishap that happens in the future is already out of our hands."

Zhou Yuan looked at the trio and slowly said, "It seems that you plan on making sure we never leave this place."

If not, the other party would not have said so much.

Gu Qiu smiled and nodded. "It is far too normal for a few individuals to die in here."

He sighed before he continued, "If you must blame someone, blame yourselves for being too smart."

Luluo snorted. "Big words. I'm afraid that a lousy place like this will not be able to contain anyone."

Beside Gu Qiu, one of the elders laughed sinisterly. "Our Gu clan has set up a Genesis Rune boundary in this Spirit Devouring Tower long ago, allowing us to endlessly replenish our energy. You on the other hand are merely prey that has already been caught in the net!"

The other elder said in a low voice, "No need to waste any more words on them. Let's kill them and get this over with!"

Gu Qiu nodded as vigorous Genesis Qi exploded from his body, while his Spirit flickered brightly between his brows. He was strong in both Genesis Qi and Spirit cultivation.

The other two elders also brought out their Genesis Qi as three astonishing auras immediately swept across the place.

As Yaoyao watched this scene, she suddenly turned towards Zhou Yuan and said, "We will stay here to deal with them. You go deeper into the tower and find its core, which should also be the center of the Genesis Rune boundary. Destroy the core and the Spirit Devouring Tower will lose its power."

"Before I go let me give you some help.", Zhou Yuan said mysteriously before he made a hand sign and said a thing that would make a certain Suicidal ninja, and a mage very proud.

"ART is an Explosion"

BOOM!!

Just as he said it the ground under the Gu clan members exploded which outright killed 2 elders, the Clan leader had to sacrifice his right arm to not get Caught up in the Explosion, and the remaining 2 elders who were a little further away also expended nearly 50% of their spirit power to save themselves.

"Damn!! This is pretty Satisfying. No wonder Megumin and Deidara loved Explosions so much. Art is Truly an Explosion.", Zhou Yuan muttered before he smiled at Yaoyao and said, "You guys be careful now."

Without any hesitation, his body dashed towards the depths of the tower.

"YOU BRAT!! Come here I will skin you alive," Gu Qin Roared his voice filled with murderous intent, this was the first time he had been humiliated so much, even 2 elders of his clan had been killed.

How can this not anger him?

Before he could chase after Zhou Yuan, Yaoyao gently threw out Tuntun as the latter's tiny body began to grow. With a final surge of scarlet light, it transformed into a giant ferocious beast.

Scarlet light orbited around it, its four legs seemingly doused in flames, while black light hovered inside its huge mouth.

Mysterious and powerful.

An astonishing and intimidating pressure slowly spread from Tuntun.

The remaining Gu Qiu trio's expression involuntarily changed when they felt the beast's aura, obviously surprised that the seemingly pet-like little creature from before possessed such power.

"Big sis Yaoyao, Tuntun is truly amazing!" By the side, Luluo's large eyes were practically glowing as she stared at Tuntun. Her drooling with the desired appearance caused even the battle-mode Tuntun to shiver slightly.

"Little Frost!"

Luluo stroked the little ice-blue bird on her shoulder, causing the latter to release a dazzling ice-blue radiance. Extreme cold Qi pulsed as it transformed into a giant ice-blue bird that was approximately a dozen feet tall.

Frost swirled around the giant bird's wings. When it flapped its wings, gusts of wind swept outwards, covering the ground in a layer of frost.

This ice bird also possessed Alpha-Origin strength.

Tuntun's eyes swept over, shooting a glance at the menacing ice bird. The ice bird immediately cowered in response, withdrawing its aura as its icy feathers shivered.

Luluo pouted upon seeing this. "Tuntun, don't bully Little Frost."

The Gu Qiu trio expression had become rather grave. They did not dare to be negligent in the face of two Alpha-Origin Genesis Beasts.

"No wonder you dare to cause trouble in my Gu clan. It turns out that you do have something to rely on." Gu Qiu icily chuckled, before exchanging a look with the two elders. The Genesis Qi around their bodies grew increasingly berserk as glowing patterns appeared on their bodies, evidently, runes that had been inscribed beforehand.

The path they walked was similar to Zhou Yuan's, dual Genesis Qi and Spirit cultivation.

However, Zhou Yuan's Spirit cultivation was the fruit of his training using a spirit tempering method, which gave him a solid foundation. The Gu clan on the other hand relied on a vile method via the Spirit Devouring Tower. Although their progress was quick, their foundations were not stable, making it difficult for them to achieve big things.

Tuntun and Little Frost hissed before they shot forth, scarlet-red and ice-blue Genesis Qi charging towards their opponents.

The two elders did not dare to tarry and met the two beasts with their full power.

Boom boom!

A wave of Genesis Qi unfurled from their clash, shaking the entire tower.

Gu Qiu's gaze was fixed on Yaoyao. Due to his powerful Spirit, he could sense that the danger from this seemingly Genesis Qi-less girl was no less than either Genesis Beast.

Under Gu Qiu's cold gaze, Yaoyao's fair hand gently patted her Universe bag. A split second later, several scrolls appeared in her hand. Glowing runes pulsed in the scrolls, emitting extremely violent undulations.

"Grade 4 Genesis Runes!"

Gu Qiu's pupils shrank when he saw these scrolls. It had finally dawned upon him that the girl in green's Spirit mastery could only be higher than his own.

"However, we have the home-ground advantage in the Spirit Devouring Tower. All of you will lose!"

...

Deep in the Spirit Devouring Tower.

Gu Lang's expression was somewhat grim as he gazed at the mirror in front of him. The aftershocks from the fight were far too strong, making him unable to see what was going on.

There was also an Elder beside him who had the Spirit Cultivation of Initial Corporeal Realm.

"Damnit, I didn't expect that little bitch to be so formidable!" Gu Lang's complexion was steely green. He had originally taken Yaoyao as someone without any Genesis Qi, who could have imagined that her Spirit cultivation had already reached such astonishing heights.

"But even if you guys are strong, we possess an endless amount of power in this Spirit Devouring Tower so all of you will lose sooner or later." Coldness flashed in Gu Lang's eyes.

"When you land in my hands, I will seal your Spirit. Just wait and see how I will torment you then!" As if he could already see that scene, a lustful fire rose inside Gu Lang's body.

Before his fantasies could continue a voice from the Mist.

"For even thinking about her like that I will cut off your arms and then Cut off your head. So say your final wishes before heading to hell you trash", the mist parted as Zhou Yuan walked out.

Before Gu Lang could speak Spirit power separated him and the elder, Zhou Yuan trapped him into an Illusion Rune so that while he finished the Elder off this bastard wouldn't run away.

10 minutes later

A head rolled by as Zhou Yuan walked over to where Gu Lang currently was.

He removed the Rune affecting him as Gu Lang came to his senses.

Gu Lang watched in horror as he watched Zhou Yuan come closer to him.

"P-please have mercy! Leave me. In return I can take you to my family's treasury.", Gu lang was on the verge of despair.

"Oh Treasury you say!", Zhou Yuan stopped and looked as if he was interested.

Gu Lang caught his interest before he rigorously nodded, "Yess P-please come I will take you there"

Sometime Later...

"This is my Family's Treasury, Please take anything you want from it," Gu Lang said.

"I see now you can go and die!", Zhou Yuan said as he swung his Heavenly Yuan brush cutting off both his arms and Head in Succession.

After Ensuring that Gu Lang had died he headed into the the treasury and stored everything in his Universe bag.

Then he headed into the Tower to take away the Crystal Ball.

Zhou Yuan grabbed the black crystal ball, removing it from the stone pedestal.

After the black crystal ball was removed, the stone pedestal began to shake as cracks gradually began to grow.

At the same time, the faint black mist inside the Spirit Devouring Tower slowly began to disappear.

...

Boom!

In a certain area within the Spirit Devouring Tower, an intense battle was still ongoing.

However, in the face of Tuntun's and the ice bird's fierce attacks, the two elders of the Gu clan were showing signs of weariness. The battle power of Genesis Beasts was after all pretty ferocious, let alone the fact that these two were no ordinary beasts.

The only saving grace was that they were receiving an endless amount of power inside the Spirit Devouring Tower. This was how they had been able to endure the offensive of the two beasts.

Yaoyao's and Gu Qiu's battlefield on the other hand was rather comical.

Yaoyao was unable to utilize Genesis Qi. Hence, she did battle most simply and crudely. One could only watch as scroll after scroll of grade 4 Genesis Rune appeared in her hand, before being thrown at her opponent.

As the one on the receiving end of Yaoyao's 'money' bombardment, Gu Qiu's situation was extremely miserable while unable to believe what was happening.

Grade 4 Genesis Runes. Although it was something their Gu clan had too, they were treated as high-end strategic treasures and the consumption of each one would greatly pain the heart.

Yet, the girl in green seemed to have an endless supply of Grade 4 Genesis Runes, a fortune even greater than the entirety of their Gu clan.

Though he was in quite a difficult situation due to Yaoyao's onslaught of grade 4 Genesis Runes, he had been able to persist with the home-ground advantage.

"Our power is inexhaustible in the Spirit Devouring Tower. Let's see which runs out first, your Genesis Runes or my perseverance." A grim expression clouded Gu Qiu's eyes.

Just as this thought flashed across his head, however, he suddenly realized that the black mist within the tower had begun to dissipate.

The entire tower began to tremble at this moment.

Those still immersed inside the black mist began to awaken one after another, dazed looks in their eyes.

"Darn it, the Spirit Refining Crystal has been removed!"

Boom!

The two Gu clan elders were miserably flung backward. Their expressions rapidly changed when they saw the receding black mist.

The black mist faded from the Spirit Devouring Tower.

Numerous figures blankly stared at their surroundings, evidently still in the dark about what had happened. However, the battle between Yaoyao's side and the Gu clan was quickly noticed by several individuals, making them start to realize that something was wrong.

Yaoyao's gaze took one quick sweep around the area. Her Spirit began to flicker as a voice suddenly rang out in everyone's ears.

"This is no Spirit Refining Tower but a Spirit Devouring Tower. If you do not want your Spirit to be completely devoured and be used for the Gu clan's cultivation, leave quickly!"

The moment these words were heard, the expression of countless people turned aghast with horror.

"What? Not a Spirit Refining Tower but a Spirit Devouring Tower?"

"But why do I feel that my Spirit cultivation has improved?"

"EH? Did someone die here? Why is his Spirit gone?!"

"Just what exactly happened here?!"

"..."

Cries of alarm rang out one after another. Although Yaoyao's words were shocking, there were still some who felt that something was fishy about the situation and began to withdraw one by one with the intent of leaving the tower.

"Little bitch!"

Upon seeing this, Gu Qiu was so infuriated that his eyes turned red. The news would spread once these people left. When that happened, information on how the Gu clan had been strengthening their Spirit would surely be leaked. One could easily imagine what a devastating blow this would be to the prestige of the Gu clan, and how it would even create numerous enemies for them.

In his rage, Gu Qiu icily commanded, "Call everyone here. I will make them pay today!"

One of the elders immediately nodded and retrieved a black whistle. A peculiar sound spread, instantly notifying every expert of the Gu clan, causing them to hurriedly flood towards the Spirit Devouring Tower.

"Spirit Link!"

Gu Qiu's eyes were cold and ruthless as he looked towards the two elders.

The two elders hesitated for a moment. Spirit Link was a secret technique of their Gu clan that gathered the Spirits of several people to perform combined attacks. However, the repercussions were not small, and negligence would lead to hurting one's Spirit.

However, they quickly nodded in acknowledgment, swiftly appearing behind Gu Qiu and placing their hands on his shoulders. Their Spirits flickered between their brows as Spirit energy flooded into Gu Qiu's body.

Light began to rise from between Gu Qiu's brows, his Spirit power rapidly rising.

Rumble!

An invisible ripple swept outwards. Although not as striking as Genesis Qi, invisible Spirit attacks could take one's life without drawing a single drop of blood.

Roar!

Tuntun's and the ice bird's titanic bodies jerked back as they howled, their Beast Spirits affected by the invisible ripple. Vigilance immediately surfaced in their eyes. Though their bodies were tough, Spirit waves could ignore the body and directly attack their Spirits.

Yaoyao's Spirit flickered as she extended a hand. "Spirit shield!"

A transparent shield of light appeared in front of her, blocking the Spirit wave. However, the surface of the shield rippled violently, a clear indicator that it would not last for long.

The gathered power of three Spirits greatly amplified Gu Qiu's Spirit cultivation.

"Big sis, things aren't looking good." Said Luluo in a soft voice. This was after all the Gu clan's territory, and many experts were rushing over each second. If they were surrounded, the situation would become extremely dire.

Yaoyao gave a slight nod and said, "Prepare to break out."

Their goal had already been reached. There was no need to waste any more time here.

Upon hearing this, a clear whistle immediately rang out from Luluo's mouth. The ice bird called Little Frost flapped its wings and flew towards her as her tiny body leaped into the air and landed on its back.

Tuntun also arrived on scarlet Qi and Yaoyao landed on its back.

At the same time, Zhou Yuan bolted over from far away. With a stamp of his foot, he soared into the air and landed behind Yaoyao, his hands naturally reaching out to embrace the slender waist in front of him.

The instant he came into contact with Yaoyao's waist, Zhou Yuan felt her body stiffen for a split second as her nape and ears turned red but she did not remove his hand.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

Roared Gu Qiu when he saw this. The Gu clan's plans had been ruined by the Zhou Yuan trio, and the following days would not be easy for them. Allowing the troublemakers to escape would likely cause him to die in anger.

Light flashed between Gu Qiu's brows as an almost fully corporeal Spirit appeared above his head. The Spirit was as tall as Gu Qiu and transformed into a translucent blur that rocketed toward Zhou Yuan, Yaoyao, and Tuntun at an incredibly fast speed.

Sensing the attack Zhou Yuan and Yaoyao nodded at each other before Zhou Yuan took out several Scrolls and threw them at the upcoming spirit attack.

To Reassure their safety he also engulfed all of the people with his spirit energy to ensure that they were not sneak attacked.

Boom boom boom!

The scrolls exploded, each clearly a grade 4 Genesis Rune.

Berserk energies engulfed the area, blowing away Gu Qiu's Spirit.

Tuntun took this split-second opportunity to burst forward, charging out of the black tower and right into the horizon in a few breaths.

"Stop them!"

Outside the tower, the many waiting Gu clan experts attacked. Pillar after pillar of Genesis Qi seemed to cover the sky as they closed in on Tuntun.

Roar!

Tuntun merely roared in the face of these attacks and opened its mouth. Black light surged like a black hole, swallowing every single one of the attacks.

The Gu Qiu trio finally arrived outside of the tower, but could only watch in frustration as the silhouettes of the two Genesis Beasts rapidly shrank into the distance. There was no longer any hope of catching up.

"Haha, I'll be helping you keep this treasure of yours to prevent any further victims." While they left, Zhou Yuan turned his head, swinging the black crystal ball in his hand as his hearty laughter echoed across the area.

'Also, Do check your Treasury Old man, your grandson did me a favor and showed me the way before he was killed by me."

Gu Qiu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he howled, "Little thief, put down my Gu clan's supreme treasure!"

He also had an ominous premonition as he heard Zhou Yuan's last sentence as he instructed an elder to go and check the treasury.

The Gu clan had been able to specialize in Genesis Runes due to the existence of the black crystal ball. Once it was gone, it was hard to imagine how great of a loss it would be.

However, Zhou Yuan ignored his howls. The two Genesis Beasts swiftly disappeared into the horizon, leaving behind the scattered mess that remained of the Gu clan.

Urgh!

As Gu Qiu watched them leave, he could no longer contain his anger and vomited a mouthful of blood.

He pulled one of the elders to him and said in a voice dripping with bitter resentment, "Send news of what happened to Gu Ling. Tell her that her brother has been killed along with 3 elders and the murderers are likely headed for the Saint Remains Domain."

"As the prided genius of the Black Yin Sect, she must take back our Gu clan's supreme treasure!"

Towards the end, his voice had practically become a hiss.

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END

6038 Words