003. Reborn Again, Understanding His Origins
Gu Yue Village.
"Gu Yue Village, this is five hundred years ago?! The Spring Autumn Cicada really worked..." Fang Yuan's eyes were deep and dark as he stood by the window, letting the wind and rain lash against him.
At the same time, Qitian, who was nurturing his aperture at home, had a sharp glint flash through his eyes.
Immediately after, his eyes became profound, like a dark, ancient pool, unfathomably deep.
"So that's how it is. I was wondering before whether I transmigrated into Fang Yuan's first life or second life. Unexpectedly, I also experienced a previous life, riding the Spring Autumn Cicada back to the present from five hundred years later."
In his previous life, three hundred years later, Qitian's lifespan was nearing its end due to a lack of Lifespan Gu. He exhausted his resources preparing for rebirth. He schemed against Fang Yuan, who was still a mortal Gu Master at that time. His will infiltrated Fang Yuan's mind for two hundred years, riding along with Fang Yuan's will on the Spring Autumn Cicada during Fang Yuan's self-detonation, returning five hundred years into the past.
Although Fang Yuan's combat strength in his previous life wasn't low, his foundation in wisdom path was very poor. In the original story, it was only to deal with Mo Yao's will that he accumulated some basic wisdom path knowledge. Therefore, he never discovered Qitian's will.
Now reborn, Qitian possessed the experiences of his past life; cultivation experience was no longer an issue.
"With my past life's experience, my plans must change. I need to cultivate to Rank 3 as quickly as possible, then leave the village with a merchant caravan, head to Shang Clan City, replenish my Gu worms, reach Rank 4, and then proceed to Central Continent to inherit that legacy."
"I possess the Qi Clan bloodline; having A grade aptitude isn't surprising anymore."
It turned out Qitian's identity wasn't simple. He was of the Qi Clan bloodline, having drifted to Southern Border and been adopted by a hunter.
The Qi Clan was originally a super-clan in Central Continent, later declining due to the rise of sects.
The last Gu Immortal of the Qi Clan secretly left behind an inheritance.
In the previous life, a hundred years later, that inheritance manifested externally.
At that time, Qitian was wandering Central Continent and joined the excitement. Because he possessed the Qi Clan bloodline, he obtained the core inheritance.
It was precisely because of this inheritance that Qitian successfully ascended to Immortal at the age of one hundred and fifty. Otherwise, no matter how talented Qitian was, he wouldn't have ascended so early.
Don't underestimate the potential of ascending to Immortal at one hundred and fifty. Even among the key Gu Immortal seeds nurtured by super-clans, not many could successfully ascend at that age.
Hei Cheng, heavily cultivated by the Hei Clan, only successfully ascended a hundred years after the "Su Xian's Night Elopement" incident.
As for Hei Lou Lan in the original story ascending so young, firstly, the Ten Extreme Physique is extraordinary, with extremely monstrous cultivation speed and talent. Secondly, she had the support of Hei Clan resources and Fairy Li Shan's secret assistance, thus managing to succeed by a stroke of luck.
Fang Yuan ascended so early due to the experience of successfully ascending in his previous life and his five-hundred-year foundation. Fortunately, Giant Sun's will blocked the calamity, and the resources of Hu Immortal Blessed Land supported him, allowing his success.
Tai Bai Yun Sheng ascending at over a hundred years old was also because his lifespan was exhausted, lacking Lifespan Gu, forcing him to take the risk. Coupled with several interventions from Giant Sun's will, he managed to succeed.
"In this life, with the support of my past life's experience and foundation, I don't need to worry about the experience aspect of immortal ascension. I can also avoid the problem of insufficient Human Qi from ascending too early. I might even be able to ascend before the destruction of the Imperial Court Blessed Land."
Regarding the destruction of the Imperial Court Blessed Land, Qitian had no intention of preventing it. Even if he could stop Fang Yuan and gain the Land Spirit's recognition, it would be difficult to obtain the core of Giant Sun's True Inheritance.
Moreover, the righteous path of Northern Plains and the Ten Great Ancient Sects of Central Continent were not to be underestimated. No matter how secretive he was, traces would inevitably be left behind, allowing wisdom path Gu Immortals to deduce things.
At the same time, Giant Sun's will remained a hidden danger. Although it was dormant, significant disturbances could awaken it. Even with numerous methods, securing the Imperial Court Blessed Land would be difficult.
The idea of taking possession of the Imperial Court Blessed Land was too optimistic. It would be better to let it be destroyed, intensify the situation in Northern Plains, and profit from the chaos.
But these were matters for the future. The current priority was to increase his strength and enter Central Continent as soon as possible to inherit the blessed land ahead of time.
In the previous life, after a hundred years, the blessed land was on the verge of collapse due to insufficient immortal essence, which triggered the opening of the inheritance to attract Qi Clan descendants.
In this life, Qitian intended to inherit the blessed land and monopolize its resources, unlike his previous life where outsiders benefited.
After he became an immortal, he could also preserve the blessed land, preventing its destruction a hundred years later.
————————
Beneath the evening glow, the fiery clouds stretched endlessly across the horizon.
Roars and sounds of struggle echoed intermittently from the purple mountain forest.
It turned out to be a youth fighting a Fierce Lightning Wolf. The two sides clashed back and forth, engaging in a great battle, causing quite a commotion.
The youth was precisely Qitian. At this moment, his clothes were torn, and one arm bore the marks of lightning burns; he looked quite disheveled.
The Fierce Lightning Wolf wasn't faring well either, with some wounds deep enough to show bone.
It bared its teeth, retreated a few steps, a cunning light flickering in its eyes, not immediately rushing forward to fight.
As if considering whether to retreat.
After a moment, the Fierce Lightning Wolf retreated a few more steps, then turned and fled into the woods.
However, Qitian didn't plan to let it go. The moment it turned, he let out a piercing shriek – it was the Rank 3 Ghost Howl Gu he hadn't used until now.
The Fierce Lightning Wolf hadn't expected Qitian to possess a soul path attack Gu worm; its soul suffered a massive shock.
Qitian seized the opportunity. Three bone spikes shot out, hitting the wolf's head squarely. Brain matter splattered instantly, and copious amounts of blood spurted from the wounds.
With a thud, it finally fell onto the sandy ground, instantly dyeing the surrounding sand red. After twitching violently twice, its body went completely still.
It couldn't be more dead.
Seeing this, Qitian breathed a sigh of relief. He went forward, scavenged the corpse, and quickly left the area. Such a commotion would inevitably attract other beasts; it was best to leave quickly.
————————
Arriving back at the cave, Qitian took out a change of clothes and put them on, then began to take stock of his gains and losses.
"Since obtaining the Gu worms hidden within the true inheritance, my strength has greatly increased. I can now kill a hundred beast king alone. It seems I can advance to Rank 3 and leave the village in just over another year."
It turned out that the three Gu worms in the Earth Treasury Flower Gu from the Talented Scholar of Many Gu's inheritance were just ones he casually acquired in the Purple Nether Mountain and set up. They weren't the real legacy. The true inheritance wasn't so easy to find, serving as a test for the successor.
In his previous life, Qitian only discovered it two years later. In this life, he obtained it ahead of time.
The true inheritance contained many precious Gu worms, which also made Qitian understand the origin of the "Many Gu" part in "Talented Scholar of Many Gu".
It included one White Silver Relic Gu and two Red Steel Relic Gu. The latter were immediately used by Qitian, boosting his cultivation straight to Rank 2 upper stage.
A Rank 3 Empty Granary Gu. This Gu not only had vast capacity, far exceeding others of the same rank, but was also quick and convenient to use. The Empty Granary Gu was native to the Eastern Sea and relatively rare even there. It could be advanced to the Rank 4 Vast Sky Gu and Rank 5 Vast Sky Well Gu, though the advancement difficulty was considerable.
Ice Muscle Gu and Jade Bone Gu. They could transform skin and bones into "Ice Muscle Jade Bone". More crucially, Jade Bone Gu and Ice Muscle Gu were best used together; their effects influenced each other, creating a synergistic effect.
Water Trace Gu, Water Prison Gu, Mist Sparrow Gu – all Rank 3 water path Gu worms.
One Ghost Howl Gu, a relatively common Rank 3 soul path Gu worm. It could emit a piercing shriek, causing soul shock.
Besides these, there were also some Gu refinement materials, which won't be detailed further here.
Excluding the two already used Red Steel Relic Gu, the other eight were mostly precious Gu among Rank 3.
However, Qitian was currently only Rank 2 upper stage. Although he had the Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus and could barely use Rank 3 Gu, the rapid primeval essence consumption made them impractical in battle. In the previous fight, Qitian had only used Rank 3 Gu two or three times.
For this reason, Qitian used parts of the Mountain Drilling Mouse bones, combined with existing Gu materials, to refine the Rank 2 Bone Spike Gu for regular combat.
Qitian had reached the Master level in Gu refinement in his previous life. Refining Rank 2 Gu naturally wouldn't result in the embarrassing failures he experienced before.
"This time was fortunate; I obtained a Wolf Strength Gu from the Fierce Lightning Wolf. After using it, I'll possess the strength of one boar and one wolf. This is also the limit of this body; further increases will require body modification."