Chapter 10 – The Battlefield
The journey continued.
Over the following weeks...
The flock of Cloud Crane Beasts stopped at numerous human settlements.
Some were villages.
Some were clans.
Others had already grown into small cities.
Each stop served the same purpose.
Recruit more Gu Masters.
Replenish supplies.
Feed both the Gu Masters and their Gu worms.
Rank One Gu possessed short feeding intervals.
Most required food once every three to ten days.
Naturally...
Blazing Mountain Clan bore every expense.
After all...
They had recruited these people to fight.
The last thing they wanted was for their cannon fodder to lose their Gu worms before even reaching the battlefield.
...
One afternoon...
The cranes descended beside another mountain village.
Li Tianyu quietly stood among the others while waiting.
Nearby...
Several Gu Masters chatted amongst themselves.
"I heard this is Gu Yue Village."
"They specialize in Moon Path."
"Their clan has existed for hundreds of years."
Li Tianyu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Gu Yue..."
"Moon Path..."
'Just a coincidence...?'
He silently watched the entrance of the village.
Before long...
The Rank Four elder returned.
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Several newly recruited Gu Masters followed behind him.
Li Tianyu's gaze swept across them one by one.
Then...
It suddenly stopped.
Among the newcomers...
One young man quietly walked at the very back.
His appearance was ordinary.
Yet his expression remained completely calm.
Almost emotionless.
His eyes were tranquil.
As though very little in this world could truly interest him.
Li Tianyu frowned slightly.
'That person...'
'He's unusual.'
...
The cranes once again took flight.
As always...
The newly recruited Gu Masters began introducing themselves.
One after another...
They stated their names.
Their clans.
Their cultivation.
Eventually...
It became the silent youth's turn.
He remained completely quiet.
One of the Gu Masters from Gu Yue Village awkwardly laughed.
"He's always like this."
"His name is..."
"Fang Yuan."
Li Tianyu's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.
'Fang Yuan...'
His thoughts instantly became chaotic.
'Impossible...'
'Is it merely someone with the same name?'
'Or...'
'Did Heaven Refining Demon Venerable truly revive?'
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind.
Perhaps...
When Destiny Gu restarted the Gu World...
The fate carried by the Venerables had simply been too immense to erase completely.
Perhaps...
The Venerables had each left behind methods capable of surviving the destruction of the previous era.
Or perhaps...
It was a combination of both.
Li Tianyu slowly exhaled.
No matter which possibility was correct...
One thing was certain.
If this truly was Fang Yuan...
The future had become far less predictable.
Another thought suddenly appeared.
Then...
'Could Heaven's Will already know?'
He frowned.
'Perhaps it intentionally isn't suppressing me...'
'Perhaps it even intends to use me as a pawn in one of its plans.'
'Or perhaps...'
'I'm simply overthinking everything.'
He slowly shook his head.
There wasn't enough information.
Any conclusion now would be nothing more than speculation.
Still...
One thought remained firmly rooted within his heart.
Unlike the Venerables of the previous era...
He had no intention of destroying the Gu World.
In his eyes...
That had always been the greatest act of foolishness imaginable.
The Gu World was the source of every Gu worm.
Every cultivation resource.
Every Dao mark.
Destroying it...
Was equivalent to destroying one's own future.
If he ever reached the peak...
He would do the opposite.
He would strengthen the Gu World.
Expand its foundations.
Allow more Venerables to emerge.
Only when the world itself continued evolving...
Could Rank Ten resources one day naturally appear.
Only then...
Would refining Rank Ten Gu become possible.
Only then...
Could there truly be a path beyond Rank Nine.
...
One month later...
The flock of Cloud Crane Beasts finally arrived.
The battlefield.
From the sky...
Countless camps stretched across the mountains.
Gu Houses of every shape and size stood side by side.
Large numbers of Gu Masters constantly entered and departed.
The atmosphere was incomparably tense.
After landing...
Every newly arrived Gu Master was led toward a registration area.
A middle-aged Gu Master activated a Formation Path Gu.
A faint light flashed.
Immediately afterward...
A small black mark appeared on everyone's wrist.
Li Tianyu lowered his head.
The mark displayed a single number.
Zero.
The Gu Master smiled.
"Don't worry."
"This is merely the effect of a battlefield formation."
"Every variant human you kill will automatically be recorded."
"Their cultivation rank will also be recorded separately."
"When you return..."
"You may exchange those kill records for contribution points."
He continued explaining.
"One contribution point equals one primeval stone."
"A Rank One variant human is worth three hundred contribution points."
"A Rank Two variant human is worth one thousand contribution points."
"The stronger the enemy..."
"The greater the reward."
Everyone's eyes brightened.
Three hundred primeval stones...
For a single Rank One enemy.
It was an enormous reward.
...
After registration...
Li Tianyu wandered through the camp alone.
The entire camp had been constructed using numerous House Gu.
Some served as shops.
Some as inns.
Some as refinement rooms.
Others could be rented as temporary residences.
After listening to the surrounding conversations...
Li Tianyu gradually understood the current situation.
At present...
Only small-scale skirmishes were taking place.
Neither humanity nor the beastmen wished to launch a full-scale war.
Large battles consumed enormous resources.
Therefore...
Both sides continuously sent low-ranking Gu Masters to fight one another.
To them...
These Rank One and Rank Two Gu Masters were merely expendable soldiers.
If someone ventured onto the battlefield alone...
Everything depended upon luck.
If fortunate...
They might encounter a lone Rank One beastman.
If unfortunate...
A Rank Two or even Rank Three enemy could end their life in moments.
Because of this...
Most Gu Masters formed small teams before entering the battlefield.
Li Tianyu considered the matter carefully.
Then...
He quietly shook his head.
For now...
He had no intention of joining anyone.
Instead...
He rented a small House Gu.
Over the next few days...
He planned to continue refining Gu.
Sell the valuable ones.
Purchase worthless Gu.
Feed them to Ember Spark Gu.
And use the accumulated Dao fragments to deduce several Rank One killer moves before truly stepping onto the battlefield.
Only after making every possible preparation...
Would he begin hunting his prey.