The night descended, the moon was brilliant, and its silver light spilled across the land.
Deep within a dense forest, after a roar, dust billowed.
After a long while, all fell silent.
A beast, its fur scorched black, its flesh exposed, and its body enormous, lay dead on the ground.
It had died a gruesome death, its abdomen ripped open, its entrails scattered on the ground.
Beside it lay two corpses, already stiff, all signs of life long gone, their deaths equally tragic.
Moments later, the two corpses collapsed to the ground, crimson liquid flowing.
This blood was dark and black, with a pungent, foul odor, carrying a deadly poison. For ordinary people to touch it would immediately turn them into pus.
And within the pool of blood, two crystal-clear beads floated, faint ripples appearing on their surfaces.
"Crack, crack."
With crisp sounds, the two beads cracked open, and from them crawled two small creatures, a pair of gray-white claws and teeth, half a foot long, flashing with cold light, appearing quite sharp.
Soon, the two small creatures rejoiced and charged towards the wolf's carcass, gnawing frantically. In the blink of an eye, they chewed and swallowed even the bones, their mouths slick with grease.
Then, the two small creatures, seemingly still unsatisfied, turned their gaze to the blood pool nearby, their eyes filled with fierce light, restless.
However, the two small creatures did not act rashly. Instead, they shifted their target and lunged in another direction.
It was a corpse, mostly rotten, only its shell remaining intact, still retaining a faint trace of life.
Not long ago, Zhou Yan had snuck to this place, intending to ambush, but unfortunately, he was injured by a fierce beast and fell unconscious.
Although his strength was not weak, surviving in such a state was already incredibly difficult.
The two small creatures cried out, one on the left and one on the right, pouncing on the corpse and gnawing desperately.
"Hmm?"
After a moment, Zhou Yan slowly woke up and opened his eyes.
Upon seeing this scene, Zhou Yan's pupils contracted, his face twitching uncontrollably, almost to the point of extreme shock.
Because, on that corpse, were clinging two bizarre insects, about three inches long, entirely black, but with pointed heads like scorpion stingers, with a fine needle at the tip.
The two insects were tearing at the corpse, sucking it dry with each bite, their movements skilled and effortless.
Sensing Zhou Yan waking, the two insects immediately stopped, retreated, and circled Zhou Yan, as if regarding him as a new toy.
"What... exactly are you?" Zhou Yan's forehead beaded with sweat, and he forced down his fear as he asked.
However, the two insects ignored him, continuing to circle him, as if observing.
After a moment, Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed. He felt that the aura of these two insects was very weak, yet extremely tenacious, seemingly unafraid of him.
"Hmph, as expected, not ordinary things..."
A moment later, Zhou Yan's gaze sharpened, a hint of ferocity in his eyes: "Since you refuse to submit, then don't blame me for being ruthless!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhou Yan stomped his foot, his entire body soaring into the air, and he threw a punch.
With a muffled thud, one of the insects instantly disintegrated, turning into a pool of viscous blood plasma.
Seeing this, Zhou Yan's brows furrowed, his heart pounding.
He knew that these two insects were incredibly tough, comparable to fine iron. No sword or blade in the past could damage them, and they could even withstand bullets.
But now? With just one punch, they had shattered!
At the same time, the remaining insect, sensing danger, turned and fled.
"Where do you think you're going!"
Zhou Yan roared and gave chase.
In just a moment, Zhou Yan had reached the top of the tree canopy and reached out, grabbing the fleeing insect.
Suddenly, the insect spread its limbs, its back bulged, forming two strong legs.
Then, the insect swung, like a whip, at Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan was caught off guard by this turn of events. He could only hastily dodge to the side, but he was still struck on the shoulder. His clothes immediately tore open, and two bloody marks appeared on his skin.
With a "rip," a piece of muscle was torn.
Zhou Yan cried out in pain, loosened his grip, and abandoned the attack, swiftly moving away from the canopy and concealing his figure once more.
"Damn it..."
Zhou Yan cursed under his breath, his expression grim. He hadn't expected these two insects to be able to cooperate, to scheme, and to be so cunning.
On the treetops, the two insects were also extremely vigilant, wary of each other, and guarding against one another.
After a long while, as Zhou Yan's patience wore thin and he prepared to make a move, a gentle breeze blew, refreshing and invigorating.
"Huh?"
In an instant, the eyes of the two insects lit up, and they became excited, quickly turning and fleeing.
The next second, a white figure flashed by, moving with incredible speed. It swiftly apprehended the two insects and held them in its hand.
Upon closer inspection, the white figure was an old man, with white hair and a youthful face, smiling kindly, "My good little ones, don't be afraid, Grandpa won't harm you!"
As he spoke, the old man took out a pill, fed it to the two insects, and then threw them to the ground.
The scene that followed left Zhou Yan utterly stunned, because after swallowing the pill, the two insects clearly grew in size, and their original two claws became eight.
"Squeak, squeak~"
The two insects shrieked with excitement, seemingly enjoying it immensely, and then obediently lay down, allowing the old man to stroke their heads, like pets, docile and well-behaved.
"This is... Gu worms?" Zhou Yan was dumbfounded, disbelief in his eyes.
Legend had it that Gu arts were extremely sinister, and their cultivation methods were bizarre. Some required rare heavenly treasures, while others needed special means.
It was said that Gu worms were remnants of ancient peoples, cultivated from various rare herbs and possessing unique spirituality, capable of recognizing a master.
More importantly, the birth of each Gu worm required vast resources, enough to bankrupt an ordinary martial artist and leave them penniless.
"Truly extravagant..."
Zhou Yan muttered to himself, his mouth agape.
According to ancient texts, Gu worms were the foundational stage of the Gu Art Secret Tome. When cultivated to the peak, one could control Gu worms, use them to kill enemies, and be invincible.
In Zhou Yan's memory, the Gu Art Secret Tome was supposed to be incomplete. How could a master suddenly appear?
"Squeak, squeak~"
Suddenly, the two insects struggled, their bodies twisting and deforming, gradually withering away, turning into two piles of withered yellow powder.
This bizarre sight sent cold sweat down Zhou Yan's back. His heart was filled with apprehension and doubt, and he couldn't help but wonder, "A Gu Master? Could it be a Gu Master!?"
Zhou Yan recalled that Gu Masters were skilled in raising Gu, breeding insects, and could perform various Gu arts.
However, Gu worms were too rare and few in number. Once they appeared, they would invariably cause bloodshed and be hunted by many martial artists, with no escape.
Who was this old man?
As Zhou Yan pondered, the old man slowly approached, smiling kindly, "Young man, hello..."
"Senior..." Zhou Yan hesitated, cupping his hands, "This junior is Zhou Yan, thank you for your life-saving grace!"
The old man waved his hand, smiled, and explained, "Young man, you've misunderstood. I am not a Gu Master."
"Oh?"
Zhou Yan was astonished, his heart filled with confusion. If he wasn't a Gu Master, where did he find these two insects, and why did they have such peculiar effects?