Chapter 729: Extra Chapter 2: Karma Cycle

Only A Cheng present understood gu.

Everyone says witchcraft and gu are not separate, but ultimately each has its own focus.

A Cheng inherited ancient witchcraft; his gu skills came from brief contact during fights with Dìshì and Ting, which he then synthesized.

Compared to an expert in gu like the witch-spirit, it was already difficult for him to analyze the ingredients of the Hundred Spirit Medicine Insect in such a short time.

So when Xiao Jiu asked A Cheng whether he had found a way to dispel the gu, and A Cheng answered "no," I was not surprised.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Jiu did not believe him: "A Cheng, look into my eyes and answer seriously again."

A Cheng, however, kept his head down, unwilling to look at Xiao Jiu.

As expected, Xiao Jiu understood A Cheng best.

A Cheng lied.

Tang Xun sighed and said, "While A Cheng analyzed the Hundred Spirit Medicine Insect, he already knew how to dispel it, but we can hardly accomplish that."

Xiao Jiu pressed: "Is it lacking materials for dispelling the gu, or manpower or skill? I'll think of a way."

"None of those," A Cheng said. "In fact, whether breaking witchcraft or dispelling gu, all variations follow the same principle. Although the Hundred Spirit Medicine Insect is potent, if we find something that can restrain its medicine spirit, take its essence blood and use it in gu, we can control the gu. The problem now is…"

A Cheng glanced at the Soul-guiding Lamp, and everyone understood.

The medicine spirits of the Hundred Spirit Medicine Insect all come from the Nine Abysses; as the heir to the Lord of the Nine Abysses, theoretically, taking my essence blood and putting it into the gu would restrain the Hundred Spirit Medicine Insect.

But the problem is, I now have only a wisp of soul; my true body remains in the Nine Abysses, so to take my essence blood for the gu, I must first enter the Nine Abysses.

Yet to enter the Nine Abysses, we must first break the Hundred Spirit Medicine Insect.

This forms an unsolvable paradox, trapping us in a dead cycle.

"I say we just blast a path with Nirvana Fire—no gu, however strong, would not fear it!" Shan Shan flew in from outside, landing on Xiao Jiu's shoulder, her little head rubbing against Xiao Jiu's cheek.

Xiao Jiu raised a hand to pat her head, then coaxed: "Shan Shan, I know you're holding a grudge, wanting to avenge the dozens of clansmen who died, but a forceful assault with Nirvana Fire is inappropriate—they are already using the Nine Abysses' medicine spirits to make gu and lead the charge; a forceful Nirvana Fire attack would only destroy those spirits, not harm the enemy themselves."

A Cheng added, "More importantly, we cannot now confirm whether the Seven-Leaf Lingzhi itself has been refined into gu; if…"

"No," Xiao Jiu said firmly, "Zhan Jiao'e still needs the Seven-Leaf Lingzhi as a sacrifice to help her complete her ninth life; before then, she won't let anyone touch the Seven-Leaf Lingzhi."

The whole matter has reached a stalemate; it seems nothing can perfectly solve the problem.

After a while, Xiao Jiu said again, "Since a frontal assault won't work, we must first undermine from within, find a breakthrough, then combine inside and outside to strike down the Nine Abysses in one blow."

Everyone turned to Xiao Jiu in unison: "Undermine from within?"

"Exactly, we start with Zhan Jiao'e." Xiao Jiu continued, "Zhan Jiao'e's ninth-life calamity is imminent; she is more anxious than anyone, she will frequently harass Wan Wan by various means, and I can enter Wan Wan's dream to confront Zhan Jiao'e directly…"

"No!" A Cheng interrupted me sternly, "Sister, I know you have this ability, but beneath the Nine Abysses is no longer what it was a hundred years ago, and Miss Fu's soul is so weak; if you get trapped there, or if Miss Fu cannot endure and her soul scatters, you will also meet danger!"

Watching them discuss plans for my sake, racking their brains, I felt deeply uneasy.

The fate of the Nine Abysses is tied to my own weal and woe; I cannot watch them risk their lives charging into battle while I remain aloof.

So I immediately drifted out of the Soul-guiding Lamp and declared firmly: "Xiao Jiu, everyone, Fu Wan here sincerely thanks you all for your full support and protection these past days, but the situation in the Nine Abysses is now too complex; I think karma cycles, fate has its decrees—since everything arose because of me, in the end it must be I who resolves it; I have decided—I will return to the Nine Abysses."

Xiao Jiu immediately said, "No, going back would be suicide."

"Xiao Jiu, I am not afraid." I said solemnly, "First, only when my soul returns to its place can the Seven-Leaf Lingzhi possibly manifest a spiritual body; before that, Zhan Jiao'e will not kill me; after, when Zhan Jiao'e swallows me, she will face an unprecedented heavenly tribulation—that is the opportunity you should seize. Xiao Jiu, I ask only one thing: if there is any chance of survival, I hope you can save Zhao Zixun."

Having said that, I prepared to leave.

"Hold on!" A Cheng suddenly shouted sternly, "Miss Fu, since you are so resolute, truly unafraid of annihilation, if I wanted to refine you into a soul insect, though the success rate is slim, would you be willing to try?"

I turned to look at him and asked, "Soul insect? What is that?"

"To refine a gu from the soul." A Cheng said, "If it fails, you will be scattered to ashes and never be reborn; if it succeeds, not only will it strengthen your soul body, but even if Zhan Jiao'e swallows you, you can still burst forth with a final bit of strength to pull her down as a cushion for you."

I didn't think twice, nodding directly: "A Cheng, I am willing to try."

"Good!" A Cheng then turned to Xiao Jiu and said, "Sister, I want to ask you for the same thing."

Xiao Jiu frowned, she opened her mouth as if to say something more to persuade A Cheng.

But in the end she held back, merely asking, "What do you want?"

"The coffin nail that General Zhao gave to the pawnshop." A Cheng said, "Actually, if you think about it carefully, when General Zhao had that coffin nail driven into his brow, he still retained his combat ability; if you don't look at him head-on, doesn't he still seem like a normal person?"

A Cheng's remark startled everyone.

I immediately said, "Yes, the last time I saw him was in a dim alley, a fleeting back view, no different from an ordinary person; upon reflection, he was then in a living-dead state, right?"

This state, when I recall the details of my past interactions with Zhan Jiao'e, is practically identical to those.

A Cheng nodded: "This coffin nail not only keeps the person nailed to death in a living-dead state, but also seals the thoughts of the living-dead, until it reaches the point of controlling them; we can completely fight fire with fire."

We all understood—A Cheng intended to use that nail against Zhan Jiao'e.

"That's not realistic," A Cheng said. "I want to use that coffin nail as the base, carrying Miss Fu's soul, then use Nirvana Fire to refine them together, ultimately forming a soul insect…"

"That's unrealistic." A Cheng said, "I will use that coffin nail as the core, bearing Miss Fu's soul, then use Nirvana fire to refine them wholly, ultimately forming a soul gu..."