Starting with the Corpse-Eating Worm, he worked his way up to become the Left-Winged Immortal Lord.

"The steward of Futang died and was pursued by the Heavenly Principle Sect, but Chen Ye was unharmed. It seems that Chen Ye's strength is stronger than we thought."

Gu Qing sighed inwardly and decided that he would take action as soon as he found an opportunity.

The stronger Chen Ye became, the more uneasy he felt.

At the same time, the first thing Chen Ye did after returning to the temple was to order the Dharma Protector Hall to impose martial law on the entire Changping County.

Although he returned safely from his trip, the power of the Heavenly Principle Sect still haunted him.

The loss of manpower this time also pained him greatly.

Fortunately, the death of Qi Heng, the manager of Futang, removed a thorn from his side. Qi Heng had always been Li Yunshuo's man and had clashed with him many times over the years. Now that he was dead, Futang would naturally fall into the hands of his own people.

As for the issue of the Heavenly Principle Sect, he didn't care.

The Heavenly Principles Sect will be dealt with by the Xuanqing Academy.

He cared even less about the deaths of Xue Chen and the others.

Xue Chen can recruit those who work for him at any time, or spend time cultivating them.

If Xue Chen dies, then we'll just support a new Qi Refining Level 3 constable.

The same applies to others.

After instructing his men to impose martial law on Changping County, Chen Ye returned to his residence in the temple. He intended to take the opportunity to study the contents of Qi Heng's storage bag, but unexpectedly, as soon as he entered the house, he heard the voices of Li Huosheng and his disciples outside the courtyard.

"Master!"

Chen Ye responded indifferently, "I'll discuss your concerns another day. If there's nothing else, please don't bother this humble Taoist!"

Those who had intended to express their concern could only bow and leave.

But Li Huosheng and the other two did not leave.

"Master, during the turmoil at Wufeng Temple a few days ago, Gu Qing used insects to kill four Qi Refining Level 3 cultivators! Now he has been officially accepted by Vice Abbot Lü as a closed-door disciple of Steward Lu!" Li Huosheng hurriedly said.

When he learned that Gu Qing could control insects to kill four Qi Refining Level 3 cultivators, everyone was dumbfounded.

The same applies to Ning Zhi and Chen Zhan.

After all, the assessment would involve a real battle of wits, and if Gu Qing were to harbor murderous intent, none of the three of them would survive.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye frowned, angrily pushed open the door, and stormed out. "Has Li Fu gone mad?"

Li Huosheng was stunned. "Master, it was Gu Qing who killed him, and I heard that if Gu Qing hadn't come to his rescue, Li Fu would have died..."

"Shut up! Do you think this is Gu Qing's ability? He is a left-path cultivator who has just started cultivating. Even if he sacrifices all his blood and energy and shortens his lifespan by ten years, it is impossible for him to control insects and kill a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator in such a short time."

The only possibility is Li Fu's support... and Lu Xingzhi's. They are the key to Gu Qing killing a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivator! This painstaking effort to help Gu Qing shows they truly intend to fight me to the death!

The words fell.

A hint of murderous intent flashed across Chen Ye's anger.

Lu Xingzhi, you've been successful in all your life, how come you've suddenly become so blind?

Vice Abbot Li didn't dare to openly compete with Vice Abbot Wei, so he asked you to be the scapegoat. You really dared to do it.

It seems you also want to follow in Qi Heng's footsteps!

Go and go.

Since you want to die.

Then I'll grant your wish!

Now that the Heavenly Principles Cult has attacked, there are plenty of opportunities to get rid of you!

Sensing Chen Ye's murderous aura, Li Huosheng and the other two dared not even breathe loudly and could only obediently bury their heads.

But considering that the matter had already begun to involve a steward, Li Huosheng could only bite the bullet and ask, "Master... what should we do? If Gu Qing uses that insect again during the future assessment, we'll all be doomed."

Chen Ye immediately instructed, "Go find Gu Qing again, make some things clear, and tell him that I can offer him a price he can never refuse..."

……

soon.

Upon receiving the order, Li Huosheng and his two companions hurriedly headed straight for Gu Qing's residence.

However, after calling out several times at the door, there was still no response.

"What should we do?"

The three of them exchanged a glance.

Li Huosheng resolutely said, "He's definitely inside. We'll wait here, and I refuse to believe he won't come out."

"Um."

Ning and Zhi nodded in agreement.

In the past, they would have simply walked away, but now, the mere thought of that insect filled them with dread.

Damn unorthodox methods!

And so the three of them waited until evening.

As soon as Gu Qing came out, the three people, whose legs were aching from waiting, immediately went to greet him and put on fawning smiles.

"Fellow Daoist Gu."

Li Huosheng stepped forward first.

Gu Qing stopped and asked curiously, "Do you three have something to discuss?"

He already knew that the three had arrived that morning, and that they had been waiting all day, so he was curious about what they wanted to do.

Li Huosheng hurriedly said, "Master Chen Ye instructed us to convey to you, fellow Daoist, that as long as you are willing to switch allegiance, you will become Master Chen's personal disciple. You will have sufficient essence and blood from spirits and animals used in unorthodox practices. You can freely choose from the three major unorthodox techniques of Wufeng Temple, and you will even receive a second-tier Yin artifact as a gift… Furthermore, your parents can also enter the Futang Hall to manage the temple's business, and will be under the protection of Wufeng Temple for the rest of their lives!"

The essence and blood of spirits and monsters, the blood of livestock and animals—these are cultivation resources that unorthodox cultivators dream of. The mere fact that there is enough of them is enough to make any unorthodox cultivator kneel down and kowtow on the spot.

Similarly, the fact that one can freely choose from the three unorthodox techniques of Wufeng Temple is an extremely strong temptation for a cultivator.

After all, it takes a novice more than ten years to learn an ordinary spell, but now they can get a top-notch spell with just a nod.

Furthermore, the fact that his parents could join the Futang and become a member of it was something that even the most eclectic and unorthodox schools of thought could only dream of.

It's no exaggeration to say that taking this step will bring blessings to generations of descendants. After two or three generations, they might even leap into becoming a true immortal cultivation family, bidding farewell to their status as miscellaneous and unorthodox practitioners. As for second-tier Yin artifacts, their value is self-evident.

Just when Li Huosheng thought that Gu Qing would definitely not refuse, and at most just struggle internally, Gu Qing lifted her foot and left.

"Not interested."

Li Huosheng and the other two were taken aback, their fawning smiles freezing on their faces.

But when they thought about the upcoming assessment, the three of them quickly adjusted their expressions and caught up with Gu Qing, offering him a host of generous terms.

The sheer amount of the benefits stirred the hearts of Li Huosheng and the other two, who wished they could have received all of them.

however.

Gu Qing continued walking.

Three people chased after them.

Gu Qing left.

As they approached the outer courtyard, Li Huosheng finally couldn't hold back any longer. "Gu Qing, don't try to refuse a polite offer and then suffer the consequences!"

"Couldn't hold back anymore?"

Gu Qing smiled faintly.

Ultimately, he was still young at heart, and his patience was lacking.

"Gu Qing, don't be so arrogant. My master said you're just a pawn pushed out by Steward Lu and his ilk. Do you really think you've risen to prominence? From the moment they took notice of your unorthodox cultivation methods, you were destined to be sacrificed... if not today, then in the near future!"

"Once you're completely drained of your life force and have no further use, you'll become the corpse that Fufeng Forest will use to nurture corpse mushrooms!"

Li Huosheng's voice immediately attracted many of the young disciples, but upon hearing the grievances involved, they quickly lowered their heads and hurriedly left.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing didn't even entertain the thought of giving back, and continued walking without stopping.

In his view, Li Huosheng and the other two were like unruly children.

Whether it's rebuttal or lecturing, it's a complete waste of time.

However, the appearance of the three reminded him that Chen Ye would probably not let him off easily after today.

It seems I need to find an opportunity to kill him quickly.

As soon as Chen Ye leaves Wufeng Temple, take action immediately.

Absolutely not!

As for why he didn't take action inside the temple, it was because he was worried about something going wrong and causing him to lose the Shadowless Corpse-Eating Worms for nothing.

Compared to the Shadowless Corpse-Eating Worm, Chen Ye's life was insignificant.

The former is insignificant.

But just as Gu Qing was about to head towards the back mountain, Li Fu arrived late, carefully carrying a jade brocade box.

This time, Li Fu looked mysterious.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, guess what's inside... I'm telling you, I bet ten catties of Five Elements Divine Sand you can't guess!"