Are you really trying to cultivate immortality? Something feels off.

The boy's profile was gentle and refined, and even with his beautiful amber eyes closed, they couldn't hide his confident and flamboyant aura.

His eyes and brows exuded an indescribable youthful spirit.

The system quietly scrutinized him, and after a long while, it too fell into an endless silence.

This is Xie Weixing.

Knowing full well that the will of Heaven cannot be defied, they still managed to find a way out each time.

*

Black mist swept across the mountains and fields, obscuring all traces of Wanjian Mountain.

Carrying the unsteady, trembling Su Boyu, Yu Xintang traversed the miasma-filled wilderness, heading south, breaking through layers of poisonous fog barriers, and finally stepping into this forbidden land, isolated from the world for a thousand years—

The ancestral home of witchcraft in southern Xinjiang.

This place is perpetually shrouded in darkness, its air damp and oppressive, covered in dark, poisonous herbs, and black, toxic springs flowing between the cracks in the rocks.

Su Boyu coldly pointed the way in his arms, while Yu Xintang carried out the task without complaint, her eyes ashen.

The entire territory was shrouded in Gu Qi, rarely visited by humans. Even the wind carried a bone-chilling cold. Ancient stone palaces were hidden deep in the thick fog, their walls engraved with twisted and tangled patterns, forbidden totems left over from ancient times.

This is the birthplace of the Rebellious Heart Gu, and also the homeland where Su Boyu grew up.

"I'm back."

An aged voice came from the altar.

Su Boyu trembled all over, struggling to stand up straight from Yu Xintang's embrace.

The moment you step into the main hall, a thick aura of Gu poison hits you, and the candlelight inside flickers dimly.

An old man stood in front of the Gu altar, seemingly feeding something.

His tall body was hunched over, his back deeply arched, and his clothes were covered with twisted and entwined Gu worm patterns. Dark red stains soaked through the hem of his clothes, traces left by years of being soaked in Gu blood.

Su Boyu released Yu Xintang's hand and slowly stood before the clan altar.

He finally shed all his gentle pretense, his eyes turning cold: "Clan leader, your disciple has returned."

The old man sprinkled the last bit of bait in his hand, then slowly turned his head.

He glanced at the dazed and numb Yu Xintang beside him: "Why did you bring her back?"

Su Boyu pursed his lips: "Clan leader, I have failed in my duty and have not been able to help the Dao Seeking Sect obtain the Phoenix Sword."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a palm strike, carrying the damp, poisonous aura of the Gu worms, slapped him across the face without hesitation.

"Snapped!"

Su Boyu turned his head away, his expression restrained, and knelt down without hesitation: "It was this disciple's fault!"

The old man withdrew his hand and slowly said, "Do you know what the Rebellious Heart Gu is?"

Su Boyu's body trembled, and he raised his eyes with difficulty: "...It is something that can control people's hearts."

"It is an ancient forbidden Gu from my Southern Frontier," the old man said, looking down at the faint black Gu aura swirling around his fingertips. His voice was calm yet chilling. "A hundred years ago, in order to counterbalance the cultivation tradition, our clan spent the efforts of three generations of Gu masters to tame this heaven-defying, ferocious Gu."

"I know," Su Boyu said in a trembling voice, "The Reverse Heart Gu did indeed help me a lot. I also repaired some of my damaged bones and brought the obtained spiritual treasures back to my clan..."

"Ordinary Gu poisons devour flesh and blood and consume spiritual power, but only the Rebellious Heart Gu can control thoughts and even disrupt the balance between good and evil." The old man interrupted him and continued, "Its most insidious and intractable nature is that it does not invade the physical body, but only entangles the soul."

"It never forcibly takes away a person's mind. It is best at lying in wait and waiting for the right moment. When it first enters the body, it is silent and painless. It will only quietly lurk. The more kind-hearted, loyal, and pure-hearted you are, the deeper it will take root and the more vicious the backlash will be."

Su Boyu pursed her lips tightly.

Yu Xintang, standing beside her, remained motionless.

"People generally believe that Gu worms are most attracted to evil thoughts, but little do they know that impure and impure thoughts will dilute the power of Gu. Only a pure and virtuous heart is the best breeding ground for the Rebellious Heart Gu." The old man chuckled. "Bo Yu, I chose you so that Southern Xinjiang could escape from the Yin Domain. I also seized the Phoenix Sword because the blazing light and fire power it contains is the most effective counter to the people of Southern Xinjiang."

He sighed softly: "But you've messed up this most important thing. How should I punish you?"

Su Boyu trembled all over, cold sweat instantly broke out on her forehead, and her back went numb: "I was wrong... I failed your expectations, I..."

The old man raised his hand, and the black Gu spirit in his palm slowly rotated: "You have not only failed my expectations, but you have failed the expectations of the people of Southern Xinjiang."

His voice suddenly turned cold: "Unforgivable."

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Boyu's whole body stiffened.

When the Gu worms are activated, the meridians are occupied by thousands of tiny worms that wriggle and gnaw, hollowing out every inch of flesh. Tiny worm-shaped protrusions rise and fall beneath the skin, rustling and moving about.

"Well--!"

He convulsed all over, his back arched taut, his fingertips dug deep into his palms, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his clothes.

It's unclear how much time passed before the old man finally stopped.

"Fine, you're still useful," he said calmly, withdrawing his hand as if bestowing a favor. "You've finally come back, go see your father and mother."

Su Boyu trembled all over, but still knelt on the ground: "Thank you, Clan Chief... for sparing my life."

"It's beautiful," the old man said, looking at Yu Xintang. His tone was casual, yet extremely cruel. "What I like to see most is a genius fall from grace, a good person committing atrocities, and these self-proclaimed righteous people ultimately falling because of their own sincerity."

The bloodline of a demigod from Penglai Realm.

He chuckled softly.

She is practically the perfect host for the Rebellious Heart Gu.

*

"How was it?" the woman with withered, white fingers asked. "Did you successfully obtain the Phoenix Sword?"

Su Boyu looked at her biological mother.

In southern Xinjiang, almost everyone knows how to raise Gu poison.

The reason why the clan is so small is largely because the women have yin blood and often use themselves to raise gu worms. The gu poison erodes their bloodline, and most of them lose their fertility at an early age.

His mother was one of them.

But he was lucky and survived.

But he was just a little unlucky; he was born a cripple with a physical disability.

His mother and father beat and scolded him from a young age, saying that he was a useless burden and that even cultivation was a luxury.

The turning point in his fate came on the day he was chosen by the clan leader to be the successor of the Rebellious Heart Gu.

He finally ate his first full meal and wore his first complete set of clothes.

The clan chief's tone was gentle yet sinister as he said that the child in the entire Southern Frontier was the most handsome. Although his physical constitution was flawed, he could still make everyone obey him through the Rebellious Heart Gu.

He wanted to live; he just wanted to live.

No one wants to be born with a disability, no one wants to be a piece of trash that anyone can trample on, and no one wants to live a dark life like a maggot.

Su Boyu looked at her mother's expectant eyes, shook her head, and answered coldly, "It failed."

"How could this be?! Didn't you possess the Heart-Reversing Gu?" The woman was shocked. Her withered, bony hands gripped his shoulders tightly, squeezing him painfully. "That sword can only be in the hands of us in Southern Xinjiang... That sword can only be in the hands of us in Southern Xinjiang!"