Reverend Insanity’s Formation Venerable

I wander around the tent with the young master, it was the day after yesterday, exactly as he said. Just by being accepted by the young master, it seems my status had grown. 

I walk around calmly, looking at the crates full of goods I try to estimate their value.

"I should be able to extort a few primeval stones from those bast*rds."

While I was pondering, the young master readied himself, he took out a few materials and the poison Blood Vow gu.

"Humph, consider yourself lucky, my family's caravan always brings these to awaken promising talents in mortal villages, our system is different from most." He had a confident look.

Shoom*

The materials gathered a dazzling light

It turned into a square, "Go enter it," the young master shouted.

I quickly walked into it, "If he wanted to kill me, he needn't be so elaborate," I thought.

After I step in, I feel a warm sensation in my stomach, "my Dantian, or rather, my aperture is now opened.

It had roughly 60% primeval essence. "Barely a B rank."

The young master calmed down, he waved his purple Hanfu, "come here, let me check your aperture."

After a few minutes

We had discussed and I became his most loyal ally, in turn he would provide me essential things and teach me the basics of being gu master.

The blood vow gu entered both of us and melted into our blood, "good, I am finally a gu master, at least, I am not D rank."

"Life is the most fair thing, fate is fair, it allows us to be born, rather than being stuck in yourself, you should try to enjoy life." This was the essence of life I had come up to after many years.

Young master put his hands on his hips and commanded, "right now, you are still useless to me, become a rank 2 as quickly as possible."

I nodded, that was also in my plans, in order to survive in the wilderness, I need rank 3 cultivation at least.

"I am still not convinced, also no need to call me young master, call me Master Zhao Fu, tell me the 5 strongest offensive paths." The young master had an inquisitive look, this was something that most mortals would never know.

I think for a bit, "Blood, metal, fire, lightning, and sword paths."

Zhao fu nods, "Good, it seems that you are indeed an actual heir to the righteous path." He had already checked this mortal's background, it seemed clean until when he was a year old and found by someone in the village. It was possible for what he said to be true.

"Good, it seems that he isn't a masquerading demonic path, now, he has already signed the vow so, it's time to get the benefits out of him." Zhao Fu had a scheming glint in his face, although he created a few loopholes in the vow, Wei Ru had actually managed to notice a few, quite impressive.

After signing the blood vow, the 3 other gu masters he had encountered had more warmer gazes, Wei Ru still didn't know if these were their true face or they had hidden intentions.

"I should be more cautious around them."

After gathering up in the purple tent, Zhao Fu formally introduced me to the other 3. "The bulky one is Zhao Mi rank 2 peak, the short one Zhao Hai is rank 3, the one with triangular eyes is Zhao Ku the steward of the Zhao faction caravan, naturally all of them are Zhao." 

"From now on, you will also be Zhao," he pointed towards me with a slight smile.

"Humph, you want to integrate me more into your faction, if I do anything, you will have the right to punish me, yet I am your 'loyal ally', if something happens, he can use me to gain reputation." I think silently yet still bow towards him with a fervent gaze, "Thank you, Master Zhao Fu."

"Now, once you reach rank 2, start to stealthily sabotage the other faction." Zhao Fu sent through voice transmission, he himself was a rank 3 mid stage.

I nod again, "He sent this through voice transmission, it means he suspects one of the 3 to be bribed by the other side, others aside, if it's the steward, then it's disastrous to the Zhao faction."

Like this, my days went silently, I stayed up all nights in order  to cultivate, not just to raise my strength, also to make Zhao Fu think he has me under control. 

I also secretly looted a few primeval stones from the mortals, the mortals belonging to the Lei faction, they knew if they spoke anything, they would die, after all, in the surface, the 2 factions were quite friendly.

A few months passed, we stopped by a few mortal villages, I reached rank 2 due to continuous support and extortion, and gained 3 gu from the young master.

"These are attack, defense, and movement, this is Plant Vine attack, this is Ice Shield, this is Quick Wind, all are rank 1. In order to get these to rank 2, you need to refine them, I will foot the bill the first time, however, if you fail, you will be in debt to me." Zhao Fu had a devious glint on his eyes, growing up in the righteous path, all were taught to be hypocrites and hate the demonic path. His other reason was, if Wei Ru acquired something useful, he could legally take it, the vow for now was hidden.

"Sigh, until I can refine that gu that eats the poison vow, the eat shit gu, I can only do as he says." Whenever he had free time, he kept reading the vow in order to find some loopholes.

About a week passed, he had gotten somewhat familiar with the 3 gu, The use of gu was profound, even a gu master might do better than a gu immortal, besides cultivating he practiced these.

After 2 months, we will reach the Flowing Cloud city, it has many people and is the sun of the surrounding million of li. It was bustling, it was also a way for the Shang Clan to expand their reach beyond their original city, naturally, it was only allowed to house Rank 5 peak, immortals would be a threat.

I woke up as usual, I was in a subordinate tent next to the giant purple tent that housed many goods. The sun rays striked me as I began to wander around. The overgrown plants and trees were indeed breathtaking. 

Suddenly, I heard something from the Lei clan's side, "evacuate, prepare, there's a beast tide coming."

I was shocked, in these wilderness, the primeval essence was thick, the beast tide had likely a myriad beast as the head. I quickly ran back to the camp. The wood path gu masters of the lei clan started to construct wooden defenses. They were the main contributors to this caravan. Zhao Fu's caravan was only for show, as to maintain that surface level friendly relations, they had a combined value of at least 1 million primeval essence stones.

I get back to Zhao Fu and the 3 others. Zhao Mi was discussing a plan as the steward began to ready the goods. Zhao Hai was a wood path so he had gone to construct the fortress.

They looked at me, "It's good that you are here, stay around me at all times," Zhao Fu had a smile, yet I could see though his intentions. "During a beast tide, I am to follow his orders due to the vow, I have debt to him, these gu are originally his, and my name is now Zhao, humph, he is simply trying to make me a meat shield if things go wrong." I still nodded.

"Oh no, there are 2 myriad beasts, the wood fortress is broken." Someone's grievous voice spread through the area as a bloodcurdling scream ensued. 

The steward was ready and so were we, we all went outside and began to fight, the 3 of us protecting the young master as he was the strongest of the group.

He was saving in primeval essence to fight the main threats.

The attack had come from the west where the Lei faction was stationed, we went to support them while finding Zhao Hai.

We met up with the Lei faction after some time, he looked old and wizened, his eyebrows reached his chin and he had a dignified air. "Young master Zhao, it's good that you are here." He forced out a smile while attacking the 2 myriad beasts, they continued to take the blows while consuming mortals. These were blood beasts, from the blood path, they enjoyed consuming the blood of sentient creatures. 

"Hmm, this Lei elder seems to be a metal path, young master Zhao is fire path, these paths have the best offence, however, it won't be easy."

Zhao Fu looked at me, "take this gu, it's a rank 2 metal path gu, it's one of the rarest gu along with liquor worm and strength raising gu, it can block the attacks of rank 4 but is consumable. Since we signed a poison blood vow, you must listen to me." He had a look that made sure to gaze deeply.

"Bast*rd, he simply wants me to be a shield. However, as long as I can survive this, the debts will be free and I will have repaid the costs of the gu master awakening. He knows this so he's enticing and threatening me. The Zhao family is huge, they have lots of rank 2's, he simply doesn't hold me in his eyes."

I look at him silently, then look towards the Lei elder, he turned his face away. "What a joke, why would I care about a rank 2, it's your duty to serve the righteous path." The Lei elder thought as he attacked the beasts.

"Zhao Ru, I command you to take this and go there." He commanded as he pointed between the 2 myriad beasts. The 3 other Zhao clansmen had complex emotions, if I wasn't there, it would be them. 

I take the gu and run down. "If I refused again, the backlash would be tremendous. I also had a serious gaze, "I only need to divert them." I looked at the blood path beasts, the 2 myriad beasts were both like the Komodo dragon. They moved quite slowly, yet their speeds were still the peak of rank 2. I activated my movement gu, I felt my body lighten, "Damned beasts, come over here, I then activated the defense gu while using the attack gu to shoot myself up and towards the forest." One of them followed me, as a gu master I was more tastier than those mortals. 

Zhao Fu scoffed at my obvious get-away, He started to attack the remaining one, coincidentally, the one I had lured away was the most heavily damaged one. 

I ran for minutes upon minutes until I climbed up a nearby mountain and used the vines to control the rocks to attack the blood beast. I couldn't approach it as it had gu that could suck my blood away from my orifices, I learnt it the hard way. It was already heavily damaged and my attacks using the bounder pushed it over the edge. 

I then used the metal path gu and entered closely and found 2 rank 2 gu and 1 rank 3 all looked like cockroaches. I took the one that looked the most harmless and ran away. It seemed that the one that could suck blood had already fled.

I saw the battlefield from a distance, the second myriad beast had the aura of 3 rank 4 gu and it decimated the area at the cost of it's life. All the mortals and gu masters were gone, only the Lei elder stood, battered. He approached the blood path beast with an angry expression and kicked it relentlessly. Suddenly, the blood beast exploded.

I could barely see Lei elder's shock as he realized something, he tried to use his defense gu, yet he was almost out of Primeval essence

The Lei elder, the strongman of a generation had died. 

I quickly went in and looted all the valuables, then burned the place, I left towards an ordinary mountain.