Chapter 3: Gu Xi Bi (Part 2)

Guo Shier looked blankly into the distance. Eagle Demon said, “Shier, Shier… stop spacing out.”
Xian Rudei, Zhou Xiaoling, and Luo Zhan all stared at Guo Shier in confusion, while only Zhang Yaojin kept his eyes fixed on the altar in the distance.
Suddenly, Guo Shier let out a wail, “Uncle Eagle Demon… Ugh, I’m so annoyed!”
Eagle Demon asked, “What’s bothering you?”
Guo Shier replied, “I’ve brought back a damn ancestor to worship!”
Before Eagle Demon could react, Zhou Xiaoling understood and asked, “Is it that old man bothering you?”
Guo Shier nodded vigorously. “It’s him!”
Everyone was stunned. After a long while, Eagle Demon was the first to burst into laughter. Xian Rudei also covered her mouth and laughed, “Hehe, an ancestor!”
Zhou Xiaoling said with a smile, “It’s great to have an ancestor protecting you!”
Guo Shier rolled his eyes and said, “Forget it. You won’t understand even if I explain. Wait a moment; I’ll discuss with that handsome old man how to set up a trap.”
Xian Rudei said in disbelief, “Are you really going to capture a Level 17 Spirit Beast?”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “If I don’t, that old man will drive me crazy!”
Xian Rudei said decisively, “I’m out!”
Guo Shier nodded. “I didn’t intend for anyone to take risks. If it’s not a relatively safe method, I’d rather give up.”
Zhang Yaojin said, “I’ll go! I’ll go with Shier!” He no longer feared death at all; he only hoped to find a good altar to erase his past inheritance or obtain a new one. This was a major concern he urgently needed to resolve. If he didn’t get rid of this problem, he might completely go insane.
Eagle Demon said with a smile, “I’ll go too!”
Zhou Xiaoling nodded. “There’s nothing to fear. It’s just a Level 17 Spirit Beast. I don’t care at all.”
Luo Zhan said, “I’ll keep watch…”
Guo Shier said helplessly, “Uncle, we’re not thieves. Why watch for anyone?”
Xian Rudei smiled bitterly. “Are you all willing to die? That’s a Level 17 Spirit Beast—not Level 15 or 16. Level 17 is already in a completely different category; we can’t handle it.”
Eagle Demon said with a smile, “Xian Rudei, don’t worry. Shier won’t put us in a desperate situation. He’d only go if he’s confident; otherwise, he’d have run away by now.”
Zhang Yaojin said, “There are plenty of altars there. But I really can’t bear it. If Shier can capture a Level 17 Spirit Beast, that territory will be ours. If we search carefully, we might find the sacred artifact you want.”

Xian Ruidai said, “Alright, but I won’t go fight. The gap in strength is too big; going there would just be suicide.” She was very self-aware.
Guo Shier said, “No one needs to go fight. None of us can battle a level-17 Spirit Beast.”
Xian Ruidai nodded. “Yes, Brother Shier, you take command. As long as we don’t fight, I can do anything else.”
Guo Shier’s soul fluctuated. “Elder Shuai, what do you suggest?”
Elder Shuai said, “First, release Gu Mo Lian and let her lead me to scout the area.”
Guo Shier did as instructed, releasing Gu Mo Lian, who was only the size of a palm and hovered a few centimeters above his head. Elder Shuai poked his head out and said, “Fly around this area carefully, making sure not to alert Gu Xi Bi.”
Zhou Xiaoling stared at Gu Mo Lian above Guo Shier’s head. At this moment, Elder Shuai’s exposed head was only the size of a quail egg—small and adorable.
Elder Shuai felt terrified under Zhou Xiaoling’s gaze and asked, “Girl, what are you staring at?” A wave of his soul struck Zhou Xiaoling’s soul.
Zhou Xiaoling tilted her head and said, “Old man, don’t bully Shier!”
Elder Shuai replied, “Why would I bully him? Hm, there’s a problem—this girl has issues…”
Guo Shier said, “Elder Shuai, watch the surroundings. I’m about to leave!”
Zhou Xiaoling grumbled, “Old man, you jerk!”
Elder Shuai said, “Let’s go, no more nonsense!”
Left speechless, Guo Shier said to the others, “Uncle Eagle Demon, come with me. You stay here and wait.” With that, he dashed off, followed closely by Eagle Demon. Soon, Guo Shier slowed down—running nonstop wasn’t an option here. After estimating, he whispered, “It will take a few hours to circle around. Let’s be careful.”
Eagle Demon nodded. “It’s fine. We can go around there.” He pointed to a gully.
The two quickly jumped into the gully but didn’t land at the bottom; instead, they hung at the edge, hiding their figures.
Eagle Demon said, “I’ll go first.” He flew ahead.
Guo Shier said, “Elder Shuai, observe the terrain carefully and look for a suitable spot to set a trap.”
Elder Shuai replied impatiently, “I know. You just need to circle around. I’ll handle it.” With his rich experience, though he had lost much of his memory, his instincts alone made him far stronger than Guo Shier.

Guo Shier didn’t speak anymore and flew forward with Eagle Demon. It was a straight ravine, clearly carved by a powerful strike, dozens of meters deep, filled with water, seven or eight meters wide, and nearly a kilometer long. It was easy to imagine how terrifying that initial strike must have been.
On this land, there were countless such ravines, all traces left by battles. Guo Shier felt as if he had arrived in the trenches of his past life, only these ravines were much larger.
After flying for a while, the two stopped so the old strategist could observe carefully.
The old strategist’s head moved frantically atop the Ancient Ink Lotus, constantly directing their path.
“There’s a collapsed altar over there; let’s dive in! Don’t worry, the Ancient Xibin isn’t in this area, so we’re safe.”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “Uncle Eagle Demon, let’s go through that ravine.”
Eagle Demon glanced silently, then immediately flew toward the ravine. After turning through a few more ravines, they entered it and soon reached behind the altar. He asked, “Do we go up?”
Guo Shier replied, “Wait, old strategist—should we go?”
The old strategist said, “Okay, be careful.”
Guo Shier carefully climbed up the ravine’s edge, bending over as he moved swiftly toward the altar.
It was a collapsed altar, a useless ruin. Soon, Guo Shier and Eagle Demon disappeared into the debris. All around were shattered rocks—different from naturally formed stones; these were altar stones crafted using spells and various materials, now completely useless.
Climbing up the rocky terrain slowly, Guo Shier gradually emerged, with the Ancient Ink Lotus above him shrinking further and rotating slowly. He only showed his forehead and eyes, staring at the distant Ancient Xibin. This time, he finally saw that strange Level 17 spirit beast, which was completely different from any animal he knew.
It didn’t resemble land animals but rather underwater creatures from his past life, or even more like plants, rather than mutated spell beasts.
Guo Shier murmured in confusion, “A sea anemone?”
The old strategist asked, “What sea anemone?”
Guo Shier slowly shook his head; he couldn’t explain. The distant Ancient Xibin looked like a sea anemone magnified countless times. He couldn’t see its body or head, only countless tentacles—hundreds of meters long—matching the color of the surroundings, clearly indicating that the Ancient Xibin could mimic the surrounding colors.
“No head…”
“You have no head! My head is very handsome!”

Guo Shier was at a loss for words and said, “Sir, ancestor, I’m talking about Gu Xi Bi, okay? Don’t drag everything onto yourself! I mean Gu Xi Bi has no head.”
The handsome old man replied, “It does have a head. Gu Xi Bi’s head is under its tentacles, and its body is hidden inside as well. Usually, it lies flat on the ground, invisible from the outside. Its tentacles are quite famous—we call them Spirit-Grasping Tentacles. Right now they’re retracted, but once extended, they can reach over a kilometer away. They’re extremely fierce, and this creature can even fly, using its Spirit-Grasping Tentacles to fly swiftly.”
Guo Shier was stunned. It could fly too? That was amazing.
Eagle Demon also climbed up and looked outside through a crack in the stone.
Guo Shier narrowed his eyes and whispered, “Uncle Eagle Demon, do you think this thing is easy to deal with?”
Eagle Demon smiled bitterly. “It’s very difficult to deal with. I don’t know how powerful those long Spirit-Grasping Tentacles are, but their number is terrifying—tens of thousands…”
“At least five hundred thousand, and if they split apart, there could be millions. They can tear through the hardest rocks and the toughest beast skins.”
The soul waves of the handsome old man reached their souls as he continued, “Similarly, if we can capture it, these Spirit-Grasping Tentacles can form the strongest protection. Combined with Gu Mo Lian, it becomes even more terrifying… Kid, pay attention. I’m doing this for your own good!”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “We’ll be careful. Don’t let it notice us.”
The handsome old man laughed. “It’s fine. You’re too young; it won’t notice you. As long as you don’t attack, it won’t care. Of course, in a crowd, it won’t mind eating a few snacks either.”
Guo Shier asked, “Have you seen enough? If so, let’s go back.”
The handsome old man said, “Let’s go back. I’ve already found a suitable place. We’ll go back, make some preparations, and then come back. Hmph, when I, the handsome old man, take action, nothing is a problem.”
Ignoring his bragging, Guo Shier whispered, “Uncle Eagle Demon, let’s retreat. Be careful.” The two quietly slipped back into the deep ditch before flying back.
Soon they returned to their original location. Zhang Yaojin asked, “How did it go? Can we do it?”
Guo Shier replied, “Yes, we can! We need to get ready. Let’s move to another place. This place is too dangerous; we might encounter other professionals.” The area was open and had no hiding spots. It was better to return to the deep ditch, which was much more concealed.

No one objected; this indeed wasn’t a suitable hiding place. Following Guo Shier and Eagle Demon, they arrived at a gully and flew inside it. It took them five minutes to stop in a deep ravine.
This was the intersection of two gullies. Guo Shier found a flat area free of water and said, “It’s here.”
He set up the Talisman House, arranged the talisman array, and concealed it. From above the gully, it was impossible to see the Talisman House. That was its purpose—to provide excellent concealment.
Just as it was set up, Zhang Yaojin said, “That’s… that’s a mutated Giant Dragon Eagle! No, it’s a spirit beast formed from a Giant Dragon Eagle. There are two of them… coming this way!”
Guo Shier looked up and said, “Two of them! Hey, this route happens to pass through Gu Xi Bi’s territory. Great! We can see how strong Gu Xi Bi is. These two Giant Dragon Eagles are at least level 14!”
Zhang Yaojin said, “Let’s go! Hurry up—the Giant Dragon Eagles are about to cross over.”