Chapter Forty-Seven: The Deep-Sea Octopus

Page 1 of 3

When confronted with an unexpected situation, Gu Zhiheng truly had no idea how to resolve it at first. Luckily, the octopus’s temper was fairly agreeable in the beginning, so the two—one large, one small—ended up chatting with each other.

As long as there was no threat to his life, Gu Zhiheng could at least breathe a sigh of relief. Staring at such a massive creature, he was under enormous psychological pressure; the disparity between them was simply overwhelming. One careless move, and his life would be forfeit—this was no joke.

“Why did you come in here? What are you doing here? Are you with that group outside?” The octopus, perhaps feeling the conversation had gone on long enough, suddenly changed its expression.

“If I said I wandered in here by accident, would you believe me?” Gu Zhiheng put on his most sincere face, but the act was a little too obvious.

That’s it, I can’t bluff my way out of this anymore. Internally cursing his luck, Gu Zhiheng stealthily formed a few hand seals behind his back, casting them around the octopus.

Time to take a gamble. After all his efforts, there was no way he’d lose to a mere octopus.

“Kid, if you won’t tell the truth, you’re in for a beating. Speak up!” The octopus was clearly displeased at being lied to.

Humans—always so cunning. Even at a time like this, he still tried to muddle through. Impossible!

Listening to the octopus’s words, Gu Zhiheng couldn’t help rolling his eyes. For a spirit creature, this one was surprisingly clever.

“You tell me first—why can’t those people come in? Why can’t they see us? You answer me, and I’ll answer you.” At last, he finished the hand seals.

Changing the method of the Execution Array was a waste of time and made it considerably more difficult.

Watching the octopus draw closer and closer, cold sweat began to bead on Gu Zhiheng’s back. If it came to a fight, who knew what his chances were?

Although he had already set his trap, he still had no idea of the octopus’s true strength, and dreaded the possibility that it might be stronger than he was.

“I don’t want to hear you talk anymore. I just want to eat you, human.” The octopus had lost all patience in the face of Gu Zhiheng’s silence.

Now, all it wanted was to devour Gu Zhiheng, to see him dead. The rest simply didn’t matter.

As for the group that had come here, the octopus already knew what they were after, but what of it? They would still leave empty-handed.

Apart from the boy in front of him, no one else could enter the octopus’s barrier. All their efforts were in vain.

The treasure they sought was right here in its lair, but they would never reach it. Everything they did was pointless.

Only this boy could enter, but with its stomach growling, the octopus decided it would eat him to fill the void.

In this place, nothing could ever be taken away. Everything here belonged to the octopus, and always would.

Page 2 of 3

A rumbling, gurgling sound issued from the octopus’s stomach, echoing like a death knell in Gu Zhiheng’s ears.

It seemed this enormous creature truly meant to eat him—there was not a hint of jest.

To give himself a better chance of escape, Gu Zhiheng suddenly retreated more than ten meters, standing just outside the Execution Array.

The Execution Array—deadly even to a half-immortal. If this didn’t kill the octopus, he might as well let it eat him and be spared the embarrassment.

“If you want to eat me, you’ll need my consent. Unfortunately, I don’t agree!” Plenty of people wanted him dead; a mere octopus didn’t even count.

Since those outside couldn’t see what was happening within, he no longer had anything to worry about. All that mattered now was to fight for his life.

With enemies, mercy was never an option. Weed not pulled out by the roots would always regrow with the coming spring.

He understood that well enough. The octopus must die today, or it would be him instead.

Drawing upon the power of heaven and earth, he activated the Execution Array and flung a handful of talismans outward.

In moments like these, he always felt grateful to his ancestors. If not for their relentless training—forcing him to sketch talismans in the void day after day—he wouldn’t have had these life-saving tricks, or those precious moments to escape.

It was at times like this that he appreciated those old men in his family at least for teaching him how to survive.

With the Execution Array set, nothing inside would survive whole. There was even a chance of total annihilation.

“Human, playing dirty, how despicable!” roared the octopus, lashing out with its tentacles.

Gu Zhiheng dodged with a quick sidestep, and the octopus, enraged, shrieked and hovered in the air, all eight tentacles launching at him at once.

Seeing the octopus in such a rage, Gu Zhiheng still felt a twinge of anxiety. If the Execution Array wasn’t enough, one of them would die today.

To save his own skin, Gu Zhiheng deliberately darted between the octopus’s tentacles, trying to get them tangled into a dead knot.

That way, when it came time to strike, the slaughter would be one-sided. He wouldn’t have to worry about the octopus’s attacks anymore.

Once its tentacles were out of commission, the only threat left was the poison in its mouth—but changing its aim would be a problem. All he had to do was handle the tentacles.

Gu Zhiheng purposefully ran back and forth among the octopus’s limbs, making it tangle itself until the knot was unbreakable.

After a dozen runs, the tentacles were finally bound fast, and the octopus couldn’t break free. Gu Zhiheng knew his moment had come.

Page 3 of 3

With swift steps, he dashed to the octopus and slapped dozens of talismans onto its writhing body, then darted back outside the Execution Array.

This time, there should be no chance of failure!

The power of heaven and earth was not to be underestimated. The moment it fed into the array, the Execution Array roared to life.

At the same time, the talismans on the octopus’s body activated as well, roasting the creature in a fiery blaze.

If only he had some cumin and chili powder—wouldn’t that make for a delicious meal?

No, no, what was he thinking? Now was hardly the time to be hungry! How could he be so hopeless, thinking only of food?

“Ahhh…cunning human, even if I die, I’ll never let you go!” Was this some final declaration before death?

Unfortunately, Gu Zhiheng was no longer the merciful young man he’d been a month ago.

Killing was no longer a stumbling block on his path of cultivation. In fact, it had become an ally.

With a thunderous crash, the octopus’s enormous body collapsed, sending dust billowing in every direction.

Gu Zhiheng simply watched with a calm expression. Only when the octopus drew its last breath did he step forward to extract its spirit core.

His movements were practiced, almost casual.

Outside, the others still kept vigil, unaware that the object of their desire would never be theirs.

Before leaving, Gu Zhiheng used a few high-level talismans to blast a pit in the ground, just large enough to bury the octopus’s corpse.

Thus did his journey in Ancheng come to a smooth conclusion.

As for the people outside, let them be. They would leave when the time came.

Their aims were different; they sought the gold and jewels in the octopus’s lair, while he had come for the spirit core inside its head.

Different paths cannot be walked together.

With the spirit core in hand, Gu Zhiheng departed decisively. In the days ahead, this place would be fraught with trouble—pity the common folk who called it home.