July, the start of autumn.
At the foot of the mountain near the village, a wild Rank five Gu suddenly appeared, causing a huge tremor at Gu Yue Village!
It had been four months since Fang Yuan advanced to the peak of Rank 4.
Within his aperture, true gold primeval essence circulated steadily, nourishing the crystal membrane walls.
Even though Fang Yuan is the second strongest individual on Qing Mao Mountain, he can't help but frown.
There are only a few short months remaining before the wolf tide descends upon the mountain and he still hasn't broken through Rank 5.
...
Clan head Gu Yue Bo was sitting on the main seat, his gaze also filled with unconcealed worry, "Three days ago, a River Swallowing Toad appeared near the village by the foot of the mountain. This toad flowed along with the Huang Long River and accidentally reached here. Right now, it is blocking up a river channel and sleeping there. If we ignore it, the village will constantly be in danger. So I would like to ask the elders if you have any good ideas to drive this toad away?"
The elders looked at each other; for a moment, no one spoke.
River Swallowing Toad was a Rank five Gu; it had an enormous might and could spit out a river. If this was not handled properly and it was provoked, over half of the Qing Mao mountain could be submerged with water and the whole village would be destroyed.
After a long silence, Gu Yue Chi Lian spoke, "The situation is grave, and we need to resolve this as quickly as possible. If this news gets leaked, we can't say for sure if those with evil intentions might not secretly go and intentionally provoke this River Swallowing Toad to entrap our Gu Yue clan."
"Elder Chi Lian is right." Gu Yue Mo Chen nodded in agreement. Although he and Gu Yue Chi Lian were political enemies, but at such a critical time for the village, he let go of his past prejudices.
He continued speaking after a moment, "There is another more serious problem. If the River Swallowing Toad floods the Qing Mao mountain, the wolf lairs will be submerged and for their survival, the wolf hordes will move up the mountain. At that time, the wolf tide will break out before its time. And we will have to fight with countless wild beasts to fight for the space at the top."
The elders' complexion turned pale when they heard this.
Gu Yue Bo spoke with heavy tone, "Everyone, don't forget the foundation of our village. The first generation ancestor set up the village in this place because of the underground spirit spring. If Qing Mao mountain gets flooded, this spirit spring might also be destroyed."
"What should we do?"
"Sigh….even if we withstand the beast tides and survive at the mountaintop. After the flood subsides, the spirit spring will have disappeared, many beasts will have died, our surroundings will turn to a wasteland and we will be lacking cultivation resources."
"If we are to die, then why not ask help from Xiong and Bai villages? We are three boats tied with one rope, I don't believe they won't help!"
The elders whispered to one another with panic hidden inside. Some had already started thinking of asking for reinforcements.
"We've already requested their help once," Gu Yue Bo said, shaking his head.
"Our three clans have agreed to cooperate in dealing with the appearance of the demonic Gu Master."
"There's no need to ask them again. It's not a priority."
"Also, It is not the most challenging period now. When the first generation ancestor had just established the village, a Rank five Blood River Python attacked the village, but the first generation clan head killed it. Compared to the Blood River Python, the River Swallowing Toad is just so much more adorable."
Gu Yue Bo's composed and calm voice resounded within the conference hall.
"It has a warm temperament and is harmless to ordinary people. Only if it senses the aura of other Gu will it be alert. If it receives serious injuries, it will be angered and spit out a river. By chance, I heard the previous clan head talk of a rumor about the River Swallowing Toad…."
The group of elders listened attentively; their nervous and panicked expressions eased up.
"He is really worthy of being the clan head. He calmed their hearts with just his words." Gu Yue Yao Ji sensed the change in the atmosphere. She gave a profound look at Gu Yue Bo and praised him inwardly.
"If we follow what clan head said just now, chasing away the River Swallowing Toad wouldn't be a difficult thing," An elder spoke.
"We can't say that." Gu Yue Bo shook his head, "These are only rumors, I haven't personally seen it or even put it to use. The important thing is that we can't be careless. I suggest we first send a group of Gu Masters to test it."
All the elders agreed.
Gu Yue Chi Lian spoke, "Then how about I send a member of my Chi family. If he can't do it, then no one among our clan might be able to do it."
Everyone knew who Chi Lian was speaking of, and they approved of it one after another.
Clan head Gu Yue Bo smiled, "Since it is so, then we shall just assign it to the Chi Shan group."
It was early autumn, the weather was gradually turning cool.
The Gu Yue Clan had, over time, all but forgotten someone named Fang Yuan.
In their eyes, he was just a mediocre Gu Master who had barely reached Rank 1 peak stage after using two Green Copper Relic Gu. In contrast, his younger brother Fang Zheng had already advanced to Rank 2 middle stage through his own effort—earning the clan's admiration and expectations.
But Fang Yuan paid no mind to what others thought.
His life was simple: cultivate, eat, rest, repeat. Day in and day out, he followed this quiet routine without deviation, undisturbed for nearly a full year.
Until today.
Today, that routine was broken—by news that caught his attention.
"A Rank 5 River Swallowing Toad Gu has appeared."