Chapter 1206
Chapter 1206: Barbara’s determination: you only have half a month to take revenge
Barbara wasn’t a savage, and the demonic heart within her hadn’t yet stirred. She had yet to explore her potential. The progress she’d made in practicing the barbarian art over the years was a combination of luck and hard work.
“Do you think you can save your tribe and adoptive father if you can’t endure this little pain?”
Gu Changge asked without any sympathy, unaffected by Barbara’s youth. In his view, informing Barbara about her future and preparing her for it was an act of great kindness.
Barbara clenched her teeth, beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. No color was left on her face as she struggled to hold her position, trembling. The pain felt like a thorough reconstruction of her meridians as if every internal organ had been crushed and then remolded.
“I’ll endure it, senior. Please don’t worry,” Barbara said through gritted teeth. She was fully conscious during this agonizing process, feeling the pain acutely as if every part of her body was being brutally exposed.
This is the process of shaping your origin. Although it can’t bring you back from the ashes, it can reshape your bones that have been wasted over the years to the original state…
How can the best uncut jade cultivate such crude skills?
Gu Changge, shaking his head, commented on the demonic heart of the skills being used. Seeing Barbara on the verge of fainting from the pain, he gently touched her forehead. This brought a momentary sense of drowsiness, but it was followed by an even more intense pain, almost a hundred times worse than before.
Even Barbara, known for her strength, couldn’t help but groan in pain. She bit her lips until they bled, struggling to endure the excruciating process that felt like every bone and piece of flesh being torn apart and rea.s.sembled.
“It’s a will much stronger than that of ordinary people. Even cultivators who have reached the seventh or eighth level in this world usually lose consciousness,” Gu Changge explained. “But this girl remains clear-headed.”
As the allotted time neared its end, Gu Changge patted Barbara, and a faint black light enveloped her again. “Senior… I can still endure,” Barbara insisted, feeling a sudden lightness as if she had transitioned from h.e.l.l to heaven. Despite this, she gritted her teeth, determined to endure.
Gu Changge calmly explained, “Your body can only be reshaped to this extent for now. There’s no innate spirit in this world, and it won’t enable you to go against your inherent nature. However, through the demonic heart, you can reshape everything later. The physique is not the decisive factor, but for now, it’s sufficient for you.”
Barbara, though somewhat bewildered, grasped the essence of his words. Although her cultivation seemed to have vanished, her body brimmed with seemingly boundless power. “Is this the power of the demonic heart you mentioned, senior?” she asked.
Gu Changge didn’t elaborate, simply instructing, “Go wash up.”
Barbara then realized her body was stained with blood and unidentifiable black marks, emitting an unpleasant odor as if she had emerged from a foul ditch. The realization embarra.s.sed her, being a teenage girl with a keen sense of cleanliness and modesty.
Turning to enter the house, Barbara cleaned herself and changed into fresh clothes. Meanwhile, Gu Changge, observing her, pondered how long he would remain in this world. His goal was to find a suitable successor, and once Barbara reached the point where she could stand on her own, he would depart.
Despite his incarnation managing affairs in the Immortal Domain and the Upper Realm, certain matters required his attention.
Particularly noteworthy was the information Gu Changge received from Xiao Ruoyin’s side. Chan Hongyi and Tao Yao had visited the Temple of Destiny and borrowed the Fateful Immortal Boat.
This development surprised Gu Changge, leading him to speculate that the duo intended to traverse the river of time to the Forbidden Era in search of secrets and truths.
However, the Forbidden Era had fractured in the river of history, making it challenging even for Gu Changge to pinpoint its exact coordinates. There needed to be more certainty about whether Chan Hongyi and Tao Yao could locate them by rushing forward.
Even if they did, these coordinates represented mere fragments of time, incapable of providing a genuine experience of the Forbidden Era. Moreover, unforeseen accidents and repercussions could occur during the process.
Contemplating the potential revelation of the so-called truth, Gu Changge considered using this opportunity to trap Chan Hongyi and Tao Yao in the past to safeguard his plans.
Meanwhile, in the secluded depths of the back mountain, Barbara, now in snug attire, moved like a graceful cheetah through the forest, eventually arriving at a well-concealed pool of water. This location, quite distant from her dwelling, took her considerable time to discover.
Previously, she used this spot for washing clothes and other tasks. Today, as she looked into the clear pond, Barbara was momentarily stunned, struggling to recognize the clean and refreshed girl before her. She immersed herself in the water with a splash for a quick rinse.
The pool sparkled with clarity, yet Barbara, exposing only her head, wore a somewhat dazed and contemplative expression. Although the recent events hadn’t transpired over an extended period, Barbara perceived them as years gone by, leaving a profound and enduring imprint on her memory.
What in the world is a demonic heart?
Barbara couldn’t help but murmur, her mind filled with countless doubts. Almost an hour later, Gu Changge observed Barbara’s return to the courtyard. With wet hair and a loosely fitted robe, her pet.i.te and delicate facial features seemed to be the size of a palm.
The reshaping of her bones had given her a fair and light complexion, resembling flawless mutton jade. However, her stature was notably taller than ordinary women’s, and her slender legs carried an air of ignorance akin to a princess.
Gu Changge nodded approvingly at her transformed appearance, then tossed her a Dao book.
“Senior, what is this?” Barbara asked, catching the jade slip. It seemed to be made of emerald bamboo, radiating a faint brilliance.
“A technique that can completely transform you,” Gu Changge casually remarked. The exercise had no name yet, and he suggested Barbara could refer to it as the “nameless exercise.”
No cultivation method suited the demonic heart in this world, so Gu Changge combined the Immortal Devouring Demonic Art and various Dao forbidden arts to create this technique for Barbara’s growth.
Barbara, pondering the most mentioned word in the jade slip, noted the emphasis on “luck.” However, she realized she could only grasp a superficial understanding for now, unable to fathom the obscure meanings that caused her eyes to hurt.
Expressing her grat.i.tude, Barbara a.s.sured Gu Changge that she wouldn’t disappoint him.
In response, Gu Changge dismissed the need for thanks, emphasizing that their interaction was a mutually beneficial exchange. He clarified that while he wouldn’t harm her, she would have to pay a corresponding price for her choices, as he wouldn’t a.s.sist without something in return.
Understanding the nature of their deal, Barbara nodded, acknowledging that nothing good came without a cost in this world.
On the contrary, Gu Changge’s open and honest communication put Barbara much more at ease than before.
After all, you, senior, provided me with such an opportunity.
Barbara determinedly a.s.serted. While she didn’t fully grasp the meaning behind Gu Changge’s talk about paying with her future, she sensed that he did not intend to harm her—a crucial point for her peace of mind.
Gu Changge had not only informed her about the future but also imparted Dao teachings and a.s.sisted in rebuilding her foundation.
“For cultivators, avoiding emotional decisions is crucial. Sometimes making up your mind isn’t positive,” Gu Changge cautioned. “Don’t mistake me for a benevolent person. Perhaps, someday in the future, you may regret the choice you made today,” he added cynically, seemingly aware of Barbara’s thoughts.
Taken aback, Barbara lowered her eyes and expressed grat.i.tude, saying, “I understand. Thank you for your guidance, senior.”
The mountain peak was relatively small, with lush greenery, ancient trees, and numerous medicinal fields. Usually, only Barbara and her master resided there. Even she needed her master’s permission to enter his courtyard.
The Barbaric G.o.d Sect had several elders, each a terrible cultivator surpa.s.sing the sixth realm, with some reaching the seventh. Despite her master’s low-key nature, the elders treated Barbara respectfully, knowing her master’s dual ident.i.ty as both a sixth-realm powerhouse and a distinguished pharmacist capable of refining various ancient medicines, including some lost old pills.
Barbara had faced challenges joining the Barbarian G.o.d Sect due to her barbarian status, as her physique wasn’t conducive to Dao practice. Powerful barbarians in the sect were reluctant to accept her as their disciple.
Barbarians invested more resources in cultivation than human races, and the powerful barbarians struggled to secure enough resources for their progress, making it impractical to take on another barbarian disciple.
However, Barbara’s fortunes changed when her master, returning from herb gathering, noticed the need for a disciple to tend to the medicine fields. In a daze, Barbara was accepted and worshiped her master as her teacher.
Daily interactions between Barbara and her master were limited. The master dedicated most of her time to her courtyard, experimenting with medicinal herbs and refining elixirs.
Occasionally, bottles and jars filled with various brews were thrown to Barbara—some enhancing spiritual energy, others serving as healing remedies. Having grown up in the wilderness and learned from her grandfather, Barbara possessed natural proficiency in medicinal knowledge.
Initially, Barbara believed her master’s actions were well-intentioned. However, after taking several pills together and experiencing varied effects, she realized they had mind-controlling properties.
Initially attributing it to her master’s oversight, Barbara grew vigilant when she discovered that these seemingly harmless pills, if consumed over time, could lead to insanity and even turn her into an unwitting puppet.
Perplexed about why her master would seek to control her, especially considering her modest cultivation in the third realm, Barbara questioned the motive.
“No wonder—they used me as a p.a.w.n and planned to discard me once my cultivation succeeded,” she realized. Each breakthrough in cultivation seemed to bring joy to her master, leading Barbara to believe it was genuine happiness initially.
Reflecting on these realizations, a cold determination gleamed in Barbara’s eyes. Gu Changge’s insight into the future exposed the dark plot early on. Subsequently, the Barbarian G.o.d Sect’s ma.s.sacre of her clan was a consequence of this revelation.
This time he went down the mountain, and it will take at least half a month before he comes back. Until then, I need to uncover whatever schemes he’s hatching.
Barbara resolved, aware of her master’s cunning methods. If her master were to poison her, it would be executed flawlessly, leaving no traces behind. The question loomed:
How did the Barbarian G.o.d Sect perceive these events in the future?
Barbara considered that her master might have undisclosed means to communicate covertly with the Barbarian G.o.d Sect. Beyond that, she couldn’t fathom any other explanation.
“I’ll give you half a month to seek revenge on your own terms. If you can’t accomplish it by then, I’ll intervene, wiping your relevant memories and returning everything to normal. What follows won’t concern me,” Gu Changge declared in a matter-of-fact tone.
It wasn’t cruelty on his part but rather a recognition that if Barbara couldn’t handle such a task, she had no right to demand his time. In this expansive world, there will always be a second suitable candidate.