Chapter 19: The True Power of the Celestial Transmutation Gu
Han Feng didn't leave his hiding place immediately.
He waited.
The forest had become strangely quiet after the cultivators left. No footsteps. No voices. No fluctuations of spiritual energy.
Still, he remained motionless beneath the thick branches of an ancient tree.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Only after he was certain that no one was following him did Han Feng finally open his eyes.
He exhaled slowly.
"That was too close."
His back was damp with sweat.
He had escaped without fighting, but the encounter had taught him something more valuable than any battle could have.
There were people in this world who were already searching for treasures connected to ancient inheritances.
And now...
They had noticed him.
Han Feng looked toward the distant mountains.
The cave was no longer safe.
He couldn't return there.
Not yet.
Perhaps not ever.
But there was one thing he couldn't stop thinking about.
The Gu.
He reached into his robe and carefully took out the small translucent insect.
The creature floated above his palm.
Golden and black patterns moved continuously across its body, forming and disappearing like celestial constellations.
Its wings were almost transparent.
At first glance, it looked fragile.
But Han Feng knew better.
The moment this Gu had emerged from the chrysalis, the Celestial Diagram had reacted.
That alone was enough to prove that it wasn't ordinary.
Han Feng stared at it for several seconds.
"Let's see what you really are."
He extended a thread of Qi.
The moment his energy touched the Gu—
Boom!
His consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
Han Feng found himself standing inside his own spiritual sea.
The Celestial Diagram floated before him.
But something had changed.
Previously, the hexagram had contained six visible symbols.
Now there was a seventh.
The new symbol was different from the others.
It looked like two streams of energy twisting around one another, forming a perfect circle before returning to the center.
Han Feng stared at it.
"So that's what awakened."
The seventh symbol pulsed.
The Gu floating beside him suddenly moved toward it.
The moment they came into contact—
A tremendous amount of information flooded Han Feng's mind.
He gritted his teeth.
Images flashed through his consciousness.
Qi becoming Gu essence.
Gu essence becoming Qi.
Two different energies merging without destroying one another.
A Gu evolving through internal circulation rather than external refinement materials.
And finally...
A name.
Celestial Transmutation Gu.
Han Feng's breathing stopped for a moment.
He finally understood.
This Gu wasn't created merely to become another weapon.
It was a bridge.
A bridge between two completely different systems.
The Qi cultivation path.
And the Gu path.
Two powers that should have remained separate could now interact through the Celestial Transmutation Gu.
Han Feng's eyes narrowed.
"If that's true..."
He immediately began examining the Gu's abilities.
The first function was the most obvious.
Transmutation.
Qi could be converted into Gu essence.
Gu essence could be converted back into Qi.
Not perfectly.
There was a loss during the conversion.
But even a partial conversion was astonishing.
The second function was even more dangerous.
Nourishment.
The Gu could use refined Qi to strengthen another Gu.
That explained the strange reaction of the Dual Chaos Larva.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu could act as a bridge between them.
The third function...
Han Feng's expression became serious.
Concealment.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu could interfere with the natural fluctuations produced when a cultivator advanced.
Combined with the Art of the Celestial Veil...
Han Feng could potentially hide his cultivation much more effectively.
But there was something else.
Something that wasn't an ability.
A warning.
The information inside his mind suddenly became vague.
Han Feng frowned.
"What?"
He tried to force the information forward.
Nothing.
The seventh symbol flickered.
A strange sensation passed through his consciousness.
It was almost as if the Celestial Diagram itself was telling him:
Not yet.
Han Feng's expression darkened.
"So even you have limits."
That was actually reassuring.
If the Celestial Diagram gave him everything immediately, it would only make him reckless.
Power without understanding was another form of weakness.
He slowly withdrew his consciousness.
Han Feng opened his eyes beneath the tree.
The night had deepened.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu rested quietly on his palm.
He stared at it for a long time.
"First, I need to know how much you can really do."
He decided not to return to the village.
Not yet.
The village had become too predictable.
Too many eyes.
Too many people who knew his face.
He needed somewhere that even the cultivators searching for him wouldn't think to look.
The Misty Shadow Mountains.
The deeper regions were almost never visited.
Toxic fog covered entire valleys, spiritual beasts wandered freely, and even experienced cultivators avoided certain areas.
For most people, it was a death trap.
For Han Feng...
It was exactly what he needed.
Two hours later, Han Feng reached the outer region of the Misty Shadow Mountains.
The vegetation became increasingly dense.
The trees were taller.
The mist thicker.
Every few steps, strange sounds echoed somewhere in the darkness.
Han Feng slowed down.
He didn't fear ordinary beasts.
What worried him were spiritual beasts capable of detecting his hidden aura.
He activated the Celestial Veil.
Then he continued.
After several hours of searching, he finally discovered a narrow valley between two enormous cliffs.
Dense fog covered the entrance.
Even from a short distance, it was difficult to see inside.
Han Feng smiled.
"Perfect."
He entered.
The valley was surprisingly quiet.
There were no recent tracks.
No human footprints.
No signs of cultivation.
Most importantly...
The Qi was abundant.
Not overwhelmingly powerful.
But stable.
Han Feng immediately realized that this place could serve as a temporary cultivation ground.
Temporary.
He would never make the mistake of treating any hiding place as permanent again.
Han Feng sat beneath an enormous tree.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu floated in front of him.
The Dual Chaos Larva rested nearby.
He began with the simplest experiment.
A small amount of Qi.
Nothing more.
He carefully directed the energy toward the Celestial Transmutation Gu.
The insect absorbed it.
A moment later, the energy changed.
The pure Qi became something different.
Gu essence.
Han Feng's eyes widened.
"It actually works."
But the excitement lasted only a moment.
He immediately noticed the problem.
The amount of Gu essence produced was considerably smaller than the Qi he had supplied.
There was loss.
A significant one.
Han Feng frowned.
"So I can't simply convert endless Qi into Gu essence."
He considered the implications.
Good.
That was good.
A balanced ability was much easier to control than an ability without limits.
He continued experimenting.
Different quantities.
Different speeds.
Different combinations of Qi and Gu essence.
After several hours, Han Feng finally understood the basic principle.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu didn't create energy.
It transformed it.
The difference was enormous.
Han Feng smiled.
"Then I'll have to become the source."
His eyes shifted toward the Dual Chaos Larva.
"Let's see how much you can endure."
The refinement began.
Han Feng first supplied a small amount of Qi.
The Dual Chaos Larva reacted immediately.
Its body trembled.
The chaotic energy inside it surged.
The orderly energy responded.
The two forces collided.
Previously, this would have caused instability.
This time, however, the Celestial Transmutation Gu intervened.
Golden and black light wrapped around the larva.
The conflicting energies were separated.
Then slowly...
They were brought together.
Han Feng's breathing became heavier.
"Steady..."
The process was far more difficult than he expected.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu could assist the process.
But it couldn't make the decision for him.
Every imbalance had to be corrected manually.
Every fluctuation had to be controlled.
A single mistake could damage the Dual Chaos Larva.
Sweat rolled down Han Feng's forehead.
Three hours passed.
Then four.
Finally—
Crack!
A faint sound came from the larva.
Han Feng immediately opened his eyes.
The shell covering its body began to split.
Light poured from the cracks.
The Dual Chaos Larva twisted violently.
Then its body stabilized.
Its shell was darker than before.
The chaotic markings had become more organized.
And beneath the shell...
A second layer had formed.
Han Feng stared.
"Rank Two."
The words escaped his mouth before he could stop them.
He had done it.
The Dual Chaos Larva had advanced.
But Han Feng didn't celebrate.
Instead, he carefully examined his own condition.
His Qi had fallen considerably.
His spiritual sense was exhausted.
Even the Celestial Transmutation Gu appeared weaker.
Han Feng frowned.
"So there is a price."
He leaned against the tree.
The conclusion was simple.
He could accelerate the evolution of his Gu.
But he couldn't do it endlessly.
His own cultivation still mattered.
The stronger he became, the more he could accomplish.
For the first time since receiving the Celestial Diagram, Han Feng felt that he understood something important.
The Celestial Diagram wasn't going to carry him to the top.
It was giving him a path.
He still had to walk it.
A sudden sound interrupted his thoughts.
Rustle.
Han Feng's eyes opened.
The forest became silent.
Too silent.
He immediately activated the Celestial Veil.
His aura vanished.
The Dual Chaos Larva returned to his sleeve.
The Celestial Transmutation Gu disappeared into his spiritual sea.
Han Feng remained completely still.
Several seconds later...
A shadow appeared at the edge of the valley.
A man.
Hooded.
He stood beneath the fog and carefully examined the surroundings.
Han Feng recognized him.
One of the cultivators from the cave.
His expression became cold.
"They followed me this far?"
The man didn't enter immediately.
Instead, he took something from his robe.
A small black disc.
Han Feng's pupils contracted.
A detection Gu.
The disc released a faint wave of spiritual energy.
Han Feng immediately suppressed every fluctuation.
His heart beat slowly.
Once.
Twice.
The detection wave passed over him.
Nothing.
The hooded cultivator frowned.
He looked around.
"Strange..."
He remained there for several minutes.
Then he finally turned around.
"Perhaps I'm mistaken."
He disappeared into the mist.
Han Feng waited.
One minute.
Two.
Five.
Only then did he release his breath.
His expression was no longer relaxed.
"They're searching much farther than I expected."
He looked toward the direction the cultivator had disappeared.
The enemy wasn't simply interested in the Gu.
They were looking for him.
And if they had already reached this valley...
His movements were becoming predictable.
Han Feng stood.
"This place can't be my home either."
He looked at the dark mountains.
He needed resources.
He needed cultivation.
He needed information.
And most importantly...
He needed to understand why the Celestial Diagram was connected to that ancient cave.
The seventh symbol had awakened there.
The hidden passage had responded to his power.
And now the Celestial Transmutation Gu had appeared.
Those things couldn't be coincidences.
Han Feng closed his fist.
"Someone left this inheritance behind."
A faint light flashed in his eyes.
"And sooner or later..."
"I'll find out who."
Far away, beyond the mountains, the hooded cultivator stopped.
He took out a small black jade token.
The same symbol that had appeared inside the ancient cave was engraved upon it.
The token trembled.
A faint light emerged.
The cultivator's expression changed.
"So the formation really did react."
He looked back toward the mountains.
"That means the heir is still alive."
He raised the token.
"Lord Shadow needs to know."
The light disappeared.
And with it, the final trace of Han Feng's peace.
The hunt had officially begun.