**Chapter 1006: The Love Gu Matures**
Against all expectations, Tian Jue’er was actually holding her own against Huang Qingcang with sheer brute strength.
Although Huang Qingcang was being controlled by the shadow puppeteer and could only rely on muscle memory to execute his techniques—far from his full potential—this outcome was still astonishing.
Zhuge Ji and Long Feicheng rushed to Yan Shouyi’s side, joining Wen Yuxian before asking Ye Tianyuan, "How’s it going? How much longer?"
"At least **one more minute!**" Ye Tianyuan replied, his brow furrowed in concentration.
Not daring to disturb him, Long Feicheng glanced at the battle between Tian Jue’er and Huang Qingcang and said to Zhuge Ji, "Looks like we’ve got enough time!"
Huang Qingcang seemed to sense the urgency and repeatedly tried to shake off Tian Jue’er to disrupt Ye Tianyuan, but she **blocked him at every turn.**
One minute would pass quickly. Once Yan Shouyi regained his senses, even **ten Huang Qingcangs** wouldn’t be enough to stop him!
Though the Dianyi Sect disciples were still slaughtering the monkey horde, Zhuge Ji calculated that the **Love Silk Gu** wouldn’t mature so quickly. **Everything was under control!**
But just when it seemed like nothing could go wrong…
**Disaster struck.**
While everyone’s attention was fixed on Tian Jue’er and Huang Qingcang, the **Gu Master** silently appeared at the edge of the Elephant Washing Pool.
This woman, dressed in exotic attire with a **viper coiled atop her head**, was the one who had planted the Love Silk Gu in Qi Dongqiang.
Without hesitation, she stepped into the pool, letting the water rise to her knees before bending down to scoop up a handful. She **licked it** with a flick of her tongue.
The pool’s water, once clear and sweet, was now **tainted with blood** from countless corpses, reeking of iron and decay.
The scent seemed to excite her. She frowned slightly and murmured, "The Love Silk Gu needs time to mature, but given the circumstances… **we can’t wait.**"
With that, she **whistled softly.**
The viper on her head hissed before slithering down her body and **plunging into the pool.**
It swam swiftly, targeting a corpse before **burrowing straight into its mouth.**
**BOOM!**
The corpse **exploded**, further polluting the already bloodied water, turning it **murky and foul.**
Then—
**The pool began to boil.**
From the turbid depths, **grotesque flowers** sprouted at an **alarming speed!**
**"What the hell?!"**
Long Feicheng, sensing the disturbance, spun around in shock.
**The Elephant Washing Pool was already overrun with Love Silk Gu!**
The sight was identical to when they had first returned to the pool.
Zhuge Ji’s face paled. **"Why are they growing so fast?! At this rate, they’ll release their pollen before the Chief wakes up! If that happens… none of us will escape!"**
**"Leave it to me!"**
Long Feicheng pulled out the **Lightning Palm Talisman** Yan Shouyi had given him, ready to mimic his idol and **annihilate** the Love Silk Gu in one strike.
But the moment he took a step forward—
**SSSSSSSSSS!**
A **golden python**, its body as thick as a **train car**, erupted from the water!
Only its upper half was visible, but its **triangular eyes** gleamed with malice, its fangs as large as bamboo shoots dripping with venom. A **stench** of decay blasted into Long Feicheng’s face as it hissed.
**"Holy f—!"**
Long Feicheng **stumbled back a dozen steps**, dropping the talisman in his panic. **"Since when was this thing in the pool?! Is it Abbess Guanyun’s pet?!"**
Wen Yuxian immediately shook her head. **"Absolutely not!"**
The Elephant Washing Pool was a **sacred site** of Mount Emei. Wen Yuxian had grown up here—if a **python demon** had been lurking in its depths, she would’ve known.
**"Then it’s an enemy!"**
Gritting his teeth, Long Feicheng raised Caiwei Sword and planted himself firmly in front of the group. **"I’ll hold it off!"**
**"Hah. You?"**
A woman in exotic dress **materialized atop the python’s head**—the **"Wei" Gu Master.**
Her gaze swept over them with disdain. **"Today, all of you will die here!"**
With a flick of her wrist, the python **lunged** at Long Feicheng!
The sheer **pressure** of its charge made his face go numb.
But with Yan Shouyi still unconscious behind him, Long Feicheng **stood his ground**, roaring to bolster his courage:
**"COME ON!! I’LL KILL YOU!!"**
Just as the python’s jaws were about to **snap shut** around him—
**SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!**
Several **sword beams** shot past Long Feicheng, **aiming straight for the python’s eyes!**
The beast recoiled, abandoning its attack to avoid the strike.
Long Feicheng whirled around—**Wen Yuxian** had made her move.
Ethereal swords, condensed from **soul energy**, hovered around her as she said coldly,
**"Xiao Long, don’t fall for her distractions. Destroying the Love Silk Gu is the priority!"**
Long Feicheng snapped back to reality. If the Love Silk Gu matured and released its pollen, **none of them would escape.**
Wen Yuxian then glared at the Gu Master, her voice dripping with venom. **"You’re the one behind Qi Dongqiang, aren’t you? You played no small part in the massacre of my sect."**
The Gu Master smirked. **"Flattery won’t save you. Qi Dongqiang wanted Mount Emei gone—we merely… helped."**
Fury ignited in Wen Yuxian’s eyes. She **hurled her swords** at the woman!
But the Gu Master was cunning. She **kept the python coiled around the pool**, refusing to step out of its protection.
Neither Wen Yuxian nor Long Feicheng could break through to destroy the Love Silk Gu.
**Time was running out.**
Just as Zhuge Ji’s anxiety peaked—
**"GOT IT!"**
Ye Tianyuan **yanked a palm-sized shadow puppet** from Yan Shouyi’s silhouette!
The puppet wriggled **as if alive**, but Ye Tianyuan **crushed it underfoot without hesitation.**
**"It’s done!"** he shouted.
At the same moment—
**Yan Shouyi’s eyes snapped open.**
Rage flickered in his gaze.
Huang Qingcang’s underhanded trick—**embedding a shadow puppet in his silhouette**—would’ve **enslaved** anyone else. But Yan Shouyi’s will was **unshakable.** He had been **fighting the control internally**, unable to move freely.
Seeing him awake, Long Feicheng exhaled in relief and yelled, **"Chief! The pool!"**
Yan Shouyi **bolted toward the Elephant Washing Pool**, already channeling **Lightning Palm energy** into his hand.
But—
**He was one second too late.**
The grotesque flowers in the pool **suddenly released a cloud of pink mist…**