ushernet Chapter 607
Chapter 607
At the center of the altar stands a complete statue.
It was a female deity statue, likely from the same series as the damaged one on Helan Mountain, but this one was well-preserved.
The statue is about two meters tall, made of jade-like material, and entirely black, except for its eyes, which are inlaid with two dark red gemstones that gleam with an eerie light in the twilight.
The statue holds an open earthenware jar in its hands, from which black mist continuously pours out and blends into the surrounding air.
Most chillingly, dozens of "people" were kneeling around the altar.
They were dressed in all sorts of clothes, including modern mountaineering clothes, ethnic minority costumes, and worn-out military uniforms.
They are clearly people who entered the valley by mistake or were forced into it from different eras.
At this moment, they all had their heads down and remained motionless, but their chests rose and fell slightly, indicating that they were still alive.
On the back of each person's neck lay a fist-sized, dark red worm shaped like a centipede.
The insect's segments pierced deeply into the person's cervical vertebrae, and its tail trembled slightly, as if it were transporting or absorbing something.
"The God-Controlling Gu." Granny Lan's voice trembled.
"This technique... has long been lost."
Legend has it that it can control people's minds, turning them into living puppets.
Zhang Hao stared intently at the statue on the altar.
He could sense that inside the statue, a vast and malevolent consciousness was slowly awakening.
Those god-controlling Gu are its extended "nerve endings," controlling these living people to provide it with nourishment and protect the altar.
"Grandma, can you remove the curse?"
Zhang Hao asked.
Granny Lan's face was grim:
"Once the God-Controlling Gu enters the body, it grows together with the host's nervous system."
If forcibly removed, the host will immediately suffer brain death.
unless……"
"Unless what?"
"Unless we find the 'mother Gu'."
Grandma Lan pointed to the pottery jar in the statue's hand, "The God-Controlling Gu is a Mother-Child Gu."
All the offspring Gu are controlled by the mother Gu.
Once the mother Gu is destroyed, the offspring Gu will go into hibernation, and the host will regain their senses.
However, if the nerves are damaged due to prolonged control, dementia or disability may occur after recovery.
Zhang Hao looked at the kneeling people; at least a dozen of them were dressed in modern clothes, probably tourists or explorers who had strayed into the area in recent years.
"Then destroy the mother Gu."
He made up his mind:
"Grandma, you and Lan Cai are responsible for dealing with the surrounding insect nests, and don't let them interfere."
Liu Qi used the corpse puppet to probe the area around the altar for any traps.
"Fatty, prepare the explosives. If necessary, destroy the beacon tower."
"how about you?"
"The fat man asked."
Zhang Hao drew his black gold ancient sword, the blade reflecting the dim light of the valley:
"I'm going to meet that statue."
He stepped forward.
The moment the first step was taken, all the chirping of insects in the valley abruptly ceased.
It was as if the entire swarm of insects in the valley had simultaneously turned their "eyes" toward this uninvited guest.
The moment Zhang Hao stepped into the altar area, the entire valley came to life.
The insect nest surged like a tide, the swarm of black bees turned into dark clouds overhead, the poisonous ants spread out like a carpet, and the translucent gelatinous insect eggs burst open one after another, crawling out countless distorted larvae.
The air was filled with the high-frequency flapping sound, almost tearing my eardrums apart.
"Set up the formation!"
Granny Lan shouted sharply, slamming her snake-headed cane heavily on the ground.
Lan Cai quickly took out seven small colorful flags from the bamboo basket and placed them around the basket according to the orientation of the Big Dipper.
As each flag landed, a faint halo of light spread out, connecting with each other to form a hemispherical barrier.
The insects that collided with the barrier fell to the ground with a crackling sound, as if struck by an electric net.
But the swarm of insects was endless, and the light of the barrier was dimming at a visible rate.
"Mother-in-law, you can't hold on much longer!"
Lan Cai's face turned pale, and she formed hand seals to maintain the formation.
"It won't take long, just the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
Grandma Lan took out a pottery flute from her bosom and brought it to her lips to play.
There was no melody, only sharp, piercing single notes.
As soon as the xun (a type of ancient Chinese wind instrument) sounded, the swarm of insects rushing towards the barrier became momentarily chaotic, with many insects starting to attack each other.
Liu Qi's two corpse puppets have already rushed towards the altar.
They ignored the swarms of insects along the way and headed straight for those controlled by the God-Controlling Gu.
The corpse puppet's hands, like iron clamps, grabbed the centipede-like worms on the back of the necks of two of them and pulled hard.
"hiss--!"
The worms emitted a piercing shriek, their limbs deeply hooking into their host's flesh, drawing out copious amounts of blood.
The host's body convulsed violently, yet he remained kneeling on the ground, his eyes vacant.
"No! Pulling it forcefully will break your spine!"
Liu Qi frowned and released the puppet.
She herself leaped to the edge of the altar, drew her short sword, and slashed at a giant centipede that was trying to climb onto the legs of a corpse puppet.
With a flash of light, the centipede was severed in two, but a foul-smelling green liquid gushed from the cut, corroding and creating pits upon landing.
"Watch out for venom!"
Liu Qi retreated hastily.
The fat man had already climbed to the second level of the beacon tower and was strapping explosives onto the supporting pillars.
"Brother Zhang Hao!"
What to do?
"To fry or not to fry?"
Zhang Hao did not answer.
He had already walked to within three zhang of the altar.
The black gold ancient sword was held horizontally in front of him, its blade trembling and emitting a low dragon roar, not out of fear, but out of excitement at encountering its nemesis.
The black goddess statue on the altar, with its eyes inlaid with dark red gemstones, slowly turned towards him.
There was no sound, but Zhang Hao directly "heard" an ancient, cold, and thirsty consciousness in his mind:
"The son of the Qilin..."
That consciousness, like a thousand insects gnawing at him, burrowed into his nerves, trying to erode his will.
Zhang Hao snorted coldly, and the Qilin bloodline suddenly erupted.
The golden patterns in his eyes intensified, and a faint golden phantom appeared around his body.
It was a Qilin roaring to the sky, its mane like flames and its four hooves treading on fire.
The moment the phantom of the Qilin appeared, the entire swarm of insects in the valley froze, as if they had encountered a natural enemy.
The lower-level insects even began to instinctively retreat.
The black mist intensified as it billowed from the pottery jar in the statue's hand.
"Borrowing...body...to...return...soul..."
The shattered will resounded once more. This time, those kneeling around the altar simultaneously raised their heads.
Their eyes had all turned dark red, exactly like the eyes of the idol.
Dozens of people slowly stood up, their movements stiff yet synchronized, like puppets controlled by the same string.
They turned around, facing Zhang Hao, their lips curling into strange smiles.
Then, they pounced at the same time!
It was not a warrior's pounce, but a beastly bite.
Their fingernails became long and black, their teeth protruded, and they made inhuman hoarse noises from their throats.
Even more bizarrely, the mind-controlling Gu on the back of their necks had now completely merged into their flesh, transforming into dark red patterns that spread throughout their bodies, as if infusing them with inhuman power.
Zhang Hao brandished his knife.
The blade flashed like an arc, and the three people at the front were cut in half at the waist.
But the wound didn't bleed; only black, sticky fluid oozed out.
The body, broken in two, continued to crawl on the ground, its upper body supported by its arms, as it lunged at Zhang Hao.