Chapter 576 - 573: Gu Lele’s Transformation

"You won’t be making it to the afterlife. Ever heard of having your soul annihilated?" Mo Qi sneered, activating Gorging and Drinking to begin extracting the Shadow Kill Bloodline from Gu Zetao’s body.

Mo Qi had no intention of being gentle with Gu Zetao. He immediately began stripping the bloodline in the most forceful way possible.

Normally, the process of stripping a bloodline would inevitably damage a portion of the Bloodline Power.

However, Mo Qi used Gorging and Drinking to tyrannically plunder Gu Zetao’s Life Origin, using it to thoroughly nourish the Shadow Kill Bloodline.

In the end, not only would the Shadow Kill Bloodline remain undamaged, but it would also grow even stronger.

TSSSSS~

A fist-sized mass of blood, emitting an eerie, purplish-black glow, flew out from Gu Zetao’s heart and hovered above Mo Qi’s palm.

The color drained from Gu Zetao’s face, his complexion turning deathly pale as large cracks spread across the surface of his skin.

Like wind-dried jerky, not a single drop of blood flowed from the crisscrossing gashes.

His mouth moved, as if trying to beg for mercy, but he was too weak to make a sound.

At the same time, the shadow behind Gu Zetao began to writhe, transforming into a pitch-black, head-sized sphere that rolled to Mo Qi’s feet.

Gu Zetao’s body then shriveled at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Finally, he resembled a dried corpse, nothing but skin and bones.

Thanks to his Void Realm Cultivation, though Gu Zetao no longer looked human, he still clung to life.

Dehydrated, his cheeks sank inward, his yellowed teeth fell out, and his eyeballs bulged. A continuous, muffled hissing escaped his throat, and the sight was utterly horrifying.

Gu Lele had long since turned away, hiding behind Gu Peng with her ears covered, daring neither to look nor to listen.

"Lele, come here!"

Mo Qi’s sudden command startled Gu Lele.

"Go on!" Gu Peng urged, pushing Gu Lele out from behind him.

Head lowered, Gu Lele shuffled in small steps over to Mo Qi.

While it was true she was determined to become stronger, this was the first time she had ever encountered a scene like this.

For a sheltered young girl, the impact of Gu Zetao’s fate was immense.

It was impressive enough that Gu Lele hadn’t thrown up on the spot.

"Lift your head and look at him!" Mo Qi said, pointing at Gu Zetao. His voice wasn’t loud, but it held an unquestionable authority.

Gu Lele bit her lip and slowly raised her head.

But the moment she saw Gu Zetao’s desiccated, corpse-like state, she was so frightened she immediately buried her head again.

"Head up!" Mo Qi suddenly raised his voice, his tone becoming extremely stern.

A sense of injustice welled up inside her. Gu Lele blinked, her long eyelashes damp with tears.

She didn’t understand why Mo Qi was being so harsh with her, but she obediently raised her head.

However, she couldn’t bring herself to focus her gaze on Gu Zetao.

Gu Peng sighed at the sight. Though his heart ached for her, he understood the deeper meaning behind Mo Qi’s actions.

"Take a good look at what he’s become! This is the price of failure on the path of the Martial Dao!"

Mo Qi wasn’t a sadist; he wouldn’t deliberately make things difficult for a young girl for no reason.

But since Gu Lele was determined to walk the Martial Dao, he had to make her understand its cruelty.

"Winner takes all, loser is vanquished. For a Cultivator, death is often the best possible outcome. There are countless people in this world who aren’t even granted the mercy of death, forced to live for eternity in pain and torment."

Mo Qi’s tone remained unchanged. "Lele, what you’re seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cruelty of the Martial Dao. There are countless people who have suffered fates far more wretched than Gu Zetao’s. If you can’t even bring yourself to look a failure in the eye, it’s not too late to turn back now."

At his words, Gu Lele’s eyes flew wide open. She stared at Mo Qi and declared, "No, I don’t regret it! I will walk the Martial Dao and become one of the strong!"

Years of suffering forged an unyielding, iron will within her, giving her a heart strong enough to meet Mo Qi’s gaze and the courage to look directly at Gu Zetao.

In that brief instant, Gu Lele’s entire disposition underwent a world-altering change.

If before she had been just a weak girl struggling to survive, now she was like a finely-honed sword, its deadly edge unsheathed.

Her strength wasn’t in her Cultivation, but in her heart!

"Very good!" Mo Qi praised, a smile breaking across his face.

At the same time, he produced a dagger, handed it to Gu Lele, and pointed at Gu Zetao.

"Kill him."

The look in Gu Lele’s eyes changed once more, and the hand gripping the dagger trembled slightly.

"Brother Mo, isn’t this too much, too soon?" Gu Peng asked, extremely worried, sending the question to Mo Qi via voice transmission.

Gu Lele usually wouldn’t even dare to step on an ant, and now she was being told to kill a man. Never mind a young girl, even most adults would find that difficult to accept.

Mo Qi shook his head and replied via voice transmission, "Brother Gu, you don’t understand. Lele is about to receive the Shadow Kill Bloodline, which gives her the natural makings of an assassin. She is destined to become the most powerful killer in the world."

"For her, killing will become as commonplace as eating and drinking. That’s why her first kill is particularly important. This is the perfect moment!"

Hearing this, Gu Peng sighed and said no more.

"Lele, think of this as a test. If you can’t even bring yourself to strike down your own enemy, your dream of becoming strong will be nothing but a joke."

A look of conflict appeared on Gu Lele’s face. It was clear she was experiencing an unprecedented inner turmoil.

Mo Qi didn’t rush her. He knew this was a process—an essential one that Gu Lele had to work through on her own.

Forcing her would only be counterproductive.

After several minutes, Gu Lele closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

When she opened her eyes again, the conflict on her face had vanished, replaced by a calm as still as water.

She walked slowly to Gu Zetao, dagger in hand, and plunged it into his temple.

Gu Zetao’s eyes filled with terror. He tried to dodge, but it was futile.

SHLICK!

Gu Zetao convulsed a few times, then his head slumped to the side, and he went still.

"Well done." Mo Qi came up behind Gu Lele and patted her shoulder.

As if she had found a pillar to lean on, Gu Lele threw herself into Mo Qi’s arms. All her previous calm was gone as she began to wail loudly.

Mo Qi gently patted her back. He knew how cruel it was to make a young girl like Gu Lele kill someone.

But reality had forced his hand.

Gu Lele cried for a long time. Mo Qi remained silent, simply letting her cling to him and offering silent comfort.

"Brother Mo... am I useless?" Gu Lele asked, her eyes swollen from crying as she looked up at him.

Mo Qi ruffled her hair and smiled. "No, you did wonderfully. Brother Mo knows how much this hurts, but think about this: if you show mercy to an enemy like Gu Zetao—if you had let him go today—do you think someone with his character would have been grateful?"

Gu Lele shook her head.

"Exactly," Mo Qi continued. "He wouldn’t have been grateful. Instead, he would have returned to the Gu Family, gathered their powerful cultivators, and come back for revenge!"