509: Ah Gu, live on.

As Murong Xuan looked at A Gu's tear-streaked face, his own heart was churning with emotion.

How could he bear to die like this? How could he bear to be separated from A Gu!!

But he knew that he no longer had any way out.

The pursuers' target was him; only if he led them away would A Gu have a chance to survive, and the Murong Family Legacy have hope of continuing.

"A Gu, this isn't a request, it's an order." Murong Xuan's tone suddenly became stern, though his eyes were filled with reluctance. "You must live on. This is my entrustment to you, and the entrustment of the entire Murong Family!"

"I will not obey!" A Gu shook his head stubbornly, gripping his Refined Iron Saber and taking a defensive stance. "Unless I die, no one shall harm the Young Master!"

Seeing A Gu's determined look, Murong Xuan knew that further persuasion was useless.

A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes. Taking advantage of A Gu's lack of focus, he gathered all his remaining spiritual power and struck him heavily on the back of the head with his palm.

A Gu felt his vision go dark, and his mind instantly went blank as his body slumped down. Before losing consciousness, he only heard Murong Xuan's gentle voice in his ear: "A Gu, live on well. Don't let me down."

Murong Xuan carefully picked A Gu up and gently placed him inside a hollow tree.

He carefully covered the hollow with vines and fallen leaves to ensure there were no flaws. He then placed the Refined Iron Saber by the hollow and infused spiritual power into the Golden Seal, releasing a special energy barrier to mask their presence and prevent detection by Divine Sense.

After finishing all this, he took one last deep look at the hollow, his eyes full of lingering affection and resolve. He then turned and sprinted in the opposite direction of the Mass Grave, deliberately releasing his chaotic Golden Core spiritual power to attract the pursuers' attention.

"There! Murong Xuan went that way!" The pursuers led by Zhao Hao soon detected Murong Xuan's spiritual fluctuations and turned to chase after him.

Zhao Hao shouted harshly, "Chase him! Don't let him escape! We must reclaim the Murong Family Head Seal and the Golden Spirit Art!" Over a hundred Golden Core Cultivators surged forward like a tide. No one noticed that one person was missing from Murong Xuan's side; after all, who would care about a slave!!

To them, as long as they caught Murong Xuan, everything would be over.

Murong Xuan sprinted all the way, deliberately leading the pursuers to a steep cliff.

The terrain here was treacherous, with a bottomless canyon below and only a narrow path leading to the cliff's summit—a perfect place for a final stand.

He stopped and turned to face the approaching Cultivators, his flowing cloud sword pointing directly at Zhao Hao. His face showed no fear, only icy hatred.

"Murong Xuan, you're at a dead end. Surrender now and hand over the Family Head Seal and the Cultivation Technique, and perhaps I'll leave you an intact corpse!" Zhao Hao stood before the crowd of Cultivators, arms crossed, his tone full of mockery. Behind him, two Nascent Soul Elders had spiritual power surging around them, ready to strike.

"Surrender?" Murong Xuan sneered, his voice raspy yet carrying a bone-chilling coldness. "The Murong Family knows no such word! Zhao Hao, you slaughtered my kin. Today, even if I have to give my life, I will take you down with me!" As he spoke, a brilliant golden light erupted from him, and a Golden Core phantom slowly emerged behind him.

This phantom looked exactly like him, holding the flowing cloud sword with a majestic gaze; it was the manifestation of his Natal Golden Core.

"He's going to burn his Divine Soul!" A Nascent Soul Elder's face changed drastically as he shouted a warning.

Burning the Divine Soul was a forbidden art for Cultivators. Once activated, it could briefly boost one's cultivation level but at the cost of the soul's total destruction. Even if one were lucky enough to survive, they would become a cripple.

A flicker of surprise crossed Zhao Hao's eyes, followed by a cruel smile. "Just a deathbed struggle! Even if you burn your Divine Soul, you're no match for me!"

Ignoring the mockery, Murong Xuan activated the forbidden art without hesitation.

The Golden Core phantom instantly ignited with raging golden flames. A pressure far exceeding the Late Golden Core Stage filled the air, causing even the fierce winds on the cliff to go still.

His aura surged wildly, briefly reaching the level of the Nascent Soul Early Stage.

"Kill!" Murong Xuan roared, turning into a golden stream of light as he charged straight at the pursuers.

The flowing cloud sword, carrying soul-burning flames, slashed out a golden Sword Qi several yards long, instantly killing over a dozen Golden Core Cultivators.

Seeing this, the Cultivators launched their attacks, with Sword Qi, Spells, and hidden weapons pouring toward Murong Xuan.

With the immense power from burning his Divine Soul, Murong Xuan wove through the crowd of Cultivators. Every swing of the flowing cloud sword claimed several lives.

Wherever the golden flames passed, the Cultivators' spiritual power was instantly scorched, and screams filled the air.

The two Nascent Soul Elders exchanged a glance, in no hurry to strike.

Although they could defeat Murong Xuan, fighting him to the death might result in injuries. Now, they only needed to wait until his Divine Soul was burned out to easily subdue him.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, Murong Xuan had killed nearly ten Golden Core Cultivators. The two Nascent Soul Elders, being overly cautious, had even sustained some minor injuries.

However, the cost of burning his Divine Soul began to show. Murong Xuan's skin started to crack, golden blood seeped from his wounds, his aura grew increasingly withered, and his vision blurred.

Seeing Murong Xuan's strength fading, Zhao Hao laughed. "Played enough? It's time to end this."

He moved in a flash, appearing before Murong Xuan. His longsword gathered dense, blood-colored spiritual power, and taking advantage of Murong Xuan's exhaustion, he pierced his chest with a single thrust.

"Pfft—" Murong Xuan spat out a large mouthful of golden blood and slumped to the ground.

Zhao Hao stepped on his chest, his sole grinding harshly against the wound. His face was full of mockery and humiliation. "Murong Xuan, look at you now, like a stray dog! Your father is dead, your kin are dead, your slave is dead, and Cangwu City is gone. You still dare to struggle here? How pathetic!"

Murong Xuan struggled to lift his head, staring coldly at Zhao Hao. A mocking smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "The Murong Family's Legacy... will never be severed... Sooner or later, you will pay the price... for what you've done today..."

Zhao Hao applied more pressure with his foot. "Stop being so stubborn! Hand over the Murong Family Head Seal and the Golden Spirit Art!"

As he spoke, he began searching Murong Xuan's body, but even after checking everywhere, he found no sign of the Family Head Seal or the Cultivation Technique.

"Where is it?" Zhao Hao's voice turned sharp, his eyes filled with killing intent. "Where are the Murong Family Head Seal and the Golden Spirit Art?"

Seeing his frantic state, Murong Xuan burst into laughter—a raspy, tragic laugh that echoed across the cliff. "Hahaha... I... burned them... They belonged to the Murong Family... Even if destroyed... they would never be given to a despicable villain like you..."

"You think I'll believe that?" Zhao Hao roared, immediately releasing his Divine Sense to cover the entire cliff and the surrounding miles.

But no matter how he searched, he could not sense the Golden Seal's aura.

The Murong Family Head Seal contained the Ancient Cangwu Power, which had the special ability to mask its presence. Unless the holder actively triggered it, even a Soul Transformation Cultivator could not detect its trace.

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Frantic with rage, Zhao Hao stomped on and broke Murong Xuan's left leg; the sound of bone shattering was clearly audible.

Murong Xuan twitched in pain, beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, yet he laughed wildly with his head thrown back. His laughter was shrill and arrogant. "Hahaha, I love seeing you so frantic! Zhao Hao, you think catching me means you've won? Dream on!"

His gaze was like a torch as he stared fixedly at Zhao Hao. His voice suddenly rose, each word resonant and filled with a world-piercing resolve: "My Murong Family has been loyal and righteous for generations, honoring the heavens and cherishing all things. We have never failed the world, nor have we wronged any living being! Your Zhao Family is filled with wild ambition and slaughters the innocent; you will surely face heavenly retribution! Though I, Murong Xuan, die today, the Murong Family's Legacy will not end, and this blood feud will be avenged! I sacrifice my broken body to Cangwu and protect the Legacy with my Divine Soul. One day, a person of destiny will grind your Zhao Family to dust and make you pay in blood!"

Murong Xuan thought silently: "A Gu, you must live on. I don't ask you to avenge the Murong Family; as long as you carry on the Murong Legacy, I will be satisfied. If there is a next life, I want us to be true brothers!!"

Before his words even faded, a flash of mad resolve crossed Murong Xuan's eyes. The remaining Golden Core spiritual power and his burning Divine Soul instantly intertwined, directly detonating his Golden Core.

"Not good! He's going to self-detonate his Golden Core!" The nearby Nascent Soul Elder's face changed drastically, but it was already too late to stop him.