515: It's time to act!

Eh?

Murong Gu was shocked. He had clearly already Cultivated to the Golden Core Realm. Could Elder Xuan not tell? Why was he asking? Was it intentional??

Or could he really not tell...

Before Murong Gu could answer...

Elder Xuan immediately shook his head: "How are you still only at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment? Although your bone structure is average, after half a year, logically speaking, you should be at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment!!"

Ah!!

Murong Gu was completely shocked. Could Elder Xuan really not see his true Realm?

Could it be related to his Cultivation of the Divine Illumination Seamless Record...

Does this ancient Cultivation Technique have self-protection and self-concealment effects??

Seeing Murong Gu's bewildered look, Elder Xuan smiled slightly: "Never mind, Foundation Establishment requires gradual progress. Don't be too sad, boy. Keep working hard. I'm going to the secret chamber to enter secluded meditation for a few days. Cultivate on your own. If you have any difficulties, wait until I come out."

With that, he turned and walked toward the secret chamber deep within the Immortal Cave. The stone door slowly closed, isolating his aura from the outside world.

Only after Elder Xuan had completely entered seclusion did Murong Gu let out a long sigh of relief, the cold sweat on his back having already soaked through his clothes.

Murong Gu couldn't understand. Elder Xuan looked so friendly, so how could he be a giant skull? This was likely the highest Rank of danger, wasn't it??

Should he take advantage of the old man's seclusion and just run away??

No, there's a Restriction outside the Immortal Cave; he couldn't escape. Elder Xuan had once told him not to touch it casually, saying even a Nascent Soul powerhouse could be killed by it.

What should he do, what should he do!!

Since the Divine Illumination Seamless Record can deceive Elder Xuan's Divine Sense, why not try to peek at what Elder Xuan is doing?

It's death either way! Let's risk it!

Murong Gu secretly circulated the Divine Illumination Seamless Record. His powerful Divine Sense instantly penetrated the stone door, cautiously spying on Elder Xuan's movements.

In the secret chamber, Elder Xuan sat cross-legged on a prayer mat. The azure Spiritual Qi around him gradually became chaotic. His originally youthful face with white hair aged at a speed visible to the naked eye—his hair quickly became withered and gray, his skin sagged and wrinkled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes stacked like ravines, and even his back slightly hunched over. That transcendent, immortal-like appearance vanished, leaving only the decaying sense of extreme old age.

Murong Gu was startled and subconsciously held his breath.

This change was too bizarre. Elder Xuan's aging was definitely not a natural phenomenon; it seemed more like the backlash of some secret art or a sign that his Lifespan was about to be exhausted.

Just then, Elder Xuan tremblingly raised his hand and took out a palm-sized blood-colored jade box from his robes. The jade box was red all over, its surface carved with eerie patterns, emitting a faint scent of blood and cold Spiritual Qi, exactly like the stories of great Devil Heads Murong Gu had heard since childhood.

"He really is a Devil Head!" Murong Gu's heart sank, and all his doubts instantly found an 'answer.'

Elder Xuan's previous kindness, the test of taking him as a disciple, and deliberately stalling his Realm—it wasn't tempering at all, but waiting for his Foundation to be polished so he could perform Possession before his own Lifespan ran out!

That blood-colored jade box must be an evil object used to stabilize the Divine Soul and assist in Possession!

He suppressed the fear and anger in his heart, quietly withdrew his Divine Soul, and gripped the flowing cloud sword with palms full of cold sweat—even if Elder Xuan was aging, he was conservatively estimated to be in the Nascent Soul Realm. His strength was far above Murong Gu's. There was no chance of winning in a direct confrontation; his only hope was to wait for the right moment to strike first when Elder Xuan was at his weakest.

For the next three days, Murong Gu continued to Cultivate the Azure Origin Art on the surface, pretending to be stuck at a bottleneck, while actually using the Divine Illumination Seamless Record to monitor Elder Xuan's secret chamber at all times.

Elder Xuan's aura fluctuated between strong and weak. Occasionally, suppressed coughing and groans of pain came from the secret chamber. The aura of the blood-colored jade box also flickered in and out; clearly, Elder Xuan was using the jade box to barely maintain his state.

Murong Gu knew that Elder Xuan's time was running out, and the Possession plan would likely be implemented soon. He had to be fully prepared.

Late on the fourth night, the cold wind of the Soul Severing Forest howled against the Immortal Cave's stone walls. A sudden, violent surge of Spiritual Qi erupted from the secret chamber, followed by Elder Xuan's painful roar.

Murong Gu was instantly alert. His Divine Soul spread out rapidly. He saw Elder Xuan slumped on the prayer mat, his body increasingly withered, his face as pale as paper, black blood overflowing from the corners of his mouth. He tightly clutched that blood-colored jade box, the patterns on which glowed intensely, enveloping him in a blood-colored halo.

The skeletal phantom in the Divine Soul map also surged violently, the bright red light almost breaking through the secret chamber. The terrifying aura made the entire Immortal Cave tremble slightly.

"Not much time left, it's time to act!" Elder Xuan slowly raised his withered head, a flash of determination in his eyes. His voice was hoarse and broken, carrying the exhaustion of one near death, yet revealing an unquestionable firmness. He struggled to stand up; with every movement, his body shook violently, and more black blood spilled from his mouth. He had clearly exhausted most of his strength.

Murong Gu's heart instantly sank to the bottom. His pupils constricted, and only one thought remained: It's coming! Elder Xuan is finally going to attempt Possession! He had no time to think; the hair on his body stood on end as Golden Core power surged frantically through his Meridians, almost breaking through their constraints. His surrounding Spiritual Qi also became restless. Just then, with a "Rumble—" the heavy stone door slowly opened. The loud noise was exceptionally piercing in the silent Immortal Cave, like a death-knell drumbeat striking Murong Gu's heart step by step.

The gap in the opening stone door grew wider, and Elder Xuan's withered figure gradually appeared. The blood-colored halo around him had not yet dissipated, and the terrifying aura of the skeletal phantom rushed toward Murong Gu, nearly suffocating him.

He gritted his teeth, his nails digging deep into his palms until blood seeped out. A flash of decisive killing intent crossed his eyes—he couldn't wait for Elder Xuan to strike; he had to take the initiative!

The moment the stone door fully opened, Murong Gu lunged off the ground. His body leapt like an arrow from a bow, exploding with brilliant golden spiritual light. His Golden Core power was released without reservation, and the entire Immortal Cave was enveloped in golden Spiritual Qi. As the airwaves rolled, they sent the surrounding rubble flying.

His right hand tightly gripped the flowing cloud sword. With a flick of his wrist, the blade was completely encased in golden Qi, gleaming with a chilling golden light. Faint golden scale patterns even appeared on the blade—the prototype of the first layer of the Golden Scale Art.

To increase his combat power, Murong Gu did not hesitate to force the core Move of the Golden Scale Art, "One Sword Like a Dragon," despite it being beyond his current level.

In an instant, the surrounding golden Spiritual Qi condensed into a lifelike phantom of a golden-scaled Dragon. Its head was held high and its claws were sharp, carrying a world-shaking dragon roar as it merged with his body.

At the moment of man and sword becoming one, Murong Gu's speed reached the extreme. He turned into a streak of golden light, carrying boundless golden Qi as he lunged toward Elder Xuan. The blade pointed directly at Elder Xuan's heart with a determination to die together if necessary, leaving a sharp whistling sound in the air.

Elder Xuan had just broken free from the extreme pain and was struggling to step out of the secret chamber. He never imagined that the child he had painstakingly taken in and carefully nurtured for nearly a year would strike to kill at his weakest and most aged moment!

This sudden attack left Elder Xuan completely stunned, his eyes filled with unbelievable shock.