180: Chapter 180 This achievement is too great; I'm afraid you can't handle it.

Yunlan Sect, Mission Hall.

The midday sun shone through the glazed tiles of the dome, illuminating the main hall. Hundreds of Inner Sect Disciples were crowded around the massive mission board, arguing until their Faces turned red over even a few dozen Sect contribution points.

"Bang!"

A dull, heavy thud resounded, as if someone had slammed a coffin onto the counter.

The entire hall fell silent for a moment.

The Deacon Elder in charge of registering missions frowned, about to scold whichever Disciple didn't know the rules. But as he looked up, he saw a familiar mask—the ghost-Face mask Gu Yan had worn when he first "debuted" at Fallen Demon Valley, which had now become one of his trademarks within the Sect.

"Elder... Elder Gu?"

The Deacon Elder quickly stood up, a smile forming on his Face. "Didn't you go back home to visit your relatives? You're back so soon?"

Gu Yan didn't speak.

His black robes still had several obvious scorch marks, and his cuffs were even stained with a bit of dark red mud. That was the residue left behind after the Blood River dried up outside Baifeng City.

He reached out and pointed to the wooden box on the counter that was still exuding a chill.

"Ending my leave."

Gu Yan's voice was somewhat hoarse, as if he had just drunk strong liquor. "Also, submitting a mission."

"A mission?" The Deacon Elder was stunned. "You didn't accept any mission..."

"Encountered a Demonic Cultivator committing atrocities on the road, so I just killed him."

Gu Yan reached out and peeled off the Seal Talisman on the wooden box.

Click.

The lid popped open.

A suffocating aura of blood-evil surged into the sky, forming a small, bloody, skull-shaped phantom above the main hall.

"Ah!"

Several Qi Refinement Stage Disciples standing nearby felt their Divine Souls ache violently, screaming as they clutched their heads and collapsed to the ground.

The Deacon Elder bore the brunt of it; his Face instantly turned deathly pale. He stumbled back three steps, knocking over the chair behind him.

He stared fixedly at the head in the box, which had been preserved with lime.

Although the skin was withered and those eyes had lost their luster, the residual Golden Core Stage pressure lingering between the brows, along with those iconic blood-red pupils, still made him feel a tremor from the depths of his Soul.

"This... this is..."

The Deacon Elder's hands trembled as he pulled a thick List of Wanted Demonic Path Cultivators from his sleeve and flipped through it rapidly.

When he reached the third page, his hand stopped.

The person in the portrait had a bloodstain between their brows and a sinister, arrogant expression.

Next to it was a line of blood-red characters:

[Extremely Dangerous: Blood River Sect Saint, Saint Son Li Tianxing.]

[Cultivation: Golden Core Mid-Stage.]

[Bounty: One hundred thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones (Jointly issued by major Sects).]

"Clatter."

The wanted list in the Deacon Elder's hand fell to the ground.

He jerked his head up, looking at the indifferent man in black in front of the counter. A scream that sounded like someone was choking him escaped his throat:

"Li... Saint Son Li Tianxing?!"

"Boom!"

The entire Mission Hall exploded in chaos.

"Who? Saint Son Li Tianxing? That madman from the Blood River Sect who slaughtered dozens of cities?"

"A Golden Core Mid-Stage Devil Head?! Dead?!"

"Elder Gu killed him? How is that possible! Elder Gu is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage!"

Voices of doubt, gasps of shock, and sharp intakes of breath erupted one after another.

Gu Yan, however, acted as if he hadn't heard them and just reached out to tap the counter.

"Can you calculate the reward?"

He asked very earnestly. "If it's too much trouble, I'll just go find the Sect Master."

"No need to find him."

A grand voice came from outside the hall.

The Void Realm trembled.

Sect Master Ye Guyun's figure appeared out of thin air in the center of the hall. He ignored the Disciples kneeling all around him and stepped up to the counter, his gaze locked tightly onto the head.

"Soul Search."

Ye Guyun extended a finger and tapped the center of the head's brow.

Although the person was dead, fragments of a Golden Core Cultivator's Divine Soul often remained in the Sea of Consciousness for a period of time.

A moment later.

Ye Guyun withdrew his hand. His Face, which was usually as calm as a mountain collapsing before him, now revealed an extremely complex expression.

Shock, suspicion, and finally, deep gratification.

"It is indeed Saint Son Li Tianxing."

Ye Guyun turned to Face the entire hall, his voice booming like a great bell:

"The aura is correct, the bone age is correct, and the Origin of the Demonic Technique is correct."

He looked at Gu Yan, his eyes filled with a hint of inquiry. "You... how did you do it?"

A Foundation Establishment Cultivator killing a Golden Core Cultivator, and doing so by killing a Saint of the Demonic Path while crossing two minor Realms—this wasn't unheard of in the cultivation world, but every such instance involved a legendary Prodigy.

"Luck."

Gu Yan had already prepared his excuse.

He clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood at the right moment (having bitten the tip of his tongue), his Face turning a shade paler.

"This Devil Head was refining a demonic treasure outside Baifeng City and seemed to have run into trouble; he was in a period of backlash. I used a family-inherited Formation, detonated thirty Foundation Establishment Stage Puppets, and finally... by risking a serious injury, I managed to ambush him."

As he spoke, he lifted his left sleeve.

The asura armguard had been hidden, but he had deliberately left several claw marks on his arm that were deep enough to see bone, and Saint Son Li Tianxing's blood poison still lingered on them.

This injury was real.

It was just that for someone with his Blood River Battle Body, such an injury looked scary but had actually already healed.

Ye Guyun glanced at the wound and nodded.

"The Blood River Sect's 'Blood Demon Hand'—it cannot be faked."

He no longer doubted it.

Regardless of the process, the result was that Saint Son Li Tianxing was dead, and he had died at the hands of Gu Yan.

For the Yunlan Sect, this was a massive boost to their Face! It was a battle achievement sufficient to shake the entire cultivation world!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Ye Guyun said 'good' three times, waved his hand, and a majestic, vital Qi flowed into Gu Yan's body to help him "suppress" his injuries.

"Gu Yan, you have made another great contribution!"

"Transmit my decree! Effective immediately, Gu Yan is promoted to the Sect's 'Protector Elder', ranking above the true Disciples! Reward: fifty thousand Top-Grade Spirit Stones, and authorized entry to the top floor of the Scripture Pavilion once!"

"Also, announce to the cultivation world: The Blood River Sect Saint has been executed by our Yunlan Sect's Elder Gu! Spread our Righteous Path's Divine Might!"

Inside the hall, cheers shook the heavens.

The way the countless Disciples looked at Gu Yan had changed from awe to worship.

This was a ruthless man!

Whether it was a Demonic Path Elder or a Demonic Path Saint, whenever they ran into this Elder Gu, none of them ever made it back alive!

"Many thanks, Sect Master."

Gu Yan bowed, his Face devoid of any arrogance, showing only the exhaustion of being "seriously injured."

"This Disciple has damaged his Origin this time; I fear I need to go into seclusion for a period of time..."

"Granted!"

Sect Master Ye Guyun waved his hand. "Go to Qingyun Peak and recuperate properly; you need not worry about any affairs within the Sect. Whoever dares to disturb you, I will personally cripple them!"

...

One hour later.

Qingyun Peak, secret chamber.

The heavy stone door slammed shut, and all Formations were activated, turning this place into an absolute restricted zone.

The weakness on Gu Yan's Face vanished instantly.

He sat cross-legged on the cold jade bed, took out the box containing the remaining three "blood-condensing divine crystals" from his bosom, and also took out the "blood crystal" from Saint Son Li Tianxing's ring.

The red light shone on his Face, stretching his shadow long, like a dormant Vicious Beast.

"I have the reputation, the resources, and the territory."

Gu Yan picked up a blood-condensing divine crystal, feeling the majestic energy within it that made one's heart tremble.

"Next, it's time to get down to business."

He opened his mouth and swallowed the divine crystal in one gulp.

Boom!

The Blood River Battle Body within him instantly boiled, greedily devouring this massive, externally-sourced nourishment.

Within his Dantian, the True Essence, which had originally been as viscous as liquid, began to spin and compress frantically.

The end of the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The gate to the Golden Core Stage.

It was right before his eyes.

"System, activate full-power protection."

Gu Yan closed his eyes and formed a hand Seal.

"This time, if I don't form the Golden Core, I won't come out of seclusion."