57: Chapter 57 Family Meeting, A New Journey

Three days later, at the Gu Family Ancestral Hall.

Incense smoke curled, the atmosphere solemn and dignified.

Inside the ancestral hall, it was crowded with people.

At the forefront stood the absolute core of the Gu Family—Gu Yan, along with his three wives, Shen Qingxue, Bai Linger, and Liu Ruyan.

Behind them stood Steward Gu Zhong, as well as over a dozen of the most loyal managers and clansmen who oversaw the various businesses of the Gu Family.

This was the first, and most important, Family meeting held since the rise of the Gu Family!

On everyone's faces, there was a trace of confusion and gravity.

They did not understand why the Old Ancestor would suddenly convene such a solemn meeting when the Family was in its prime.

Gu Yan, dressed in a black robe, stood before the ancestral tablets, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.

His eyes were calm, yet carried a weight that commanded respect without anger.

Everyone caught in his gaze felt their spirits tighten, and subconsciously, they straightened their backs.

"Everyone."

Gu Yan spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet clearly echoing in every corner of the ancestral hall.

"It has been seven years since I took charge of the Gu Family."

"In these seven years, we have annihilated the Wang Family, slaughtered bandit Cultivators, opened up paths for alchemy, and seized power. Today, the Gu Family is the one and only... premier Family in this Luoyun Town!"

His words carried a powerful confidence, making all the Gu Family clansmen present feel honored, with proud expressions appearing on their faces.

"Wealth, we have it; our daily income is in the thousands."

"Status, we have it; the commands of the town mayor do not leave the gates of my Gu Family."

"Offspring, we have them; I have two sons and one daughter, and there are successors."

"It can be said that the current Gu Family is at the peak of its... prosperity!"

Everyone nodded upon hearing this, the pride on their faces deepening.

Yes, the current Gu Family had money, people, and status; what more could they want in this small Luoyun Town?

However, just as everyone was immersed in this pride and satisfaction,

Gu Yan's tone suddenly shifted!

"But!"

He emphasized his tone, the two words sounding like a thunderclap on flat ground, causing everyone's hearts to jolt violently!

"In my eyes, all of this is nothing more than... flowers in a mirror, a castle in the air!"

"It is a... deception!"

The entire hall was in an uproar!

Everyone stared at Gu Yan in astonishment, not understanding why the Old Ancestor would say such... alarmist things.

"Old Ancestor, what... what do you mean by this?" Steward Gu Zhong, emboldened, stepped forward and asked with a face full of confusion.

"What do I mean?"

Gu Yan turned around, picked up a prepared animal skin map from the side, and slowly unfolded it on the altar table.

It was exactly the ancient map of the outside world that he had found in the Zhao Family treasury!

"Look here."

He pointed to a tiny ink dot on the map, almost invisible.

"This is our Luoyun Town."

He then used his finger to trace a palm-sized area on the map.

"This is the... Kumu Region where we are located."

Finally, his finger pressed heavily on a vast, boundless area in the center of the map, occupying nearly one-third of the entire page!

"And this is the true... Cultivator world!"

"In this vast land, there is a great cultivation city called 'Baifeng City'. Its walls are over a hundred zhang high, and its population is more than a million! In the city, Cultivators at the Qi Refinement Stage are as numerous as hairs on an ox! Even the legendary Foundation Establishment Cultivators with a Lifespan of three hundred years are not rare!"

"And above Baifeng City, there are even cultivation Sects that sit high above the clouds! Their Disciples can fly on swords, traveling a thousand miles in a day! Within those Sects, there are even Golden Core Masters with a Lifespan of eight hundred years, and even Nascent Soul Old Ancestors with a Lifespan of a thousand years!"

"Such figures are already earthly immortals; with a wave of their hands, they can... move mountains and fill seas!"

Every word of Gu Yan was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at the hearts of everyone present!

They were all stunned, dumbfounded, as if listening to some Arabian Nights fantasy!

Qi Refinement Cultivators as common as dogs?

Foundation Establishment everywhere?

And Nascent Soul Old Ancestors who could move mountains and fill seas?!

This...

This had completely exceeded their cognitive range!

"Now, tell me again."

Gu Yan's voice was like a morning bell and evening drum, deafening!

"What do these achievements and this Foundation of our Gu Family count for in this vast world?!"

"Nothing but... a slightly larger... frog in a well!"

Inside the ancestral hall, a dead silence fell.

The pride and satisfaction on everyone's faces faded, replaced by deep... shock! And... a sense of insignificance!

"Old Ancestor... what you mean is..." Steward Gu Zhong's voice was a bit dry.

"My meaning is very simple."

Gu Yan lifted his head, his gaze passing through the roof of the ancestral hall, looking toward the distant horizon.

"Today, I have gathered you all here only to announce one thing."

"I have decided that within three years, our Gu Family will... migrate as a whole!"

"Abandon everything here and head to a wider world —"

"Baifeng City!"

This decision was like a thunderclap sounding on flat ground!

The entire hall was in an uproar again!

"What?!"

"Migrate as a whole?!"

"Old Ancestor, this must not be done!"

This time, the voices of opposition were even more intense than before!

"We were born and raised here, our Foundation is deep! Why should we leave our homes and go to some... unfamiliar Baifeng City?"

"Exactly! The outside world is so dangerous, with strong people everywhere! With our current strength, wouldn't we just be slaughtered if we went there?"

"Isn't this peaceful life we have now good enough?"

Many clansmen who were content with the status quo spoke up to advise against it.

Gu Yan did not get angry.

He just listened quietly.

When all the voices of opposition gradually subsided,

He slowly turned around and picked up five-year-old Gu Xuan, who had been quietly staying in Liu Ruyan's arms.

He lifted Gu Xuan high, facing everyone.

"What you say is all correct."

His voice was very calm.

"Luoyun Town is very peaceful."

"Our Gu Family can indeed act as we please here and enjoy wealth and glory."

"However!"

His voice suddenly rose, becoming full of power!

"Have you ever thought about what this place... means to a child like Xuan'er?!"

"He possesses a Xuan Grade Spirit Root! He is a Heaven's Proud Son rarely seen in a thousand years! His future should have been the sea of stars, the Golden Core Dao, and eternal life!"

"But if he stays in this Kumu Region with thin Spiritual Qi, stays in this small Luoyun Town! His peerless talent can only be squandered and wasted in vain!"

"For us, this place is a home, a comfort zone!"

"But for him, for the hope of the Gu Family's future..."

Gu Yan looked at the crowd, speaking word by word, saying something that made everyone fall silent.

"It is a prison!"

"It is a... prison that will trap a true dragon to death!"

"I ask you!"

"Are you willing to watch as the true dragon that our Gu Family finally hoped for is ultimately trapped to death in this small pond?!"

"Are you willing to let the descendants of the Gu Family, generation after generation, only be able to struggle for survival in this barren corner?!"

These words were resonant and deafening!

They completely ignited the blood and ambition in the hearts of everyone present!

Yes!

How could they have forgotten that the Gu Family was no longer the Gu Family of the past!

They had an Old Ancestor like an immortal!

They had two... Heaven's Proud Sons with Spiritual Roots!

Their future should not be confined here!

"I... I agree!"

The first to stand out was Shen Qingxue.

She looked at Gu Xuan, who was held high by his father, his eyes ignorant yet seemingly containing stars, her eyes filled with maternal radiance and determination.

"For the sake of the children's future, our Gu Family must go out!"

"I also agree!" Bai Linger followed closely behind.

"Wherever my husband goes, we will follow!" Liu Ruyan said even more decisively.

Under the leading support of the three wives,

Under Gu Yan's highly inflammatory words,

Under the infinite longing for the bright future of their descendants,

In the ancestral hall, the last bit of opposition and hesitation vanished into thin air.

Everyone's eyes were re-ignited with the flame of fighting spirit!

"We are willing to follow the Old Ancestor to expand our territory and create brilliance again!"

"We will go through fire and water, without hesitation!"