159: Chapter 159 The Storm is Coming, and the Great Chu is in Turmoil

"Tiankuo, do not blame yourself."

The Protector's voice grew increasingly hoarse, like the friction of withered leaves in the wind.

"This decrepit body of mine is already at the end of its rope."

"If not for the nourishment of the Imperial Dynasty's Luck, how could I have lingered on until now?"

He sighed lightly, his gaze piercing through the stone chamber as if seeing the sky above the capital, stained by blood.

A trace of sharpness flashed in the depths of the Protector's eyes.

"This formation involves Karma and is Heaven-Defying."

"Even for me, it took a significant amount of power to completely shatter it."

"This move has already exhausted my remaining strength."

"But at the very least, it deterred many of those lurking in the shadows."

"Old Ancestor..." Chu Tiankuo called out hoarsely.

The Protector waved his hand, signaling him not to say more.

In those turbid eyes flickered the wisdom of one who understood the ways of the world, along with a hint of helplessness.

"I summoned you here this time to tell you a few things."

"I can still make a move three more times."

He said calmly, every word like a heavy hammer striking Chu Tiankuo's heartstrings.

"Each time I act, it will accelerate my demise."

"After three times, it will truly be dust to dust, earth to earth."

Chu Tiankuo's body trembled violently, his face instantly turning as pale as paper. Three times! Only three times!

This meant that the Great Chu Dynasty's pillar of support was about to collapse completely.

He could not imagine how, without the deterrence of this Old Ancestor, the Yao Race would unscrupulously invade the territory of the Human Race.

Wouldn't those who coveted the Great Chu's lands start making their moves?

"Even if I don't act," the Protector added, his voice carrying a hint of weary relief, "at most... I can hold on for another ten years."

He had lived too long and guarded for too long; now, he finally saw the end.

Ten years! For a Mortal, it might be long. But for a Cultivator, and for the fate of a Dynasty, it was but a fleeting moment.

Chu Tiankuo only felt a bone-chilling cold rush from the soles of his feet to his crown; he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar.

The Great Chu Dynasty was actually in such a precarious state!

"Old Ancestor, is there really no other way?" Chu Tiankuo's voice trembled, his eyes filled with despair and unwillingness.

As a Prince of Great Chu, he bore the burden of the Imperial Dynasty's rise and fall. Yet, at this moment, he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

The Protector slowly closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had returned to clarity and calm. He gazed at Chu Tiankuo, his look seemingly capable of piercing through all illusions and reaching the depths of his Soul.

"Tiankuo, unless I can achieve a Breakthrough again."

"But, wanting to achieve a Breakthrough to that Realm is too difficult."

"If I were in my prime, I would dare to try."

"Now, my Qi and blood are in decline."

"Once I attempt a Breakthrough, I fear I won't even have ten years left."

Afterward, this Great Chu Protector changed the subject.

"Tiankuo, do you know whom the Karma that triggered the Myriad Demon Soul Locking Formation points to?"

Chu Tiankuo was stunned upon hearing this, and his brows furrowed tightly. He rapidly recalled in his mind all the strange phenomena after the stronghold on the outskirts of the capital was destroyed, as well as that eerie Karma lock.

His mind was agitated, but he was unable to match that aura with any known powerhouse in the capital. The aura was both strange and obscure, as if veiled by an invisible layer of heavenly secrets.

"Old Ancestor, forgive Tiankuo's incompetence." Chu Tiankuo's voice carried a hint of bitterness. He slowly shook his head, his eyes full of confusion.

"That power of Karma is too immense, and carries an extraordinary, eerie quality."

"Tiankuo has thoroughly searched inside and outside the capital, but has failed to find anyone who matches it."

"I only know its source seems related to the destruction of the Blood God Cult stronghold on the outskirts of the capital."

In the Protector's turbid eyes, a hint of indescribable disappointment quietly emerged. He sighed lightly, and the sigh echoed in the empty stone chamber. It seemed to traverse a thousand years of time, carrying endless vicissitudes and sorrow.

"Even you do not know..." The Protector's voice grew increasingly hoarse, yet every word was like a knife, piercing straight into Chu Tiankuo's heart.

"Great Chu has truly decayed to this extent."

"In the past, the Zhenwu Division of my Great Chu Imperial Dynasty could perceive all secrets under heaven."

"Even the forbidden secret arts of the Yao Emperor could not hope to hide from the eyes and ears of my Great Chu."

"Now, a mere Karma lock has left you helpless."

Chu Tiankuo's body trembled upon hearing this, and he lowered his head in shame. The Protector's words, like a heavy hammer, struck hard at his heart.

He knew this was not a reproach, but a heartbreak over the current state of Great Chu. The once glorious Great Chu, within the Imperial Dynasty, was obeyed by all. Now that even the most basic reconnaissance capabilities were so weak, this was undoubtedly the greatest irony.

"Old Ancestor, it is Tiankuo's dereliction of duty!" Chu Tiankuo kowtowed abruptly, his forehead hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"Tiankuo will surely do his utmost to revitalize the Zhenwu Division."

"To restore the glory of the Imperial Dynasty!"

The Protector did not respond, only a flash of weary reminiscence passing through his deep eyes. He seemed to see that Imperial Dynasty which once dominated one side and shook the world. He saw the flourishing age where countless heroes shed their blood for it. But now, everything had weathered away, leaving only broken afterglow.

"That power of Karma is not ordinary." The Protector spoke again, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible gravity.

"It transcends the forces of the world."

"It is unfathomable."

"Old Ancestor, what should we do now?" Chu Tiankuo asked in a deep voice. He knew that this was not the time to probe the roots, but to plan for the future of Great Chu.

The Protector slowly raised his hand, that withered palm carrying an indescribable majesty.

"Within ten years, with me here,"

"those petty villains can only plot in the dark."

"But, once they learn that I have passed away,"

"Great Chu will face an unprecedented crisis."

"Therefore, you must achieve a Breakthrough as soon as possible."

"Do not save those resources anymore."

"Use what should be used."

"Also, quickly take firm control of the places you can control."

"Clean out the rats that need to be cleaned out."

"My move this time, while it deterred those spying in the shadows, also exposed my weakness." The Protector smiled bitterly.

"Those old foxes are probably already starting to stir."

"You must be prepared."

Chu Tiankuo's heart sank. He knew that the "old foxes" the Old Ancestor referred to were those aristocratic clans coveting the imperial power. At this moment, with internal and external troubles, the Great Chu Dynasty was already hanging in the balance.

"Tiankuo will keep the Old Ancestor's teachings in mind!" Chu Tiankuo kowtowed again, his voice filled with determination.

"Go!" The Protector waved his hand, signaling Chu Tiankuo to leave.

"Remember, the future of Great Chu lies on your shoulders."

"Everything depends on your own fortune."

Chu Tiankuo took a deep breath, saluted again, and then turned to leave the stone chamber. As he walked out of the Forbidden Ground, the light screen behind him silently closed again, completely isolating that ancient and decaying space.

Under the cover of night, the capital was still shrouded in a repressive atmosphere. Chu Tiankuo's gaze swept over the dilapidated imperial palace below and the Demonic Qi still lingering in the distance, his heart heavy as a mountain. He knew that a greater storm was quietly brewing.