210: An era without saints?! (Nine)

The voice was gentle, carrying a hint of a smile.

"Little Brother, can you give this stone tablet to your big brother here?"

In this deathly silent Holy Land, this voice seemed incredibly abrupt.

Gu Yun snapped back to his senses.

The eyes that had just regained their clarity instantly grew vigilant.

He saw that, at some unknown point, a young man had already arrived and was standing not far away.

The young man carried an ancient-looking longsword on his back; the material of the scabbard and hilt was indistinguishable, as if they were fused with him.

He was handsome, with a gentle smile on his face, and his aura was completely restrained, like a Mortal who had never cultivated.

However.

In Gu Yun's perception, the Primordial Chaos Sacred Body within his body and the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart in his chest both issued an unprecedentedly strong warning at this moment.

It was a shudder originating from instinct.

Danger!

This young man was extremely dangerous!

The danger level of this seemingly harmless young man before him far exceeded all the enemies he had faced in the Secret Realm, including that strongest assassin, Impermanence.

"Little Brother, this stone tablet is very important to me; I am determined to obtain it."

The young man's tone remained gentle, but within those words lay an unquestionable will.

Gu Yun felt the surrounding air congeal, and an invisible pressure bore down on him.

He did not doubt for a second that if he were to say the word "No," the other party would strike without hesitation.

A battle of wits took place in the blink of an eye.

This stone tablet was linked to the secret at the end of the Ancient Starry Road and might even be related to that supreme mark; he absolutely could not easily give it up.

But...

Gu Yun clearly assessed the gap in strength between the two sides.

His Foundation in this lifetime was still shallow, and his cultivation had only just barely reached the Spirit King Realm.

Despite possessing the Primordial Chaos Sacred Body and countless Heaven-Defying Divine Abilities from his previous lives, such as the Heart Sword, Gu Yun still lacked confidence when facing this unfathomable young man.

Even if the Secret Realm Law suppressed everyone to the Peak of the Spirit King Realm, the other party's strength must still be terrifying.

Gu Yun looked at the young man without speaking, merely tightening his grip on the stone tablet in his hand.

His attitude had already made everything clear.

The young man seemed to see Gu Yun's resolve, and the smile on his face deepened.

He changed his tone and actually took a step back on his own initiative.

"Little Brother, you discovered the stone tablet first, so it is naturally yours."

"I will not seize it by force; let us trade instead."

This action caught Gu Yun completely off guard.

The other party seemed to follow some kind of peculiar, unknown code of conduct.

Without waiting for Gu Yun to respond, the young man extended his hand.

In his palm appeared a seemingly plain and unadorned stone talisman.

The stone talisman was only the size of a palm, rough in material, with no fluctuations of Spiritual Qi, looking like a stone picked up from the roadside and polished.

"This object was born with me; although I do not know its name, I assume it is no worse than your stone tablet."

The young man introduced it casually.

However, the moment he saw this stone talisman, Gu Yun's pupils contracted violently.

His Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart was palpitating violently.

From that stone talisman, it sensed a taboo aura capable of striking fear into the Divine Soul!

This aura triggered the most unbearable memories from deep within Gu Yun's mind, belonging to the lifetime of "Quan Yun."

He remembered.

At the end of that lifetime, the small tower was exposed, attracting a terrifying old man who attempted to seize it.

The aura emitted from that old man seemed almost identical to this stone talisman!

Life Forbidden Zone!

A conclusion formed instantly in Gu Yun's mind.

This stone talisman definitely came from a Life Forbidden Zone!

And the origin of this young man before him was even more unimaginably mysterious.

He was born in a Life Forbidden Zone!

Subconsciously, Gu Yun wanted to activate the power he was most familiar with.

Nine-Colored Double Pupils.

But as his intention stirred, he suddenly remembered that the Nine-Colored Double Pupils, which had once helped him perceive all things, had long since withered away with the end of the lifetime of "Jun Yun."

A trace of melancholy flashed through his heart.

Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, hesitant and indecisive.

"Hum—"

Deepest in his Sea of Consciousness, that ancient, silent small tower suddenly began to vibrate violently.

It transmitted an incredibly clear intention of extreme desire for that "taboo stone talisman."

This was the first time since the small tower awakened that it had displayed such strong emotion.

The small tower's reaction became the final deciding factor.

Gu Yun nodded.

"Fine, I will trade."

He let go, and the stone tablet containing the ancient will slowly drifted toward the young man.

The young man took the stone tablet and examined it calmly, seemingly confirming something.

Immediately after, he flicked his finger, and the taboo stone talisman flew toward Gu Yun.

The entire process was crisp and efficient.

"We shall meet again, Little Brother."

The young man smiled slightly and turned to leave, without a hint of hesitation.

Just at the moment he was about to completely disappear from this space.

Gu Yun's heart stirred, and he activated his "Minds Eye," peering out with all his might.

However, what the Minds Eye saw was only an expanse of void, deep to the extreme.

The other party's existence could not be perceived at all.

In his heart, Gu Yun once again raised the danger level of this person to an unprecedented degree.

The young man completely departed.

The deadly sense of crisis that had shrouded his heart finally dissipated slowly.

His tense nerves completely relaxed at this moment.

And it was also at this moment.

The memories and emotions that he had been forced to suppress due to the extreme danger came surging back.

Gu Zhan's resolute face appeared before his eyes.

"Dao Child, remember, no matter what you see or hear next, do not stop, do not look back!"

"If you want to harm the Dao Child, step over my, Gu Zhan's, corpse first!"

The left shoulder pierced by the lethal sword, the blood gushing out, the glaring red that stained the golden war chariot.

Scene after scene, clear beyond compare.

And those clansmen who, in order to cover his retreat, resolutely charged into enemy lines several times their number, ultimately turning into blood mist.

Their faces, each one resolute and gratified, and that final, tragic cry.

"Protect the Dao Child, return home!"

Sorrow.

Anger.

Guilt.

All sorts of emotions repeatedly assaulted Gu Yun's Dao Heart.

"Gu Zhan is still waiting for me outside..."

The six-year-old Gu Yun muttered to himself.

All these emotions ultimately transformed into a bone-chilling intent to kill.

Ji Family.

Wang Family.

And those demons and ghosts hiding in the shadows.

"You all must die."