221: An era without saints!? (20)

A slender figure slowly walked out from the dark secret room.

He was dressed in white with long black hair.

Twenty years of time had left no traces of age on his face; instead, they had completely washed away his former youthfulness, making his temperament gentle yet profound.

Gu Yun.

This year, he was twenty-six years old.

Standing at the doorway, his gaze swept over the worn robes on Gu Zhan and the heavy sword that had a section broken off.

Gu Yun reached out and gently helped Gu Zhan up.

"Clan Brother, it's been hard on you."

"It wasn't hard."

Gu Zhan stood straight, his voice hoarse yet powerful.

"To be able to wait until my Lord exited seclusion, Gu Zhan's life is worth it even if I die."

Gu Yun smiled slightly and patted his broad shoulder.

Just then.

Several powerful auras rose from various parts of the Gu Family ancestral land, rapidly sweeping toward the Cloud Top Heavenly Palace.

Those were the Gu Family high-level members who had sensed the movement.

"Yun'er!"

The voice arrived before the person.

The figure of Family Head Gu Tianxing instantly appeared on the Heavenly Palace square.

Following him were dozens of Core Elders with white hair and beards.

They looked at Gu Yun standing before the stone door, their eyes full of eagerness and inquiry.

However, in the next moment.

Everyone's expressions froze.

They wanted to probe Gu Yun's cultivation base; their Divine Thoughts went out, but it was like a stone sinking into the ocean, with no response at all.

In their perception, Gu Yun was like a Mortal without any cultivation base, with not a single trace of spiritual energy fluctuation on his body.

But this was absolutely impossible.

Everyone's hearts skipped a beat as they thought of the terrifying possibility of "Returning to Basics."

"Yun'er, you..."

Gu Tianxing was somewhat hesitant.

Gu Yun did not speak.

He simply took a step forward.

Boom!

A surge of pressure was released from his body without reservation.

"Guiyi Realm!"

The Grand Elder cried out in shock, his voice changing pitch.

"How is this possible? In just twenty years, in this Dharma-Ending Age where Spiritual Qi is depleted, you have actually stepped into the Guiyi Realm?!"

One must know that currently, in the Five Domains, Spiritual Qi was withered and the Laws of the Heavenly Dao were obscure and difficult to understand.

To be able to Breakthrough from the Spirit King Realm to the Three Origins Realm in twenty years would already be a blessing.

Yet Gu Yun had not only crossed the Three Origins Realm but had directly stepped into the Guiyi Realm!

This might not be much in a Golden Great Era, but in this current "Withered Minor Era," it was practically a miracle.

Gu Yun restrained his aura, his expression calm.

Only he knew that all of this was no accident.

For these twenty years, he had been meditating day and night in his Sea of Consciousness on that Azure Heaven Indestructible Art he had snatched from the mysterious space.

Although it was only the incomplete first half, or even just a fragment.

Its grade was high beyond imagination.

It overbearingly plundered all free energy in the world; even if it was mixed waste gas, it could be forcibly refined into the purest Origin.

This was the fundamental reason why he could ignore the environment and rise against the trend.

If he could complete this Cultivation Technique... a thought flashed through Gu Yun's mind, which he then suppressed.

Besides the Cultivation Technique, the "Supreme Divine Ability Seed" in his Sea of Consciousness, after twenty years of being nourished by primordial chaos violet qi, had also begun to take shape.

It's just that if it were to truly bloom, it would still need more Opportunities and Laws of the Heavenly Dao to fill it.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Gu Tianxing said "good" three times, his hands trembling slightly with excitement.

"With such a Qilin son in my Gu Family, why worry about not prospering!"

Everyone crowded around Gu Yun and entered the Gu Family discussion hall.

After taking their seats, the atmosphere was not as relaxed as imagined.

Gu Yun keenly noticed the worry between the Elders' brows.

"Father, what is the current situation outside?"

Gu Yun asked.

The smile on Gu Tianxing's face gradually faded, replaced by a deep worry.

He let out a long sigh.

"Yun'er, during the twenty years you were in seclusion, the world outside... has changed."

"Although we won the war against the Ji Family and Wang Family and established our hegemony."

"But this world has become even sicker."

Gu Tianxing waved his hand to cast a Water Mirror Technique, revealing scenes from various places in the Five Domains.

In the images, the once lush spiritual mountains and great rivers were now mostly withered and desolate.

Many former Grotto-Heaven Blessed Lands had their spiritual springs dried up, and their Spiritual Qi had become extremely thin.

"The impact of the Withered Minor Era is even more serious than we anticipated."

"The depletion of Spiritual Qi in the Five Domains has accelerated, and the Laws of the Heavenly Dao have become increasingly obscure."

"The 'Dharma Ending Cage' mentioned by the Saint Ancestor back then has now become a desperate reality recognized by all forces in the Five Domains."

"Therefore."

Gu Tianxing paused, his tone becoming heavy.

"In the last ten years, a 'Self-sealing Wave' has swept through the Five Domains."

"All the major Immortal Orthodoxies and Longevity Families are exhausting their foundations to search for Divine Sources."

"They are sealing the most top-tier and promising Prodigy geniuses of their clans into Divine Sources, letting them fall into a deep sleep."

"This is to avoid this desperate Dharma-Ending Age and wait for the next Golden Great Era to open before coming out to compete."

Speaking to this point, the atmosphere in the hall became incredibly oppressive.

This was a helpless act of survival by cutting off one's own arm.

Admitting one's powerlessness in this era, they could only place their hopes on an ethereal future.

"Even my Gu Family..."

Gu Tianxing glanced at the several Elders below.

"Has also had several exceptionally talented Sequence Prodigies choose to be sealed under the arrangement of the Elder Council."

Gu Yun nodded slightly, expressing his understanding.

This was a necessary means for the Family's continuation.

Not everyone had the courage and capital to resist the torrent of the times.

Just then, a Grand Elder responsible for the Family Legacy suddenly had his gaze fall on Gu Zhan behind Gu Yun.

A flash of regret passed through his eyes.

"Gu Zhan."

The Elder spoke, his voice aged.

"Your 'Primordial Chaos War Body' is a rare Offensive Saint Body in this world."

"But in this Dharma-Ending Age, the Spiritual Qi is thin, which is simply not enough to support the Major Achievement of your war body."

"If you continue to stay in this world, you will only waste your Lifespan and eventually fade into mediocrity."

"The Family still has one last piece of Top-grade Divine Source."

"If you are willing, I can personally act as your Protector to help you Seal yourself."

"When the Great Era opens, with your Aptitude, you will surely achieve great things."

These words came from the heart and were for Gu Zhan's own good.

Everyone's eyes turned toward that taciturn man.

This was a ticket to the future, a way to reach the heavens in one step.

However.

Hearing this, Gu Zhan did not hesitate for even a second.

He just shook his head firmly, his gaze not even shifting half an inch from Gu Yun's back.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, Elder."

"But I don't need it."

The Grand Elder frowned: "Do you know what kind of Opportunity this is? How many people could only dream of it!"

Gu Zhan grinned, his smile carrying a sense of wildness and fanaticism.

"My Dao is not in the future, but in the present."

"Wherever my Lord is, that is where my battlefield is."

"This Withered Minor Era is perfect for tempering my war body."

"I want to follow my Lord and carve out a different Path to Heaven in this desperate era!"

"As for that Golden Great Era..."

Gu Zhan gripped the broken sword in his hand, a tragic and overbearing Battle Intent radiating from him.

"If my Lord wants to go, I will just slaughter a way through that door for my Lord!"

The hall fell silent.

The Elders looked at this somewhat "foolish" man, but respect couldn't help but rise in their hearts.

"Well said."

Gu Yun spoke indifferently, ending the topic.

"Since Gu Zhan is unwilling, then he shall not be sealed."

"The people of my Gu Family do not need to rely on sleeping to fight for the future."

Gu Tianxing nodded, his eyes full of admiration.

He changed the subject, a cold, mocking smile appearing on his face.

"Speaking of self-sealing, it's actually quite interesting."

"The Ji Family and Wang Family, although they have sealed a large number of clansmen, there are two most critical people who have had no movement at all."

Gu Yun raised an eyebrow: "The Ji Family Divine Maiden and the Wang Family Qilin Son?"

"Correct."

Gu Tianxing sneered.

"It's not that they don't want to Seal themselves, but they can't."

"Twenty years ago, in the battle of the Falling Star Mystic Realm, you left too deep a Heart Demon in their hearts."

"Especially that Wang Family Qilin Son; it's said that every time he enters seclusion, he sees a pair of eyes watching him, leading to Qi Deviation."

"If they were to Seal themselves with such Heart Demons, during the long years of deep sleep, the Heart Demons would continuously grow and strengthen, eventually completely devouring their Dao Hearts."

"By the time they wake up, it would be the day they become useless people."

This was the terror of Heart Demons.

Once planted, they were like maggots on a bone.

"So."

Gu Tianxing looked at his son, a trace of satisfaction in his eyes.

"They have no choice."

"They can only grit their teeth and stay in this world."

"They must try everything possible to catch up with your footsteps, attempting to defeat you head-on and personally sever their Heart Demons."

"This has instead become their only way to break the deadlock."

"Caught in a dilemma, it's worse than death."

After hearing this, Gu Yun's expression remained calm, as if he didn't care.

"Since they want to play, then I'll play with them."

"They are nothing more than two slightly harder whetstones."

He stood up, no longer paying attention to these trivial matters.

He looked toward the distant east.

That was his true goal after exiting seclusion.

"Father, Elders."

Gu Yun's voice echoed in the hall, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness.

"I'm going out for a walk."

Gu Tianxing was taken aback: "Where are you going?"

Gu Yun withdrew his gaze and slowly uttered three words.

"Heavenly Dao Ruins."