256: An Age Without Saints! (55)

"Im... Impossible!"

The Family Head of the Ji Family accidentally knocked over the jade cup in front of him. Scalding spiritual tea spilled all over the ground, but he was completely oblivious, his eyes fixed deathly on that Old Ancestor.

"He clearly died! Fifty years ago, he perished in the Burial Ground of Immortals; the whole world knows of this!"

However, the truth was right before their eyes.

That newly promoted Human Venerable Peak of the Wang Family had perished.

The Earth Venerable Distant Ancestor from their own side had only managed to escape back by burning his Origin, and his Dao foundation had suffered irreversible, heavy damage.

An Earth Venerable who was not suppressed by the Heavenly Dao—who else could it be but that monster?

A bone-chilling coldness enveloped the entire hall.

He was back.

That man had once again returned alive from a desperate situation where everyone believed survival was impossible, and he had even become stronger.

An unsuppressed Earth Venerable... invincible beneath the Heaven Venerable realm.

"Family Head, what... what should we do now?" an Elder asked with a sob, his voice trembling.

What to do?

What else could they do?

"Awaken... the Heaven Venerable Ancient Ancestor."

The Ji Family Head squeezed out these words with great difficulty, his voice hoarse.

A Heaven Venerable Realm Ancient Ancestor was an existence with the hope of stepping into the Saint Realm, the true foundation of an immortal power.

Each one slept in the deepest depths of Divine Source, maintaining their final spark of life. Unless it was a disaster threatening the clan's extermination, they must never be easily awakened.

Because every time they were awakened, it meant consuming a massive amount of the Family's Luck and life Origin, and could even cause the Ancient Ancestor's Dao to be cut off forever.

The price was simply too high.

For a moment, everyone fell into a dilemma... meanwhile, amidst a desolate mountain range.

Gu Yun found a hidden cave and laid down layers of Restrictions.

He sat cross-legged, holding a shimmering dao fruit in his hand.

It was precisely the lifelong painstaking effort of that Wang Family Human Venerable Peak.

Gu Yun looked at this dao fruit, a flicker of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

But he immediately thought of those two overbearing Earth Venerables who had shown a clear intent to kill him, and he thought of the humiliation his Family had suffered over these fifty years.

Hesitation turned into determination.

Without hesitation, he refined that dao fruit.

Boom!

A massive and pure energy exploded within his body, washing through his Meridians.

Within his Dantian Qi Sea, that purple-gold primordial dao fruit began to expand rapidly and frantically.

Five hundred feet.

Five hundred and fifty feet.

Finally, at the six-hundred-foot mark, it barely came to a stop.

An aura more than twice as powerful as before diffused from his body, causing the surrounding space to vibrate.

However, there was not a hint of joy on Gu Yun's face.

His eyes had, at some point, turned blood-red, filled with a violent aura.

A frantic thought craving slaughter and destruction grew wildly in the depths of his Dao Heart, like a prairie fire.

"Not enough... still not enough..."

A voice full of temptation echoed in his mind, like the whisper of a devil.

"Kill! Kill them all!"

"Devour their dao fruits, and you will become even stronger!"

"Wipe out the Ji Family, wipe out the Wang Family, kill everyone in this world who opposes you!"

"Attaining the Dao through slaughter—that is the true Great Dao!"

Gu Yun's Dao Heart shook violently at this moment.

Even the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart in his chest grew dim, unexpectedly unable to suppress this terrifying devilish intent originating from the Cultivation Technique itself.

Wisps of black Devilish Qi drifted out from his body, making him look like a Demonic Lord.

He was about to fall into demonhood.

Just then.

Weng—

In the deepest part of Gu Yun's Sea of Consciousness, that mysterious small tower that had been silent all along suddenly erupted with a soft azure light.

That light was pure and peaceful.

It was as if it could restrain all filth and evil in the world.

Under the shroud of the azure light, the black Devilish Qi swirling around Gu Yun quickly dissolved and was completely purified.

Gu Yun's blood-red eyes also slowly regained their clarity.

He gasped for air, his body soaked in cold sweat, as if he had just woken up from a nightmare.

"This technique..."

Gu Yun felt a lingering fear.

He finally understood completely.

There was nothing wrong with this small tower.

The problem lay with the Azure Heaven Indestructible Art and that mysterious small tower space.

Was that space really the Legacy site of the small tower?

Was the seed that gave birth to the Punish Heaven Divine Ability really just a seed?

Could it be some kind of forbidden existence from a restricted area that evolved after its fall?

And the person who created the Azure Heaven Indestructible Art—what kind of goal did they have?

Gu Yun didn't know.

But he knew that this time, the small tower had saved him.

But what about next time?

He didn't dare to gamble again.

"It ends here."

Gu Yun's gaze became firm once more.

He suppressed all the Killing Intent and restlessness in his body, completely stabilized the surging power, and then adjusted his mindset.

It was time to go home... a few days later.

Central Region, Gu Family.

Gu Yun's figure appeared at the edge of the Family's current territory.

He restrained all his aura and, like a Mortal, walked step by step toward that familiar mountain range.

Even before getting close, he could feel that aura of solemnity and slaughter.

Centered around the Family's ancestral land, for millions of miles, it was filled with layers of Formations and Restrictions, divine light flowing as if facing a great enemy.

Some peripheral cities that once belonged to the Gu Family had long since changed hands, now flying the flags of the Ji and Wang Families.

The Family's territory had shrunk by nearly thirty percent compared to when he "perished" fifty years ago.

All of this silently told the story of the pressure and hardships the Gu Family had endured over these fifty years.

The moment Gu Yun approached within a thousand feet of the Family territory.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Dozens of figures emerged from the shadows and surrounded him.

It was a squad of Gu Family guards responsible for patrolling.

They were each clad in heavy armor, their auras fierce and their gazes sharp. Their weapons pointed directly at Gu Yun as they formed a slaughtering battle array.

At their head was a young general of the Guiyi Realm.

He was very young and had clearly grown up after Gu Yun's "death," so he did not recognize the person before him.

He only knew that the newcomer's aura was extremely powerful and that he was a foe, not a friend.

"Who goes there!"

The young general shouted, brimming with Killing Intent.

"Trespassing into my Gu Family territory—state your name!"

Gu Yun looked at these unfamiliar young faces, seeing the unafraid-of-death determination in their eyes, and a flicker of gratification passed through his heart.

He did not release any pressure, but simply raised his head, revealing a face that, compared to fifty years ago, was a few shades more composed and weathered.

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered everyone's ears.

"What, you don't even recognize this Daozi?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire field fell silent.

The young general was stunned.

The guards behind him were also stunned.

They stared intently at Gu Yun's face, their expressions shifting from vigilance to doubt, and then to disbelief.

They had never seen that face with their own eyes.

But in the Gu Family's ancestral hall, on that statue symbolizing the Family's highest glory, they had seen it countless times.

Though the temperament had changed, the eyes and the features were identical.

"Dao... Daozi?"

The young general's voice was trembling, and the long spear in his hand was also somewhat unsteady.

The wariness and Killing Intent on his face were instantly replaced by an uncontrollable wild joy.

"It's the Daozi!"

"The Daozi is back!"

He threw down the spear in his hand and shouted excitedly at Gu Yun.

This roar was exceptionally loud in the quiet night sky.

Immediately following this, the voice rapidly and frantically spread within the Gu Family territory.

"The Daozi is back!"

"Our Daozi is back!"

For a moment, the entire Gu Family was jubilant.

And this news also spread frantically toward all parts of the Five Domains at a speed faster than any time before.

"What? The Daozi of the Gu Family is alive again?"

"That man, that legendary king of survival, Gu Yun, is back yet again."