257: An Age Without Saints? (56)

Inside the discussion hall, core Elders and clansmen who had heard the news had already crowded in.

As Gu Yun stepped into the hall, flanked by that young general, everyone's gaze converged on him.

The crowd's expressions were complex, filled with both ecstatic excitement and a hint of scrutiny.

"Yun'er!"

Family Head Gu Tianxing stepped forward quickly. He wanted to reach out but hesitated, ultimately just patting Gu Yun heavily on the shoulder, his eyes reddening.

"It's good you're back... it's good you're back!"

"Lord!"

Gu Zhan's figure also squeezed out from the crowd. Looking at Gu Yun, this resolute man couldn't help but have moist eyes as he knelt on one knee, his voice choked with emotion.

"Welcome back, Lord!"

"Rise."

Gu Yun helped Gu Zhan up, his heart warming as his gaze swept across the familiar and excited faces.

However, just as the Family reunion atmosphere was at its peak.

An ancient and vast Saintly Might slowly descended from the deepest part of the Forbidden Ground.

The hall instantly fell silent.

Everyone, including Family Head Gu Tianxing, bowed in unison with respectful expressions.

"Welcome, Saint Ancestor."

That majestic will ignored the crowd and landed directly on Gu Yun.

"It is well that you have returned."

The Saint Ancestor's voice contained a hint of gratification, but more than that, it held an indisputable decisiveness.

"Gu Yun, last time, I proposed that you be sealed to avoid this Dharma-Ending Tribulation and wait for the Golden Great Age."

As soon as these words were spoken, the festive atmosphere in the hall froze.

The Saint Ancestor's voice became incredibly solemn, carrying a tone of interrogation.

"You refused, and I respected your Dao Heart, but what was the result?"

"To protect you and resist the frantic counterattacks of the Ji and Wang Families, how many Prodigies has the Family lost? How much of the foundation accumulated over eons has been consumed?"

"Do you know that this Fading world is already a cage!"

"Your talent should not, and absolutely must not, be wasted in this withered soil any longer!"

The Saint Ancestor's will rang in everyone's minds like an undeniable divine decree.

"I command in the name of the Gu Family Saint Ancestor: this time, you must accept being sealed!"

"We shall use our clan's last Divine Source to Seal you completely. You will awaken when the next Golden Great Age arrives to contend for that Supreme Imperial Throne!"

This time, it was not a proposal, but an order.

The hall was deathly silent.

The joy on Gu Tianxing's face froze.

He looked at Gu Yun, his eyes full of struggle and reluctance, but more than that, a sense of resolve.

Being sealed meant another tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years of slumber.

But... he knew better than anyone that the Saint Ancestor was right.

Over these fifty years, the price the Gu Family had paid was too high.

The faces of those brilliant young clansmen who were stuck at a Bottleneck due to the depletion of Spiritual Qi and eventually died in resentment were still vivid in his mind.

After a brief hesitation, Gu Tianxing was actually the first to slowly kneel down before his son.

His voice was hoarse and carried a sob.

"Yun'er, consider this your father... begging you."

"For the sake of the Family, and for yourself, accept the Seal!"

"We request the Daoist Seed to be sealed!"

"We request the Daoist Seed to be sealed!"

In this moment, every Elder and clansman in the hall actually knelt to the ground.

The collective pleas merged into a torrent, weighing heavily on his heart.

They had no ill intent.

They were simply using what they believed was the best way to protect him and the last hope this Family had traded countless lives for.

Gu Yun looked at these kneeling relatives, but there was no anger in his heart.

His gaze was calm.

Sealed?

To go to that so-called Golden Great Age and compete with the Prodigies of the ages?

In their eyes, this was a supreme honor and Opportunity.

But in Gu Yun's mind, scenes flashed by.

On the Ancient Starry Road, the Primordial Chaos Sacred Body Venerable whose head was severed by a single sword strike.

In the previous Great Era, the Great Emperor who possessed the Chaos Dual Pupils and suppressed the ages, only to have the Heavenly Dao shattered by a madman.

That sword-wielding madman who looked insane yet could slay a Great Emperor.

And those terrifying Life Forbidden Zones, those taboo existences that could easily erase even a Saint... having witnessed such magnificence and such cruel truths.

Gu Yun knew better than anyone.

The so-called Golden Great Age was a feast for mediocre people, but for true Prodigies, it was an even bloodier and more cruel meat grinder.

Placing hope in the future?

It was no different from actively offering one's neck to another's butcher knife.

His path could only be carved out by himself, punch by punch, kick by kick, and sword by sword!

"Everyone, rise."

Gu Yun's voice rang out; though soft, it carried an unquestionable power.

He walked to his father, Gu Tianxing, and personally helped him up.

Then, he surveyed the room and spoke word by word.

"Being sealed is impossible."

"It's impossible to be sealed in this lifetime."

After saying that, he looked up, his gaze passing through the hall toward that ancient will deep within the Forbidden Ground.

"My, Gu Yun's, Dao is tempered in adversity and blooms in despair."

"If I cannot even break through this small Dharma-Ending cage, how can I talk about going to the Golden Great Age to compete with the Prodigies of the ages?"

His words were powerful and resonant, displaying absolute dominance.

The hall fell into silence once more.

Everyone was shocked by Gu Yun's invincible conviction that refused to believe in fate.

The Saint Ancestor's will fell silent.

After a long time, a long sigh echoed in everyone's hearts.

"Your Dao Heart... I understand."

Gu Yun bowed deeply toward the Forbidden Ground.

"Thank you, Saint Ancestor, for granting this."

"However, to appease the clansmen and for my own Dao."

Gu Yun's voice suddenly became incredibly firm.

"I, Gu Yun, hereby swear."

"From this day forth, I shall enter death seclusion again."

"If I do not become a Heavenly Venerate, I shall never emerge!"

Boom!

This oath rang in everyone's hearts like a clap of thunder.

"If I do not become a Heavenly Venerate, I shall never emerge!"

What confidence, what determination!

The Saint Ancestor's will fluctuated again, and in that sigh, there was a hint of gratification and relief.

"Good, what a 'If I do not become a Heavenly Venerate, I shall never emerge'!"

"When the day of your success comes, I shall gift you the 'Heaven-Patrolling Saint Sword' that I used for half my life."

"At that time, this Fading Small World will be yours to traverse as you please!"

The Saint Ancestor's will slowly receded... Outside.

The news that the Grandmist Venerable Gu Yun had returned after fifty years had already spread throughout the Five Domains.

The Ji Family and Wang Family were as if facing a great enemy, entering the highest level of combat readiness.

They retracted all their external battle lines, recalled all their elite forces to their ancestral lands, activated their protective formations, and waited in full battle array.

The entire Central State was permeated with a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

Everyone thought that an immortal war sweeping the Five Domains was about to break out again.

However, unexpectedly.

A month passed.

The Gu Family made no movement.

Three months passed.

The Gu Family still made no movement.

That high-profile returning Grandmist Venerable, after announcing his presence, had once again vanished without a trace.

It was as if he had never returned.

This left all the forces paying attention to the matter feeling confused and perplexed.