Chapter 363: Devour, Strike

If he hadn’t unraveled it thread by thread, sensing with extreme care, he never would have detected that the person before him was a Demon Fiend. Its concealment was so profound it was virtually indistinguishable from a member of the Human Race. For even someone with his Tongxuan Realm Middle Stage Cultivation to only confirm its identity after such a careful inspection… a normal person would stand no chance!

What truly shocked him was that this fellow Cultivator before him had not only sensed the Demon Fiend with ease, but had also captured and killed it. The man’s power was likely unfathomable!

“Indeed. It was a Demon Fiend that had disguised itself well and infiltrated Lingxiao City,” Gu Yun said softly, lifting his white jade wine glass. “After I… persuaded it a little, it revealed some important information.”

Gu Yun then recounted to Du Yuan everything he had learned from the Demon Fiend about the Blood Sacrifice Array, the Qiu Long Mountain Range, and the Blood Nether Cave Celestial.

“Damn it!!”

After hearing Gu Yun’s detailed account, Du Yuan’s eyes widened in fury. “Those bastards actually want to use the tens of millions of people in Lingxiao City as blood food!” he roared.

He then cupped his fists, bowed deeply to Gu Yun, and said respectfully, “If not for your insight, fellow Cultivator,

I’m afraid I would still be in the dark. The countless members of the Human Race in Lingxiao City would have unknowingly been plunged into a terrible calamity!”

Gu Yun shook his head gently. “There is no need for that, fellow Cultivator. My strength alone is not enough to handle this.”

“Besides, I’ve only just arrived and am unfamiliar with the layout of Lingxiao City and the Qiu Long Mountain Range. I informed you because I wanted to discuss this with you.”

But Du Yuan was insistent, determined to express his gratitude. “You are mistaken, fellow Cultivator.

If not for your discovery, I fear Lingxiao City would be facing annihilation!”

Next, the two discussed how to deal with the impending crisis.

Gu Yun had learned from the memories of the black-robed Demon Fiend that it was the Array Starter for the Blood Sacrifice Array.

Now that the Array Starter was dead, they could directly attack the Great Demon Fiend in the Blood Nether Cave Celestial within the Qiu Long Mountain Range.

The two formulated a plan. Du Yuan intended to call upon Qin Xiao, the City Lord of Lingxiao City and an Elder of the Celestial Refining Demon Sect, to join them. Gu Yun naturally agreed.

When attacking a powerful Demon Fiend, more hands naturally meant more power.

After that, seeing as they had some time to spare,

the two began a direct exchange on the Dao. This was the first time since reaching the Tongxuan Realm that Gu Yun had discussed cultivation principles with a Cultivator of the same realm.

Although Gu Yun’s combat prowess was astonishing, it was because he had brought many of his Techniques to the stage of Perfection through Cultivation, and some even beyond.

This, combined with his extremely offensive Thunder Techniques, his possession of the Celestial Thunder Dao Body, his use of the Nine Tribulations Thunder Gang Decision as his Cultivation Technique, his command of the Vermilion Bird Heaven-Burning Thunder—one of the Heaven and Earth Divine Thunders—and his Cultivation of a Heaven-Defying Technique like the Great Dream Star Soul Refining Technique, was the source of his immense combat strength in the Tongxuan Realm.

In truth, he was just a young man who had entered the Tongxuan Realm only a few years ago. Compared to a Cultivator like the Du Family’s patriarch, who had been cultivating in the Tongxuan Realm for several hundred years, he was still lacking when it came to certain fine details of cultivation.

In Du Yuan’s eyes, however, this young-looking expert was undoubtedly a monstrously talented prodigy. After their exchange,

he was certain that the other man was not even a hundred years old. Compared to the eight-hundred-year lifespan of a Tongxuan Realm Cultivator, this was incredibly young! To possess power comparable to the Tongxuan Realm Late Stage or even higher at such a young age—if that wasn’t a prodigy, what was?

In Du Yuan’s eyes, this young man had a very high chance of stepping into the Realm of Harmonization in the future! The Unity Realm! In the Celestial Essence Realm, someone at that level was a true titan!

Given the man’s prodigious talent, Du Yuan also put his all into their exchange, wanting to build a good relationship with him.

Their discussions grew deeper and deeper. Gu Yun was deeply impressed by the Du Family patriarch’s guidance on the many finer points of the Tongxuan Realm, while Du Yuan was astonished by some of the open-minded perspectives Gu Yun proposed.

Time flew by like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, more than ten days had passed.

During this time, Gu Yun gained a great deal. The other man held nothing back, sharing his centuries of experience in the Tongxuan Realm, which helped Gu Yun further solidify his foundation.

In return, if the other man could grasp the Daoist Technique concepts he proposed, it would naturally bring great benefits to his understanding of Techniques and, consequently, his overall strength.

Gu Yun understood. ‘Even if he wants to be on good terms with me, it’s not enough to make someone share hundreds of years of insights into the Tongxuan Realm. Even if his strength is less than mine, this is still the distilled essence of a Tongxuan Realm Middle Stage cultivator’s Daoist Technique philosophy.’

‘The real reason he’s willing to pour out hundreds of years of experience in the Tongxuan Realm is probably because I saved him from Wu Qianlong that day.’

Compared to Gu Yun’s bountiful gains, Du Yuan also reaped significant rewards from the novel viewpoints and profound theoretical foundation of Techniques that Gu Yun shared. But what truly shocked him was that the man had spent a mere dozen or so days to completely absorb and integrate his own hundreds of years of accumulation. He had never seen such a supreme prodigy.

“Your talent is the greatest this old man has ever seen in his life!” Du Yuan exclaimed with emotion at the end of their Daoist Technique exchange, stroking his graying beard.

“You jest, fellow Cultivator. If not for you holding nothing back in your teachings, I could never have gained so much, no matter how talented I am.” At that moment, the private room was swirling with Dao Rhythm. An even more profound and mysterious Dao Rhythm coiled around Gu Yun’s entire body.

The immense aura casually radiating from him was almost tangible, sending ripples through the void. His Circulation was perfectly whole and unified, as if his very being had merged with the heavens and the earth, giving him an extremely profound and unfathomable air.

“Stop teasing this old man. Since I advanced to the Tongxuan Realm, I’ve seen my fair share of Tongxuan Realm cultivators over the centuries, but I’ve never seen anyone with talent as terrifying as yours!” Du Yuan shook his head, sighing with emotion.

Then, his tone grew serious. “Speaking of which, since you possess such outstanding talent,

why have I never seen you on the Dragon and Tiger Celestial Pride List of Central Earth in all these decades?”

The Dragon and Tiger Celestial Pride List was a Celestial Pride List established by the Star Palace of Central Earth. Every person on it was a peerless prodigy who had reached the Tongxuan Realm before the age of one hundred. The list recorded a total of thirty-six names from the entire Celestial Essence Realm.

‘Decades?’

‘I only entered the Tongxuan Realm in recent years, but how can I explain that to him?’

So Gu Yun just shook his head and said, “For all these years, I have been in the mountains, focused solely on secluded Cultivation, with no desire to be on any list.”

Du Yuan nodded slightly upon hearing this, stroking his graying beard. “I see. It seems you see things very clearly, fellow Cultivator.”

‘Only strength is fundamental; everything else is but a fleeting cloud. To think he understands such a principle before he’s even a hundred years old. No wonder his strength is so Heaven-Reaching.’

Of course, Gu Yun had no idea that the Du Family patriarch was busy imagining such a diligent and hardworking persona for him. If he knew, he would probably just give a wry smile.

Then, Gu Yun stared at the Du Family patriarch and said in a deep voice, “It is time to set out.”

Du Yuan nodded slowly, a flash of killing intent in his ancient eyes. “Yes. The Demon Fiend in the Qiu Long Mountain Range must have realized something is wrong by now. Let me inform fellow Cultivator Qin Xiao, and then we shall depart.” As his voice fell, Du Yuan stirred a trace of Magical Power in his body. With a wave of his hand, a pale blue Communication Jade Scroll appeared, and he sent a message into it.

…

「In Lingxiao City.」

Inside a majestic, ancient palace that hung suspended in mid-air, a series of Profound Mysterious Arrays rotated all around.

Atop a high platform, a middle-aged man in black robes with a square face, sharp eyes, and a terrifying Dao Rhythm circulating around him, suddenly opened his Netherworld-like eyes. With a wave of his hand, a Communication Jade Scroll hovered in the air. He sent his Divine Sense into it, and a moment later, Qin Xiao spoke in a low, ghostly voice, “It’s time to strike.”

“A Demon Fiend that Wu the Dog would collude with…

I hope it doesn’t disappoint this Seat.” A glint of murderous intent flashed in Qin Xiao’s eyes, causing the very air around him to twist and distort.

When he had received the news from Old Ghost Du not long ago, he had been filled with a towering rage. That very day, he had slaughtered every last member of the Wu Family in Lingxiao City!

Colluding with the Alien Race was something that even his Celestial Refining Demon Sect would not tolerate in the slightest.

Only a river of blood could quell the wrath of an Asura!!