Chapter 4001: Giving His All To Endure

The moment the barrier appeared, another talisman burned.

A second barrier emerged and this one was made entirely from radiant light. It shone like a miniature sun, forming layers upon layers of brilliant defensive radiance around Daoist Bone Ruler.

Another talisman burned and water surged outward. A huge sphere of dense water wrapped around the previous barriers. Another talisman activated and earth appeared, as thick walls of stone emerged around him, forming several concentric layers.

The next talisman was that of metal and a silver barrier covered the stone, smooth and incredibly dense. The one after created a blazing wall of crimson flames that surrounded the metal.

The one after was a High Grade wind type talisman. Invisible currents immediately began circulating around the entire defensive structure, forming countless spiraling layers. The old man continued throwing talismans and he did not stop.

Every talisman represented a defensive treasure that had taken immense resources to create. Some had been inherited from previous generations. Others had been personally refined by him after spending decades collecting rare materials.

Normally, using even one of these defensive talismans would have been considered excessive. Now he was using dozens. The elders watching from afar became silent as they understood what they were witnessing.

Daoist Bone Ruler was taking this seriously.

’No.’ They understood the reality. ’He is afraid.’

That realization spread through the gathered cultivators like a silent wave and several High Elders exchanged glances. They had known Daoist Bone Ruler for a very long time. They had seen him fight. They had seen him injured. They had seen him furious.

But they had rarely seen him build so many defenses before receiving an attack. And even after all of this, the old man still had no intention of stopping as his hands formed another seal.

"Golden Gong Guardian Art: Ancestral Guardian Bell!"

HUALA

Immortal Qi erupted from his body and hundreds of golden runes flew into the sky. They rotated around Daoist Bone Ruler at astonishing speed before suddenly merging together as a massive bell descended.

It was several dozen meters tall and completely enveloped the old man. The surface of the bell was covered with intricate motifs showing ancient figures surrounded by ancient symbols, depicting ancient scenes.

The gathered disciples stared at it with astonishment. Only those with sufficient knowledge immediately recognized the significance. The figures engraved upon the bell were the ancestors of the Heavenly Stream Guardian Sect.

Every one of them represented an ancestral will that had acknowledged Daoist Bone Ruler.

The Ancestral Guardian Bell was among the most powerful defensive techniques of the sect. Its true strength did not come solely from the Immortal Qi used to construct it. The technique required the approval of ancestral wills.

Without that approval, the bell could never reach its true potential. And right now three motifs had appeared which meant three ancestors had acknowledged him. For most cultivators, obtaining even one was a tremendous achievement.

But Daoist Bone Ruler had three!

The old man gritted his teeth as he was still not finished.

RUMBLE

A strange power suddenly emerged from his body and his Dao Embryo manifested.

"Penitent Guardian Discipline Dao Embryo!" The space around him trembled as a strange figure appeared.

At first, it was the size of an ordinary human.

It looked like a man, but its expression was filled with sorrow and its eyes were closed while bloody tears flowed down its cheeks. To ordinary observers, the figure looked almost like an evil effigy summoned from some forbidden cultivation technique.

Several younger disciples immediately felt uneasy, but the older elders knew better. This was a Dao Embryo of Discipline. The bloody tears represented repentance and the sorrow represented responsibility.

The figure represented the burden carried by those who enforced order.

The Dao of Discipline was one of the orthodox Dao paths of the sect, and Daoist Bone Ruler had spent countless years cultivating it. It was one of the harder Dao’s to comprehend, and the Dao Embryo he had was even harder to obtain.

The figure expanded and the Penitent Guardian became a towering figure. Its enormous arms moved and they wrapped around Daoist Bone Ruler. The old man’s body disappeared completely inside its embrace.

Finally, Daoist Bone Ruler raised his hand and the Bone Ruler flew through the air.

It expanded once more and quickly grew to a hundred meters like before. But this time it continued growing until it resembled a heavenly pillar standing between the old man and the incoming disaster.

Countless runes covered its surface as the Bone Ruler’s power rose to its absolute limit.

Everything was ready but nearly half a minute had passed. For any other opponent, that amount of time would have been more than enough. Lin Mu could have attacked at any point.

He could have punched through the old man’s body before the first talisman activated. He could have destroyed the defensive treasures before the Ancestral Guardian Bell appeared. He could have interrupted the Dao Embryo’s formation.

He could have done all of it, but he had chosen to wait.

And Daoist Bone Ruler noticed.

Through the gaps between the defensive layers, he saw Lin Mu standing calmly in the distance. That familiar smirk remained on his face, seeing which the old man’s heart trembled.

He suddenly remembered what Lin Mu had said earlier.

He had called him a junior. He had said he would teach him. And now, Lin Mu had genuinely waited for him to prepare every defense he possessed. A complicated feeling appeared in Daoist Bone Ruler’s heart.

The anger he had felt earlier had faded.

Some of the suspicion remained and so did caution, yet there was something else now: Respect.

If this man truly intended to kill him, there had been no reason to allow him to prepare. The old man slowly tightened his grip around the Bone Ruler.

"Junior?" Lin Mu’s voice traveled across the battlefield.

His eyes were calm. "Let us see if you can endure this."

The next instant, Lin Mu moved his hand and the world exploded.