379: Break through the defense!

However, Jiang Wunian did not set off immediately.

In his perception, although the aura of that "desire fruit" was full of vigorous vitality, it had not yet reached the stage of Perfection.

Currently, it was only equivalent to the Late Golden Core Stage, not yet worth him traveling all the way across the Western Wasteland.

However, when he thought of that Seven Emotions Gu, which was only a step away from the Nine-Turn stage, the hesitation in his eyes was gradually replaced by a burning heat.

Gu maturation consists of Nine-Turns, divided into upper, middle, and lower stages, corresponding to the three Realms of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Golden Core; each pattern represents one turn.

Finally, when the nine nines return to one, it can be promoted to a "Heavenly Desire Gu," equivalent to a Nascent Soul stage Gu King, possessing the terrifying power to manipulate the thoughts of all living beings.

However, this step is extremely difficult to achieve. Besides the Gu itself needing to nurture a trace of the power of Law, it also requires a massive amount of "sustenance" for continuous feeding.

Furthermore, the various Grotto-heaven orthodoxies are extremely wary of the Six Desires Demonic Sect. At the slightest sign of trouble, they will strike to suppress it, making it difficult to find opportunities for large-scale harvesting.

Therefore, every mature "desire fruit" represents a resource at the Golden Core Perfection level.

To both Jiang Wunian and the Seven Emotions Gu, this was undoubtedly an irresistible temptation.

“But that direction is the Northern Border...”

Although Jiang Wunian had made his decision, his brow was still slightly furrowed.

The Northern Border—Yun Chenzi, that Fiend, is over there!

A trace of apprehension flashed in Jiang Wunian's eyes.

As a True Disciple born from a Grotto-heaven and Blessed Land, Jiang Wunian should not have feared any of these "backwater people" from the Outer Realms.

But Yun Chenzi was an exception!

Outsiders might only know him as the number one combatant in the Northern Border, a man of great spirit who sought to prove his Dao through the Law of the Five Elements.

But Cultivators from Grotto-heavens like Jiang Wunian knew deeper secrets.

This man was a "Gatekeeper" supported by the Qingwei Dao Sect to curb the activities of the Six Desires Demonic Sect in the Outer Realms.

Aside from being located in the Outer Realms, his foundation, Legacy, and resource supply were essentially no different from a Personal Disciple of a Grotto-heaven.

In fact, due to his special mission, he was cultivated with the full effort of the Qingwei Dao Sect, giving him an advantage over many Grotto-heaven Disciples in certain aspects.

According to what Jiang Wunian knew, no fewer than three fellow Disciples had fallen to Yun Chenzi in the past century.

They were either killed on the spot or captured alive and taken to the Qingwei Dao Sect for rewards.

One of them was even the Senior Brother who had led him into the demonic path.

Although Yun Chenzi had been slacking off and acting much more restrained in recent years.

But a man's reputation precedes him, and Jiang Wunian could not say he had a certain grasp of victory against Yun Chenzi.

Yet, to give up on the Opportunity right before his eyes was no different from carving out his heart.

This was also a common ailment among the Cultivators of the Six Desires Demonic Sect: by cultivating the path of the Seven Emotions and Six Desires, they were destined to be unable to escape the influence of the Mortal World. Once greed was amplified, it would often spread like a wildfire, becoming uncontrollable.

After a long silence, the last trace of hesitation in Jiang Wunian's eyes was finally replaced by determination.

“Forget it... with an Opportunity before me, how can I stop eating for fear of choking?”

Although Yun Chenzi is strong, he is only one person.

If I act carefully, there might still be a chance!

Before his voice had even faded, the seven-colored mist around him suddenly collapsed inward, as if swallowed by an invisible black hole.

In the next instant, he had completely disappeared into the Void Realm, leaving only a dead silence enveloping the entire Tan Family estate... Deep within the Five Elements Dao Palace of the Qingming Immortal Sect.

In the past, this grand hall was always enveloped in a profound and harmonious Five Elements dao rhyme.

The five Origin powers of Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth flowed incessantly, evolving into various auspicious phenomena and collectively guarding the great figure in the center.

At this moment, however, the scene inside the Dao Palace was vastly different from usual.

The Five Elements dao rhyme, which was originally gentle, peaceful, and orderly, had now become as chaotic and violent as boiling water!

Sharp Metal sword-light transformed into countless tiny streaks of light, piercing in all directions and letting out ear-piercing shrieks.

Verdant Wood vines grew wildly, twisting and entangling with one another.

The mysterious water surged violently, raising furious waves.

The Red Fire lost control, sparks flying everywhere and igniting the air with crackling pops.

Even the most stable Earth power appeared exceptionally restless; cracks appeared on the ground, and the phantom images of mountains flickered, looking as if they might collapse at any moment.

The entire Dao Palace was like a Small World that had lost its internal balance and was on the brink of collapse.

And the source of all these anomalies was the figure sitting cross-legged on the prayer mat in the center of the Dao Palace—Yun Chenzi!

Clearly, this Great True Person of Golden Core Perfection, who was usually indifferent by nature, was in an extremely unsettled state of mind, so much so that his own dao rhyme was severely affected, causing the external manifestations to be so chaotic.

Yun Chenzi's brow was tightly furrowed, and his face was as grim as water.

He tried to concentrate and calm his breath, guiding the rampaging Five Elements power back into order, but the churning anger and stifled frustration in his chest were like maggots on a bone, impossible to dispel.

Forcing his Cultivation Technique instead caused his Qi and blood to surge backward slightly.

Finally, he abruptly opened his eyes, a five-colored brilliance flashing through them, unable to hide a trace of irritability.

He no longer made futile attempts, pressing his hands down in front of him and shouting in a low voice.

“Withdraw!”

Weng—

The violent Five Elements phenomena in the Dao Palace were forcibly suppressed as if by an invisible giant hand, and the chaotic dao rhyme was pulled back into his body.

Although the phenomena were no longer visible, the silent hall was filled with an oppressive feeling, like the calm before a mountain storm.

“Damn the Zhuge Family!”

A low curse, suppressed with anger, broke the silence.

The voice was not loud, but it contained the vast power fluctuations of a Great True Person of Golden Core Perfection, causing the space within the hall to ripple.

Logically speaking, having reached a Realm like Yun Chenzi's, he should have long been able to remain unmoved even if a mountain collapsed before him, his will as steadfast as ten-thousand-year-old ice. Ordinary matters should hardly cause such violent fluctuations in his state of mind.

Yet at this moment, he was truly enraged, and quite deeply so.

This really couldn't be blamed on Yun Chenzi's lack of cultivation.

If this happened to anyone else, they would probably lose their composure too!

Just imagine, you are painstakingly cultivating in seclusion at home, comprehending the Great Dao.

Then one day, when your work is complete and you emerge from seclusion feeling refreshed, you are shocked to find that you have already been "exposed" to the outside world!

And it's the kind where you've been stripped clean, with not even your underwear left!

A series of hidden moves and secret arrangements you meticulously prepared for the sake of condensing a Nascent Soul have been made public, one by one, exposed right under everyone's noses.

This sudden turn of events caught Yun Chenzi completely off guard.

In fact, at the very beginning, when some scattered rumors about his pursuit of the "Great Dao of Yin and Yang" and his coveting of "xuan yin jade marrow" began to surface in the upper circles of Northern Border Cultivators, Yun Chenzi didn't pay much attention, even scoffing at them.

Although he had kept these matters hidden, they were not completely untraceable.

Moreover, these were just his goals; once others knew, they knew. It wasn't a major issue.

So, Yun Chenzi simply treated them as the work of clowns who, seeing his imminent Breakthrough, were filled with jealousy and fear, spreading rumors in an attempt to disturb his Dao Heart and obstruct his path.