202: An era without saints?! (Part 1)

Zhongzhou.

The Immortal Ancient Saint Clan, the Gu Family.

Above the mountain range where their ancestral land was located, without any warning, thirty thousand li of vast Purple Qi surged forth.

The Purple Qi was so dense it became physical, like the Heavenly River hanging upside down, completely enveloping the Gu Family's million-li territory.

Immediately after, bits of light rain began to fall from the sky.

That was no ordinary water, but the purest nectar of life.

Wherever the light rain fell, countless rare Spirit Medicines in the Gu Family's medicine gardens grew frantically; some thousand-year-old Divine Medicines saw their age skyrocket by a hundred years in just a few breaths.

Spirit Beasts in the mountains bathed in the nectar, one after another gaining intelligence and prostrating themselves toward the Gu Family's ancestral land.

Before everyone could recover from this auspicious omen from the heavens...

Upon the earth, golden lotuses emerged out of thin air from the Void Realm.

Golden Lotuses Springing from the Earth, the Resonance of the Great Dao.

A mysterious and profound Dao charm resounded throughout the Universe as the lotuses bloomed.

Countless Gu Family members in secluded cultivation felt their Divine Souls become clear and their spiritual platforms transparent the moment they heard this Voice of the Great Dao.

Some cultivation Bottlenecks that had troubled them for years suddenly opened up within this Dao sound, leading to immediate Epiphanies on the spot.

For a time, within the Gu Family territory, the aura of Breakthroughs rose one after another, unending.

"Heavens! This... what kind of phenomenon is this!"

"Purple Qi Coming from the East for Thirty Thousand Li, Golden Lotuses Springing from the Earth, the Resonance of the Great Dao! This is a sign of a Saint descending into the world!"

"Could it be that an Old Ancestor of the Gu Family has broken through the Venerable Realm and attained Sainthood?"

The gaze of the entire Zhongzhou was drawn over.

Experts from countless top-tier forces sent out their Divine Thoughts, wanting to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

However, as soon as their Divine Thoughts approached the edge of the Gu Family's territory, they were all blocked by a domineering and terrifying aura that brooked no prying.

"Hmph!"

A cold snort resounded through Zhongzhou.

The Gu Family's guardian array was fully activated at this moment.

That was a warning that allowed no provocation.

Meanwhile.

At the center of the phenomenon, within a sleeping hall of the Gu Family's main branch, a clear cry rang out.

And at the very moment that cry sounded.

In the broad daylight, thousands of stars in the Nine Heavens all shone together at this moment.

Endless starlight gathered into a brilliant pillar of light, ignoring the barriers of space and the Gu Family's guardian array, descending with pinpoint accuracy upon that sleeping hall and finally merging into the body of a newborn baby.

The Gu Family's Forbidden Ground was a place of Chaos where even time seemed to stand still.

An ancient stone coffin that had slept for an unknown number of eons began to vibrate violently at this moment without warning.

"Boom—"

The coffin lid was blown off by a vast pressure.

An old man with white hair and beard but an unfathomable aura slowly sat up from the coffin.

As his eyes opened and closed, it seemed as if the sun and moon were revolving within.

Venerable.

This was a Distant Ancestor of the Gu Family who had slept for countless years and had long since stopped concerning himself with worldly affairs.

He was awakened from his endless slumber by this unprecedented heaven and earth phenomenon.

An ancient and majestic will swept through the entire Gu Family like a tide.

Finally, it locked onto the newborn baby.

Inside the sleeping hall, the baby in swaddling clothes did not cry or fuss.

He opened a pair of clear, pure eyes, curiously observing this brand-new world.

It was a peace that originated from the depths of the Soul.

Nothing in the world seemed able to cause a ripple in his heart.

But in the "vision" of the Gu Family's Ancient Ancestor's will that pierced through the ages, what he saw was another shocking sight.

He saw that within this baby's body, a supreme Physique Origin, seemingly condensed from the first wisp of Primordial Qi at the beginning of the Universe, was slowly flowing.

He saw that this baby's heart was actually the legendary "Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart" that could harmonize with the myriad Daos.

A natural Dao Heart!

Born close to the Dao!

"Hahahaha!"

The Ancient Ancestor was stunned at first, then let out a burst of extremely hearty laughter.

That laughter turned into a vast Decree, resounding in every corner of the Gu Family.

"Primordial Chaos Sacred Body, destined by heaven!"

"Accompanied by the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, his Comprehension Ability is supernatural!"

"This is my Gu Family's Qilin child; he shall be the Daozi, and be nurtured with the full strength of the clan! My Gu Family shall flourish for ten thousand generations because of this child!"

This Decree from the Distant Ancestor exploded in the hearts of all Gu Family members like a clap of thunder.

Primordial Chaos Sacred Body!

That was a terrifying Sacred Body that only existed in the oldest records and was said to have not appeared in the world for a long time.

The entire Gu Family was in a complete frenzy.

Countless Elders and core clan members rushed toward the main hall, their expressions excited and fanatical.

Inside the main hall.

The current Head of the Gu Family, a top expert in the God Emperor Realm, was now carefully taking the baby, wrapped in boundless love, from his wife's hands.

He looked at the baby's pure eyes, untainted by a speck of dust, and felt the closeness of their shared Bloodline.

This usually majestic Family Head showed a rare warm smile on his face.

In front of all the clan members, he held the baby high, his voice loud and clear, spreading throughout the entire ancestral land.

"My son shall have the spirit of wandering freely above the clouds with clear thoughts, unbound by any constraints in this life. Today, I bestow upon you the name—"

"Gu Yun!"

"From this day forward, Gu Yun is the sole Daozi of my Gu Family!"

The Family Head's voice suddenly became domineering, filled with unquestionable authority.

"Who dares to harm him in the slightest, my Gu Family will thoroughly erase them and the Orthodoxy behind them from this world!"

"We respectfully obey the Family Head's Decree!"

Inside the hall, all the Elders and clan members bowed together, their voices shaking the heavens.

"Family Head, the Daozi has descended, and heaven and earth celebrate together. We should use divine items to cleanse his Foundation and help him consolidate his Origin."

A very senior Elder stepped forward and respectfully took out a jade bottle carved from ten-thousand-year-old warm jade.

Inside the bottle was a single drop of golden liquid.

Though it was only a single drop, it radiated a surging aura of life.

Undying Divine Phoenix Blood!

Such a divine item, even a single drop, was enough to transform a Mortal and forge a supreme Dao Foundation.

A maid carefully opened the jade bottle and, using a jade spoon made of Stellar Divine Iron, lightly dipped it into a drop and prepared to feed the baby.

Everyone held their breath.

They were afraid the energy in the Divine Phoenix Blood would be too domineering and harm the Daozi.

However.

The infant Gu Yun looked at the jade spoon being handed to his mouth, blinked, and swallowed the drop of divine blood in one gulp.

Just like drinking water.

He even smacked his little lips, as if he hadn't had enough.

He even reached out his tender little hand toward the jade bottle in the maid's hand, babbling as if he wanted more.

Everyone was stunned at first.

Then, the entire hall erupted into unprecedented, uproarious laughter.

That laughter was filled with joy, relief, and infinite bright expectations for the Family's future.

On this day, the Daozi of the Gu Family, Gu Yun, became famous throughout Zhongzhou.

Time flew by.

Inside the "Cloud Top Heavenly Palace" specially built for Gu Yun.

The crib was carved from a single piece of "Stellar Divine Jade" that could nourish the Divine Soul.

Gu Yun's toys were various rare treasures seldom seen in the outside world.

A "Void Stone" containing the Law of Space was used by him as a teething toy, making a crunching sound.

A "Mind-Calming Grass" that could settle the heart and focus the mind was used by him as a rattle, shaken back and forth.

His "rations" were various divine liquids and Immortal Milks, diluted a thousandfold and fed by specialized maids.

Gu Yun showed intelligence and calmness far beyond ordinary people.

He didn't cry or fuss.

Most of the time, he just opened those pure eyes and quietly "watched" everything around him.

As if he were thinking about some profound problem.

No one knew.

And no one could perceive.

In the deepest part of this baby's seemingly pure and flawless Sea of Consciousness, within a Chaos that even he himself had not yet sensed.

A simple, mysterious Small Tower that seemed to have existed since time immemorial was quietly floating.