254: An Age Without Saints! (53)

Deep within the Burial Ground of Immortals, inside this pure land isolated by an ancient Formation...

Gu Yun sat cross-legged before a stone platform, his gaze burning as he looked at the drop of primal origin fluid floating in the air, which seemed to contain a nascent Universe.

Without the slightest hesitation, he directly began to refine it.

Boom!

The moment the Origin fluid entered his body, a primal and majestic torrent of life exploded within him.

It was not a gentle nourishment, but a domineering scouring and reshaping.

Intense pain surged, and he almost instantly lost consciousness.

His Physical Body began to disintegrate inch by inch under this power, only to be forcibly reconstructed in the next moment.

The Azure Heaven Indestructible Art operated to its limit on its own, and the Primordial Chaos Sacred Body Origin within his body vibrated violently.

In this painful cycle of destruction and rebirth, Gu Yun's consciousness fell into silence.

He forgot time, he forgot himself; all that remained was the instinct to resist that domineering force.

Spring passed and autumn came.

Twenty years passed in a flash.

Gu Yun's body, which had long been covered in blood scabs and dust, suddenly shuddered.

Rumble!

A powerful aura of a Venerable erupted.

That purple-gold primordial dao fruit swelled frantically, rising a hundred zhang high, its Law patterns clear and dao rhyme flowing.

The Earth Venerable realm.

It was achieved.

However, this was only the beginning.

Less than thirty percent of the primal origin fluid's power had been refined.

Gu Yun did not stop, continuing into an even deeper state of secluded cultivation.

He discovered that the power of this Origin fluid was not only helping his dao fruit grow, but was also making up for the depletion of his Primordial Chaos Sacred Body Origin, even nourishing the mysterious "Seed of the Heavenly Dao" within his Dantian.

Years passed slowly.

Another thirty years went by.

When Gu Yun opened his eyes again, his aura was completely restrained, returning to a state of simplicity.

His eyes were deep; fifty years of loneliness and accumulation had made his heart as calm as still water.

He looked within himself.

That drop of primal origin fluid had been completely absorbed by him.

Within the Dantian Qi Sea, that purple-gold primordial dao fruit stood four hundred zhang tall, emitting a majestic pressure.

His strength had long since far surpassed Earth Venerables of the same level.

It was at this moment.

This Small World, which served as his place of secluded cultivation, began to tremble violently, and space became extremely unstable.

Deep within the Burial Ground of Immortals, those terrifying existences lurking in the darkness seemed to sense that Gu Yun had finished his refinement.

They were no longer willing to tolerate Gu Yun, this "variable," staying in this "back garden" of theirs.

An irresistible ancient will descended.

That will carried no emotion, merely crudely tearing through the space of this Small World.

"Off you go..."

Gu Yun only felt a massive force strike him, and his figure was uncontrollably swept into that pitch-black spatial rift, being ruthlessly "thrown" out... to the Northern Plains.

Above a desolate and uninhabited Gobi desert, space twisted.

Gu Yun's figure stumbled out from it, landing steadily on the ground.

He felt the familiar yet thin Spiritual Qi of the outside world, a hint of daze flashing in his eyes.

Fifty years.

He restrained all his aura and transformed, turning into an ordinary-looking Loose Cultivator with a cultivation base only at the Grotto-Heaven Realm, and walked into a nearby Cultivator town.

In the town, a tavern named "Listening Wind Pavilion" was bustling with people.

Gu Yun found an inconspicuous corner and sat down, ordering a pot of the cheapest clear tea, silently listening to the conversations of the surrounding Cultivators.

"Hey, have you heard? Things are getting restless again over in the Central Province," a bearded man said in a low voice after gulping down a mouthful of strong liquor.

"What else could it be? It's just the Ji and Wang families finding new ways to humiliate the Gu Family," a thin Cultivator at the neighboring table sneered, his face full of disdain.

"Back then, how majestic was the Gu Family? Just because their Dao Child perished in a restricted zone, the Saint Ancestor actually bowed his head to preserve their vitality, ceding territory and resources. Now, they've become the biggest laughingstock of the Five Domains!"

"Exactly!" another person chimed in. "I heard that the largest 'Heavenly Crystal Spiritual Vein' in our Northern Plains was originally the Gu Family's property, but hasn't it been seized by the Wang Family now? They even renamed the city 'Heaven Gold City' and flaunt their power there every day."

"Shh... keep it down! They say that although the Gu Family has declined, their foundation still remains. Careful, the walls have ears!"

Discussion after discussion entered Gu Yun's ears.

The hand holding his teacup did not tremble at all.

There was no expression on his face either.

Only deep within those eyes that had been calm for fifty years, a killing intent surfaced.

He listened quietly until he drank the last mouthful of tea, which had long since gone cold.

Clack.

The teacup was gently placed back on the table, making a faint, almost imperceptible sound.

The surrounding noise came to an abrupt halt.

The killing intent in his heart grew stronger.

Gu Yun slowly stood up, leaving a few yuan crystals on the table.

He did not return to the Gu Family in the Central Province.

He knew that to deal with enemies and announce his return, there was only one way.

With blood.

Gu Yun walked out of the tavern and came to a deserted alley.

He took a step forward, and the Void Realm in front of him was easily torn open.

Without the slightest pause, he stepped directly into that pitch-black spatial rift, traversing half of the Northern Plains.

The target: Heaven Gold City.

Heaven Gold City... Northern Plains, Heaven Gold City.

This giant city, transformed from a divine mine, was currently brightly lit and prosperous.

Upon the city walls, banners embroidered with the character "Wang" fluttered in the wind, flamboyant and domineering.

Right at this moment.

Directly above the city, space twisted slightly.

A figure in white quietly emerged.

He did not release any pressure, nor did he attract anyone's attention.

He simply floated calmly in the air, looking down at the city below that once belonged to the Gu Family but was now filled with the banners of the Wang Family.

Those eyes were exceptionally calm.