Central Continent, Hidden Dragon Cave
"We pay our respects to the esteemed immortal of the Heavenly Court." Two Gu Immortals knelt in unison before the figure.
One was old, the other young.
A grandfather and grandson.
Both were Gu Immortals of the Wind Cloud Manor.
The younger one was Feng Chanzi, while the elder was Bei Feng Lao Ren, an Eighth Transformation cultivator. Among the ten great ancient sects of the Central Continent, he was a renowned figure. If nothing unexpected had happened, he would already be a member of the Heavenly Court by now.
Becoming a member of the Heavenly Court was no easy feat, and certainly not an ordinary achievement.
Eighth Transformation cultivation was far from sufficient — one had to be an elite among the Eighth Transformation realm. That standard had never been lowered since the founding of the Heavenly Court. The Court would rather have vacancies than compromise on quality.
Yet now, Bei Feng Lao Ren was prostrating himself almost flat on the ground, expressing his utmost respect.
The one who deserved such reverence was a man so frail and feeble that a gust of wind seemed enough to topple him.
But this old man was no ordinary figure. His background was extraordinary, and he had left an indelible mark on the history of the Heavenly Court.
He was Duke Long!
"Rise. Take me into the cave," Duke Long said calmly.
"Yes." Bei Feng Lao Ren accepted the order.
Moments later, Duke Long arrived at the deepest reaches of the Hidden Dragon Cave.
Before them stretched an enormous, fathomless chasm — compared to the one controlled by the Northern Plains Zombie Alliance, it was at least as large, if not bigger.
Hundreds or even thousands of cities could be dropped inside with room to spare.
Duke Long and Bei Feng Lao Ren, set against this chasm, were as insignificant as specks of dust.
From their vantage point, the entire chasm was shrouded in a profound darkness so deep that nothing within could be discerned.
Boom!
Without warning, the entire chasm was wracked by a violent earthquake.
Countless fragments of rock tumbled from the chasm walls.
The deafening roar of the tremor struck fear into the heart.
Bei Feng Lao Ren's face drained of color. He hurriedly activated the Immortal Gu within his Immortal Orifice. Immediately, brilliant light erupted — countless streams of radiance and flowing water intertwined in a dazzling display.
It turned out that an enormous supreme Gu Formation had been arranged here!
Compared to this formation, the Gu formations used by Southern Border's Gu Immortals to envelop their dreamscapes were like tiny kittens beside an elephant.
Bei Feng Lao Ren took charge of the formation, but his expression quickly darkened, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"This time the commotion is this severe!" As a dignified Eighth Transformation Gu Immortal, he was visibly struggling.
Clearly, the supreme Gu Formation was suppressing some terrifying life form inside. Even with Bei Feng Lao Ren activating the formation, he could barely keep things under control.
"Heh heh heh... It seems after all these years, you're still full of vigor, Di Cangsheng." Duke Long spoke in his characteristically mild tone.
"ROAR!!!" In the next instant, a dragon's roar pierced the sky, reverberating through the entire chasm.
The radiant light of the supreme Gu Formation scattered in all directions, and streams of water splashed chaotically.
Cold sweat dripped from Bei Feng Lao Ren's forehead. He thought: "And this is with the supreme Gu Formation acting as a barrier. The noise is still this deafening. If one were to face this evil dragon directly, it would be simply..."
Duke Long, however, was unperturbed. He remarked calmly, "It seems your temper hasn't changed much either. Still so irritable."
"Old bastard!!!" This time, a voice came from within the formation.
It was just as ear-splitting.
And in the very next moment, an enormous dragon head burst forth from the swirling radiance and water.
It was none other than the Sinful Dragon, Di Cangsheng!
This primordial desolate beast had a remarkable origin. It was born from the Central Continent's ley lines converging with countless layers of hatred, fury, and curse-laden resentment — a legend given form.
Born of heaven and earth, and composed mostly of humanity's negative emotions, it had possessed intelligence no lesser than a human's since the moment of its creation.
At first, it could only roar and bellow. But through learning, it had used Hope Gu to open its own orifices, mastered human language, and had even once taken human form to secretly study the arts of Gu Immortals.
There had been a period when it ran rampant across the Central Continent, plunging the land into misery and upheaval.
But ultimately, it had been suppressed by Duke Long.
That suppression had lasted for countless ages.
Yet the Heavenly Court had been unable to destroy it.
The reason was that its formation drew mostly from humanity's negative emotions. As long as the human race thrived, the Sinful Dragon would grow stronger. Even if its physical body were completely annihilated — not a speck of ash remaining —
it would soon re-form on another ley line and once again stir chaos between heaven and earth.
That was precisely why the Heavenly Court had erected the supreme Gu Formation to keep the Sinful Dragon suppressed.
The keepers were rotated. This time, Feng Chanzi had been punished with assignment to the Hidden Dragon Cave for selling immortal materials for personal profit, serving as its guardian. His grandfather, knowing full well that Feng Chanzi lacked the ability to handle the task, had voluntarily given up his chance to ascend to the Heavenly Court and come here to watch over the Sinful Dragon as well.
Upon seeing Duke Long, the Sinful Dragon's behavior took an extreme turn. It became utterly furious.
As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes burn red.