"Die!" Tian He Shangren bellowed, mustering the last of his strength as he transformed into a beam of white light and charged at Gu Yue Yi Dai.
"Kill me? You're too naive." Blood Ghost Corpse opened his blood-filled maw, fangs bared, and instead of retreating, he surged forward to meet him head-on.
Boom! A massive explosion erupted, and a tremendous force blasted both of them far apart. Both sides suffered!
"The mountains are everlasting, the rivers flow forever. Junior apprentice brother, I will repay this grudge another day." Gu Yue Yi Dai cackled, flapping the black bat wings on his back, ready to flee.
Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed over him.
He looked up and saw the heavily injured Iron Beak Flying Crane King.
"You're not dead? Damn it…" Gu Yue Yi Dai's expression changed drastically.
Intercepted by the Iron Beak Flying Crane King, Tian He Shangren also rushed over to attack from the front and back. In the end, the Crane King plummeted to the ground, and Blood Ghost Corpse was blown apart.
Tian He Shangren grabbed Gu Yue Yi Dai's head, hovering in mid-air. His gaze was scattered for a long time before he finally came back to his senses.
He laughed up at the sky three times, and then his laughter turned into sobs.
After venting for a moment, he flew off towards Qing Mao Mountain. However, he was suppressed by the glacier created by Bai Ning Bing's self-destruction, and he had to activate the Breath-Storing Jade Burial Gu. When he broke out of the ice, he searched frantically, but in the end, he only managed to dig out the barely breathing Fang Zheng from beneath the ice layer.
…
The images on the wall faithfully displayed the scene from that time.
As for what happened next, it was unremarkable—just the scenery along the way as Tian He Shangren rushed back.
The Immortal Crane Sect was one of the oldest sects in the Central Continent. Traditionally, when sect members went out on urgent missions, they would carry a Gu worm to record the process.
Regardless of whether the mission succeeded or failed, when the Gu Master returned to the mountain to report, the sect would conduct relevant assessments based on the recorded process.
Although Tian He Shangren was an elder of the sect, he was not exempt from this rule.
It was just that his seniority was so great that there were very few Gu Masters in the Immortal Crane Sect qualified to evaluate him. Not even the current Sect Leader of the Immortal Crane Sect could.
However, the old man sitting cross-legged before Tian He Shangren at this moment was no ordinary person.
He Feng Yang! Supreme Elder! Rank Six Gu Master! Known as the Crane Feather Flying Immortal!
He was currently dressed in a white robe, tied with a black belt, his wide sleeves fluttering. He sat cross-legged on a cushion.
His face was like that of a youth, gentle as jade. His eyebrows were emerald green and long, hanging down to his waist. His deep eyes stared at the images on the wall, then slowly withdrew his gaze.
Tian He Shangren stood respectfully before him, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Truth be told, Tian He Shangren had slept for nearly a thousand years, and He Feng Yang was considered his junior. However, seniority in the sect was never about age, but about strength.
Although Tian He Shangren was at Rank Five, only one rank lower than He Feng Yang, this gap was like the distance between heaven and earth, or clouds and mud.
Rank Five is a mortal, Rank Six is already an immortal!
"Tian He Shangren." He Feng Yang spoke slowly, his voice clear and gentle like a mountain stream.
"Here!" Tian He Shangren promptly replied.
"You killed the sect traitor this time, but you did not retrieve the Blood Skull Gu. Instead, you were toyed with and suppressed by two juniors…" He Feng Yang's voice echoed through the room.
Tian He Shangren lowered his head even further, a look of shame on his face.
"However, one of them possesses the Northern Dark Ice Soul Physique. It is not strange that you were suppressed. The gratifying part is that you made amends afterward. I ask you, is the young man you brought back truly the twin brother of the brat in the projection?" He Feng Yang asked.
"I have confirmed it, it is exactly so. The one who escaped is the elder brother, Fang Yuan. The one captured is the younger brother, Fang Zheng. What's even better is that the brothers have always had a strained relationship. After I showed Fang Zheng the image of his elder brother massacring the clan, he now wishes he could kill his brother immediately." Tian He Shangren said with a sly smile.
He Feng Yang nodded slightly. "It seems you already have a plan. But is your time sufficient?"
Tian He Shangren's expression changed. His tone suddenly became low. "The Supreme Elder is right. I have reached the limit of my lifespan. I am a dying man, with only a few days left to live. Even the Breath-Storing Jade Burial Gu cannot change this."
In his situation, only finding a Longevity Gu could fundamentally solve the problem.
But Longevity Gu were hard to find. The Immortal Crane Sect did have a few, but they would never fall to him. They had always been firmly held by the Sect Leader and a few Supreme Elders.
"Therefore, not long ago, I gave up my life's savings and Gu worms to exchange for a Soul-Dwelling Flea. I will personally induct Fang Zheng into the sect and take him as my disciple. Then, I will guide him personally to refine the Dearest Blood Worm. Then, I will urge him to kill his own brother to retrieve the Blood Skull Gu for the Immortal Crane Sect!" Tian He Shangren said.
He Feng Yang raised an eyebrow slightly. "It sounds like you are very confident in your plan. However, will that Fang Zheng always be under your control?"
"Although his talent is not bad, he is still a child. After I die, I will store my soul in the Soul-Dwelling Flea and accompany him as he grows, guiding his cultivation. The path has already been paved for him, he can only walk it!"
Saying this, Tian He Shangren knelt down, kowtowed, and pleaded, "I beg the elder to give me one more chance!"
He Feng Yang was silent for a moment, then said, "Very well, I will permit you this last time."
"Thank you, elder! Thank you, elder!" Tian He Shangren was overjoyed.
"Go. I await your good news."
"Within twenty years, I will surely achieve success!" Tian He Shangren's tone trembled with excitement as he respectfully withdrew.
…
Southern Border, Wan Cheng Mountain, Tie Clan City.
The tall, thick black stone city walls stretched for thousands of miles. From the mountainside of Tie Clan City, countless stone houses and iron buildings were arrayed in sequence, stretching all the way to the mountaintop.
Under the sunlight, the city was bustling with people and traffic, a scene of great prosperity and flourishing.
The Patriarch's Pavilion was located near the mountaintop. Its defenses were tight, and the crowds around it were noticeably sparse. Patrols alternated their rounds, every Gu Master sharp and intimidating, meticulous in their duties.
On the rooftop of the Patriarch's Pavilion stood two people.
One was a middle-aged man, his face cold as iron, yet with a hint of tenderness hidden in his eyes.
Standing beside him was a young girl, her gaze sorrowful yet resolute.
It was Tie Ruo Nan.
"You've only been back a few days, yet this is already your nineteenth time asking to leave. Your father's death brings me immense grief. You lost your mother at a young age, and now your father is gone. But you must remember, you still have me, your uncle. You are my niece, and I will not let you take risks." The Tie Clan Patriarch sighed.
Tie Ruo Nan's eyes blazed. She looked directly at the Tie Clan Patriarch. "Uncle, do you know? Although father has passed, amidst my grief, I am also happy for him. Father dedicated his life to eradicating evil and punishing criminals. He accomplished it. Even when he was injured, he did not back down. He persisted to the end and completed his own path in life. And now… it's my turn to continue walking that path."
The Tie Clan Patriarch was stunned.
At this moment, on Tie Ruo Nan, he saw the shadow of Tie Xue Leng.
So alike… these eyes, this gaze.
In a daze, the patriarch seemed to return to his youth. Tie Xue Leng stood beside him, staring at the Demon Suppression Tower on the mountaintop, speaking firmly: "I will defeat all the criminals in the world, let the world be filled with justice and love! Lock all the demonic path Gu Masters into the Demon Suppression Tower! Even if I have to fill the Demon Suppression Tower to the brim!"
The oath of the past still echoed in his ears, but his close friend was no more…
The eyes in front of him merged with the ones in his memory. The Tie Clan Patriarch shook his head slightly, shaking off the memories. With a gaze that was both appreciative and affectionate, worried and encouraging, he looked at the stubborn girl before him. "The path you have chosen… is not an easy one to walk."
Tie Ruo Nan did not answer. Instead, she turned her head to look at the mountaintop in the distance.
At the highest peak of Wan Cheng Mountain, a magnificent iron tower stood tall.
It was majestic, seeming to hold up the sky while treading upon the high mountain. White clouds, like mist, wreathed around it, making it hazy and indistinct to outsiders, adding a touch of mystery.
This tower was not only a famous sight in the Southern Border, but renowned throughout the world. Even in the Central Continent, many had heard of it.
The Demon Suppression Tower!
The tower was a hundred zhang tall, with nearly a hundred floors. Its architectural style was ancient, grand, and weathered, yet radiated an aura of righteousness. Since its completion, how many demonic path Gu Masters had the Tie Clan Gu Masters imprisoned inside? Hundreds? Thousands? Tens of thousands?
Even the Tie Clan Patriarch might not know for sure.
It was a symbol of the righteous path, the deepest pride in the hearts of the Tie Clan Gu Masters. How many demon lords and demonic children had buried their ambitions here, leaving behind sorrow, regret, unwillingness, and disappointment.
Demonic path Gu Masters would pale at the mention of it, while those of the righteous path would beam with joy!
Tie Ruo Nan spoke, her tone as firm as iron. It seemed she was speaking to the Tie Clan Patriarch, but also to herself. "There is a Demon Suppression Tower on the peak of Wan Cheng Mountain, and there is also a Demon Suppression Tower in my heart. My father did not finish walking this path. Let me take his place and continue walking it!"
…
"I can't hold on much longer…" Chen Cui Hua's vision was blurry, and she felt nauseous from time to time, wanting to vomit. But she couldn't throw up. Her whole body was weak, and waves of fatigue kept hitting her.
She had originally planned to hold on for three days, but after only a day passed, she knew she had been too optimistic earlier.
The harm caused by the snake venom was becoming more and more severe. She knew she was backed up to the edge of a cliff and had to find a healing Gu worm as quickly as possible.
"Damn it. If not for those two little thieves, I might have caught a wild Gu worm and neutralized the snake venom by now."
She was restless and anxious. Ever since she was poisoned by the snake venom, she had been trying to find a healing Gu. However, the vast mountains and forests were full of danger, and she had no real means of catching Gu. As of now, she had made no progress.
Bai Ning Bing raised the dagger in his hand, about to cut off his right ear.
"Wait." Fang Yuan suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.