Chapter 165: Saint!
"Gu Yao, stop right there!"
Within the mountain range, two figures flickered, chasing one another. One of them was Gu Zhen. At this moment, he was struggling somewhat to keep up with the figure ahead.
"Gu Yao, get back here!"
Suddenly, the space ahead shimmered. Gu Qingyang silently blocked Gu Yao's path, his expression stern as he looked at the young man before him.
"Brother Qingyang!"
Seeing who had arrived, both Gu Yao and Gu Zhen were startled. Gu Zhen breathed a sigh of relief in his heart. With Brother Qingyang here, Gu Yao wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.
"Brother Qingyang, step aside!" Gu Yao's expression was grim. Before his forehead, a lock of black-and-white hair gently drifted. Beneath that lock of hair, a pair of eyes as cold as a Shura's were revealed.
"Gu Yao, do you want to go and throw your life away?" Gu Qingyang looked at Gu Yao with an expression of unprecedented seriousness, even tinged with a rare trace of anger.
"I..." Gu Yao faltered. Then, unwillingness flickered across his face. "Brother Qingyang, I just want to go and see. I want to know what kind of enemy I'll be facing in the future!"
"He is not just your enemy alone. He is the common enemy of our entire Black Annihilation Army," Gu Qingyang said sternly, looking into Gu Yao's unwilling eyes.
Even now, he could not forget that feeling of powerlessness he had felt facing Yun Yi back in the Northwest Continent. Because of that, after returning to the Gu clan, he had trained bitterly. He was now a five-star Dou Zong—his speed could not be called slow.
Yet not long ago, news of that man had come again. He was nearly finished traversing the entire Dou Zun realm, and over a dozen Dou Zuns had already become lost souls beneath his halberd.
Such a terrifying cultivation speed was simply shocking to hear. A heavy, crushing pressure bore down on him like a great mountain.
"Brother Qingyang, he humiliated Xun'er! I want to know just how powerful he really is—so I can have a clear goal to strive for, instead of laboring day after day against an invisible enemy." As he spoke, fury flashed through Gu Yao's eyes—fury at the insult to Gu Xun'er, at the insult to the Black Annihilation Army.
"You'll die!" Gu Qingyang looked at Gu Yao seriously, a sense of helplessness in his heart. Yun Yi's pressure on the Black Annihilation Army was simply too immense. And that man truly would kill. He was certain that if Gu Yao appeared before Yun Yi, Yun Yi would absolutely not care about the Gu clan's face. Given the chance, he really would strike and kill Gu Yao.
Of course, given Yun Yi's pride, so long as Gu Yao didn't provoke him, he wouldn't bother with Gu Yao either. But... glancing at the stubbornly resolute Gu Yao, Gu Qingyang felt a headache coming on. This didn't look in the slightest like someone who wouldn't stir up trouble.
He feared Yun Yi would end Gu Yao with a single punch.
Even though it had been some time since he'd truly faced him, just hearing the recent reports about that man was enough to make Gu Qingyang feel a suffocating sensation wash over him.
Gu Yao did not give up easily. He continued to stare at Gu Qingyang stubbornly, giving the latter quite a headache. If this matter wasn't handled well, it could easily become a knot in his heart—and even increase the risk of problems when breaking through.
"Qingyang, let him go. All of you, go. Let Gu Lin lead the team. Are the young men of our Gu clan spineless cowards who cower and shrink back?!"
Just then, an aged voice rang out beside the three's ears. The three were momentarily taken aback. Then, Gu Yao immediately reacted. Bowing respectfully toward the void, he said, "Gu Yao thanks the elder for granting his wish."
"Go. I will have Tongxuan take you there. Remember—the young men of our Gu clan are second to none!"
"Yes!"
Having gained the elder's support, the three reacted differently. Gu Zhen said, "To think it's Uncle Lin leading the team. Has he already come out of seclusion? Could he have successfully broken through to Half-Saint?"
Gu Qingyang mused for a moment, then shook his head. "He came out a few days ago. But Half-Saint is not so easily reached."
Gu Lin was the Commander of the previous generation's Black Annihilation Army, possessing a seventh-rank bloodline. He had been stuck at the peak of Nine-Transition Dou Zun for many years. He had recently been in seclusion attempting to break through to Half-Saint. But from the looks of it now, it seemed he had failed.
"What a pity," Gu Zhen said with some regret at this.
While the two were talking, Gu Yao gazed in the direction of the Central Plains, his face brimming with battle intent.
Holy Pill City.
Holy Pill City at this moment was completely different from before. Within the Alchemy Domain, soul perception after soul perception swept back and forth ceaselessly, like an inescapable net. Under such defenses, even if an ant barged in, it would be instantly detected.
"Over this past month, we've clashed with the Soul Hall twenty-seven times. Both sides have suffered losses. Although we've withstood many of the Soul Hall's attacks and slain quite a number of their Venerables, we've also lost a fair number of our own people..."
Inside the great hall, Xuan Kongzi swept his gaze over the seated elders and guest elders and spoke heavily.
"Among them, the Young Hall Master of the Soul Hall—this man's strength is exceptionally terrifying. With us tied down, the majority of our fallen were slain by him."
Tian Leizi spoke with a face full of indignation. When Yun Yi was mentioned, quite a few people in the great hall had looks of terror flash through their eyes. Several even could not help but tremble all over. They had personally experienced that overwhelming, crushing power of his on the battlefield.
"Of course, there's no need for everyone to be afraid. They have their Yun Yi—we have our Guest Elder Jiang!" Seeming to notice that Tian Leizi's words were somewhat damaging to morale, Xuan Kongzi shot him a displeased glare.
He swept his gaze around the room, finally letting it rest on Jiang Yun. With a face full of smiles, he said, "Jiang Yun has consecutively slain the Soul Hall's Eighth Heavenly Venerable and Ninth Heavenly Venerable. He's no weaker than that Young Hall Master of the Soul Hall!"
"Indeed, indeed! Grandmaster Jiang truly lives up to being our Central Plains' number one genius. That Yun Yi only gets to rampage when Grandmaster Jiang isn't around."
"Exactly, exactly! The next time he meets Grandmaster Jiang, he'll surely be sent straight to the netherworld."
"..."
As expected, the moment Xuan Kongzi spoke these words, the atmosphere in the great hall immediately relaxed. One after another, they gazed at that young figure seated behind the eight great elders and began to fawn.
"I dare not accept such praise. However, Jiang Yun is also very much looking forward to meeting the Young Hall Master of the Soul Hall. Our battle back in the Northwest Continent never did reach a conclusion!" Listening to the flattery around his ears, Jiang Yun also wore an expression of battle intent, speaking with high spirits.
"Oh? Jiang Yun, you and that Yun Yi had a clash in the Northwest Continent?" Hearing Jiang Yun's words, the gazes of many in the great hall immediately shot toward him.
"That matter..."
"Boom—"
Just as Jiang Yun was about to elaborate, suddenly, a tremendous shock came from the distant sky outside. Xuan Kongzi, Tian Leizi, Xuan Yi, Jiang Yun, and the others looked sharply outward.
A pitch-black rift had suddenly split open in the distant sky. An emaciated, skeletal hand, as if nothing but skin and bones, reached out from within the rift. Carrying a terrifying fierce wind, it swatted toward the spatial node of the Star Region.
"Not good! The Soul Hall is trying to forcibly tear open the Star Region!"
Seeing this scene, Xuan Kongzi and the others were instantly terrified, their eyes nearly splitting with rage. In the next moment, several of them raised their hands to tear open spatial rifts, ready to rush to the Star Region's aid.
"Cough, cough... All of you would do well to stay obediently where you are. Any rash moves, and you might just lose your lives!"
Just then, a voice, utterly indifferent and devoid of the slightest emotion, resounded throughout the great hall. The space at the center of the hall suddenly and slowly began to twist. Dense black fog seeped out from within.
At the same time, an aged voice, punctuated by constant coughing, rang out. Then, an elder clad in grayish-white robes slowly stepped out from the rift, appearing before everyone's watching eyes.
The elder's figure was hunched. In his hand, he leaned on a skull-headed walking stick. His eyes were deeply sunken, with two flickering, faint green glows dancing within them—giving off an eerie, sinister feeling.
"The Soul Hall's Second Heavenly Venerable, Gu You?"
"Half-Saint?!"
Seeing the newcomer, the expressions of Xuan Kongzi and the others immediately turned cold. The three great heads of the Pill Tower linked their auras to resist Gu You's oppressive force. The very space around them began to faintly undulate at this moment.
"Jie, jie, jie... Heavenly flames are wondrous things born of heaven and nurtured by earth. Since your Pill Tower does not know how to treat them kindly, my Soul Hall is more than happy to oblige." Ignoring everyone's gazes, Gu You cackled eerily.
"Get out of the way!"
Sensing that the giant hand was about to crash down upon the Star Region, Xuan Kongzi grew frantic. With a furious roar, the three great heads of the Pill Tower, their auras linked, launched three terrifying attacks hurtling toward Gu You.
Feeling the attacks the three had unleashed, Gu You turned his faintly green-glowing eyes toward them. A strange smile surfaced on his dry, withered face. "Jie, jie, jie... Let me make you clearly understand the gap between a Half-Saint and a Dou Zun!"
As his voice fell, Gu You's figure flickered. Vast, surging Dou Qi swept forth. His withered hand, like an eagle's talon, directly pierced through the void. With a single claw, he effortlessly tore the three's attacks apart.
Then, his gaze shifted to Jiang Yun. Darkly, he spoke, "This must be the legendary number one genius of the Central Plains, yes?"
"Let this old man test your mettle and see what qualifications you have to be mentioned in the same breath as our Young Hall Master..."
The moment Gu You's final words fell, his figure eerily vanished from the spot.
Seeing this, Jiang Yun's expression remained unchanged. He abruptly retreated violently. Then, his fair palm, wreathed in white flames, brought with it a terrifying temperature as it ruthlessly slammed toward that stretch of space.
"Boom—"
The moment his palm landed, space itself directly twisted and warped. A hunched, aged figure also emerged—it was precisely Gu You. At this moment, the terrifying Dou Qi in his palm had directly condensed into a strange black crystalline layer, resisting the corrosive power of the Undying Sacred Flame.
"Thud, thud, thud..." A terrifying force transmitted over. Jiang Yun's feet retreated step after step with heavy thuds. With every step he took backward, ripples surged beneath his feet.
Seeing this, Gu You remarked with surprise, "Oh—what a profoundly ingenious footwork technique—it can actually disperse force into the void."
A faint, stinging pain reached him. Gu You looked down at his own palm. The energy crystalline layer he had just constructed had already been burned through by the Undying Sacred Flame. The center of his palm was a charred, searing red.
"What a peculiar flame. If it weren't different from the Living Creature Flame, this old man would truly think it was the Living Creature Flame." His Dou Qi surged, extinguishing the flame in his palm. Gu You looked at Jiang Yun in wonder, while deep within his eyes lurked an undisguised, burning fervor.
Even if it wasn't the Living Creature Flame, that surging, thriving vitality was unmistakably real—precisely what everyone coveted and drooled over.
"Gu You—!"
Just then, a furious roar rang out. Xuan Kongzi and the other two came charging to kill once more. All three were Nine-Transition Dou Zuns. Years of tacit understanding allowed the three of them to coordinate and not fear an early-stage Half-Saint.
"Heh, then I'll kill you first!" Seeing this, Gu You sneered coldly. Turning around, he charged toward Xuan Kongzi and the other two to attack.
"Boom—"
Terrifying ripples of energy spread outward. The Pill Tower itself began to totter and sway, as if on the verge of splitting apart at any moment.
All of this had occurred in the mere blink of an eye. And at this moment, within the Star Region's sky, the withered giant hand was descending—seeming as if it would tear open the Star Region in the very next instant.
"Enough!"
A voice—calm, yet carrying traces of fury—rang out. In the next instant, a fire dragon appeared abruptly in the sky and swept violently toward the withered giant hand.
"Hmph, old man, you've finally decided to show yourself?"
The owner of the giant hand let out a cold snort. In the next moment, the hand changed direction and swatted toward the fire dragon.
"Boom—"
A violent tremor erupted above Holy Pill City. The terrifying energy storm threw the surrounding void into chaos.
Above the Pill Tower, space suddenly warped slightly. Then, seven aged figures emerged.
Among the seven, four possessed exceptionally powerful auras—they had already broken through to the Saint realm. Particularly the one in the very center—an elder dressed in coarse linen robes, his face as calm as an ancient, undisturbed well.
He was precisely the Grand Elder of the Small Pill Tower, a two-star Dou Sheng. Within the current Pill Tower, aside from the Pill Tower Ancestor, who frequently roamed the world, he was the strongest and most senior.
The Grand Elder's gaze swept over the battling Xuan Kongzi and the other three below. He let out a cold snort. "A Saint of the Soul Hall has come to invade our Pill Tower. Are you prepared for all-out war?"
"Ugh—"
In the midst of battle, Gu You suddenly felt a terrifying voice explode within his soul. His consciousness wavered and blurred. By the time he came back to his senses, the attacks of Xuan Kongzi and the other two were already right before his eyes.
"Damn it all—"
Cursing inwardly, Gu You immediately exploded into a mass of black fog. His disheveled figure reappeared in the distant sky, his eyes glaring balefully at the Grand Elder, Xuan Kongzi, and the others.
This was the first time since breaking through to Half-Saint that he had been forced into such an embarrassing position by Dou Zuns.
"Grand Elder!"
Having forced Gu You back, Xuan Kongzi and the other two also breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the seven figures in the sky, they led the group behind them into the air and hurried over. Toward the leading Grand Elder, they spoke respectfully.
The Grand Elder hovered in midair, his gaze fixed on the distant void. In a deep voice, he said, "There are rules between Saints. Does your Soul Hall intend to break them?"
"Jie, jie, jie... Times have changed, old man. You didn't really think we came here with such great fanfare just to go sightseeing at your Pill Tower, did you?" From within the void, ripples of distortion spread. An emaciated, skeletal aged figure slowly emerged, carrying a sinister aura!
He was clad all in black robes. His aged face was extremely withered and gaunt. His eyes were deeply sunken, with two dancing will-o'-wisps flickering within their sockets, exuding a hint of eerie strangeness.
"Both sides have already sustained losses. Withdraw on your own. Does your Soul Hall truly want mutual destruction?" The Grand Elder looked at the Soul Hall's First Heavenly Venerable and spoke with a face full of killing intent.
"The fish may die—but the net may not necessarily break!" The First Heavenly Venerable slowly raised his head. His withered face, under the light's illumination, was somewhat terrifying. The will-o'-wisps in his eyes flickered slightly. A hoarse, hair-raising voice quietly rang out.
The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the field immediately turned murderous. The two sides faced off silently in midair.
"Hm?"
After a moment, the Grand Elder looked at the First Heavenly Venerable somewhat strangely, unsure what game the other was playing.
"They should be here by now." Just then, the First Heavenly Venerable suddenly raised his head to look at the Star Region in the sky, a strange smile on his face. This sent a wave of unease surging through the hearts of the Pill Tower's members.
"Crack—"
In the silent void, a faint shattering sound abruptly rang out beside everyone's ears.
The Grand Elder and the others' expressions changed. They whipped their heads around to look. The previously flawless Star Region seal now had a crack splitting open across its surface. And within that crack, a white-robed figure stood silently.