Inside the pure white field, the hem of the white training robes swept across the ground.
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love’s crimson-gold eyes narrowed slightly as she squatted down. She extended her right hand in front of the Great Record, curling two fingers: “This Emperor will count to three.”
“W-Wait—” The Great Record’s silver-grey residual consciousness stopped abruptly before the white-haired girl’s fist: “I am a remnant of the old world, an observer of ten million life tracks—”
“...An observer cannot observe themselves.”
“Mm, and so?”
Unfortunately, although Hundred Bones Resonating of Love asked the question, she had no intention of waiting for the other party to answer.
“Bang!”
A familiar dull thud echoed within the pure white field.
The Great Record’s silver-grey residual consciousness had now materialized into the form of a young girl. She was currently curled up in the corner of the light curtain like a boiled shrimp, her hands clutching her abdomen tightly as crystalline tears hung from the corners of her eyes.
She didn't understand. She truly didn't understand.
It was bad enough that the owner of this body liked to use physical salvation to pummel her stomach, but why did even this white-haired great Buddha hiding in the Laboratory of Love have such an identical method of beating people?!
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love brushed off the non-existent dust on her hands and looked down at her from above.
The Great Record was in so much pain she couldn't even open her eyes. She, a magnificent ten-thousand-year observer and remnant of the old world, had been in such a pathetic state ever since she encountered Gu Chengming.
“Scram. Go back to where you belong.”
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love waved her hand casually: “Stay obediently in that layer of grey mist outside. If you dare to cross the line by even half a step again, the next time won't be something a single punch can solve.”
Before the words could even settle, the Great Record felt her vision spin. Like a tattered sack being thrown away, she was roughly kicked out of the pure white field.
...
Within the sea of consciousness, in the grey mist area of the system interface.
The Great Record’s residual consciousness barely managed to steady itself, but she was in a daze, as if she had lost her soul.
She floated dizzily in mid-air. Whenever her divine sense even slightly touched the edge of the light curtain labeled 【Laboratory of Love】, she would shudder like a startled cat and subconsciously clutch her non-existent abdomen.
Gu Chengming was currently busy adjusting his breathing. Sensing the movement in his sea of consciousness, he sent out a strand of divine sense to investigate:
“You were quiet just now. Where did you go?”
【The Great Record spoke with considerable guilt: Nowhere! I was just lost in thought for a moment!】
Gu Chengming was quite suspicious. He vaguely guessed that the Great Record had definitely infiltrated the Laboratory of Love and had most likely encountered something inside. But seeing her current state—shivering and being secretive—he decided to suppress this doubt for now. He pulled the Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom a bit closer.
“Emperor Bai, thank you for your hard work just now.”
“Emperor Gu, this Emperor—”
“Kiss.”
“Wow, Emperor Gu is so in sync with me!”
Outside the cavern, the air slowly relaxed.
The silver-grey light patterns roaming across the ceiling receded completely. The earth veins deep within the Cuiping Mountains returned to silence, and even the crushing pressure of the calamity that had made it difficult to breathe dissipated entirely.
Qin Wuwang was the first to take a deep breath, the sword intent in his sleeve slowly retracting. True Monarch Baicang’s fingers gripping the jade tablet loosened, and the thin frost inside his sleeves slowly melted. Song Heng looked up at the sky, the expression beneath his thick brows complex and difficult to discern.
Daoist Don't Know smoothed his white hair, which was already a mess, and shook his head with a sigh: “Tsk, tsk, tsk... What a mess, what a mess.”
All four Fifth Realm experts let out a sigh of relief, but none of them truly let down their guard. Qin Wuwang shot a cold glance at Song Heng: “Sect Master Song, this Holy Son of your sect is truly an extraordinary person.”
Song Heng gave a hollow laugh: “He’s average, just average.”
Qin Wuwang’s already gloomy face darkened further. Daoist Don't Know suddenly interjected with a smile: “Speaking of which, the sword strike from your sect’s Supreme Elder just now was also quite exquisite.”
Qin Wuwang narrowed his eyes: “What do you mean by that?”
“Nothing much.” Daoist Don't Know smiled so widely his eyes curved: “I just recalled the matter of your sect’s Stop-Conflict Bell being shattered by a single punch from little friend Gu just now. It’s hard not to feel a bit emotional.”
Qin Wuwang’s fingers tightened in his sleeve. True Monarch Baicang finally spoke coldly: “Currently, the location of the Dao Throne is unknown. Do you all truly still have the leisure to bicker here?”
Song Heng let out a sound of surprise: “The location of the Dao Throne is unknown?”
True Monarch Baicang stared at him, and Song Heng met his gaze calmly: “I saw just now that the aura of the Dao Throne seemed to have vanished. As for where it vanished...” He stroked his beard, his tone becoming increasingly unabashed: “Can Fellow Daoist Baicang still sense the aura of the Dao Throne now?”
“...”
True Monarch Baicang’s face turned visibly cold. Seeing that the other party intended to play dumb, a bit of anger flared in his heart.
But it was a bit too early to turn hostile. What had just happened was far too strange—strange enough that he felt this sudden Dao Throne was something a great expert had put out as bait. The aura belonging to the unborn Dao Throne deep within the Cuiping Mountains had completely vanished at a certain moment after Gu Chengming entered the cavern. The pressure of the Heavenly Dao Calamity had followed, then receded without a sound. After such a massive disturbance, the Dao Throne still hadn't appeared.
In normal circumstances, there was only one possibility for such a thing: the Dao Throne had met an early end and been completely swallowed by some existence.
But the words “swallowing an unborn Dao Throne” were absurd in themselves. A Dao Throne was a piece placed by the “Dao” in this world. The weight of an unborn Dao Throne was enough to allow a peak Fifth Realm expert to ascend to the Sixth Realm. Was such a thing something any random person could swallow?
True Monarch Baicang remained silent for a long time. Finally, a hint of a desire to retreat rose in his heart. This Dao Throne would likely be quite troublesome to handle even if he got it, let alone if it was even a real Dao Throne. Ultimately, he could only squeeze out four words: “This matter is fishy.”
“If it’s fishy, then it’s fishy.” Daoist Don't Know smiled and shrugged: “Either way, it’s not something we can figure out right now.”
Although the old Daoist used the excuse that “it couldn't be figured out,” he had a general guess about what had happened in his heart.
He just felt that the kid was truly outrageous. Before coming down the mountain, he had originally only thought of bringing Gu Chengming, this unpolished jade, back to the Myriad Thief Sect to slowly carve him into a good candidate for the next sect master. Now it seemed the Myriad Thief Sect likely couldn't contain this great Buddha at all.
Just as the four Fifth Realm experts hadn't yet fully recovered from the aftermath, Gu Chengming, on the other side, had also regulated his breathing. He was preparing to gather his thoughts and walk out of the cavern with the unborn Dao Throne that had been “swallowed” by the Laboratory of Love.
The Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom was hopping around beside him, not forgetting to urge him:
“Emperor Gu, one kiss isn't enough. This Emperor put in a lot of effort just now! I want more—”
Before she could finish, the cavern suddenly went silent, as if everything had been “pinned down.”
【Qingxin Art’s expression changed drastically: Chengming!】
【Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art’s face turned grim: Not good, this is...!】
【Red Dust Phantom Step was alert to the extreme: The aura has been completely suppressed!】
Within the sea of consciousness, the various techniques resonated together, yet were silenced in the same instant. The Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom, who had been grinning, suddenly froze, the blood qi throughout her body surging even more violently.
She subconsciously protected Gu Chengming behind her, her white hair moving without wind, and the crimson-gold color in her eyes condensed into substance.
“...Emperor Gu.” Her voice tightened rarely: “Another enemy!”
...
At the same time in the outside world, the four Fifth Realm experts sensed that pressure simultaneously.
The words Qin Wuwang was about to say were instantly stuck in his throat. True Monarch Baicang’s jade tablet, suspended in mid-air, suddenly trembled, and the true essence in his sleeve actually began to flow backward uncontrollably. Song Heng’s pupils shrank, his robes moving without wind at his side. Daoist Don't Know’s smile instantly froze, his fingers stroking his beard fixed in mid-air, and his entire face turned cold at a visible speed.
“...” The old Daoist’s Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye spun frantically, wanting to observe the newcomer’s aura. In the next instant, his pupils shook violently.
“Crack.” A crisp sound of shattering echoed from his eyes, and countless streaks of blood seeped from his eye sockets.
The old Daoist clutched his eyes, his face pale as he stumbled back half a step. He had never suffered such a silent loss before.
The Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye inherited from the Myriad Thief Immortal could steal the world's Dao and observe the world's opportunities, but the pressure right now simply did not belong to the Fifth Realm.
“...Sixth Realm.” The old Daoist squeezed out two words.
The faces of Song Heng, Baicang, and Qin Wuwang turned pale simultaneously. Before anyone could think further, a figure had already appeared silently in the mid-air before them, as if he had always been there and was only now being “seen” by everyone.
He wore a Daoist robe woven of moon-white and deep black. The hem was embroidered with circles of extremely complex patterns; at first glance, they seemed like cloud patterns, but upon closer inspection, they looked like countless distorted characters for “life” and “death” looping repeatedly.
He did not speak, simply floating silently in the air, quietly looking down at the four Fifth Realm experts below.
Yet with just that one glance, the four Fifth Realm experts all knelt down.
Qin Wuwang gritted his teeth, wanting to force himself up, only to find he couldn't move a single finger. True Monarch Baicang was deathly pale, his legs trembling slightly beneath his robes; he bit his lip hard, not daring to make a sound. Song Heng’s eyes were wide, but that was all; he couldn't even squeeze out a groan. All the color drained from Daoist Don't Know’s face as he clutched his eyes, kneeling in mid-air with his chest heaving violently.
The old Daoist’s mind raced. Who was this person? Why did he appear here? Most Sixth Realm experts within Great Qian were on record; why was this person’s aura so unfamiliar?!
And... the pattern on his Daoist robe. A segment of an extremely ancient record suddenly flashed through the old Daoist’s mind, and his entire body froze.
—The Longevity Sect?!
Before the thought could settle, inside the cavern, Gu Chengming and the Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom were forced to retreat out of the cavern entrance by this pressure.
The two were practically “moved” into the sight of the Longevity Sect Perfected Man by that pressure. Seeing this, the Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom was enraged. Her white hair stood on end, and crimson-gold blood qi condensed into a materialized Emperor Qi shield outside her body. She took a step forward and brought her clasped fists down toward the ground!
The newcomer didn't even raise his head, simply pointing a finger forward casually.
That Emperor Qi shield, condensed from Primal Emperor Qi and enough to run rampant before a late Fifth Realm expert, popped like a soap bubble.
The Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom was blown back more than two zhang by the aftermath of that finger. Her white hair was disheveled as she landed back beside Gu Chengming, staring blankly at her own small hand, which was gradually becoming transparent.
“M-My... My Primal Emperor Qi...”
Gu Chengming instinctively reached out to catch her, thinking to himself that things were bad.
In the battle with the previous late Fifth Realm expert, Hundred Bones Resonating had already consumed quite a lot.
Furthermore, the upper limit of the phantom summoned by the “Infinite War God” CG actually depended on Gu Chengming’s own spiritual power. Now, having taken a hit from this unknown newcomer, she was clearly struggling to hold on.
The newcomer looked with interest at the nearly dissipating Hundred Bones Resonating.
Gu Chengming’s heart tightened as anger surged within him.
Even if Hundred Bones Resonating wouldn't truly be hurt and would simply return to the dialogue box mode if she dissipated—
As a Gal Master, how could he tolerate his romance target being bullied in front of him?!
Even though he had just gone through a major battle and his spiritual power was heavily consumed, Gu Chengming still unhesitatingly gathered all his strength. With blood flowing from his nose and mouth, he once again operated his strongest current attack.
—Love Infinite.
He instinctively activated this strand of aura, wanting to protect the Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom. White-gold radiance suddenly lit up, condensing into a small but dense ball of light in his fist.
The newcomer still didn't care. He snapped his fingers, and the white-gold aura belonging to Hundred Bones Resonating of Love was swallowed as if by some deathly energy. Before Gu Chengming could even throw the punch, it vanished completely. Instead, the backlash he suffered intensified, causing him to spit out another mouthful of blood.
【Qingxin Art was rarely panicked: Chengming, do not face him head-on!】
【Zhou Rites Heavenly Rectifying Art’s voice was heavy: The aura on this person contains a strange scent. It is not the aura of the ordinary cultivation path, but seems more like—】
In the next moment, the newcomer’s voice diverted Gu Chengming’s attention from the dialogue boxes.
“—Everyone here, please listen to this poor Daoist. I come from the Longevity Sect.”
“I am here only to take one thing.”
【The Great Record frowned slightly: ...Longevity Sect?】
【If it truly is the Longevity Sect, then where did this person come from?】
【The reason it couldn't observe him just now wasn't simply because his realm was higher than its observation limit, but because he was simply not within its range of observation.】
【This person must have come from some place that one cannot leave.】
【The Great Record secretly wondered why there were so many strange things and weird people in this world line. The Longevity Sect it knew of had no Sixth Realm experts available at this time.】
A wave of genuine chill rose in Daoist Don't Know’s heart. Someone from the Longevity Sect?!
Since when did the Longevity Sect still have a living Sixth Realm expert?
Furthermore, shouldn't all the Sixth Realm experts of this age have already gone to that place...
Thinking of this, Daoist Don't Know suddenly froze as if he had realized something, and a chill welled up from the bottom of his heart.
Could it be that they failed...?
But the people from the Longevity Sect—how did they escape?
Unaware of what Daoist Don't Know was thinking, Gu Chengming forced himself to raise his head and meet the gaze of the self-proclaimed Longevity Sect Perfected Man. He had originally thought he had seen quite a lot of major scenes.
The struggle at the beginning of his transmigration, the slaughter on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, the Huichuan in Floating Islet City, the battle across time with the Red Dust Immortal, and the narrow escape from the Heavenly Dao Calamity just now—
Every single one was a scene enough to be engraved in his heart.
But right now was clearly the most critical moment... an entirely unexpected development.
The Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom was becoming transparent, slowly dissipating from his side, but those crimson-gold eyes were still glaring fixedly at the Perfected Man opposite them, the anger in her eyes not fading in the slightest.
“...Emperor Gu.” Her voice was already so soft it was almost a whisper: “It’s because... this Emperor didn't use enough strength just now.”
Gu Chengming didn't speak, simply placing his hand gently on her gradually transparent shoulder. Then he straightened his back and met the gaze beneath the shadow of the hood, slowly speaking:
“I wonder what thing your Excellency is referring to?”
Escaping was clearly difficult now, but he at least had to figure out what exactly was going on.
Why was this matter related to the Longevity Sect again? And since when did the Longevity Sect have another Sixth Realm expert?! What was the identity of the person before him? He had to at least find out the reason before he could possibly escape from this death trap.
The Longevity Sect Perfected Man seemed to let out a laugh: “Little friend, the unborn Dao Throne you swallowed—this poor Daoist has already chosen a name for it.”
“It was originally what this poor Daoist intended to take.”
“You... have been helping this poor Daoist keep it on the tip of your tongue for half an hour now.”
—A Dao Throne?!
Wasn't this Dao Throne created by the Great Record? Or rather...
Gu Chengming’s thoughts raced, and he quickly realized a new problem, becoming instantly annoyed.
No!
The Great Record only said she relied on this unborn Dao Throne, but she never said she was the one who created it.
The birth of a Dao Throne always required a seed. Perhaps the Great Record had spent a lot of effort in nurturing the seed, even turning this Dao Throne into her own thing, but the person who sowed the seed was ultimately not her.
So, had he been too careless from the start?
Gu Chengming took a deep breath: “So this Dao Throne and this Dao Plague are both layouts of the Longevity Sect?”
A hint of appreciation flashed in the newcomer’s eyes, but he continued speaking as if to himself: “It’s a long story. Since you’ve swallowed it, little friend, this poor Daoist will explain it clearly for you.”
“Beneath the Cuiping Mountains, the source of the Dao Plague left over from the old world has been accumulating for ten thousand years. Such a ten-thousand-year accumulation is a top-tier item.”
“To my Longevity Sect, its value is beyond measure.”
The Longevity Sect Perfected Man’s voice was flat, with no trace of emotion in his tone: “The so-called Dao Plague is actually not a common epidemic. The world believes that the Dao Plague poisons cultivators, but this statement is erroneous.”
“What the Dao Plague poisons is the ‘Dao’ itself.”
“...”
Song Heng, Baicang, and Qin Wuwang, kneeling in mid-air, all changed expression at the same time.
“The Dao itself?”
A trembling breath escaped True Monarch Baicang’s throat. The “Dao” was the rules of heaven and earth, the source of all laws, and the ultimate goal that cultivators spent their entire lives trying to reach. To put the words “poisoning the Dao itself” together was simply absurd.
“Therefore, the reason this Dao Throne was nurtured—”
“—Was because the successive generations of Perfected Men in my Longevity Sect used a thousand different methods to ‘raise’ it by hand.”
——Damn it, how did it become something you raised? Wasn't this raised by the Great Record?
Hearing this, Gu Chengming was almost amused by the absurdity. Clearly, the Longevity Sect Perfected Man’s words about “explaining it clearly” were just a playful whim. The other party had no intention of actually explaining things to them; he was just spouting some half-truths to see their reactions.
【Seemingly aware of Gu Chengming’s suspicion, the Great Record spoke after a brief deliberation: In ten thousand years, I have never observed this sect directly interfering with the earth veins of the Cuiping Mountains.】
【In other words, the Longevity Sect did not know of my existence.】
【...Conversely, I also did not know of the Longevity Sect’s existence. We were unaware of each other, yet both plotting for the same thing.】
Seeing this narration, Gu Chengming couldn't help but let out a silent sigh.
So it was a misunderstanding, but he was also to blame for being too careless. He had thought the Great Record was the final schemer, never expecting there was still another master.
The Longevity Sect Perfected Man continued: “This poor Daoist came here today originally for that unborn Dao Throne that was about to descend into the world.”
“Before the Dao Throne descended, we had already chosen a name for it—”
“This ‘Bestowed Name’ is the method passed down through generations of our Longevity Sect’s Perfected Men to anchor a Dao Throne.”
“Once the Dao Throne descends and the Bestowed Name is fixed, this Dao Throne will completely fall into the hands of my Longevity Sect.”
“Thereafter, the source of the Dao Plague will be entirely absorbed into the Dao Throne, turning into the foundation for a Perfected Man of my Longevity Sect to attain the Dao.”
Having said this, he finally tilted his chin slightly, and a faint, cold smile was vaguely visible.
“Little friend.”
“That mouthful you swallowed today was not just a Dao Throne, but the layout of the Longevity Sect for hundreds and thousands of years.”
“...”
The Fifth Realm experts were all speechless. Gu Chengming took a deep breath and raised his head, meeting the gaze within the shadows of the Longevity Sect Perfected Man.
“Since the Bestowed Name is the Longevity Sect’s method of anchoring—”
“—Then when I swallowed the Dao Throne just now, where did that Bestowed Name go?”
“...”
The Longevity Sect Perfected Man paused. He said slowly:
“Little friend is wise. That Bestowed Name is currently drifting within your body.”
“The second purpose of this poor Daoist’s trip is to extract that Bestowed Name from your seven orifices, inch by inch.”
“...”
Gu Chengming remained silent.
The strand of aura at the Longevity Sect Perfected Man’s fingertip condensed once more, more than three times as heavy as before.
Gu Chengming looked at him, then at the now completely transparent Hundred Bones Resonating Phantom beside him, and finally at his own hands, which were trembling slightly under the Sixth Realm pressure. He looked up and smiled:
“Unfortunately, you won't be able to touch this Dao Throne anymore!”
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