Night was like water, with the moon hanging in the center of the sky.
In the small courtyard of Jishan Neighborhood, the shadows of the osmanthus trees were stretched long, swaying gently with the night breeze and casting mottled shadows on the bluestone slabs.
Gu Chengming stood under a tree, staring down at his fist.
Consumes all physical strength.
Regardless of how Emperor Bai had comprehended this move, at least for Gu Chengming, the problem of what imagery to contemplate had been solved.
Although there was no description of this punch's numerical value or any introduction to special effects, the description 'consumes all physical strength' alone was enough to prove its intensity... right?
'If only I had a reference point.'
Gu Chengming pondered, his gaze involuntarily shifting toward the half-broken artificial rockery he used for sword practice.
But he glanced at the late hour and eventually abandoned the idea. When using a trump card with unknown side effects, he would feel uneasy if no one was around to look after him. Hundred Bones Resonating, however, was becoming a bit restless.
【It urged: Emperor Gu! Quickly, try it out!】
Gu Chengming found it somewhat amusing and comforted Hundred Bones Resonating, saying, "It's too late tonight. Not only is there the issue of the noise, but if I really do run out of strength, I'll have to trouble someone to carry me back. I'll try it at the Night Guard Division's training ground tomorrow."
【Hearing this, Hundred Bones Resonating shrunk back into its corner in frustration, though it was unwilling.】
Having pacified Emperor Bai, Gu Chengming pulled his attention back to reality.
Below his field of vision, the newly unlocked CG interface was emitting a faint shimmer.
【CG/Emperor Bai, Help Me!】
【Unlock Progress: 10%】
This progress bar's appearance was quite similar to when he practiced the Primal Emperor Art—both were types that could be used even before the CG was fully unlocked.
However, looking at Hundred Bones Resonating, it didn't seem any different from usual.
So, what would be the condition to promote the CG's unlocking?
As he was thinking, Gu Chengming's perception suddenly caught a slight sound of fabric rubbing.
The sound came from the crack of the main room's door. If he hadn't practiced the Yin Yang Creation Strategy and become exceptionally sensitive to the flow of qi around him, he might not have noticed it.
He didn't turn around, but using the motion of picking up his teacup, he swept a glance out of the corner of his eye. He saw the originally closed wooden door had been pushed open a crack at some point, and a familiar eye was pressed against it, peeking stealthily into the yard. Seeing that Gu Chengming seemed to still be in deep thought with his eyes closed, the door crack opened a bit wider as if testing the waters.
Gu Chengming found it funny. It seemed Elder Yu had woken up long ago and had been observing in secret?
He didn't call her out but took out the box of Suxiangzai pastries that Fu Xiaoxiao had forced upon him during the day from his storage pouch.
"Elder Yu, since you're not asleep yet, why not come over and sit?"
"Squeak—"
The moment the door was pushed open, the intentionally suppressed aura instantly vanished.
Yu Wenqiu was draped in a thin outer robe. Although her hair was a bit messy, it didn't affect her 'dignity' as an elder in the slightest.
"I just saw you were still practicing."
"Yes, yes, Elder has been most considerate."
Gu Chengming opened the box lid, and a sweet, tempting aroma immediately diffused through the cool night air.
"Perfect, I have some pastries from Suxiangzai. If Elder doesn't mind, why don't we eat and chat?"
Yu Wenqiu, who was still maintaining her elder persona, saw her eyes light up the moment she spotted the pastries.
"Flowing Cloud Pastries from Suxiangzai? These are hot commodities with daily limits!"
She wasn't polite either. Pulling out a stone stool to sit, she expertly pinched a piece with two fingers and popped it into her mouth, giving a muffled review:
"Mmm... this texture, it melts in your mouth. Sweet but not greasy. Not bad, not bad."
Yu Wenqiu swallowed the pastry and warmed her hands with her teacup. "You came back late today. Did you run into trouble again?"
Gu Chengming gave a simplified account of his encounter with Qin Qing at the alleyway and his subsequent lesson at the training ground.
Yu Wenqiu, who was eating happily, almost choked. After finally catching her breath, she asked with a strange expression:
"Senior Qin from the Hunyuan Sect?"
Gu Chengming was surprised. "Is this Senior Qin very famous?"
Seeing Gu Chengming's confusion, Yu Wenqiu didn't keep him in suspense. She pinched another pastry and explained while eating:
"I heard of her name back when I was at the sect. It was about twenty years ago. At that time, she was the most skilled artifact refiner among the younger generation of elders in the Hunyuan Sect. It was said that as long as she was given enough materials, there was no dharma treasure she couldn't refine."
"However, a major incident seemed to happen later that caused quite a stir. Eventually, she left the Hunyuan Sect and disappeared."
Gu Chengming's heart stirred. "What major incident?"
"The specific details are subject to many rumors, but the most widely spread version is related to the Longevity Sect."
"Longevity Sect?" Gu Chengming frowned slightly.
That name again.
"Exactly."
Yu Wenqiu nodded, her fingers unconsciously tracing circles on the stone table. "It's said that back then, to verify her path of artifact refining, Senior Qin Qing spent years of effort to refine an extremely special set of dharma treasures. It was a set of mother-and-son artifacts called the Six-Harmony Spirit-Restricting Bell."
"This artifact not only had an extremely high grade, but more importantly, it was engraved with a rare restriction that borrowed from the Shixi law."
"Rumor has it that once the Six-Harmony Spirit-Restricting Bell is deployed, it can unfurl a domain within a certain range. In this domain, except for pure physical blood and qi power, any spiritual power or technique will become sluggish or even fail. Even third realm cultivators aren't exempt."
At this point, Yu Wenqiu paused and looked at Gu Chengming. "Does it sound very similar to what you encountered today?"
Gu Chengming nodded slowly. It was indeed very similar.
That feeling of sluggishness, as if even thoughts were being stretched, and that oppressive sensation of spiritual power operating with great difficulty. If Vice Commander Liu's slash hadn't relied entirely on brute force to break the situation, he might not have escaped easily.
"Senior Qin's original intention in refining this treasure was to give body cultivators a fair chance at combat when facing art cultivators."
Yu Wenqiu sighed, her tone tinged with regret:
"Her idea was pure. Body cultivators train their flesh through hardship, yet they often suffer at the hands of long-range techniques. With this treasure, they could pull art cultivators into the realm of close-quarters combat where body cultivators excel."
"She handed this set of treasures over to the sect, hoping they would serve as the sect's foundation."
"But something went wrong later. This treasure, capable of changing the landscape of cultivator battles, was actually hijacked during an escort mission. And the ones who did it were from the Longevity Sect."
"After it happened, those lunatics from the Longevity Sect used this treasure to set ambushes across the Jiuzhou Continent, specifically hunting down the geniuses of the major sects."
Yu Wenqiu picked up the piece of cooled pastry but didn't put it in her mouth, only crushing it slightly. "During that time, the cultivation world was in a state of panic. Although the Hunyuan Sect tried their best to investigate, the item had already fallen into the hands of the evil sect, and the slaughter it caused was real."
"Some say it was because Qin Qing refined such a demonic tool that it led to the suffering of all life. Others say there was a mole within the Hunyuan Sect... In short, Senior Qin broke with the sect after that and swore never to easily refine artifacts for others again."
Silence fell over the small courtyard for a moment.
Gu Chengming tapped his fingers lightly on the table, matching Qin Qing's words and behavior today with this past event.
No wonder she insisted on testing him with a restriction upon their first meeting, and even when she heard he wanted to refine a dragon-shaped qi seed Dharma Sword, she set the harsh condition that he must learn the Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist and gain her recognition.
"So that's how it is..."
Gu Chengming murmured softly. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a bit more respect for that seemingly lazy and unrestrained senior.
An artifact refiner sealing their furnace and retiring because their work was used for evil was itself a form of great self-punishment.
And that so-called 'mother-and-son artifact' had six sub-artifacts and one mother artifact.
The ones currently out there must be the sub-artifacts.
If that mother artifact were still in Qin Qing's hands...
Gu Chengming sighed softly and picked up the teapot, refilling Yu Wenqiu's empty cup with hot tea.
Yu Wenqiu also seemed to sense the heavy atmosphere. She shook her head, brushed off the pastry crumbs from her hand, picked up a new piece, and stuffed it into her mouth with a smile:
"Regardless, being able to receive her guidance is a stroke of luck. This elder told you, Xiao Gu, your luck has always been good."
Gu Chengming chuckled. "Is Elder praising me or mocking me?"
"Praising you, of course!" Yu Wenqiu glared at him righteously, then seemed to remember something, leaning forward slightly to ask gossipy:
"By the way, since she agreed to refine a sword for you, that Jiao core... what do you plan to refine it into?"
"I haven't thought it through yet. I'll wait until the fist technique is mastered."
As the night grew deeper, the last trace of tea aroma in the courtyard dispersed with the wind.
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Yu Wenqiu wrapped her outer robe tightly around her and, like a satisfied cat, went back to her room to catch up on sleep.
After seeing off Yu Wenqiu, Gu Chengming sat alone at the stone table, not in a hurry to return to his room.
Now he knew why Fu Xiaoxiao wanted him to 'interact' more with people.
Just like with Qin Qing's matter, various forces were intricately entwined. People and events that seemed completely unrelated were actually connected by thousands of causal threads.
The so-called red dust aura was perhaps to be sought within these unresolved karmas.
He stood up, tidied the remains on the stone table, and returned to his room to sit cross-legged.
The true essence within his body flowed slowly through his meridians, running in a great cycle according to the technique's path, adjusting his state to the peak. Then, he closed his eyes to rest, waiting for dawn.
The next morning, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
On the training ground of the Night Guard Division's back mountain, the morning mist had not yet dispersed. Qin Qing had been forcefully summoned by a Sound Transmission Talisman from Gu Chengming.
When she appeared at the edge of the training ground wearing her slightly loose lotus-colored long dress and yawning, her hair—usually tied casually—was even looser now, with a few stray strands sticking up. Her entire being radiated a clear sense of 'morning grumpiness.'
"Gu Chengming, you better have actually had some major breakthrough."
Qin Qing half-squinted her eyes, leaning lazily against a stone pillar. Her tone carried undisguised annoyance and impatience:
"How many hours has it been? Barely a single night. And you're telling me you've comprehended it?"
She truly didn't believe it.
Although the Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist had no fixed moves, it was precisely because it lacked moves that the 'imagery' used to fill the fist's frame was the hardest to find.
Ordinary cultivators would either observe a tiger descending a mountain or sense the babbling of flowing water. Even a genius with excellent comprehension would need at least ten days to half a month of slow, painstaking work to find an imagery that resonated with their own spiritual power and could trigger heaven and earth resonance.
One night? If you just find some random bird or fish to fool this seat, don't blame me for complaining to Zhou Qingmu.
Facing the suspicion almost written on Qin Qing's face, Gu Chengming was not perturbed.
Today, he wore short, practical clothes suitable for movement. Standing in the morning mist, he actually possessed an air of profound stillness.
"Since Senior has come, this junior naturally wouldn't dare to deceive you."
"However, the imagery this junior comprehended consumes an immense amount of physical strength. When I perform it later, I'll have to trouble Senior Qin to protect me, lest anything go wrong after I lose my strength."
"Protect you? Losing strength?" Hearing this, Qin Qing almost laughed from anger.
Although her Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist sounded impressive with words like 'Myriad Phenomena' and 'Transformation,' at its core, it was derived from her self-created Long-Life Art.
What was long life? It was a method that emphasized following the natural seasons, regulating yin and yang, and nourishing blood and qi.
To put it simply, it was a health-preserving boxing technique!
What kind of imagery could you possibly comprehend that consumes so much?
Despite her internal complaints, looking at Gu Chengming's serious expression, Qin Qing sighed. She waved her wide sleeves and casually set up a barrier to isolate their aura.
"Fine, stop dawdling."
She found a relatively clean bluestone to sit on, resting her chin on one hand with a lack of interest. "If you have any special skills, show them. This seat will cover for you."
Seeing this, Gu Chengming took a deep breath and nodded.
"Thank you, Senior."
He turned to face the thick black iron outer wall of the training ground, feet slightly apart. He closed his eyes and concentrated.
'Here I go, Emperor Bai,' Gu Chengming thought.
As if it had been waiting for a long time.
【Emperor Gu, borrow your body for a use!】
"Boom—"
In the real world, the lazily watching Qin Qing found that Gu Chengming's aura suddenly changed.
Behind him, in her vision, a blurry phantom seemed to appear out of thin air.
Qin Qing was momentarily stunned. This was indeed the path of her Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist—intent preceding form, using spirit to govern qi.
But this imagery... why did it feel wrong?
Before she could figure it out, Gu Chengming moved.
His movements were very slow. He pulled his fist back to his waist, his spine arching slightly like a great dragon. His entire musculature tightened and then relaxed.
Simultaneously, the white-haired phantom behind him began to grow clearer.
The phantom slowly raised its arm, its movements perfectly overlapping with Gu Chengming's.
With this movement, the morning mist in the training ground seemed to have been startled by something, frantically fleeing in all directions.
"Buzz—"
The gravel on the ground began to tremble slightly, then floated into the air.
His aura was completely withdrawn, but Gu Chengming's eyes were startlingly bright.
Qin Qing subconsciously stood up. She felt something was wrong.
And that long-prepared right fist finally struck out without any embellishment.
There were no complex moves—just a simple straight punch.
Then, Qin Qing felt a slight breeze brush past, tossing her hair a few times.
Immediately after, a gale roared!
The bluestone floor under Gu Chengming's feet didn't even have time to crack before it turned directly into dust under the counterforce of this punch.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—"
A visible white shockwave, like a heavy shell fired from a cannon, carrying an unmatched overbearing will, swept forward in a fan shape.
Wherever it passed, whether it was the wooden stakes of the training ground or the thousand-jin boulders used for testing strength, everything instantly shattered and turned to ash before this force like it was made of paper.
Finally, the shockwave slammed heavily into the outer wall at the edge of the training ground—a wall three feet thick and made of black iron rock.
There was no stalemate, no sound of collision, only an extremely muffled 'poof.'
That black iron wall, capable of resisting a full-strength blow from a third realm cultivator, couldn't even last a single breath before this punch. A huge hole, ten feet in diameter, was blasted straight through it!
Shattered bricks and stones shot out like cannonballs, flying dozens of feet away and mowing down a large section of the lush small forest on the back mountain like wheat.
Dust billowed, obscuring the sky.
The entire training ground fell into a deathly silence at this moment.
Only the sound of a few stones rolling off the ruins made an exceptionally piercing noise.
Qin Qing stood in her previous position, her mouth slightly agape as she looked at the massive hole, then at the devastated forest in the distance. Finally, she stiffly turned her neck toward the swaying figure in the center of the field.
At this time, Gu Chengming still maintained his punching posture.
But the white-haired phantom behind him had vanished, and his staggering aura had receded like the tide.
"Thud."
Finally, Gu Chengming's legs gave out, and he sat down on the ground filled with gravel.
The originally full physical strength in his body was completely drained. Hundred Bones Resonating was both satisfied and exhausted, immediately going offline to play dead.
【CG/Emperor Bai, Help Me: Unlock Progress +5%】
Gu Chengming panted heavily, his chest heaving violently as his true essence circulated rapidly to replenish his stamina.
This feeling was truly strange. Even though his physical strength was exhausted, his true essence was not affected at all. After realizing the depletion, the true essence began to quickly replenish Gu Chengming's physical strength.
Good, if the consumption was like this, it was acceptable.
Gu Chengming breathed a sigh of relief. It would take about half an hour for his depleted strength to be fully restored, and it wouldn't affect his other means during this period.
From this perspective, it was like striking with an immensely powerful direct hit and then giving himself a weakness debuff?
Thinking of this, Gu Chengming was satisfied. He forced himself to look up at the figure not far away who was still in a petrified state and called out, "Senior Qin, does this count as passing?"
Hearing his voice, Qin Qing suddenly snapped back to reality.
She took a deep breath of the dust-filled air, trying to calm her startled heart.
She walked with somewhat stiff steps to the massive hole and reached out to touch the edge of the break.
"Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist..."
Qin Qing murmured to herself, her gaze complicated to the extreme.
Her original intention in creating this technique was for health, for longevity, and to comprehend the path of life by imitating the myriad phenomena of heaven and earth.
But this kid...
What kind of monster did he stuff into this empty shell?!
That aura was overbearing, tyrannical, and supremely arrogant. What the hell did it have to do with longevity?!
This was clearly a short-lived fist technique meant for slaughtering life!
Qin Qing helplessly pressed her forehead and let out a long sigh.
She had originally thought he was just a minor genius recognized by Zhou Qingmu.
But now, it seemed she had still underestimated the weight of 'recognized by Zhou Qingmu.'
'Where on earth did that lunatic Zhou Qingmu dig up this freak?'
"Forget it."
Qin Qing waved her hand and walked forward. She took a pill from her sleeve and, with a bit of heartache, stuffed it into Gu Chengming's mouth. "This is a Withered Wood Spring Pill. Rest well."
The pill melted instantly, and a warm medicinal power immediately spread throughout his body. Gu Chengming was startled—a fourth realm pill?
Feeling his strength and state recovering rapidly, Gu Chengming's face regained some color as he struggled to stand up.
"Thank you, Senior, for the medicine."
"Alright, don't move around."
Qin Qing pressed his shoulder and gave him a sharp look. "Although this punch's power is decent, your body's foundation is still too thin. Use this move as little as possible unless absolutely necessary in the future."
Although she was grumbling, the admiration in Qin Qing's eyes couldn't be hidden.
As an artifact refiner and body cultivator, she had to admit that the punch just now was very much to her taste.
"This Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist hasn't gone to waste in your hands."
"Does that mean Senior has recognized me?"
"Nonsense."
Qin Qing rolled her eyes. "This seat always keeps her word."
She stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and returned to her lazy and casual appearance.
"Are the materials ready? That Jiao core and the other supplementary materials."
"They are all ready."
Gu Chengming quickly took out the wooden box he had prepared from his storage pouch.
After accepting the Jiao core, Qin Qing nodded with satisfaction, then told him to go back and wait. She would call him once the sword was refined.
Gu Chengming naturally agreed.
Perhaps because the commotion was quite large, not long after Qin Qing left, Vice Commander Liu rushed over.
Then he saw this scene—
The hard bluestone ground was cracked like a spider web, the special wooden stakes around were turned to powder, and there was that drafty wall in the ruins.
This vice commander, who was used to grand scenes, was also dumbstruck and didn't regain his senses for a long while.
What surprised Gu Chengming even more was that when he was prepared to pay for the damage to public property, he was told that before Senior Qin left, she had not only waived his refining fees but had even paid the spirit stones for the training ground's repairs.
Combining that with the precious pill she had casually gifted him, he couldn't help but think.
Senior Qin is truly a good person.
Such generous care made Gu Chengming feel a bit uneasy.
He thought to himself that once his cultivation improved or if he obtained some rare item in the future, he must find an opportunity to repay this favor.
Two more days passed.
Just as Gu Chengming thought life would remain peaceful until the Dharma Sword was finished, an unexpected farewell broke the serenity.
Fu Xiaoxiao was leaving.
This Hehuan Sect elder had come abruptly and was leaving just as hurriedly.
That afternoon, she specifically went to the courtyard in Jishan Neighborhood. She didn't climb the wall but knocked on the door properly.
The osmanthus flowers in the yard had mostly fallen. Fu Xiaoxiao stood under the tree, kicking at the fallen leaves. Her tone sounded casual, but it lacked some of its usual flamboyance.
"This seat is returning to the sect."
She didn't give a specific reason but kept her hands behind her back, like a strict teacher about to go on a long journey giving final instructions:
"After this, no one will teach you the Red Dust Technique hand-in-hand. However, your comprehension is indeed good, and everything that should be taught has been taught. Although this seat usually calls you stupid, in all fairness, you are the most talented person I've seen in the Red Dust Technique."
At this point, she paused, gestured with her fingers, and added somewhat proudly:
"You're just... slightly worse than this seat was back then."
Gu Chengming smiled and agreed, not refuting her.
Fu Xiaoxiao huffed, then started pulling things out of her sleeve.
"Here, this is a VIP token for Suxiangzai. Use this to buy pastries without queuing, and you get a discount. If you want pastries in the future, remember to buy some. Don't let your mouth suffer."
"And this, and this..."
She stuffed a pile of things into Gu Chengming's arms, from food and daily necessities to defensive items—a dazzling array.
Holding the pile of things, Gu Chengming's subtle feeling grew stronger.
This posture... how did it look like she was 'settling her affairs' with an ominous vibe?
"Senior Sister Fu..."
Gu Chengming couldn't help but interrupt her actions, saying helplessly, "Why are you giving me so many things? Even as a parting gift, this is too much."
Fu Xiaoxiao's movements came to a sudden halt.
She looked up, her eyes flickering for a moment before she immediately put on a righteous expression and lectured him with a stern face:
"What are you thinking? This seat is helping your cultivation!"
"Didn't I teach you before? To enter the red dust, you must be stained with karma. Giving you so many things is to make you owe me favors. The more you owe, the tighter the causal lines will be, and the better you can comprehend the true essence of the Red Dust Technique."
"Alright."
The gifts were given, and the words were said.
Fu Xiaoxiao clapped her hands, took a deep breath, and turned around with forced nonchalance, waving her hand with her back to Gu Chengming:
"Don't miss this seat too much. Cultivate well and don't forget the things I taught you. Later... this seat will come to test you again."
Although she said not to miss her, her steps as she left were very slow. That red silhouette looked a bit thin; no matter how one looked at it, she seemed to be the one more reluctant to leave.
The day after seeing off Fu Xiaoxiao.
The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the bluestone slabs on the street were damp.
Gu Chengming walked toward the Night Guard Division along the long street outside Jishan Neighborhood as usual.
He hadn't slept well last night. For some reason, he felt that Fu Xiaoxiao's departure wasn't as simple as she had made it out to be.
But the road ahead was long, and he couldn't afford to indulge in the sorrow of parting.
At least for now, he had to focus his attention on cultivation.
To be honest, this Emperor Bai CG was like the previous Primal Emperor Art—the unlocking conditions were quite difficult to find. Gu Chengming had studied it for a long time without understanding what the degree of unlocking depended on.
The first time he performed the punch, the CG unlock progress jumped by five percent. Later, when he performed it several times under Elder Yu's protection, the progress only increased by one percent each time.
Fortunately, he didn't strictly need to unlock the CG quickly right now, so Gu Chengming had to slowly grind through the days.
Of course, doing this long-term wasn't an option. After all, using the CG consumed quite a bit. Qin Qing had also warned him to use the move less. Although Hundred Bones Resonating's favorability would increase slightly with each 'possession,' for the sake of his body, Gu Chengming decided to slow down and find a way to truly unlock the CG quickly.
It was still early. The breakfast stalls on the street had just set up their steamers. White steam mixed with the scent of flour rose up, only to be quickly dispersed by the cold wind.
As he reached a secluded corner, Gu Chengming's steps paused slightly.
It wasn't because he saw anything, but rather an extremely subtle illusion—
The sounds around him had slowed down.
The cries of the charcoal seller in the distance became elongated and low. A wild cat that had just jumped was suspended in mid-air. Even the withered pagoda tree leaves falling with the wind seemed to be held by an invisible hand, moving downward inch by inch at an extremely slow speed.
This scene was hauntingly familiar.
Gu Chengming's eyebrows twitched, feeling a bit helpless.
Could it be that Senior Qin from the Long-Life Sect got bored with refining the sword and ran out early in the morning to play this high-expert-appearance trick to test him again?
"Senior, playing this trick once is enough..."
Gu Chengming turned around, his words cutting off in his throat.
The person standing in the shadows of the alley wasn't Qin Qing in her lotus-colored dress.
It was a man. He wore a wide black robe, with his hood pulled low, covering most of his face.
Gu Chengming's pupils shrank slightly.
This wasn't a joke from Qin Qing.
This time, the wolf had truly come.
"Master Gu, a pleasure to meet you."
The black-robed man's voice was hoarse, carrying an uncomfortable chill.
Gu Chengming didn't speak, but quietly lowered his hand to his side.
However, when he tried to mobilize the true essence in his body, he found it had become heavy and sluggish. The spiritual power that was normally as easy to use as his own limbs could now not even be mobilized by ten percent.
"Don't waste your effort trying to send a message."
The black-robed man seemed to see through Gu Chengming's actions. He wasn't in a hurry to strike, but slowly extended a withered finger from his sleeve and pointed around:
"I've set up a restriction here. Within this perimeter, it's already a dead zone."
Gu Chengming narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on the man's hand.
"Longevity Sect?"
"Master Gu is indeed sharp."
The black-robed man didn't deny it; instead, he nodded quite openly. "I am indeed a stray deacon of the Longevity Sect."
Gu Chengming sensed the other party's spiritual power fluctuations.
Second realm perfection... presumably he had suppressed his strength again. And this scene, identical to when Qin Qing appeared...
"Six-Harmony Spirit-Restricting Bell?"
A trace of surprise flashed in the black-robed man's eyes, and then he clapped his hands with a light laugh:
"Master Gu knows more than I imagined. Since you know of this item, you should also understand your current situation."
"We've researched you." The man stepped forward slowly, his boots making a dull sound on the bluestone slabs.
"Jianxin Tongming, strange Red Dust Techniques, even able to drive a Sancai Sword Array at the second realm... But whether it's a sword cultivator or an art cultivator, your skills all depend on that spiritual energy and true essence."
"If I truly wanted to kill you, there wouldn't be just me in this alley. I'd only need to arrange two more death-sworn warriors, and under a mess of blades, you, this heavenly prodigy on the Hidden Dragon Ranking, would only turn into a pile of meat paste."
Gu Chengming still didn't speak, but used the Yin Yang Creation Strategy to sense the surrounding qi.
It was indeed as the other party said—there were no ambushes nearby, only the black-robed man in front of him.
"You've said so much without taking action. I assume it's not just to brag to me about how powerful your Longevity Sect's Dharma treasures are?" Gu Chengming said indifferently.
"Naturally."
The black-robed man sighed, withdrawing his aggressive aura and instead putting on a heart-to-heart tone:
"I said it before—the Longevity Sect comes today with no ill will. We just seek an opportunity to have a calm, private conversation with Master Gu."
"To be able to use sword arrays so exquisitely at the second realm to kill those in the third realm, to have learned various different top-tier techniques, and to have a style of behavior so inconsistent with your age... Master Gu, you have many secrets. But we don't care."
"We don't care if you are some ancient powerhouse who has taken over a body to re-cultivate, or if you truly carry some great opportunity. We only want to give Master Gu a piece of advice."
He leaned forward, lowering his voice:
"Do not trust the Daqian court, and do not trust Zhou Qingmu. The more secrets you have, the more they will devour you without even spitting out the bones."
"Of the top-ranked geniuses on the Hidden Dragon Ranking through the ages, how many had a good ending? Master Gu might as well go look it up."
Gu Chengming's expression didn't change, but he sneered in his heart.
Gu Chengming interrupted the other party's continued attempts to recruit him: "You went to all this trouble just to tell me this?"
"A wise bird chooses its tree."
The black-robed man straightened up and extended a hand toward Gu Chengming in an inviting gesture.
"Although the Longevity Sect has a bad reputation, we respect the strong and embrace outliers. Here, no one will covet your secrets. We will only help you seek the true Great Dao, true... longevity."
"As long as Master Gu nods, the restriction will be lifted today. In the future, the resources of the Longevity Sect will be yours to use as you wish."
Gu Chengming looked at the hand extended toward him and suddenly smiled.
"Then I understand."
Gu Chengming nodded.
During the conversation just now, he had already quietly activated the Yin Yang Creation Strategy.
Although his true essence was suppressed and he couldn't perform techniques, his passive perception of qi and emotions still existed.
Within a radius of a hundred zhang, besides the black-robed man in front of him, there were no other malicious auras.
Just as the other party said, to show 'sincerity' and to avoid alerting the dragon qi, there really was only him alone.
But this made Gu Chengming feel somewhat absurd.
He truly couldn't understand—since they knew he had slain a Jiao dragon and knew he had many methods, why did they still think that as long as they sealed his true essence, he would be like a lamb to the slaughter?
Was it because of habitual thinking? Was it because the cultivators of this world relied too much on that single breath of innate true qi?
"There's no need to think more about things I can't figure out," Gu Chengming whispered to himself.
The next moment, his right hand, which had been hanging at his side, suddenly clenched.
—Myriad Phenomena Transformation Fist.
Emperor Bai, help me!
【Emperor Gu, I've been ready for a long time!】
The black-robed man was still smiling as he waited for Gu Chengming's reply when suddenly, he sensed something was wrong.
The aura on Gu Chengming had changed.
It wasn't a fluctuation of spiritual power, but a pure, primal, and suffocating sense of pressure.
Before he could react, Gu Chengming had already struck.
The astonishment in the black-robed man's eyes didn't even have time to fully spread before that terrifying punch, capable of shattering city walls, arrived in front of him.
The protective dharma barrier he was so proud of was like a piece of fragile paper when faced with such pure physical destruction in the absence of a true essence clash.
"Bang—!!!"
A muffled sound.
It sounded like a heavy hammer smashing a watermelon, or a giant rock crushing dry bones.
The black-robed man's chest instantly caved in. Then, that terrifying force penetrated through him, shattering his internal organs, all his bones, and even every inch of his flesh into the finest dust in that single instant.
He didn't even have time to scream. His entire being was like a blood bag being slammed flat, exploding with a 'pop.'
Red and white splattered everywhere.
And the bronze bell floating at his waist, which maintained the restriction, also let out a mournful cry in the wake of the violent punch's wind.
"Buzz—"
As the Dharma treasure shattered, the stagnant air around them instantly began to flow again.
The noise of voices, wind, and birdsong poured back into the secluded alley.
Gu Chengming withdrew his fist and stood straight.
His face was slightly pale, his chest heaving violently. He looked at the puddle of bloody pulp in front of him that no longer resembled a human and shook the blood from his hands.
'What a brutal scene,' Gu Chengming thought.
【What a satisfying scene!】
【Hundred Bones Resonating is beyond excited.】
【CG/Emperor Bai, Help Me: Unlock Progress +20%】
"?"
Now he knew how to unlock the CG.
Rate on N.U.
