Chapter 275: Fellow Daoist Friends

Chapter 275: Fellow Daoist Friends

November 29, 2024

The news of the destruction of the Heavenly Demon Sanctuary spread like a hurricane throughout the Demon Realm.

If this were just a regular conflict, the annihilation of an ancient holy land would indeed cause a significant disturbance, but it wouldn't create such a massive uproar as it has now.

However.

The powerful being who annihilated the Heavenly Demon Sanctuary was from the Human Race.

Moreover—

This being, at the Demi-Sage level, directly killed a powerful being at the Pre-Great Saint realm.

This news.

Is the most crucial part of it all.

A Demi-Sage slaying a Pre-Great Saint—what kind of concept is this?!

Even in the endless history of the Demon Realm, the frequency of such monstrous beings appearing is so rare that they can be counted on one hand.

The emergence of such a monster in the Human Race naturally startles the various powers of the Demon Realm.

If such a powerful being were to rise, it would undoubtedly spell catastrophic disaster for the Demon Realm.

But there's also a problem at present.

To deal with such a formidable opponent, at the very least, a Great Demon would need to awaken, and even then, it's uncertain if they could truly kill the opponent outright.

After all, from the fact that Gu Qingfeng could easily slay the Azure Dragon Demon Lord, it's evident that his strength is comparable to that of a true Great Demon.

So.

For a more foolproof plan.

At the very least, a Demon King-level existence would need to take action.

However, even with the Demon Realm's profound foundation, there aren't many truly slumbering Demon Kings, and each power within the Demon Realm has its own agenda. Who would willingly sacrifice one of their Demon Kings?

After all, this is the Age of Decline, and it's still over a thousand years away from the Era of Great Struggle.

This means that if a Demon King were to appear, they would need to consume at least a thousand years of their lifespan.

Demon Kings have a lifespan of nine thousand years.

Even the top-tier monstrous geniuses would need at least a thousand years, if not more, to truly reach this realm.

So.

For a Demon King, a thousand years is a significant difference.

Perhaps.

The opponent might just need this extra thousand years to advance further, entering the Demon Emperor realm, comparable to the Quasi-Emperor realm, or even breaking through to the Demon Sovereign realm, rivaling the Great Emperor realm.

Therefore.

The various powers of the Demon Realm are naturally unwilling to bear such a loss.

Of course.

If the Human Race continues to slaughter more ancient powers of the Demon Realm, then it's a different matter.

...

Outside the Heavenly Demon Sanctuary.

In a certain ancient city.

Gu Qingfeng and Gu Xiu had quietly appeared here.

Although every ancient city is protected by arrays, these arrays are no obstacle for Gu Qingfeng.

As for concealing his aura, it wasn't a special technique; it was more than sufficient to deal with ordinary demons.

The courtyard before them.

Was a place where Gu Xiu had once stayed.

Ever since he was hunted down by the Heavenly Demon Sanctuary and other major powers, Gu Xiu hadn't been able to return here.

"Do you want to leave the Demon Realm with me, or do you have other plans?"

Gu Qingfeng looked at his third son and asked.

He could have forcibly brought Gu Xiu back to the Human Race, but now, he was giving him a choice.

After all, for Gu Xiu, the Demon Realm was both dangerous and an opportunity.

If he hadn't ventured into the Demon Realm, he wouldn't have progressed this far so quickly, leaving others far behind.

Upon hearing this.

Gu Xiu fell into deep thought.

Even the Grand Sage of the Imperial Realm in the ring didn't speak up.

He understood that this was Gu Xiu's decision, and others couldn't interfere.

After a long while.

Gu Xiu's expression became resolute, and he bowed to Gu Qingfeng, "I plan to stay in the Demon Realm!"

This decision was the result of Gu Xiu's careful consideration.

In just a few short years in the Demon Realm, he had already broken through to the Seventh Divine Transformation Realm. If he had stayed in the Ancient Desolate Realm, he wouldn't have made such progress.

Moreover.

If he hadn't entered the Demon Realm, his Indestructible Divine Body wouldn't have awakened so quickly.

So.

Gu Xiu was willing to stay.

The Demon Realm was indeed dangerous, but at least his cultivation could progress faster.

Even with a Divine Body, as long as he didn't meet an unexpected demise, he would eventually be able to step into the Great Sage realm and even higher levels.

However.

The Divine Body wasn't all-powerful.

Stepping into the Great Sage realm wasn't Gu Xiu's ultimate goal.

As his horizons broadened, Gu Xiu had even more ambitious goals.

"Are you sure about this?"

"This time, I was just in time to save your life. If it happens again, you might not be so lucky.

Gu Qingfeng gave Gu Xiu a deep look, his voice devoid of any emotional fluctuations.

"I've made up my mind, Father!" Gu Xiu replied with unwavering determination.

At this, Gu Qingfeng nodded, "Since you've made your decision, I won't stop you. Here, take these. As for how far you can go, it will depend on your own opportunities."

With a flick of his finger, a storage ring landed in front of Gu Xiu.

Instinctively, Gu Xiu reached out and took the storage ring.

"Take out your Cloud Thunder Cauldron."

Although Gu Xiu didn't understand, he summoned the Cloud Thunder Cauldron as instructed.

Then, with another flick of his finger, Gu Qingfeng released a drop of his essence blood into the ancient cauldron, making the sacred weapon's power even more formidable.

"This sacred weapon already contains a drop of my essence blood. With your current cultivation, you can still unleash the full power of the Cloud Thunder Cauldron. Even if a Sage were to intervene, you would have the qualifications to fight."

"However, remember this: once my essence blood is exhausted, the power of the cauldron will diminish significantly. To truly harness the power of the sacred weapon, you must at least reach the Ninth Layer of the Dao Palace Realm!" Gu Qingfeng said calmly.

"Thank you, Father!" Gu Xiu expressed his gratitude, deeply moved.

He was well aware of the importance of essence blood to a cultivator.

Gu Qingfeng had left behind his essence blood to ensure he had a life-saving trump card.

A trump card that could even challenge Sages!

In this Age of Decline, it was the ultimate trump card.

At this moment, Gu Qingfeng's gaze fell on the storage ring on Gu Xiu's finger, and he smiled slightly, "Won't you come out and meet me, Your Excellency?"

As his words fell, Gu Xiu's expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to speak, a vast surge of divine soul power emerged, and the figure of the Grand Sage of the Imperial Realm appeared.

"I am Huangji. Greetings, fellow cultivator!"

"Greetings, Fellow Cultivator Huangji!" Gu Qingfeng politely returned the greeting.

He could tell that the Grand Sage was merely a remnant soul, and in front of him, he was insignificant.

Gu Qingfeng was confident that he could easily annihilate the Grand Sage if he wished.

Even when the Grand Sage was at the Ninth Layer of the Great Sage Realm, he would still be no match.

After so many years of the Grand Sage's demise, how much power could a mere remnant soul possess?

"My unfilial son owes you a debt of gratitude for protecting the Dao," said the Grand Sage.

"Fellow Cultivator Gu, you're too kind. Since Gu Xiu has taken me as his master, it's my duty to protect his path. This child possesses an Indestructible Divine Body, and his future achievements are limitless!" The Grand Sage smiled indifferently, treating Gu Qingfeng as an equal.

Even though Gu Qingfeng had not yet reached the Sage Realm, his ability to defeat the Azure Dragon Demon Lord spoke volumes.

At this point, the Grand Sage suddenly changed the topic.

"I've seen you wield the Heaven Wild Seal, and as far as I know, it is the ultimate treasure of the Ancient Desolate Holy Land. How did it end up in your possession?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qingfeng smiled and replied, "The Ancient Waste Holy Land bullied the weak and targeted my Gu family. They had no right to exist!"

At these words, the Grand Sage's heart trembled.

Although he had his suspicions, hearing Gu Qingfeng admit it himself still came as a shock.

"The Ancient Waste Holy Land has an ancient heritage and has endured many tribulations, but I never imagined it would be destroyed by your hands. You are young, yet your cultivation has reached the Half-Sage Realm, and your strength rivals that of a Great Sage.

In the next Great Struggle Era, you will undoubtedly become the Emperor of your generation!" The Grand Sage's divine soul was filled with emotion, and his gaze towards Gu Qingfeng held a hint of reverence.

A future Emperor was far beyond what a remnant soul like him could compare to.

As long as this existence didn't meet an unexpected demise, it was almost certain to reach the Emperor Realm.

After all, even Emperors before their enlightenment might not possess such heaven-defying combat power.

Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly, "You flatter me, Fellow Cultivator. But seeing that your divine soul is incomplete, here is a Nourishing Spirit Pill. Its primary function is to nurture the essence spirit, and I hope it will be of some use to you."

As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng took out several bottles of Nourishing Spirit Pills.

The Grand Sage's eyes lit up as they fell upon the pills.

"Thank you, Fellow Cultivator, for your generosity!"

The Nourishing Spirit Pills could nurture the essence spirit, and for the Grand Sage, they were a much-needed remedy.

After all, his divine soul's deficiency stemmed from issues with his essence spirit.

Although the Nourishing Spirit Pills were not of high grade, only suitable for cultivation at the Dao Palace Realm, they could still be of some use to the Grand Sage in his current state of severe divine soul deficiency.

One of the more important points was that items to nurture the Divine Soul were rare, and even Nourishing Spirit Pills suitable for the Dao Palace Realm were extremely valuable.

Therefore, the Grand Sage of the Imperial Realm was naturally grateful.

Gu Qingfeng said, "Since Gu Xiu wants to stay in the Demon Realm, there are countless demons here, and it will undoubtedly be extremely dangerous. If there are any problems, I hope you will take care of him."

"Of course."

...

Half a day later, Gu Qingfeng left the Demon Ancient City.

Since Gu Xiu didn't want to leave, Gu Qingfeng wouldn't force him.

Perhaps, after the Grand Sage of the Imperial Realm's departure, Gu Xiu was also reluctant to part, but he remained firm in his decision.

After Gu Qingfeng left, Gu Xiu finally probed his Divine Consciousness into the storage ring, and his expression immediately became dazed.

Inside the storage ring, numerous Demon Cores appeared, and many of them emitted powerful auras.

These Demon Cores were at least of the Dao Palace level.

In the center of all the Demon Cores, a bloodstained one with a terrifying oppressive aura caught his eye.

When Gu Xiu's gaze fell upon that Demon Core, a terrifying Holy Aura flooded over him, causing his Divine Consciousness to shatter instantly.

"Huff!"

Gu Xiu withdrew his Divine Consciousness from the storage ring, and he couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

That terrifying pressure was as if a Demon Lord on par with a Sage existed in this world. Such an aura was naturally not something Gu Xiu, a mere Divine Transformation Realm cultivator, could withstand.

But after the initial shock, a foolish grin appeared on Gu Xiu's face.

"I've struck it rich! Rich!"

"The Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core, Father has truly made a grand gesture!"

Gu Xiu never expected that Gu Qingfeng would leave the Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core for him.

It should be known that this was a powerful demon who had reached the peak of the Pre-Great Saint Realm. Its Demon Core naturally contained extremely terrifying energy.

Even if a true Sage were alive, they wouldn't be able to ignore a Demon Core of this caliber.

Therefore, when he saw the Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core, Gu Xiu was both surprised and delighted.

Subsequently, Gu Xiu quickly calmed down.

Indeed, the Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core was powerful, and a Pre-Great Saint's Demon Core was equivalent to tens of thousands of Dao Palace Realm Demon Cores.

However, the problem was that this Demon Core was too powerful for Gu Xiu to refine at his current level.

He could be a hundred percent certain that if he recklessly consumed the Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core, he would undoubtedly face the consequence of his body exploding and dying.

The reason was simple: the Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core was just too powerful.

This Demon Core contained the power of a Pre-Great Saint, and even a trace of such power was enough to easily kill any Divine Transformation Realm cultivator.

Understanding this, Gu Xiu also felt the pain of possessing a treasure mountain but being unable to use it.

Fortunately, there were numerous Demon Cores in the storage ring. Although Gu Xiu couldn't refine the Azure Dragon Demon Lord's Demon Core, the other Demon Cores were not a problem.

Immediately, Gu Xiu began his closed-door cultivation to break through by refining the Demon Cores.

One by one, he swallowed the Demon Cores, and the techniques of the Imperial Extreme Immortal Scripture were activated, extracting pure and terrifying energy from the Demon Cores, which eventually merged into his blood.

The Divine Transformation Realm emphasized the transformation of Vital Energy and the production of the extraordinary.

Now, Gu Xiu had already stepped into the Seventh Divine Transformation Realm, and under the influence of the pure energy from these Demon Cores, he immediately started his breakthrough to the Eighth Divine Transformation Realm.

Rumble!

The Vital Energy surged like a mighty river, constantly churning and changing, eventually reaching a critical point.

"Boom!"

When the Vital Energy reached the critical point of transformation, Gu Xiu's body trembled, and a more powerful aura than before was emitted, but within a few breaths, he completely suppressed this aura.

"Eighth Divine Transformation Realm!"

"Success!"

Gu Xiu's face lit up with joy.

He never expected that his breakthrough to the Eighth Divine Transformation Realm would be so smooth, even easier than his previous breakthrough to the Seventh Divine Transformation Realm.

But upon further thought, Gu Xiu became more at ease.

This time, by staying close to Gu Qingfeng, he had witnessed the clashes of numerous powerful cultivators and personally experienced the profound energy of the Pre-Great Saint Realm. He had already gained many insights.

Moreover, with the assistance of numerous Demon Cores, breaking through to the Eighth Divine Transformation Realm was not a difficult task, to say the least.

As his cultivation level broke through, Gu Xiu felt his strength increase.

With his current power, he believed that dealing with ordinary Dao Palace Realm cultivators would be much easier.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end