This Half-Step Tongxuan Realm general was named Xie Yi, commander of the Huangchuan City garrison. He regularly cut a swath across battlefields, slaying Demon Fiends, but even so, his body couldn’t help but tremble upon witnessing Gu Yun’s aura, which was like that of a Primordial Fierce Beast.
’To be able to make such a colossal, terrifying Demon Fiend flee in panic... this man must be far stronger than the City Lord. He might have even touched that next step.’
The realization shook Xie Yi to his core.
’The Unity Realm... you can count the number of those in the entire Celestial Essence on one hand. Every single one is a terrifying existence whose power shakes the world. And yet this handsome, elegant young man before me could actually be a terrifying expert of that caliber.’
This deepened the reverence in Xie Yi’s eyes by another degree.
Soon, Gu Yun followed the Black Armored General into a secret chamber underground.
The place was quite spacious. Despite being deep underground, it opened up into a space that stretched for miles. A passageway stretched ahead, its sides lit by faint blue flames that flickered like the undying ghost-fire of the Netherworld, casting swaying light upon the dark path.
Gu Yun followed the Black Armored General straight down the underground passage. After several turns, they arrived at a place with exceedingly dense Spiritual Qi. Ahead, two guards stood before a door carved with Profound Mysterious Inscriptions. They wore Fierce Ghost Masks, and their eyes shone with a vicious light. Clad in Black Armor with longswords at their waists, they emanated a menacing aura.
"Greetings, General Xie!" Seeing the commander of the Huangchuan army arrive, the two masked guards immediately cupped their fists in salute.
"Open the door," Xie Yi said, his voice low and his expression impassive as he gave a slight nod.
"This..." The two Black Armored Guards in Fierce Ghost Masks exchanged a look, seeming to have something difficult to say. One then stepped forward and spoke with a hint of distress, "The City Lord has given an order. No one is to enter the Desolate Spirit Chamber without his permission."
"The City Lord is dead."
"I told you to open the door!!"
Xie Yi roared, his aura crashing towards the two guards like a ferocious tiger. The sheer force he released made the very air around him tremble.
In an instant, the two Black Armored Guards in Fierce Ghost Masks began to tremble in terror, their voices shaking.
"Yes, yes, General Xie! We will open the door to the Desolate Spirit Chamber right away."
The two Black Armored Guards in Fierce Ghost Masks immediately moved with great speed to open the chamber door carved with Profound Mysterious Inscriptions. With a CLICK!, the door began to move.
"Be gone!"
Seeing this, Xie Yi shot a sidelong glance at the two guards and spoke dismissively.
But the two guards didn’t react, standing frozen as if they hadn’t heard him.
"Damn it, I told you to leave!"
"Are you fucking deaf?!"
Like an enraged tiger, Xie Yi let out a low roar, unleashing the invisible might of a Half-Step Tongxuan Cultivator.
"Ah... ah? G-General, we’ll leave right now, right now!" The two guards in Fierce Ghost Masks immediately scurried away, trembling in panic.
Xie Yi watched them flee. As the door with the Profound Mysterious Inscriptions opened, he turned, cupped his fists, and spoke to the white-robed young man beside him, his voice full of deference:
"Sir, this chamber was the City Lord’s private secret room. It is exceptionally well-appointed and rich in Spiritual Qi. Being deep underground and protected by an Array, it is almost completely shielded from outside disturbances."
Gu Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his calm gaze fixed on the chamber door that was not yet fully open. His eyes swept lightly over the Black Armored General before he spoke in a neutral tone, "I’ve troubled you."
"No trouble, no trouble at all! It’s an honor for this Old Xie to be of service to a senior like you," Xie Yi said, cupping his fists respectfully. A smile spread across his face, but inwardly he was ecstatic. ’If I can get into his good graces, even the smallest treasure he might casually drop for me would be a heaven-sent opportunity!’
"You may go."
Gu Yun waved a hand dismissively. "If I have need of you," he added softly, "I will contact you."
"Yes!" Xie Yi replied, cupping his fists. His eyes were filled with reverence, and he didn’t dare show an ounce of disrespect.
He then turned and left, disappearing into the dark passageway in moments.
The desolate underground space was now empty, profoundly deep and silent.
"The Desolate Spirit Chamber..."
Gu Yun murmured, his gaze on the still-opening door with its carved inscriptions. He then stepped inside.
An invisible force swept the door wide open.
As soon as Gu Yun entered, he praised aloud, "Such dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi!"
His gaze swept across his surroundings. The ceiling was pitch-black but tinged with a faint, scattered purple. Specks of light dotted the darkness, making it seem as if a galaxy was contained within.
Atop a high platform in the center sat a White Jade Meditation Mat, around which six lotus blossoms were faintly visible. The entire chamber was spotlessly clean and seemed completely isolated from the outside world, without a single sound. The dense Spiritual Qi made it an ideal place for secluded Cultivation.
Gu Yun’s figure flickered, and he reappeared on the White Jade Lotus Meditation Cushion atop the central platform. He sat down cross-legged and focused his senses. Instantly, his eyes lit up.
"What a treasure!"
Cultivating upon it cleared his Divine Sense and calmed his mind. The speed at which his Cultivation Technique circulated instantly increased by three to five times.
Next, Gu Yun closed the door to the Desolate Spirit Chamber. He sat on the White Jade Lotus Meditation Cushion and produced a pale blue crystal from his palm. It was dreamlike and ethereal, pulsing with vast and mysterious Space Power. This crystal was the Spirit Void Jade.
Gu Yun poured his Divine Thought into the Spirit Void Jade. The world spun around him. First, there was an endless, pitch-black darkness, then light gradually filled his vision.
What appeared before him was a colossal square suspended in the void, stretching for thousands of miles. It was majestic beyond belief, wreathed in ethereal clouds and mist. The square was paved with hard jade, and twelve giant pillars carved with Profound Mysterious Inscriptions were scattered around its perimeter.
In the center stood several vast, glorious palaces, shrouded in clouds and mist like Immortal Palaces. Dozens, even hundreds, of figures were present on the square before them.
WHOOSH!
Gu Yun shot through the air, his figure instantly flashing to the Central Square, where he saw some familiar faces.
"Fellow Daoist, what is the status of that Demon Fiend?"
Chen Tianhao immediately asked upon seeing Gu Yun arrive.
The moment he spoke, dozens of Tongxuan Cultivators in the area turned to look. After all, this was the man who had gone to intercept a Half-Step Harmonization Realm Demon King whose Demonic Authority could blot out the heavens. No one present dared claim they could have successfully slain such a creature.
Gu Yun’s gaze swept over the crowd. He shook his head lightly, a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
Seeing this, the hearts of the crowd sank.
’It’s over. That Demon King must have run rampant, slaughtering thousands of the Human Race. Its demonic might was unstoppable.’
"Two moves."
"One move to injure, a second to severely wound." Gu Yun held up two fingers and spoke softly. "After the second move, the Demon King fled at extreme speed. I was unable to stop it in time and allowed it to escape. My apologies."
As soon as he said this,
everyone fell silent.
They stared at the white-robed young man as if he were a monster, their eyes filled with shock.
’Two moves... to heavily wound a Half-Step Harmonization Realm Demon King with heaven-scorching power, forcing it to flee in terror. With such frightening strength, he must be close to reaching that next step, right? What old monster is this person? Why have we never heard of him before?’
"To heavily wound a King Demon Fiend in just two moves and force it to flee... Fellow Daoist, your strength is so immense that I am in complete awe." Chen Tianhao said in the Spirit Void Realm, cupping his fists. His gaze toward Gu Yun was now filled with reverence.
"Indeed, indeed! To heavily wound a Demon King with overwhelming power in just two moves and make it flee in terror... Brother Dao, your strength is simply far beyond ours!"
Immediately, a chorus of fawning and sycophantic voices rose up around him.
Gu Yun shook his head lightly, paying no mind to their words.
He had failed to kill this King Demon Fiend.
He was not very satisfied.
’I have to admit, I was careless. I allowed the Celestial Nether Wolf King to seize an opening and use a Demon Technique to escape at extreme speed. Otherwise, I might have been able to obtain a Demon Crystal Core. I could have devoured and refined it with my Great Dream Star Soul Refining Technique to advance my Cultivation.’