Chapter 67: Rebirth as the Great Villain (5) |
Su Chen's single punch defeat of Gu Ziang sent shockwaves through the Gu Clan. Gu Ziang ranked third on the sequence, yet he had been felled in one blow!
The elders who witnessed the scene exchanged stunned glances.
"What was that just now?"
"It really did seem… like an ordinary punch."
"No, there was something else hidden in that strike."
"Fist intent? Impossible. Even fist intent couldn't so easily overpower Gu Ziang. His Thunder Tribulation Physique makes his body as tough as an ordinary Profound Connection Realm cultivator."
"It was the power of heaven and earth—that's the mark of Profound Connection Realm! Gu Chen must have broken through to Profound Connection!"
"Profound Connection at the age of twenty… he can already stand shoulder to shoulder with the true disciples of sacred lands. Haha, as expected of the Third Elder's grandson. Our Gu Clan hasn't produced such a genius in ages. Given time, the Council of Elders might gain a thirteenth member!"
For once, a genuine smile cracked Gu Yixian's normally stern face.
Profound Connection Realm!
In a single year, Su Chen had advanced from the seventh layer of Spirit Soul straight into Profound Connection. At twenty years old, he was undoubtedly a true young king. His future held real promise of reaching the Nirvana Realm, and perhaps even a slim chance of touching the threshold of sainthood. Even the true disciples of sacred lands were no more than this. The revelation of Su Chen's cultivation dealt a heavy blow to the other prodigies of the Gu Clan.
"Gu Chen, I challenge you!"
Gu Yuan, who held first place on the sequence, stepped forward before him. His cultivation stood at half-step Profound Connection.
Su Chen replied calmly, "You should already know you stand no chance of winning against me."
This world was not without monsters capable of crossing an entire major realm to fight. But Gu Yuan was not one of them.
"The path of martial dao demands courage to press forward without retreat. As long as the universe remains undecided, how can one back down?"
Gu Yuan's voice rang out clearly, his battle intent blazing. He attacked without hesitation. A pure heart for the martial path.
In that moment, Su Chen seemed to see his past self reflected in him. Once upon a time, he too had possessed such untainted devotion to the Dao.
"Very well."
Su Chen moved. His two fingers came together like a sword. Instantly, every sword on the field hummed in resonance. Radiant sword light erupted, dazzling and blinding.
"What terrifying sword technique! Truly worthy of a young king who broke through to Profound Connection at twenty!"
The elders of the Gu Clan showered him with praise.
Even for a great clan like theirs, producing a Nirvana Realm expert was no easy feat. A young king might appear only once every few centuries. Though Nirvana Realm cultivators enjoyed three thousand years of lifespan, even that had an end. The clan needed new blood to carry the torch and ensure its eternal survival.
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Su Chen had become fresh Nirvana blood for the Gu Clan. The talent he displayed was worthy of their full attention and investment.
Gu Yuan was defeated. He looked at Su Chen with bitter resignation. From this day forward, the title of the greatest genius among the younger generation of the Gu Clan no longer belonged to him—it belonged to the youth standing before him.
After that battle, Su Chen was officially designated as a core seed of the clan. He entered the ancestral land to cultivate in seclusion and rarely appeared in public.
Fifteen years later.
While deep in cultivation, Su Chen received a piece of news. An ancient ruin had appeared in the outer starfield. Several major domains had dispatched forces to explore it, including the Heavenly Profound Domain.
The Northern Desert, where Su Chen resided, had also sent numerous powers to join the excitement. As one of the top forces beneath the sacred lands, the Gu Clan naturally refused to miss out.
Su Chen accompanied several clan elders and set out toward the outer starfield. A premonition stirred in his heart: perhaps this time, in the vast expanse of the stars, he would finally encounter Lin Zhan once more.
…
The ancient ruin lay within a vast starfield in the outer void. A mere corner of an ancient empire's iceberg had emerged, yet even that fragment stretched endlessly, colossal beyond imagination. Countless stars and planets in the surrounding space were already crowded with forces large and small.
Accompanying the Gu Clan, Su Chen finally broadened his horizons. This was his first time stepping beyond the Heavenly Profound Domain and venturing into the outer realm. The outer void teemed with innumerable lifeforms of every conceivable shape and form—bizarre, diverse, and endlessly varied.
Yet only the truly colossal powers qualified to set foot here. Every single one boasted at least one Nirvana Realm Venerable, and the sacred lands had even dispatched some ancient monsters. Those old freaks wielded saint-grade artifacts, erecting shimmering light screens across the starfield. Their display screamed unbridled dominance.
Su Chen searched the area thoroughly but found no trace of Lin Zhan. He wasn't surprised. The outer void held countless beings. Searching for one person amid such vastness was like fishing for a needle in the ocean. Failure was only to be expected.
Still, if he couldn't find Lin Zhan, Lin Zhan would sooner or later find him. The two of them were destined for a decisive battle.
Once the spatial turbulence around the ancient empire's ruin stabilized, a decree appeared in the sky.
Within the ruin, only cultivators below the Void Refining Realm were permitted entry. No weapons of sovereign grade or higher could be used inside! Su Chen was puzzled at first, but after the Gu Clan elders explained, he understood.
The ruin's internal space was fragile. If every major power flooded in unrestricted, a single careless clash could ignite a saint-level war, shattering the domain entirely. The ruin would once again vanish into the void, drifting to some unknown corner. In the end, all the forces would return empty-handed.
Su Chen muttered under his breath, "These ancient clans really do know their stuff. No wonder no Void Refining Realm experts from our clan came along."
They had anticipated this long ago.
Aside from Su Chen, the Gu Clan had brought several other Profound Connection ninth-layer geniuses—figures who had been prodigies centuries earlier. Though some might not match his current talent, their foundations were solid, and several surpassed even Gu Yuan in strength.
Together, they entered the ancient empire's ruin to explore.
Inside, faint traces remained of what had once been a mighty and ancient nation—undoubtedly a holy dynasty that once dominated this corner of the starfield. Regrettably, some catastrophe had befallen it, causing the entire empire to vanish into the river of time.
They had been inside for only a few days when Su Chen's group encountered a squad hunting down prodigies from the Heavenly Profound Domain. The leader was a blue-skinned being with no hair, his body covered in fine scales. Apart from the coloration and scales, he looked almost identical to a human.
"People from the Heavenly Profound Domain? Do you know the Gu Clan of the Northern Region?"
The blue-skinned extraterrestrial prodigy licked the blood from the tip of his blade. His deep azure eyes gleamed like the abyssal darkness of the ocean depths as he regarded the Gu Clan geniuses—as though they were nothing more than prey.
One of the Profound Connection ninth-layer geniuses from the Gu Clan frowned. "The Gu Clan? We are precisely the people of the Northern Desert's Gu Clan. You're looking for us?"
The blue-skinned being's expression lit up with delight.
"Hahaha! So you really are the Gu Clan from the Heavenly Profound Northern Desert! This couldn't be easier. You are the enemies of my Venerable. He has posted a massive bounty on your heads! I will take your skulls and claim the Venerable's reward!"