Danger!
Gu Chou gazed at Ye Xuan before him, his heart brimming with curiosity.
With his current strength, there were precious few in this world who could make him feel danger—real danger, the kind that spelled death!
Afraid?
He wasn’t truly afraid!
But he didn’t dare take the risk, for he was now the hope of his entire clan.
At that moment, Ye Xuan was on high alert, fully aware that this man had sensed the karmic thread tied to Qing’er through him!
Just then, Xue Linglong spoke up urgently, “Master, you can’t agree to help him!”
Ye Xuan turned to her with a smile, “Why not?”
Xue Linglong’s voice was grave, “If they’re set free, the consequences will be endless!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Gu Chou smiled faintly, “Miss Xue Linglong, back then you had twelve Life-Knowing Saints, including the Snow Mountain King and Ku Xiu—peerless geniuses of astounding talent. And now?”
Xue Linglong glared at him, “That’s exactly why we can’t let you out!”
Gu Chou chuckled and turned to Ye Xuan, who smiled back, “I’d like to go with you to see your seal!”
The corners of Gu Chou’s mouth lifted, “Very well!”
Xue Linglong grew frantic! She opened her mouth to protest, but Ye Xuan sighed softly, “Girl, you need to understand something. The entire Evil Clan is sealed, yet he’s standing here. What does that mean? Think it over carefully!”
At his words, Xue Linglong’s face turned deathly pale.
Led by Gu Chou, the group arrived at a vast plain, stretching endlessly, its borders out of sight.
Gu Chou guided Ye Xuan and the others forward, “Young Master Ye, did you know this is where the Snow Mountain King and others fought my ancestors?”
He glanced at Ye Xuan with a smile, “Young Master Ye, do you know why there’s no record of that history in today’s Zang Domain? Why so many don’t even know of my Evil Clan?”
Ye Xuan paused, then said, “History is written by the victors, and the absence of those records suggests the victors erased that past!”
A flicker of surprise flashed in Gu Chou’s eyes, “Young Master Ye is quite astute. Do you know why they erased that history?”
Ye Xuan shook his head.
Gu Chou smiled, “Because of resources!”
Ye Xuan replied, “I heard your Evil Clan wanted to dominate the entire Zang Domain, monopolize all its resources, and that’s why they rose up against you…”
“Hahaha…”
Gu Chou burst into laughter, “Young Master Ye, did Miss Linglong tell you that?”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Xue Linglong snapped coldly, “Isn’t that the truth?”
Gu Chou shook his head with a smile, “How amusing, though not unexpected! Throughout history, has any defeated side ever escaped being vilified?”
Ye Xuan frowned slightly, “You’re saying there’s another reason?”
Gu Chou smiled, “It all starts with the Snow Mountain King.”
Ye Xuan’s brow creased, “The Snow Mountain King?”
Gu Chou nodded, “Even I must admit, he was an utterly terrifying genius!”
He looked at Ye Xuan, “Young Master Ye, you know that in cultivation, beyond talent and effort, there’s one thing we can’t do without—money!”
Ye Xuan nodded.
Gu Chou continued, “For a genius like the Snow Mountain King, the resources needed for his cultivation were astronomical! At that time, my Evil Clan was the wealthiest in the Zang Domain!”
Ye Xuan’s expression shifted at those words!
Xue Linglong exploded, “Nonsense! It was your Evil Clan that wanted to seize all the Zang Domain’s resources, and now you’re turning it around to bite us? You…”
Gu Chou shook his head with a smile, “Miss Linglong, I don’t wish to argue with you over this!”
Xue Linglong glared at him fiercely.
Gu Chou went on, “Back then, my Evil Clan was the Zang Domain’s top clan, the richest power. But the Snow Mountain King was the domain’s strongest! When he needed more resources to break through, he set his sights on us!”
“Impossible!”
Xue Linglong raged, “How could my ancestor be that kind of person?”
Gu Chou shook his head, “Miss Linglong, throughout history, how many who’ve achieved greatness have been soft-hearted?”
Ye Xuan remained silent.
Because he agreed with Gu Chou.
Neither his father nor Qing’er were soft-hearted types.
Gu Chou smiled, “We’re here!”
With that, he stopped walking.
Before them, not far off, stood a massive tower, nearly a thousand zhang wide and long, twelve stories tall!
Gu Chou pointed at it, smiling, “This tower has twelve levels, each corresponding to one of the twelve Life-Knowing Saints from back then, each level housing one of them!”
He pointed to the top, “That’s the Snow Mountain King’s, the final layer, and below it is Ku Xiu’s!”
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “You said each level has a Life-Knowing Saint… alive?”
Gu Chou nodded, “Yes!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Ku Xiu too?”
Gu Chou shook his head with a smile, “No, he left back then!”
Ye Xuan puzzled, “Why?”
Gu Chou smiled faintly, “That, I don’t know!”
Xue Linglong suddenly asked, “My ancestor’s still alive?”
Gu Chou laughed, “Of course! All twelve were prodigies, unless killed, living tens of millions of years wouldn’t be an issue with their strength!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Then why would they stay trapped here willingly?”
Gu Chou laughed heartily, “Young Master Ye, do you know what’s inside each level?”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “No idea!”
Gu Chou pointed to the bottom layer, “This one holds thirty-six holy veins and three hundred sixty top-grade crystal veins!”
Ye Xuan and the others froze.
Thirty-six holy veins!
Three hundred sixty top-grade crystal veins!
All three were stunned!
Even if all the Zang Domain’s top factions pooled their resources now, they couldn’t match that!
Gu Chou added, “And that’s the least…”
He pointed to the top layer, “This one has two hundred seventy holy veins and three thousand six hundred top-grade crystal veins!”
The trio reeled as if struck by lightning, rooted to the spot.
Two hundred seventy holy veins?
Gu Chou smiled, “The Zang Domain—no, most of the known universe’s resources—are concentrated in this tower! That’s why holy veins and top-grade crystal veins are so scarce now, not because they’re rare, but because they’re hoarded by the strongest beings in existence.”
Ye Xuan couldn’t help but feel awed.
Gu Chou continued, “Back then, my Evil Clan was the only force strong enough to stand against them. Sadly, the Snow Mountain King was too powerful, overwhelmingly so. Even summoning our ancestral lineage couldn’t stop him, but with their help, they couldn’t fully eradicate us either, only suppress us in this endless dark abyss, never to rise again!”
His smile vanished without a trace as he spoke.
“Slander!”
Xue Linglong glared at Gu Chou, “You’re slandering those twelve Life-Knowing Saints!”
Gu Chou smiled faintly, “Whether it’s slander, Miss Linglong, you’ll know soon enough!”
With that, he walked toward the bottom layer. As he reached it—
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from within, and the next moment, a middle-aged man in gray robes stepped out.
The instant he emerged, the entire world turned illusory, spacetime around him dissolving bit by bit, even the twelfth layer of spacetime eroding away.
Ye Xuan and the others paled at the sight!
This was beyond terrifying!
Was this one of the twelve Saints from back then?
Xue Linglong trembled, “That’s Mo Keqi, one of the twelve Life-Knowing Saints!”
Ye Xuan stared at Mo Keqi, his expression grave. Though this man was also Life-Knowing, his power far outstripped Xue Linglong and the others by an unimaginable margin!
Mo Keqi looked at Gu Chou, his expression cold, “Remnant!”
His voice fell, and he took a step forward. With that step, the spacetime around Gu Chou collapsed into oblivion!
Doomsday!
In that moment, Ye Xuan and the others felt the end had come—not just Gu Chou’s spacetime collapsing, but the entire world dimming, an overwhelming pressure surging uncontrollably from deep within them!
Terrifying!
Just then, Gu Chou smiled faintly from afar, opening his palm. A silver thread shot out from it.
Rip!
A tearing sound echoed through the field, as if the heavens themselves were split apart.
Boom!
Before Ye Xuan and the others’ eyes, the silver thread shattered all spacetime, piercing straight through Mo Keqi’s chest!
Silence fell over the world!
Dead?
Ye Xuan frowned slightly, it felt like a big buildup for a small payoff!
In the distance, Mo Keqi stared at Gu Chou, eyes full of disbelief, “How… how is this possible…”
Gu Chou smiled gently, “Safe travels!”
With that, a silver thread flashed across Mo Keqi’s throat.
Rip!
Mo Keqi’s head rolled off, blood gushing from his neck like a fountain.
Dead!
The scene fell into a deathly stillness!
Gu Chou opened his palm, and Mo Keqi’s storage ring flew into his hand. He offered it to Ye Xuan, who glanced inside—thirty-six holy veins, three hundred sixty top-grade crystal veins, and countless divine treasures!
Seeing this, Xue Linglong stumbled back several steps, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Gu Chou was right!
The world’s resources were concentrated here!
Ye Xuan didn’t look at the ring, his gaze fixed on Gu Chou.
He suddenly realized something utterly terrifying!
He could sense Mo Keqi’s immense power and dreadfulness, but he couldn’t feel Gu Chou’s strength or terror at all!
Just how strong was this guy?
Had he been a bit too bold claiming to be the top under three swords?
