Chapter 255

Chapter 255: Spare Me, Senior!

"Elder Brother Gu!"

"Senior Brother Gu!"

The Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital beamed with joy, their spirits lifting instantly.

Gu Daojin laughed heartily, flicking his sleeve as he declared, "Leave these beasts to me! All of you, step back and rest."

"This old master’s been trapped for years. This ought to loosen my bones nicely!"

Boom!

Cold lightning flashed in Gu Daojin’s eyes as vast tides of blood energy surged within him like an ocean. He didn’t summon any magical power. Relying solely on his physical body, he charged into the horde of ancient chaotic beasts, striking with overwhelming force.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

His mastery over the physical form was terrifyingly potent. The instant he struck, several ancient chaotic beasts shattered into dust. The void splintered, continents cracked, and rivers broke.

Great Emperor Ziwei, trained by Gu Daojin himself, also practiced the Ziwei Rising Dragon Path and the Rising Dragon Dominance physique. But he was still at the beginning stages, while Gu Daojin had pushed it to its absolute peak.

"Senior Brother Gu’s temper remains unchanged," Heavenly Talisman Old Man chuckled, stroking his long beard.

"Had it not been for that temper, he likely wouldn’t have been trapped in the Heaven Deficiency Forbidden Land so many years," Qin Fei Yan commented lightly.

"Thrilling!"

"Goddamn satisfying!"

Gu Daojin let out a long roar infused with immense divine power. The sheer force of his voice shattered every ancient chaotic beast within a hundred thousand miles.

Yet, more and more ancient chaotic beasts kept emerging from the chaos, endless as the tide.

"Done playing with you lot. Boring."

Having loosened his joints, Gu Daojin found it utterly dull. He activated the Ziwei Rising Dragon Path, manifesting his grotto-heaven. Like an entire world descending abruptly, it instantly enveloped hundreds of thousands of miles.

Roar!

A colossal purple true dragon soared through the air, its shimmering scales radiating celestial majesty. It slashed across the heavens of the grotto-heaven, devouring ancient chaotic beast after beast.

In mere moments, over a thousand ancient chaotic beasts were annihilated by Gu Daojin.

"Why aren’t they regenerating?" Dragon Lord asked, baffled.

The slain chaotic beasts could endlessly regenerate, yet now they didn’t. He felt something was strange.

"The grotto-heaven of a true immortal forms its own world, isolating itself from the Great Dao Order of the Heaven Deficiency Forbidden Land," Ye Xu explained, a flicker of divine light in his eyes. "Death within it is truly final."

"So that’s it," the Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital suddenly understood.

Although some among them had reached the half-immortal realm, the profound mysteries of the celestial path remained largely unknown to them.

"Not nearly satisfying enough."

Retracting his grotto-heaven, Gu Daojin’s aura gradually faded as he landed before the group. A look of lingering disappointment crossed his face, his eyes repeatedly flickering towards the deeper reaches of the Heaven Deficiency Forbidden Land—clearly still fixated on the Chaos Altar.

"Master," Great Emperor Ziwei said with a crafty laugh, "This Heaven Deficiency Forbidden Land holds far more than just that altar. It was the domain of an Innate Divine Being! Surely, there must be plenty of treasures within. If we can’t seize the grand prize, why not settle for collecting some… interest?"

"Collecting interest?" Gu Daojin’s eyes gleamed. He slammed his hand heavily onto Great Emperor Ziwei’s shoulder. "Damn right, you little rascal! Smart! That bastard imprisoned me for so long. Taking back some interest is only fair!"

Great Emperor Ziwei yelped in pain. Gu Daojin hadn’t held back one bit. That single, simple clap sent waves of soreness, numbness, and excruciating pain surging through his body; his bones seemed to crumble.

"Unexpectedly, you managed to deal with so many monsters. Your strength truly made me see you in a different light."

The voice rang out, and masters of the ancient divine clans descended one after another. Led by Semi-Immortal Pan Ao, they fixed their icy stares on the eleven people.

"The anomaly has vanished, so that treasure must be in your hands now," the old man said with undisguised greed in his gaze. "Hand over the treasure!"

"Hand it over!"

All the masters of the ancient divine clans yelled in unison, their aura soaring to the heavens.

The Seven Immortals of Cloud Capital, Su Mu, Ye Xu, and Great Emperor Ziwei gazed at them as if looking at fools.

Gu Daojin stared at the group with even more mockery in his expression.

Semi-Immortal Pan Ao’s gaze darkened. Could this crowd be treating them like monkeys?

The very thought made him burn with rage.

Bang!

Semi-Immortal Pan Ao unleashed his magic power. Three streaks of sword light abruptly slashed down, embodying the powers of heaven, earth, and man, which perfectly aligned with the natural law. At that instant, they merged into one.

Clang!

But the next second, all the masters of the ancient divine clans widened their eyes in shock.

That sword halted nine inches above Gu Daojin’s head, unable to descend even slightly further.

"How amusing."

Gu Daojin smiled wryly. "It’s been one or two hundred thousand years since I attained immortality, and never once have I encountered anyone who dared to strike me first. You’re the first one."

"So I’ll grant you an intact corpse!"

Gu Daojin lifted his hand and pointed a finger forward.

Thud!

The three powers sword light shattered violently. Ignoring space and domains, he pierced through Semi-Immortal Pan Ao’s protective armor with a single finger, landing it on his chest.

"Immortal!"

At that same moment, Semi-Immortal Pan Ao was filled with sheer horror, his hair standing on end. Deep terror flashed in his eyes.

"Spare me, honored senior!"

But before his voice escaped, Gu Daojin’s finger struck him.

"Cough… cough…"

Terrifying power erupted within Semi-Immortal Pan Ao’s body, silently annihilating his Great Dao, divine blood, and even his primordial spirit Purple Palace. This happened without a sound.

"Daoist brother!"

The Emperor Venerables of the Yinglong Divine Clan and Zhuque Divine Clan shrunk their pupils, overcome with fear.

The figure before them was actually a true immortal!

Where had this person come from?

They had trailed the crowd all the way and never spotted Gu Daojin once before now. Moreover, if a true immortal had been among them, why didn’t he act earlier? Why draw them into the Secret Realm instead?

The only explanation was that this true immortal had been inside the Secret Realm.

Everyone had pieced it together.

Boom!

Semi-Immortal Pan Ao’s physical form dissipated into wisps of green smoke, carried away by the wind. The experts of the ancient divine clans were both shocked and terrified, falling silent as if stifled by cold.

A flicker of surprise passed through Gu Daojin’s eyes as he muttered, “I recall the Pan Ao Divine Clan was sealed in Godfall Ridge back in antiquity. So where the hell did this mutt crawl out from?”

The Emperor Venerable of the Pan Ao Divine Clan’s mouth twitched, humiliation and rage burning inside him, yet he dared not retort.

Gu Daojin’s gaze swept over the Yinglong Divine Clan, Zhuque Divine Clan, and Kunpeng Divine Clan. Every one of these Emperor Venerables shared divine clan lineage; clearly, there was more to this.

“Master,” Great Emperor Ziwei spoke up, “it’s a long story. Better deal with them first. I’ll explain the rest later.”

Gu Daojin gave a slight nod.

“Elder, we are descendants of the ancient divine clans,” an elder declared solemnly. “Should you slay us, you make enemies of the Kunpeng, Pan Ao, Zhuque, and Yinglong Divine Clans.”

“Our ancient divine clans possess deep foundations. Killing a true immortal isn’t beyond our power.”

“We harbor no grudge against you. We implore you to show mercy and grant the Four Clans this favor. It will be repaid richly in the future.”

“Senior Brother,” Nine Palaces Emperor Venerable cut in coldly, “these vermin trailed us the whole way, seeking to murder and plunder. Letting them go is not an option.”

“Ancient divine clans?” Gu Daojin scoffed, dripping with scorn. Threats were the last thing he tolerated, much less threats from insects. “Impressive?”

“I’ll butcher you lot first, then slaughter the Ancient Four Clans! That way, you won’t think I’m some fucking coward who fears you!”

Boom!

Gu Daojin flipped his palm downward.

“Spare us, Elder!”

Despair washed over the group. The elder bitterly regretted his words, realizing he’d provoked a ruthless demon.

“Fight to the death!”

The woman from the Zhuque Divine Clan summoned a Zhuque banner. Immortal fire erupted, coalescing into the form of an immortal being of Zhuque.

The Emperor Venerables desperately activated their treasures and unleashed divine arts in a hopeless last stand.

But the Gu Daojin they faced stood at the peak of the True Immortal Realm. He ranked among the most formidable existences in the entire lower realm.

To exterminate a dozen Emperor Venerables was as effortless as the snap of his fingers for him.

Boom!

Gu Daojin’s palm descended. The bodies of the dozen-plus Emperor Venerables shriveled relentlessly, their life force dwindling to nothing. Within the span of a breath, they were utterly annihilated.

Body perishes, Dao vanishes.

“Pah!”

Even after subduing the Emperor Venerables of the ancient divine clans, Gu Daojin seemed unsatisfied. He spat contemptuously on their ashes.

“Fucking mutts! Did you actually think you could threaten me?”

“Bastards!”

Gu Daojin cursed venomously.

“…”

Ye Xu was speechless, utterly bewildered by Gu Daojin’s bizarre temperament.

“Good Disciple,” Gu Daojin turned to him, eyes gleaming with greed, “Time to collect the interest.”

He couldn’t contain his eagerness.

“Today, I’m emptying that innate god’s den! Every last scrap!”