Fighting: Practice makes it real, start with a poisonous body.

Chapter 280 Leaving seclusion!

"The Star Extinction Sword Technique is indeed powerful."

Gu Lie slowly stood up, his gilded giant hammer slamming heavily onto the ground with a dull thud. He looked in the direction of the ancient sword and sighed softly.

While losing power was somewhat disheartening, it wasn't to the point of heartbreak. What truly troubled him was how easily the ancient sword had defeated him.

It should be noted that, in terms of cultivation, Gu Jian Tai Shang was only a peak seven-star Dou Sheng, while he had already stepped into the realm of an early eight-star Dou Sheng.

This may seem like just a small difference in realms, but at the level of a high-ranking Dou Sheng, the gap is far deeper than one might imagine.

Just like the insurmountable chasm between a Dou Zun and a Dou Sheng, the accumulation and insights required for a high-level Dou Sheng to make even a small step forward are enormous.

In the past, even if he dealt with the ancient sword with one hand, he could still firmly suppress it. But now the balance of power has been completely reversed. With just one sword technique, the opponent has made him unable to even think of resisting.

"I have dedicated my life to swordsmanship, Gu Lie, your defeat is not unjust."

Gu Jian was smug, which made the coldness in Gu Yuan's eyes deepen.

Behind Gu Yuan, Gu Mingjiang saw this scene clearly, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes.

Third brother, oh third brother, you have been obsessed with the way of the sword all your life. This dedication has made your swordsmanship advance by leaps and bounds, but it has also blinded you...

Gu Ming secretly decided that he would remind Gu Jian to keep a low profile, especially in front of the clan leader.

The eldest brother's death was also suspicious. Perhaps the clan chief had long been wary of the three brothers. If the youngest brother continued to act recklessly, he would inevitably bring trouble upon himself sooner or later.

"Chieftain, how are your injuries?"

Gu Lie's gaze fell on Gu Yuan's pale face, and his tone became a little somber.

As the pillar of the ancient clan, the health of the clan leader directly affects the safety of the entire clan.

Gu Yuan leaned back in the jade chair, coughed twice, and his face grew even paler.

"Although I've been recuperating these past few days, I haven't gotten any better. Even with the ancient-made pills suppressing it, completely eradicating the residual sword intent from my body remains extremely difficult..."

Gu Yuan paused, a hint of helplessness in his eyes: "Now we can only rely on time to slowly wear him down. The amount of battle qi I can mobilize now is less than one-tenth of what it was at its peak..."

This sword technique is truly vicious!

Gu Jian pondered for a moment and said, "If Second Brother can advance to the ninth-grade Golden Core realm, things might be much better."

Gu Ming, one of the three immortals of their ancient clan, is different from his elder brother and his eldest brother, who are known for their seniority and swordsmanship. His second brother is not good at wielding power or fighting, but he has a skill in refining ninth-grade Xuan Dan pills.

He can be considered the number one alchemist among the ancient clans.

Gu Ming shook his head and said, "It's not that simple. Nowadays, there isn't even a single ninth-grade Golden Core alchemist left on the continent."

"Even the medicinal pills are far inferior to those of Shennong."

These words instantly made the atmosphere on the platform somber.

Gu Lie frowned and spoke in a heavy tone: "Leaving aside Xiao Jibai, the biggest hidden danger for our clan now is the loss of the small world that has been passed down through generations for protection."

"Clan leader, you are unable to exert your full strength. If the Dragon-Phoenix Son truly refines the Dragon-Phoenix Origin Fruit and his power surges, launching a massive attack, I fear things will turn out very badly."

Suddenly, he changed the subject, his tone filled with relief: "Fortunately, I found the shattered Xiao Clan small world in the Northwest Continent, in a place called Yunlan Mountain."

Now we have moved that remnant realm here, barely forming a new ancient realm. Otherwise, our people wouldn't even have a stable place to live.

Gu Jian sneered: "Xiao Jibai destroyed my clan's small world, so consider this shattered Xiao Realm as compensation!"

That's true...

Gu Lie frowned even more. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Gu Jian's words, but... "However, Xiao Realm is too dilapidated. Even with our repairs, we can only barely accommodate our clansmen. It's impossible to rebuild the Ancient Emperor's Grand Array. It's still not safe enough."

After he finished speaking, silence fell over the platform.

The wind blew across the ruins, swirling up fine stone fragments that landed on the boundary wall between the new and old worlds, making a soft sound.

"Cough cough cough..."

Gu Yuan leaned back in the jade chair and suddenly coughed violently again, a faint blush rising on his pale lips.

Gu Ming's expression changed slightly.

After a moment, Gu Yuan slowly said, "The son of the dragon and phoenix is ​​indeed a great threat."

The sheer evil magic he spread among various races through unknown means reveals that he not only intends to deal with the human race, but also targets the imperial race.

We underestimated him before…

The faces of the group all showed solemnity.

Gu Ming said quietly, "Three years ago, a strange commonality suddenly appeared among all races... the frequency of bloodline reversion to ancestral levels soared!"

At first, even our ancient clan was overjoyed, believing it to be the blessing of our ancestors and an auspicious sign of the clan's revival...

But before long, more and more things started to go wrong!

Accompanying the atavism of bloodline was the sudden disappearance of a large number of ordinary descendants without warning, and even young people with outstanding bloodlines disappeared one after another without cause.

The clan sent people to search everywhere, but they couldn't find a single trace.

It was only at this point that we finally realized something was wrong and began to secretly investigate... But no one expected that this investigation would uncover a truth that would chill everyone to the bone!
These so-called geniuses who supposedly reverted to their ancestral bloodlines have not actually awakened their ancestral bloodlines.

They have acquired an evil spell that allows them to secretly devour the bloodline power of other people's clansmen, thereby creating the illusion of atavism!
"...Damn it!"

Gu Lie's eyes were filled with anger: "For his own selfish desires, he actually harmed his own people and disregarded the grand plan of the entire clan!"

These people truly deserve their lowly bloodline!

Gu Jian shook his head: "Under severe torture, although we learned that it was a conspiracy by the son of the Dragon and Phoenix, there was nothing we could do."

Although we have eliminated all the pseudo-ancestral beings who have emerged, no one knows how many people in this vast clan have already been infected with the Blood Skull Gu and are lurking in the shadows.

These people are like time bombs; they might explode any day now.

"The Son of Dragon and Phoenix is ​​using this evil magic to incite infighting within each imperial clan. This is an attempt to fundamentally undermine our very foundation!"

"At this point, we can only take it one step at a time."

Gu Yuan also felt a bit of a problem. If he were still at his peak and the Ancient Realm had not been destroyed, he wouldn't have such concerns.

Now, we can only rely on Gu Jian and Gu Lie.

"This evil technique is probably just a preliminary move by the Dragon and Phoenix Sons. Just this alone is enough to give us a huge headache, not to mention their other methods."

During this time, we must not let our guard down; at least... we must hold on until my injuries are fully healed.

"Yes!"

…………

Meanwhile, far away in the Northwest Continent, at the Sword Emperor's Ruins, an eerie aura was quietly awakening!
(End of this chapter)