Transform into ancestral tablets and create a supreme immortal clan.

Luoying Gorge has sheer cliffs on both sides.

The spiritual energy here is thin, and even birds rarely pass by, hence the name.

Gu Lingxiao chose this place to spend the night because of its open view, making it less likely for him to be attacked by monsters.

Inside the flying boat, Gu Zongyi suddenly coughed violently, his coughs filled with blood and froth.

A Qi Refining cultivator frowned and stepped forward, rudely stuffing a pill into his mouth: "Save your trouble. You'll have a 'good place' when you get back to your clan."

A once arrogant and domineering genius who had ruined his career had certainly put them through a lot of misery.

Although the clan took him back, it seems they haven't completely given up on him.

But everyone knows in their hearts how precious the pills that can repair and reshape the foundation of a cultivator are.

Moreover, after the foundation is repaired, it will be even more difficult to restore one's cultivation level to what it was before it was destroyed.

If he wants his family to do all this for him, what should he give in return?

Therefore, the chances of Gu Zongyi making a comeback are actually not high.

The clan's decision to bring him back is most likely just a formality, a way to win people's hearts.

At least your life isn't in danger, is it?

This would give the clan members an explanation.

Gu Zongyi suddenly raised his cloudy eyes and said hoarsely, "Do you really think... you can return to Cangwu safely?"

Others may not know, but he knows all too well how many enemies he has made over the years.

Countless people want him dead.

Although he didn't know who would target him.

However, he had a feeling that the journey would not be peaceful.

"Shut up!" a Qi Refining cultivator roared. "You're a cripple, yet you pretend to be a ghost!"

Gu Lingxiao suddenly raised his hand, signaling for silence.

His keen senses spread out like a spider web, capturing every slight movement in the air.

The wind blew from the depths of the canyon, carrying the scent of decaying leaves and rocks, and there was nothing unusual about it.

But for some reason, he felt a vague unease.

"Stay alert and make sure we reach the middle section of Eagle Falling Gorge before nightfall," Gu Lingxiao ordered.

Amidst the jolts, Gu Zongyi gazed at the darkening sky, a strange smile creeping onto his lips.

At the same time, a figure in red quietly appeared on the edge of a cliff three hundred feet above the canyon.

Shen Muge stood atop the cliff, the mountain wind howling, billowing his wide sleeves, but unable to dispel the icy coldness in his eyes.

The moonlight had not yet fully risen, and in the twilight his figure almost blended into the rocks, only his eyes gleaming faintly in the dim light.

He slowly raised his hand, and three hundred white fox spirit needles flowed out from his sleeve, floating in front of him like a galaxy.

These fine, hair-like needles are milky white, almost invisible in the dim light of day. Only the occasional glint of cold light at the tip reveals their deadly nature.

"Gu Zongyi..." Shen Muge murmured the name, his voice devoid of emotion, only the slight trembling of his fingertips betraying the turmoil in his heart.

Nine months ago, he was a highly regarded disciple of Yuheng Peak in Qixing Mountain, on the verge of achieving Foundation Establishment.

Gu Zongyi, the seemingly gentle and refined senior brother, invited him to explore a dangerous place together, saying it would be an opportunity to help him establish his foundation.

He believed it, and then he fell into hell.

That was a trap that had been set up long ago; he was caught off guard and fell into a coma.

When he woke up, he was in excruciating pain, as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed.

Someone stole half of his life essence, severed his meridians, planted a chilling poison in him, and then... that final stab...

The surrounding area was a mess, littered with countless fragments of cultivators' severed limbs.

Among them were disciples from the Seven Star Mountain sect.

Several magical artifacts were placed in his hands.

A sorcerous demoness lay beside him, barely clothed.

Then, the sect said that he had an affair with a demonic witch and was suspected of betraying the sect.

Shen Muge closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again, all that remained in her eyes was a chilling killing intent.

The true essence and magical power circulated quietly within the body, flowing in a strange and unpredictable manner. Instead of following the traditional meridians, it spread throughout every inch of the body in a network-like structure.

His divine sense spread out, and he could clearly see the breathing, heartbeats, and flow of true energy of the people in the flying boat above the distant canyon, as clearly as the lines on his palm.

Gu Lingxiao, in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, possessed abundant true qi, but its circulation was somewhat sluggish, indicating that he had recently broken through and his realm was not yet stable.

Four are in the late stage of Qi Refining, and two are in the middle stage of Qi Refining.

And Gu Zongyi, whose breath was faint, like a candle flickering in the wind.

Shen Muge took a deep breath and gently flipped her wrist.

As if guided, the three hundred spirit needles silently scattered into the night sky, transforming into an invisible killing intent that blended into the deepening twilight.

In the middle section of Luoying Gorge, the flying boat stopped in a slightly open area.

Gu Lingxiao set up a simple warning formation.

"Be more vigilant tonight. I have a feeling something is off. Just now, there seemed to be a faint fluctuation of divine consciousness swirling around us." Gu Lingxiao sat down cross-legged, his long sword hovering above his head.

"Uncle Lingxiao is overthinking it," a young cultivator said with a smile.

"In this Southern Chu territory, who dares to harm the Gu family? Besides, we have nothing of value on this trip, just a cripple."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a cultivator who was looking down from a high place suddenly groaned and fell straight down the rock wall.

"Enemy attack!" Gu Lingxiao sprang up instantly, his longsword unsheathed, azure sword light protecting his body.

However, nothing happened.

There was no sound of air being torn apart, no fluctuation of spiritual energy, and not even a trace of killing intent was revealed.

The falling cultivator crashed to the ground with a dull thud, already dead.

The crowd gathered around and saw a barely perceptible red dot between his eyebrows, as thin as a needle tip, with hardly any blood seeping out.

Bizarre, extremely bizarre.

"Be on guard! Back to back!" Gu Lingxiao shouted sharply, and the remaining five Qi Refining cultivators quickly formed a formation, protecting Gu Zongyi in the center.

Everyone's spiritual senses were activated to the maximum, scanning every inch of rock and every shadow.

The canyon was eerily silent; even the chirping of insects had vanished, leaving only the howling of the wind, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves.

The second person fell without any warning.

He was a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, and he was nervously looking at the rock wall on his right when suddenly his body stiffened and he fell straight backward.

When his companion helped him up, they noticed a tiny, barely perceptible hole in the clothing near his heart. Through the hole, they could vaguely see something moving under his skin, wriggling like a living creature.

"What's inside him!" the monk supporting him cried out in terror.

Before he finished speaking, the fallen cultivator suddenly opened his eyes wide, made a strange hoarse sound, and simultaneously shot out milky white rays from his seven orifices.

Countless spirit needles burst forth from his body, raining down on the three nearest people!

A scream suddenly rang out.

Before the two mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators could react, dozens of spiritual needles pierced their faces.

The needles melted upon entering the body, rushing straight to the heart along the blood vessels. They felt as if thousands of fine needles were piercing their meridians at the same time, causing unbearable pain, and they collapsed and rolled on the ground.

The only surviving late-stage Qi Refining cultivator retreated swiftly, simultaneously summoning a bronze shield magic artifact.

The milky-white needles struck the shield, producing a dense, rain-like clanging sound, yet failed to penetrate.

"It works!" the monk exclaimed with delight.

However, the next moment, his expression changed drastically.

The blocked needles did not fall, but instead, like living things, they twirled in the air, bypassed the bronze shield, and shot out from all directions!

The protective true essence was completely useless, as it was as thin as paper, easily penetrated by these spiritual needles.