Just as the old patriarch forced me to my death, I achieved the unity of Dao and fruition.

A surge of qi and blood billowed into the sky, and a ten-thousand-foot-tall phantom of a giant serpent coiled behind Gu Changjin, its blood-moon-like vertical pupils coldly surveying the entire forbidden area behind the mountain.

In the void devoid of spirits, there was not a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation, yet the purest and most powerful physical pressure caused Cangxuan Zhenjun to stop breathing.

The next moment, Gu Changjin's figure began to grow taller.

One zhang (approximately 3.3 meters).

Three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Five zhang (approximately 10 meters).

Finally, it was transformed into a small giant ten feet tall.

The black robes flowed naturally with the movement of his body, the hem fluttering, yet there was not a single tear.

His once frail and thin body now had bulging muscles and bones, his shoulders and back were like mountains, and his arms were like two pillars cast in black gold.

He flexed his wrists.

Click.

Click.

The joints cracked, like muffled thunder exploding.

Gu Changjin looked down at Cangxuan Zhenjun, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"You're not happy about it, are you?"

Cangxuan Zhenjun's throat bobbed.

In that instant, he finally understood what regret meant.

The void created by the Returning to Emptiness Formation is indeed useful, but only if the person entering is truly a pure magic cultivator.

Who would have thought that Gu Changjin, that old bastard, was not only a Nascent Soul cultivator but also a Nascent Soul body cultivator?

Cangxuan Zhenjun felt a chill run down his spine and turned to retreat back to the center of the formation.

As long as you stand at the core of the formation, you might be able to hold out for a while by relying on the remaining defenses of the formation.

But as soon as he moved, everything went black for a moment.

Gu Changjin's large, fan-like hand had already grabbed his shoulder.

Cangxuan Zhenjun roared, his Golden Core level body cultivator qi and blood exploding as he tried to break free.

"Get out of here!"

next interest.

Gu Changjin slammed his fist down.

boom!

Cangxuan Zhenjun was sent flying backward, crashing through a cloud of mist and landing heavily on the edge of the forbidden area.

As soon as he landed, he spat out a mouthful of blood, his bones feeling as if they had been taken apart and forcibly put back in.

The nascent soul trembled violently in the dantian, almost being knocked out of the body by this punch.

A Golden Core level body cultivator survived a punch from a Nascent Soul level body cultivator, which was already a result of Gu Changjin holding back.

Cangxuan Zhenjun struggled to stand up.

Don't come any closer!

But Gu Changjin took a step forward, and his ten-zhang-tall body instantly appeared in front of him.

A large hand reached down and grabbed his neck, lifting him up like a chick.

Cangxuan Zhenjun gripped Gu Changjin's fingers tightly with both hands, his face flushed red.

"Gu Changjin!"

"You...you can't kill me!"

"I am the Grand Elder of the Xuan Yang Sect!"

"I possess the sect's core secrets!"

Gu Changjin looked at him and smiled.

"A secret?"

"We'll find out when we search your soul, won't we?"

Cangxuan Zhenjun's pupils contracted sharply.

Gu Changjin did not rush to search the soul.

His gaze fell on the gray-white stone platform that still glowed with array patterns, and he suddenly became interested.

"The Returning Void Killing Formation?"

"Specifically designed to kill cultivators?"

"That's quite interesting."

A very ominous premonition suddenly arose in the heart of Cangxuan Zhenjun.

Gu Changjin reached out and grabbed his ankle, lifting him upside down.

Cangxuan Zhenjun was instantly stunned.

"What are you going to do?"

Gu Changjin grinned.

"I also have some knowledge of hammer techniques."

The words fell.

He swung Cangxuan Zhenjun and slammed him down hard on the gray stone platform.

boom!

Cangxuan Zhenjun's head slammed solidly into the array pattern on the stone platform.

The array patterns shook violently.

Cangxuan Zhenjun's head was bleeding profusely, and his mind went blank for a moment, as if his nascent soul had spun around three times inside his skull.

"Gu Changjin!"

"You're insane!"

Gu Changjin swung his hand back again.

boom!

This time, Cangxuan Zhenjun's chest slammed against the edge of the stone platform.

Click.

Several ribs were crushed on the spot.

The several layers of defensive formations on the stone platform were also smashed down by pure physical force.

Gu Changjin looked down at him.

"Why should I, huh?"

boom!

"Why should I be able to become a god? Is that it?"

boom!

"So, you think I, a body cultivator, can also reach the Nascent Soul stage?"

boom!

"Why are you still stuck in the late Nascent Soul stage after cultivating for over a thousand years?"

boom!

He would smash something with each question he asked.

At first, Cangxuan Zhenjun roared, resisted, and even tried to activate the formation.

In the end, all that was left was spitting out large amounts of blood.

He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He's a Nascent Soul cultivator! Why is he using me as a hammer to smash the formation? Is he crazy?!

He could have easily killed himself with one punch.

Why insist on smashing the stone platform yourself?

boom!

Another one.

Cangxuan Zhenjun's back slammed into the core of the formation.

The gray-white stone platform finally gave way, and cracks spread across its surface.

Gu Changjin looked at the crack and shook his head.

"The things left behind by the patriarch aren't of very good quality."

The mouth of the Cangxuan True Lord was full of blood, and his eyes were already unfocused.

"You...you'll die a horrible death..."

Gu Changjin said calmly, "I've heard that a lot."

"It's a pity they're all dead, but I am still alive."

One last time.

Gu Changjin swung Cangxuan Zhenjun like a sledgehammer, slamming it hard into the center of the stone platform.

boom!

The core of the Void Returning Killing Array, which was said to be able to kill even Nascent Soul cultivators, was instantly blown to pieces.

The gray-white array patterns gradually faded away.

The drained spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowed back like a tidal wave.

The mountain breeze began to flow again, the vegetation regained its vitality, and the clouds that had enveloped the entire sect's secret realm began to swirl.

Behind Gu Changjin, the Xuanming Guixu Cave Heaven suddenly opened.

The Blackwater River swept across the sky, and the Void Whirlpool slowly rotated, revealing the black-robed Taoist who had suppressed the small world.

Cangxuan Zhenjun was like a tattered sack, which Gu Changjin casually tossed on the ground.

His bones were shattered, his nascent soul was dim, and his eyes were filled with only fear and confusion.

We lost completely.

He prepared the Xuan Yang Sect's greatest trump card, bringing out the killing formation left behind by the Returning Void Ancestor.

As a result, Gu Changjin used his body to smash it to pieces.

Gu Changjin returned to his normal form and walked up to him.

One hand was placed on the top of Cangxuan Zhenjun's head.

"Now, it's time for me to see what's really going on in your head."

Cangxuan Zhenjun's pupils suddenly contracted.

"No!"

The power of soul-searching crashed down.

Gu Changjin forcibly tore open Cangxuan Zhenjun's memories.

The Xuan Yang Sect's secret treasures, including several contingency plans left by its founding patriarch.

The ancient treaties of the ancestors of the major sects in the Western Wilderness.

There's also the story of that Meteorite Daoist from three thousand years ago.

Back then, the Western Wilderness wasn't like it is now, with only Nascent Soul cultivators holding the reins.

Every major sect has a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The Meteor Dao Lord came from the Central Continent's Great Luo Heaven Domain, ordered to investigate the unusual activities of the Western Wilderness demon race.

After the Nascent Soul stage of several major sects learned of this news, some wanted to befriend him, some wanted to take advantage of him, and some wanted to extract the secrets of the Central Continent sects from him.

The matter escalated further afterward.

It's unclear who started it.

It's hard to say who's right and who's wrong.

All we know is that in the end, Meteor Daoist died in the Sunset Mountains.

Not long after, the generation of Western Wilderness Gods also left the Western Wilderness one after another, heading to the Central Continent Great Luo Heaven Domain along the old pioneering road.

Gu Changjin narrowed his eyes.

"interesting."

"The demon race, the meteorite, the old road of the Central Plains, the pioneering sects..."

These clues finally started to connect.

However, now is not the time to delve deeper.

The soul search is over.

Gu Changjin's palm trembled slightly.

Cangxuan Zhenjun only managed to show a hint of fear at the end.

In the next instant, he and his nascent soul were crushed into smoke, their spirit and soul annihilated.

Gu Changjin stood in the ruins, silent for a moment.

In a short period of time, he went from a dying Golden Core cultivator forced into a death match by his sect to where he is today.

The only Nascent Soul cultivator in the Western Wilderness, and the true leader of the Xuan Yang Sect.

The Cangxuan True Lord, whom he once considered a formidable enemy, has now died at his hands.

In the world of cultivation, indeed only the realm of cultivation is truly real.

Gu Changjin let out a soft breath.

The qi and blood vapors receded, and the illusory image of the Bashe snake dissipated.

He raised his hand to comb his disheveled white hair neatly, and then used his magic to wipe away the dust from his black robe.

In the blink of an eye, the ten-foot-tall giant disappeared.

Instead, the one who remained was still the white-haired, black-robed, gentle, and imposing Nascent Soul Dao Lord who dominated the entire sect.

Gu Changjin stepped out of the clouds and mist.

Outside the forbidden area, Zhou Xuanyue, the Crimson-Robed Supreme Elder, Qin Wenyue, and the core elders of the sect were already densely packed together.

When Gu Changjin came out, everyone bowed in unison.

"Congratulations, Daoist Lord, on assuming command of Xuan Yang!"

"Greetings, Your Majesty!"

Zhou Xuanyue stepped forward, bowing lower than anyone else, his voice hoarse.

"I...I report to the Daoist Lord."

"The congratulatory processions from the other six major sects in the Western Wilderness have joined forces, carrying palanquins, and gathered outside the gates of my Xuan Yang Sect."

"Roll call...to pay homage to the Daoist Emperor's countenance."

Gu Changjin's signature gentle and kind smile reappeared on his face.

"Have all six major sects arrived?"

"Very good."

"We're all of the same blood."

He nodded slightly, put his hands behind his back, and walked towards the mountain gate.

"Walk."

"Follow me out to collect... cough, to greet our distinguished guests."