I fabricated myths to guide the revival of spiritual energy.

Kunlun Mountain, Martial Arts Square.

As the clouds dispersed, the enormous cloud platform that carried all the disciples slowly descended onto the white jade ground of the training ground under Gu Qing's control.

Boom!

A dull thud broke the tranquility of Kunlun Mountain.

The once ethereal and cloud-shrouded Kunlun sacred land was instantly filled with a strong smell of blood and burning.

The cloud platform dissipated, revealing the scene above.

awful.

It's so tragic; not a single one of them is standing.

Everyone lay sprawled on the ground, as if they had been pulled from a pool of blood. Their robes were torn, and their bodies were covered with horrifying wounds—burns from the void energy radiation Leviathan had received before his death and marks left from the previous battle.

Hundreds of disciples whose meridians were damaged due to overdrawing their spiritual power are currently in a deep coma, their breathing so weak that they seem to be on the verge of dying.

The most eye-catching figures were Chu Tian and Zhao Feng, who were positioned in the very center.

Chu Tian's skin resembled a cracked riverbed, a sign of his body collapsing from the inability to withstand the immense energy; his entire body was like a blood cocoon.

And Zhao Feng...

This young man, who was originally only twenty years old, now had a full head of white hair and loose skin on his face, making him look like a withered old man.

This is the price of attacking from below.

To attempt to tread on forbidden territory, even by merely swinging a sword, comes at a terrible price.

Gu Qing slowly descended from the sky.

His white robe remained spotless, creating a stark contrast with the bloodstains on the ground.

He didn't speak, but simply watched the group of dying students quietly.

The system's cold, robotic notification echoed repeatedly in his mind:

[Battle casualties: 1500 seriously wounded, 210 critically injured, 512 dead.]

[It is estimated that 300 people will die within 30 minutes if they do not receive timely treatment.]

[Comment: A victory devoid of any tactical merit, but also a miracle of willpower.]

"A miracle..."

A flicker of emotion crossed Gu Qing's eyes.

"In that case, as the principal, I can't be too stingy."

Gu Qing took a deep breath, slowly raised her hands, palms facing upwards, as if supporting the entire sky.

The vast spiritual power within his body erupted without reservation at this moment.

"Supernatural Power: Withered Trees Come Back to Life".

hum-

The clouds atop Kunlun Mountain suddenly turned emerald green.

Immediately afterwards, a light, green drizzle fell from the sky, enveloping the entire training ground.

This is no ordinary rain.

This is liquefied life essence, a "life-saving water" forcibly condensed by Gu Qing by extracting a trace of the Kunlun Dragon Vein's origin.

The raindrops sizzled as they fell on the charred wounds.

A miracle happened.

Those deep wounds that exposed bone began to heal, scab over, and fall off at a visible rate.

The broken meridians reconnected under the nourishment of the spiritual liquid, becoming wider and stronger.

The initially faint breathing gradually became steady and strong.

"Well……"

A groan broke the deathly silence.

Chu Tian slowly opened his eyes.

He felt as if he had a very long and painful dream, as if all the bones in his body had been shattered and then put back together.

He instinctively reached for the sword, but instead touched a hand full of warm rainwater.

"woke up?"

A gentle voice sounded above his head.

Chu Tian struggled to lift his head and saw Gu Qing standing in the rain.

"Dean...did we...win?"

His voice was so hoarse it sounded like he was swallowing charcoal.

"We won."

Gu Qing nodded, his voice calm yet carrying a reassuring power, "That Leviathan at the Golden Core stage is dead. Killed by your own hands."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tian's previously unfocused eyes suddenly lit up.

He struggled to sit up, only to find an elderly man with a full head of white hair lying next to him.

"Old...Old Zhao?"

Chu Tian was stunned.

His hand trembled as he reached out toward Zhao Feng's wrinkled face.

Memories flooded back like a tide.

He remembered that at the last moment, it was Zhao Feng who burned his heart's blood and his lifespan to help him break through that shackle.

"He's not dead."

"He's not dead." Gu Qing squatted down, condensing a dense blue light in his hand, and gently pressed it against Zhao Feng's wrinkled brow.

As spiritual energy probed in, Gu Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

The system's notification sounded coldly in his mind:

[Target detected: Zhao Feng. Cultivation level: Early Foundation Establishment stage.]

[Status: Fundamental energy depleted, 95% of lifespan burned, bodily functions declining like a centenarian.]

Treatment Plan A: Use "Time Reversal" to fully restore their lifespan and youth.

Treatment Plan B: Only repairs the damaged foundation and physical injuries; does not restore lifespan.

Gu Qing looked at the young man in front of him who had turned white overnight for the sake of his fellow disciples, and a complicated look flashed in his eyes.

Of course he could save him. For someone with a system like him, this price was nothing.

But if we help him make up for lost lifespan now, the weight of this "sacrifice" will be lighter, and this unforgettable lesson will fade away.

The world of cultivation is not a charity. Only the sword of Damocles constantly hanging over one's head can force out a person's true potential.

Moreover, he had another idea in his mind that he needed to complete...

"Option B," Gu Qing murmured to himself.

Then, he withdrew his hand, looked at Chu Tian's anxious face, and said calmly, "He is a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Logically speaking, once he successfully establishes his foundation, he will have undergone a complete transformation and live for five hundred years." "But that attack he just made wasn't with spiritual power, it was with his life."

"Fate?" Chu Tian was stunned.

"Yes, the primordial essence is the foundation of cultivators."

Gu Qing's voice was calm yet cruel, "What he burned was not just his vital energy, but also his two hundred years of lifespan as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. This is an irreversible 'trade'; he sold his time for power."

"Then...then what about Old Zhao now..." Chu Tian looked at Zhao Feng's aged face, his voice trembling.

"He probably has less than five years left to live." Gu Qing stood up, his tone cold. "In other words, physiologically, he is already an old man nearing death."

"Five years?!" Chu Tian was struck dumb, and the disciples around him who had awakened fell into a deathly silence. For cultivators, five years was a short time to go into seclusion.

What's the difference between this and a death sentence? Zhao Feng gave his life to save everyone's lives.

"Dean! I beg you!" Chu Tian suddenly knelt on the ground, clutching Gu Qing's clothes tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Your methods are extraordinary, you must have a way to return his lifespan, right? Even if it means exchanging my life!"

Looking into Chu Tian's pleading eyes, Gu Qing remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "In this world, you have to give something in return for something you gain. It's an equal exchange."

"Even I cannot easily defy cause and effect and take back the time he burned for the Heavenly Dao."

Upon hearing these words, the light in Chu Tian's eyes instantly went out, and he collapsed to the ground.

"However..." Gu Qing changed the subject, looking at Zhao Feng who was still unconscious, a hint of appreciation in his eyes: "Daring to draw your sword against the stronger, daring to sacrifice your future for your comrades. This kind of mentality is more important than talent."

Gu Qing took out a jade bottle from his robes, poured out a golden pill that emitted a rich medicinal fragrance, and directly stuffed it into Zhao Feng's parched mouth. The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a tremendous surge of life force immediately protected Zhao Feng's heart meridian. Although his hair was still snow-white and his skin was still loose, his breathing finally became steady.

"This is the 'Creation Rejuvenation Pill,' which can save his life and rebuild his shattered foundation, allowing him to continue cultivating." "As for the lost lifespan..."

Gu Qing surveyed the entire audience, his voice suddenly rising, becoming serious and resonant, making everyone's eardrums ache: "Although I cannot directly extend his lifespan, Heaven has left him a glimmer of hope!" "The lifespan of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is five hundred years, and he burned it all." "But what if he can break through his shackles and form a Golden Core within the remaining five years?"

Everyone suddenly looked up.

Gu Qing's eyes gleamed: "The Golden Core Path grants a lifespan of a thousand years! If one cultivates to the Nascent Soul stage, the lifespan is even greater, five thousand years!" "As long as one's cultivation level breaks through, and one's life stage leaps, the increased lifespan will naturally make up for the previous deficit!"

"Five hundred years is but a fleeting moment in the vast journey of immortality." "As long as you run fast enough, outrunning death, what you've lost will eventually be regained."

Gu Qing's words struck like a thunderbolt, resonating in everyone's hearts and igniting hope in Chu Tian's eyes. Yes. As long as he becomes stronger! As long as he breaks through! As long as he forms his core, or even reaches the Nascent Soul stage, before dying of old age, Zhao Feng can still live! This isn't just about saving lives; it's a race against time!

"Thank you for your guidance, Dean!" Chu Tian kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the white jade floor, blood dripping from it, but his eyes remained piercing.

Gu Qing waved his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet.

Because what he was about to announce was even more brutal than the battle they had just fought.

"I know you are very tired right now and want to rest."

"But I have bad news for you."

Gu Qing raised his hand, and a huge holographic light screen appeared in the sky above the square.

That's a holographic projection of the Earth.

The once blue planet is now shimmering with countless red dots of light.

On the planet's periphery, although the massive void rift had disappeared, a layer of hazy mist remained, like a vast net, completely obscuring Earth's coordinates.

"In that battle just now, you crushed the vanguard of the Void."

"But it also completely exposed Earth's location."

Gu Qing's voice turned icy:

"The void creatures aren't stupid. After realizing that I could stop their large-scale invasion, they changed their strategy."

The image on the screen changed.

Those are scenes from all over the world:

The bustling Times Square in New York, the tranquil ancient temples of Kyoto, the vibrant streets of Mumbai, and even the bedroom of an ordinary person...

Space suddenly distorted, and a small black rift appeared out of thin air.

Immediately afterwards, monsters of various shapes and sizes, exuding a terrifying aura, emerged from inside.

Some of them looked like wolves, some like ghosts, and some like a mass of flowing rotten flesh.

"From today onwards, there will be no longer a distinction between the front lines and the rear."

Gu Qing pointed at the light screen and said, word by word:

"The Void will no longer send out armies, but will instead randomly deploy 'Hunters' around the world."

Although the current small rifts can only pass through 'Hunters' at the early stage of Qi Refining, as time goes by, the power that the small rifts can withstand will increase, and the 'Hunters' that can pass through will become stronger and stronger.

"Their only goal is to kill, devour souls, create panic, and eventually turn this world into a dead zone."

"Perhaps a demonic wolf will emerge from your kitchen while you are eating."

"Maybe when you're using the toilet, a ghostly hand will reach out from the toilet bowl."

"This is the era of global hunting."

boom!

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

All the disciples' expressions changed.

The joy of defeating Vitan just now vanished instantly.

The previous battles, though fierce, were at least fought at sea, with two armies facing off.

but now……

This means that their parents, relatives, and friends could face the threat of death at any time!

"Dean! What should we do?"

A girl cried out anxiously, "My parents are still back in our hometown; they're just ordinary people!"

"Good question."

Gu Qing looked at them, her eyes flashing with a cold light:

"That's exactly what I wanted to say."

Kunlun University is neither a refuge nor a safe haven.

"You've been studying on the mountain for so long, consuming so many of my pills and using so many of my spirit stones."

"Now, it's time for you to pay your tuition."

With a wave of his sleeve, Gu Qing sent countless brand-new tokens, emitting a faint purple light, flying out of thin air and hovering in front of each disciple.

These tokens are engraved with two menacing characters: "[Guardian]".

"Effective today, Kunlun University is in a state of war."

"Except for the seriously injured, all disciples at the sixth level of Qi Refining or above shall descend the mountain!"

"Form groups of three and collect the 'Guardian Order'."

"You will be assigned by the system to cities, villages, and fortresses across the country."

Gu Qing's voice, like a resounding bell, echoed throughout the entire Kunlun Mountains:

"You only have one task:"

"In this world overrun by monsters, be the wall that stands between mortals and monsters."

"Find the crack, seal it."

"Monster found, kill it."

"This is not a drill, and there is no rescue operation."

"If you die, it's because you weren't skilled enough."

"But if your retreat leads to the massacre of a city..."

Gu Qing's eyes instantly turned terrifying, and an aura of pressure belonging to the Nascent Soul stage froze the air:

"I will clean house myself."

"Did you understand?!"

Having just experienced a baptism of life and death, the disciple seemed to have undergone a kind of transformation at this moment.

They are no longer the students who wear school uniforms and laugh and joke around.

As they looked at the heavy "garrison order" before them, the fear in their eyes gradually faded, replaced by an unprecedented determination.

They recalled the moment when everyone entrusted their lives to Chu Tian on the cloud platform.

They remembered Zhao Feng's full head of white hair.

They understood what a cultivator was.

Chu Tian struggled to his feet. Although he was swaying, he was the first to reach out and grasp the token.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bloody stench:

"Disciple Chu Tian obeys the order."

Then came the second, the third...

"Disciple obeys!"

"Disciple obeys!"

The sounds converged, transforming into a roar that pierced the heavens:

"Exterminate evil and defend the righteous path! Fight to the death!"

As Gu Qing watched the group of young people's backs, his tense lips finally relaxed slightly.

He turned around and looked at the vast sea of ​​clouds in the distance.

Only he knew that the real challenge had just begun.

The Void only sent some low-level soldiers this time.

The Nascent Soul stage being whose hand he had severed would never let this go.

And in that deeper darkness, there are Nascent Soul stage cultivators, or even... something more terrifying, lurking in the shadows.

"Go ahead and stir up this mess."

"In this chaotic world, you either transform or... turn to ashes."