Chaos Dao Sheng Jue

Chapter 1562 Strange Movement of the Heavenly Origin

Within the gap of cause and effect, the pillar of light slowly contracted, eventually transforming back into a thin filament of light that wrapped around Lu Chen's little finger.

But this time, the light threads are no longer a constraint, but a protection.

A-Yue stood aside, quietly watching all of this.

Only after the light filaments had completely stabilized did she speak softly:

"It's time to go back."

She raised her hand and made a light sweep in the air, and white light surged forth once more.

When Lu Chen opened his eyes, he found himself in the open space in front of the abandoned palace.

Fang Xinyi was kneeling beside him, her face streaked with tears. When she saw him wake up, she suddenly opened her eyes wide.

"Lu Chen! You..."

"I'm fine." Lu Chen sat up.

He looked around.

Nezha leaned against a tree, stuffing pills into his mouth; his breathing was much more stable than before. Gu Tingyuan remained standing guard, his back to the others.

A-Yue stood in the shadows of the palace, her figure beginning to fade.

"The cause and effect are settled," she said softly. "It's time for me to go."

Fang Xinyi got up and tried to approach, but was blocked by a gentle force.

A-Yue looked at her, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Descendant of the Moon Clan, you must live well. Your ancestors were proud of you."

Fang Xinyi froze, tears welling up in her eyes.

A-Yue looked at Lu Chen one last time.

"Remember, hope never dies and the road ahead never ends."

After she finished speaking, her figure completely disappeared, turning into specks of silver light that blended into the morning breeze.

A long silence fell over the area in front of the abandoned palace.

Just as a whooshing sound came from the east, Gu Tingyuan's deep voice rang out:

"They're here."

As soon as Gu Tingyuan finished speaking, a dark cloud surged in from the eastern horizon.

Upon closer inspection, it wasn't a cloud.

It was a killing intent formed by more than a dozen intertwined auras, which solidified and pressed down on the abandoned palace like a tidal wave.

Leading them were a red-haired woman and a man in black robes, followed by more than a dozen experts at the Dao Integration Realm.

The red-haired woman's blood whip had been replaced with a new one, entirely scarlet, with strange blood-red runes running along its blade; the black-robed man's black mist was thicker than before, and distorted human faces could be vaguely seen within it.

"Hahahaha—" The red-haired woman's shrill laughter echoed from afar, "Lu Chen! Let's see where you can run now!"

A dozen figures landed a hundred feet in front of the abandoned palace, spreading out in a fan shape to completely surround the palace.

Lu Chen stood up and stood in front of Fang Xinyi. Nezha, supporting himself with the broken spear, walked to his side and looked at the newcomer warily.

Fang Xinyi struggled to her feet. The Green Wood Longevity Technique barely condensed into a sapling about half a person's height, with sparse leaves, yet it still stood stubbornly in front of her.

The four people stood in a row, facing more than a dozen experts at the Dao Integration Realm. The disparity between them was so great that it was almost hopeless.

"Seventeen left." Nezha grinned. "I can still kill five more."

Fang Xinyi didn't speak, but silently tightened her grip on Lu Chen's hand. Her hand was cold, but she held it very tightly.

Gu Tingyuan stood at the forefront of the group. He looked at the seventeen figures opposite him and slowly said, "I will block them. You go west."

Lu Chen frowned: "Are you alone?"

“One person is enough.” Gu Tingyuan’s voice was calm. “I will pay back part of my debts today.”

He took out a jet-black token from his pocket.

That's not the Ancestor's Decree; the Ancestor's Decree was already used last night.

The token was completely black, its surface covered with cracks, and it exuded an aura of decay and near-death.

"The Gu Family Death Soldier Token," Gu Tingyuan said. "Before their deaths, each Gu family patriarch would infuse their last wisp of divine soul into this token. Once activated, it can summon the remnant souls of the patriarchs, lasting for the duration of an incense stick."

He paused for a moment: "The price is that the soul of the wielder will become the 'fuel' for those afterimages."

Lu Chen remained silent, but he immediately understood that Gu Tingyuan would die in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Their souls and spirits were annihilated, leaving them no chance of reincarnation.

"you……"

"No need to persuade me anymore." Gu Tingyuan interrupted Lu Chen. "I have lived for 37,000 years and have done too many wrong things. It's worth it to use this last bit of my time to give you a way to live."

Having said that, he took a step forward.

The second step.

third step.

With each step taken, another crack appeared on the black token.

With each step he took, his aura grew stronger.

That's not recovery, it's burning.

When Gu Tingyuan walked a hundred feet away and confronted the seventeen people, seven phantom figures appeared behind him. They were the remnant souls of the seven ancestors of the Gu family.

Each one exuded the powerful aura of the peak of the Dao Integration Realm.

The red-haired woman's expression changed: "This old bastard is going to fight to the death! Attack him together!"

In an instant, seventeen figures rushed forward at the same time!

Gu Tingyuan raised his hand.

Seven afterimages attacked simultaneously!

boom--!

A devastating collision erupted in front of the palace! Violent energy swept in all directions, shearing off three feet of the ground and instantly turning the surrounding trees to dust!

Lu Chen and the others were pushed back by the shockwave, while Fang Xinyi barely managed to steady herself, and the Green Wood Longevity Technique transformed into a barrier in front of them.

Amidst the smoke and dust, Gu Tingyuan's figure remained standing tall.

Blood began to seep from his seven orifices, and the wounds on his body burst open, staining his robe red with blood.

But he did not fall.

Seven afterimages swirled around him, engaging in fierce battles with seventeen Dao Integration Realm cultivators.

With each breath, a lingering image was shattered.

But with each breath, more afterimages surged from the token.

That was the entire spiritual reserves of all the ancestors of the Gu family throughout the generations.

It's burning.

Consuming.

In exchange for time.

"Go!" Gu Tingyuan said without turning his head, his voice hoarse but resolute, "Now!"

Lu Chen watched his retreating figure.

That hunched, aged, and once arrogant patriarch of the Gu family.

At this moment, it stands like a stone statue, blocking everyone's view.

"Let's go!" Nezha tugged at Lu Chen's arm. "He risked his life for this, don't waste it!"

Lu Chen gritted his teeth, turned around, and the three of them immediately rushed westward!

Behind them, the battle grew increasingly fierce.

Gu Tingyuan's screams rang out, but were quickly drowned out by the sound of the explosion.

I don't know how long it took to brew. Maybe an incense stick's time, or maybe longer.

The deafening sounds of battle behind them gradually faded into the distance.

But just when they thought they had finally escaped, a blood-red pillar of light shot into the sky ahead!

The beam of light was so striking that it pierced through the clouds and tore through the sky, making it clearly visible even from thousands of miles away.

The beam of light was directed towards the abyss.

Lu Chen stopped and stared intently at the streak of blood.

Within the blood-red light, countless twisted shadows could be vaguely seen writhing. The shapes of those shadows were exactly the same as the "incarnation of evil" he had seen in the illusion!

“That is…” Fang Xinyi exclaimed.

"The Heavenly Abyss is in turmoil," Nezha's voice was hoarse. "Someone is forcibly awakening the dormant essence deep within the Heavenly Abyss!"

A thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind.

Although Gu Tingyuan's blood sacrifice formation was broken and the Yang Mirror was retrieved, the residual power of the blood sacrifice may have already seeped into the depths of Tianyuan. Although Minggu was defeated, its final words, "I will return," were not empty promises; clearly, its contingency plan has been triggered!

And the person who triggered it...

Lu Chen suddenly remembered what Gu Tingyuan had said: "Of the eighteen pursuers to the north, six died, four were seriously injured, and the remaining eight chased in the wrong direction."

Did we go in the wrong direction?

Were those eight deliberately chasing the wrong direction?

Or was it all a pretense of chasing the wrong target, while actually heading straight for Tianyuan to carry out another plan?