Chapter 54

The steel claws pierced through Gu Xuyao's chest, almost reaching his heart, which was still beating.

"Hmm?" But something seemed to go wrong. "He still has the strength to resist?" A force was resisting Bai Xing's steel claws, preventing them from crushing Gu Xuyao's heart.

But Bai Xing was a cultivator at the Root Birth Realm, and he didn't believe Gu Xuyao could match his strength.

With a stronger grip, Bai Xing reached for Gu Xuyao's heart again!

"Spit!" Gu Xuyao spat out a mouthful of blood; Bai Xing's strength had overcome the resistance within Gu Xuyao's body!

But just as Gu Xuyao's life hung by a thread, his body suddenly became faint, and Bai Xing's steel claws lost their target, missing their mark.

Not only Gu Xuyao, but all the cultivators of Taiheng Sect began to fade, eventually disappearing from the sky of Qianwang Ridge.

"This is..." Bai Xing was puzzled, looking at the pen tip behind him.

The pen tip smiled and shook its head. "It seems the other side has dealt with the other cultivators of Taiheng Sect, so they are out of the competition. You didn't get your chance, Bai Xing. This kid is only at the Root Entry Realm, so it doesn't matter whether he lives or dies." As he spoke, a green banner appeared where Yifeng had been, embroidered with a fierce beast, vivid and lifelike.

"Holding the green banner means we can enter the third round of the competition. Save your strength; the Zangshui Sect is watching us." The pen tip turned to look behind him. Though his eyes couldn't see, he could sense that the cultivators of Zangshui Sect were watching them from a distance.

At the same time, Taiheng Sect was declared out of the competition, and the second round ended in failure.

Yixia and the others were teleported out. Tian Li and Liu Changxing were both covered in injuries, but they became furious when they understood the situation.

"Mountain Collapse Association!" They quickly found the location of the Mountain Collapse Association. Tian Li, burning with anger, didn't care about the power of the sect and was about to charge forward.

This could lead to a rupture in relations between the two sects. Ling Sanshi watched with great anxiety but didn't dare to act. Fortunately, the head of the Landon Pavilion didn't want the situation to escalate and gave a subtle signal, allowing Ling Sanshi to leave.

"Ridiculous!" Ling Sanshi's figure flashed, blocking Tian Li.

"Grandmaster, the people of the Mountain Collapse Association... " Tian Li shouted, unwilling to back down.

"Silence!" Ling Sanshi shouted even louder, stopping Tian Li. Seeing that Tian Li was quiet, he turned to the president of the Mountain Collapse Association with an awkward smile.

The Mountain Collapse Association, of course, didn't give Ling Sanshi a good face, but Ling Sanshi couldn't say anything.

"Yixia, how are you?" Ling Sanshi quickly came to Yixia's side, his heart aching at her weak state.

Yixia could still stand勉强, and when she saw Ling Sanshi, her face was filled with guilt.

"Grandfather, the Heavenly Evil Pearl..."

Ling Sanshi immediately became alert, glancing around at the other sects and signaling Yixia not to continue.

"Grandmaster! Grandmaster! Please save Gu Gu, his chest has been hollowed out, he's about to die!" Zibi's shout reminded everyone, and all eyes turned to Gu Xuyao.

At this moment, Gu Xuyao's eyes were tightly closed, his breath faint, his face as pale as paper, and the terrible wound on his chest no longer bleeding, as his robe was already soaked in blood.

The crowd made way for Ling Sanshi, and the emaciated old man slowly approached, squatting beside Gu Xuyao.

"This wound looks hopeless..." Ling Sanshi sighed deeply, placing his hand on Gu Xuyao's forehead to sense his immortal root.

"Wait, something's wrong!" Ling Sanshi's probing revealed that Gu Xuyao still had a chance of survival!

"Quick! Carry him back to the Dao room, as fast as possible!"

They quickly passed through the luxurious path, which no one cared about anymore.

"Grandmaster, what's the situation with Brother Gu? Why do you say he can be saved?" In Gu Xuyao's Dao room, almost everyone was gathered around him.

After returning to the Dao room, Ling Sanshi confirmed Gu Xuyao's condition again, and his worry lessened somewhat.

"Gu Xuyao's current situation is very peculiar. How to put it, his previous situation was already very peculiar." Ling Sanshi stroked his beard. "This child planned to break through to the next realm at the limit, which is why he is still at the Root Entry Realm. However, his breakthrough was too hasty and failed. At a critical moment, he saved himself with a pill, so his cultivation was between the Root Entry and Root Birth Realms."

Ling Sanshi smiled with relief and continued, "When I first saw him, I understood his situation, which is why I let him compete against Changxu Temple. With his experience and fighting spirit, he had an 80% chance of winning against their new disciples. In the end, he didn't disappoint me."

"Grandmaster, I still don't understand. Can you be more direct?" Zibi, impatient, urged Ling Sanshi.

Yang Xi, hearing this, understood and explained Gu Xuyao's situation between the two realms to Zibi, also telling her that Gu Xuyao was originally on the brink of death.

"The cultivator from the Mountain Collapse Association inadvertently dispersed the chaotic primordial energy that was threatening Gu Xuyao's life when he tried to crush his heart. This chaotic primordial energy also blocked the fatal blow from the Mountain Collapse Association cultivator, which is why Gu Xuyao is still alive."

Li Shuizheng and Zibi understood only partially. Ling Sanshi, seeing this, continued to explain, "However, even so, the wound in his chest is still fatal. The reason he hasn't died is that he is gathering primordial energy to break through to the next realm, in an attempt to save his life!"

Upon hearing this, the other cultivators were all surprised. The situation Ling Sanshi described was very special, and none of them had ever heard of it before.

"Such a situation is indeed very rare. I have only read about it in some ancient texts, and this is the first time I have seen a real-life example." Ling Sanshi looked at Gu Xuyao with even more relief. "But this child has managed to do it. I think he himself doesn't know what's happening, but there is a strong will within him, guiding him to take the only path that can save him."

Gu Xuyao's current state was indeed miraculous, but it had its explanation. Before being hit by Bai Xing, Gu Xuyao was filled with anger. He hated the competition for taking the lives of many fellow disciples, he hated the Mountain Collapse Association for killing his fellow disciples, and he hated the Landon Pavilion for organizing such a competition, the root cause of all this!

But no matter how high his anger was, the consequence of being inferior in skill was destruction. So Bai Xing's steel claws tore open his chest. However, by a stroke of luck, Gu Xuyao turned a disaster into a blessing. At that moment, he had already lost consciousness and was relying on instinct to slowly begin another breakthrough. Since his previous attempt was an extreme breakthrough, this time he also had to attempt an extreme breakthrough.

"If that's the case, Grandmaster, if Brother Gu fails to break through, will he... " Li Shuizheng hesitated, glancing at Zibi, who was also full of worry.

Ling Sanshi nodded slightly. "If the breakthrough fails, death or a shortened lifespan is inevitable. This is a rule of the universe, and we cannot change it. We can't help Gu Xuyao now, so let's leave. His fate is entirely in his own hands." With that, Ling Sanshi stood up and left Gu Xuyao's Dao room.

Soon, the other cultivators also left, leaving only Zibi and Li Shuizheng in the room, both looking worriedly at Gu Xuyao.

"Zibi, what do you think about Brother Gu..."

"He will be fine." Zibi cut off Li Shuizheng. "He told me that when he was in the Mortal Zone, he thought he was going to die, but when he woke up, he was in Taiheng Sect. I believe this time will be the same. When he wakes up, he will definitely be a cultivator at the Root Birth Realm!"

Zibi took a deep breath and clenched her teeth. "Yes! It must be so! No doubt about it!"

Seeing this, Li Shuizheng managed a weak smile. Just as he was about to say something, Zibi suddenly frowned.

"Shuizheng, you stay here and take good care of Gu Gu. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first."

Without waiting for Li Shuizheng to react, she turned and left the Dao room, walking quickly, and the wooden door swung without closing.

Li Shuizheng shook his head and sighed.

"So many people have died, and everyone in the sect is on edge. This time is really..."

As he was about to close the door, he heard an argument from the adjacent room, which seemed to be Ling Sanshi's.

"Grandfather, this really has nothing to do with Yifeng. It was me, I couldn't resist the temptation of the Heavenly Evil Pearl's power after using it in the Great Wild Forest, so..."

"Silence! I know your condition better than you. I have already examined you thoroughly, and you wouldn't be tempted by the Heavenly Evil Pearl's power. Tell me, who, who made you bring out the Heavenly Evil Pearl!"

Li Shuizheng didn't like to pry into others' privacy, but Yixia's Dao room was right next to his, and Ling Sanshi was scolding her. He glanced back at the unconscious Gu Xuyao and continued to eavesdrop at the door.

Since the other cultivators were still in the Blood Arena, and only Taiheng Sect was in the Dao room area, Ling Sanshi wasn't afraid of being overheard.

"Still not talking? Yixia, do you know how disappointed you have made me! Cough, cough, cough..."

"Grandfather, how are you? Don't be angry. Your lifespan is already limited. I'll tell you, I'll tell you. It was Senior Ren, Senior Ren made me bring out the Heavenly Evil Pearl. He said your wish was to win the competition, so I..."

Yixia's cultivation techniques all came from Ling Sanshi, who was her master. So who else could her Senior Ren be besides Ren Wuyou?!