Chapter 72

At dawn, the evil aura in the night sky gradually gave way to the light, and the evil aura, now exhausted, finally returned entirely to the Heavenly Evil Pearl. The originally demonic red pearl now had a touch of black, making it even more sinister and repulsive.

The great deed was accomplished, leaving only a field of corpses and the desolate Taiheng Gate. Zhenxuezi scanned the surroundings, took a deep breath, and the bloody air satisfied him.

However, at that moment, a surge of primordial energy suddenly attacked, aiming for Zhenxuezi's hand that was reaching for the floating Heavenly Evil Pearl!

Zhenxuezi sneered and countered with a surge of primordial energy. The two energies collided, causing a violent explosion!

The sound was so loud that it even startled Gu Xuyao, who had been in a daze. He then realized that his body could move again, and the evil aura no longer filled the surroundings.

Another series of loud explosions followed. Through the half-destroyed door of the ancestral hall, Gu Xuyao saw another cultivator fighting Zhenxuezi, evenly matched, both vying for the Heavenly Evil Pearl.

"Boom!"

The shockwave destroyed the remaining parts of the ancestral hall. This was the result of a battle between experts; even low-level cultivators would struggle to stand firm in such a shockwave!

However, the battle did not last long. Zhenxuezi, unwilling to tangle further, took the Heavenly Evil Pearl and flew away.

The other cultivator naturally followed. Finally, Taiheng Gate entered a true silence, a silence that belonged only to Gu Xuyao.

He sighed, turned his head, and looked at the spirit tablets that had been knocked askew by the wind. These were the spirit tablets of the successive Taiheng Gate masters, but there was no tablet for Ling Sanshi.

Silently picking them up and placing them back, Gu Xuyao knelt before them, his mind blank. He didn't know why he was doing this, but suddenly felt that he had nothing else to do.

The moonlight finally faded, and the gentle sunlight shone on Taiheng Gate, illuminating the dried blood, blackened flesh, and what was once Gu Xuyao's home.

After leaving the Red Clay District, Gu Xuyao had considered Taiheng Gate his home. But now, this home was destroyed, and he knew he would never have a home again. Wandering was his destiny.

Looking up at the sky, the warm sunlight felt somewhat bewildering.

"Well, one step at a time," Gu Xuyao thought, unsure of how to continue his path.

Turning, he left. There was nothing left here, nothing to linger over.

But before he could leave the ancestral hall, a strange sound came from behind him. Gu Xuyao turned curiously and saw that the cushion he had been sitting on had burst.

"Perhaps it's because the array was destroyed," Gu Xuyao shook his head, not giving it much thought. The cushion was the center of the ancestral hall's array, which had been severely damaged by the evil aura and could not last long.

"Boom!"

Shortly after the cushion burst, the ground beneath Gu Xuyao's feet suddenly sank. The sudden change caught him off guard, and he fell down!

With a "thud," Gu Xuyao landed heavily on the ground. The surroundings were pitch black, and the light from above was far away, indicating that the pit was deep.

Still confused, a violent explosion occurred in the middle of the pit. After the explosion, countless rocks fell from the sky. Seeing this, Gu Xuyao ignored everything else and felt his way forward in the darkness. He sensed that he was walking down a tunnel, and the ground below was very dry.

The rocks behind him sealed off his path, and the dust made Gu Xuyao cough.

"Whoosh!" Suddenly, new light appeared around him. Looking up, he saw that the tunnel was very high, and there were torches every three zhang (about 10 meters) along the ceiling. He didn't know how the fires were lit, but they illuminated the long tunnel.

"Where am I? Why is there such a place under the Taiheng Gate ancestral hall..." The tunnel was extremely long, and Gu Xuyao couldn't see what was at the end.

But no matter what, he had no way back. His body was weak, and he was a cultivator without a sect, unable to do anything.

His mind wandered, but his feet kept moving forward into the darkness. He didn't know how long he had been walking when he finally reached a low cave, which was also very dry.

In the middle of the cave was a large coffin, indicating that this was a tomb.

"Ah..."

As Gu Xuyao took a step into the tomb, a sigh echoed. He looked around alertly, spreading his mental awareness to cover the entire tomb, but found nothing.

"Thud!" The lid of the coffin moved slightly, as if inviting Gu Xuyao to inspect it.

In the unfamiliar environment, Gu Xuyao confirmed again that there was no living being around before slowly approaching the coffin and pushing open the lid.

Inside the coffin was a skeleton, white as snow, though it had been dead for a long time. The skeleton's posture was very peaceful, with its hands folded in front of its chest. Through the finger bones, he could see a hexagonal stone.

Being able to rest in the underground tomb of Taiheng Gate, this person must have been a senior of the sect. Gu Xuyao bowed respectfully and carefully took the hexagonal stone from the skeleton's hands.

"Descendant, by the time you read this hexagonal stone, Taiheng Gate has likely been destroyed. Ha, it's embarrassing to admit, but I foresaw this day and could not prevent it. However, no one knows if this destruction will lead to a rebirth like a phoenix. My name is no longer important; I do not need praise or to be remembered by future generations, for I am a sinner. I brought the Heavenly Evil Pearl back from that place in a dishonorable way, sacrificing many disciples of Taiheng Gate and exhausting myself. But I did not give up. I spent my remaining life thinking of ways to avoid the impending destruction of the sect. In the end, I came up with a plan that was not really a plan."

A scene appeared in Gu Xuyao's mind: a middle-aged cultivator in a white robe stood atop a mountain peak, lost in thought as he gazed into the distance.

"My name is no longer important. I do not need praise or to be remembered by future generations, for I am a sinner. I brought the Heavenly Evil Pearl back from that place in a dishonorable way, sacrificing many disciples of Taiheng Gate and exhausting myself. But I did not give up. I spent my remaining life thinking of ways to avoid the impending destruction of the sect. In the end, I came up with a plan that was not really a plan."

The scene changed, and Gu Xuyao saw the Heavenly Evil Pearl.

"I believe that in the cultivation world, there is always a counter to every power. I decided to destroy the Heavenly Evil Pearl. When I didn't know what it was, I tried every means to obtain it. Now, it's ironic that I spend all my efforts trying to destroy it."

The scene changed again, and this time, a muscular man was seen refining something in a large furnace.

"I heard that by refining it in the World-Refining Furnace and adding the Eternal Cold Fire, the Heavenly Evil Pearl could be decomposed. Unfortunately, I spent all of Taiheng Gate's wealth and most of my lifespan, but in the end, I only managed to separate the inner and outer parts of the Heavenly Evil Pearl."

In the next scene, two Heavenly Evil Pearls appeared, one red and one yellow.

"Though this is not the best outcome, it can at least prevent the impending disaster. But if Taiheng Gate is truly destroyed, it means this is the will of fate. Since we cannot escape fate, we can only accept it. However, since you have come here, it means there is still hope. Go, descendant, take the inner part of the Heavenly Evil Pearl, all my cultivation insights, and the complete 'Eternal Word Technique.' I believe every member of Taiheng Gate is loyal and righteous, so I do not need any promises from you. You only need to remind yourself that you are a disciple of Taiheng Gate. When you achieve enlightenment, I believe you will know what to do."

The content of the hexagonal stone ended there. After Gu Xuyao finished reading, it turned to ashes and scattered on the ground.

The skeleton emitted a light and slowly floated out of the coffin. The coffin lid opened, revealing a hidden compartment below.

An ancient and somewhat worn gourd appeared.

Gu Xuyao bowed respectfully to the skeleton again, took the gourd, and the skeleton lost its strength, falling back into the coffin and turning into crystalline bone powder.

His mental awareness merged with the gourd, revealing its contents: a paper book and a yellow pearl, faintly emitting a malevolent aura.

"This must be what the senior left behind. The Heavenly Evil Pearl has inner and outer parts. The outer part alone has such power; if the inner and outer parts were combined, it would be unimaginable..." The allure of such power was too great, which is why the senior had wanted to destroy it to prevent others from coveting it and bringing destruction to the sect. Although he did not succeed, he must have greatly weakened the Heavenly Evil Pearl, allowing Taiheng Gate to survive for so long.

The rise and fall of everything was due to the Heavenly Evil Pearl. Gu Xuyao took a deep breath, not expecting that he would be the one to survive.

As he was thinking, a loud explosion came from above the tomb, and dust and rocks flew, but they did not harm Gu Xuyao.

A beam of light shone through the explosion, and Gu Xuyao walked to the opening and looked up. It was a passage leading directly to the surface.

He bowed to the coffin one last time and used his flying technique to reach the opening.

Climbing up, the tunnel was long, but the gourd at his waist gave him a sense of hope.

"Phew." Finally, he emerged into the sunlight, breathing the cold air and realizing it was winter.

Looking into the distance, he saw a high wall.

"Inside that wall is the Mortal District, just like the Red Clay District used to be."

Unconsciously, Gu Xuyao smiled, took a deep breath, and realized he had no destination but could not stop moving. The warm winter sun shone above, and looking at it, he saw the familiar faces of those he had known.

"Don't worry, everyone. I will carry Taiheng Gate with me always. Now, I am Taiheng Gate, and Taiheng Gate is me!"

The deceased cultivators might silently bless Gu Xuyao, for from that day on, his life of wandering began.