Chapter 78

As the saying goes, "Only enemies gather together." The young man with green hair, who looked no more than twenty, was able to become a long-time rival of the blood-suppressing elder, who had the appearance of a crane-haired child. His cultivation was definitely not simple.

"Last time we met, hmm, let me think, that was three hundred years ago, right? We were both ordered to retrieve the Lion God statue from the Heavenly Lion Sect. In the end, you fled with severe injuries, and I brought the Lion God statue back to the organization smoothly. Sigh, look at you, you're really not up to the task."

The blood-suppressing elder, who could kill everyone in the Taiheng Sect in the blink of an eye, was now being insulted by the green-haired man and couldn't even retaliate! Gu Xuyao watched with satisfaction while also marveling at the truth that there is always someone better in the cultivation world.

"Enough talk, Phoenix Yi, today I'm injured and you've caught me, I admit it. But do you think it's so easy to take this boy from me? Hmph, don't be too naive. I'll tell you, even if I die, I won't let this boy live!"

As the blood-suppressing elder spoke, he tugged at the rope binding Gu Xuyao around his waist. Phoenix Yi's face showed an exaggerated look of surprise, and he made a tsking sound.

"You're really something, are you planning to die together? I don't really care, anyway, the Heavenly Evil Pearl isn't on him; he must have hidden it. My people have already gone to search for it. You like to act alone, so your subordinates are probably all dead by now. Sigh, what a pity, so many elites, if they had joined our organization, they would have been given important roles."

The blood-suppressing elder remained silent, but Gu Xuyao could feel the surge of his spiritual energy. In the next moment, the blood-suppressing elder suddenly roared, and his white hair turned blood red. Then, he flicked his sleeve, and five blood stones, which Gu Xuyao had seen before, floated in the air.

"Ho, the Five Fiend Blood Array, I've seen this before. Can you come up with something new? This won't save your life, you know."

Phoenix Yi looked as if he had everything under control. The blood-suppressing elder, seeing this, felt even more hatred. His blood hair fluttered, and with a wave of his hand, the five blood stones exploded. Gu Xuyao's cultivation couldn't withstand such a surge of spiritual energy. He didn't dare to look, but he could feel the stench of blood in his nostrils, and the whole world seemed to turn blood red.

"Blood-suppressing elder, you're heavily injured, the power of the Five Fiend Blood Array is far less than before. You want to use it to stop me? It's too difficult!"

Phoenix Yi was no pushover. Before he finished speaking, Gu Xuyao felt his whole body burning, and the smell of burning quickly replaced the smell of blood.

Though he didn't dare to look, Gu Xuyao could guess that Phoenix Yi must have used a fire-related technique! Indeed, Phoenix Yi transformed into a firebird, and with the flapping of its wings, the sky was filled with terrifying flames, turning the small forest into a sea of fire.

The blood-red area formed by the Five Fiend Blood Array was quickly burned away, but the blood-suppressing elder's goal was not to defeat his opponent. His only goal was to escape!

When the forest was burned to the ground, the blood-suppressing elder was already gone, which was not unexpected by Phoenix Yi. With his cultivation, the range he could explore was vast. The blood-suppressing elder hadn't escaped his lock, and Phoenix Yi quickly caught up, and his speed was even faster than the blood-suppressing elder's!

The blood-suppressing elder had used five blood stones in succession, and his face was now even paler. Phoenix Yi, transformed into a firebird, was in full strength. In just thirty breaths, Phoenix Yi caught up with the blood-suppressing elder. The firebird opened its mouth and spat out a stream of orange-yellow flames, heading straight for Gu Xuyao!

The flames were scorching hot, and even before they touched Gu Xuyao, he could feel the terrifying heat.

"This guy really doesn't care about my life!" Gu Xuyao originally thought that Phoenix Yi's words about not caring whether he lived or died were just a joke, but now he was really taking action!

But while Phoenix Yi didn't care about Gu Xuyao's life, the blood-suppressing elder didn't want to die. If that flame hit Gu Xuyao, he wouldn't escape either!

Forced to act, the blood-suppressing elder turned and flicked his sleeve, and three flying swords flew out, colliding with the flames.

A loud explosion was heard, and the flying swords were destroyed, but they also stopped the flames. Meanwhile, Phoenix Yi caught up with the blood-suppressing elder, and in human form, he pointed in the air, sending countless invisible spiritual energy projectiles towards the blood-suppressing elder. Just as he dealt with the flames, the blood-suppressing elder couldn't block all the energy projectiles. Several "pu pu" sounds were heard, and the blood-suppressing elder's body became unstable, unable to continue flying!

"Sigh, I told you, you can't escape this time, but you just didn't believe me."

Phoenix Yi looked at the exhausted blood-suppressing elder with a face full of helplessness.

"Do you know, you look like a stray dog right now. Sigh, forget it, I'll just finish you off quickly so I don't have to look at you anymore."

The flames in his hand formed a long broadsword, and from three meters away, he swung it directly at the blood-suppressing elder!

Gu Xuyao struggled desperately but couldn't break free from the ropes. The blood-suppressing elder seemed determined to take Gu Xuyao with him to his death!

"Ha!"

But at this critical moment, the blood-suppressing elder let out a loud cry. His entire body began to separate, his arms, legs, head, and torso all coming apart!

Then, his arms and legs actively collided with the flame sword, while his head spewed a mouthful of blood, which was as sharp as a blade, piercing through Gu Xuyao's neck and entering his body. After that, the head and torso split in different directions and fled!

"Boom!"

The flame sword exploded, the light blinding, and the air was filled with the smell of burning.

"Ho, you still have this move, even giving up your own body, Blood-suppressing elder, Blood-suppressing elder..."

Phoenix Yi smiled, flicked his hand, and a fluorescent light chased after the direction Gu Xuyao fled, while he himself chased after the blood-suppressing elder's head!

The night came and went again. After being hit by the blood-suppressing elder's blood, Gu Xuyao fell unconscious. He didn't know how far he had flown on the "human flesh boat," but eventually, the blood-suppressing elder's torso ran out of strength and fell heavily to the ground.

The impact woke Gu Xuyao up. The ropes on his body came loose, and he struggled to stand up, kicking the already stinking corpse at his feet away.

"Where am I..." He touched his slightly painful neck and looked around. This was a swamp, the air filled with the smell of decaying wood. Through the dark green leaves, he could tell it was about noon. He shook his head and decided to start walking.

But just as he took his first step, a whistling sound came, and he leaped back, narrowly avoiding a flying sword.

"Who are you, and why did you suddenly enter the Ru family's territory?" A stern voice rang out, and five cultivators in purple robes emerged from the grass. Except for one, the others had flying swords hovering above their heads.

Gu Xuyao looked at the situation helplessly and shrugged.

As the saying goes, fortune favors the brave. After Gu Xuyao introduced himself and his identity, these people didn't do anything to him. Instead, they warmly invited him to the Ru family's Liao Wu residence. Gu Xuyao was delighted and thought this was a good choice. Being able to hide in this family was also a good option, so he gladly accepted the invitation.

And the facts soon proved that Gu Xuyao's luck was not bad. The Ru family was indeed very hospitable. When the family head, Ru Dongsheng, heard that Gu Xuyao was a pursued wandering cultivator, he generously invited Gu Xuyao to join the Ru family as an outer sect elder. This arrangement suited Gu Xuyao's needs, and following his request, Gu Xuyao thus strangely entered the Ru family's Liao Wu residence, located at the edge of the Earth Resonance Swamp.

The Earth Resonance Swamp, located in the northern part of the Lingxiao Realm, was different from small places like the Taiheng Sect. It covered a vast area, and even the Great Wild Forest was inferior to it. The ecological environment within the Earth Resonance Swamp was not as harsh as that of the Great Wild Forest. In fact, the Earth Resonance Swamp and the Great Wild Forest were almost opposite places.

The Great Wild Forest was full of fierce beasts, and the entire forest was filled with a sense of hostility. However, the Earth Resonance Swamp was surrounded by spiritual energy, and the spiritual energy within the swamp was very abundant, which was very beneficial for cultivators' cultivation. Of course, there were many birds and beasts, but most of them were timid spiritual beasts that would run away at the sight of cultivators, let alone fight.

Therefore, there were many cultivator sects within the Earth Resonance Swamp. These sects did not belong to any organization or larger sects and lived peacefully in the Earth Resonance Swamp as families.

The Earth Resonance Swamp was a very special place in the Lingxiao Realm. Its unique cultivation conditions were the dream of many cultivators. Entities like the Lan Du Pavilion had tried to take control of it but failed. The reason was simple: there were deities in the Earth Resonance Swamp, and their purpose was to protect the peace of the swamp. If a sect entered the Earth Resonance Swamp, it would destroy too many things.

The Ru family was a relatively small family in the Earth Resonance Swamp, and the Liao Wu residence was built at the edge of the swamp. This did not affect Gu Xuyao's love for this place. The leisurely cultivation environment was truly excellent for him.

The Ru family had over a hundred people, including those married into other families, not exceeding two hundred. The number was small, but they were close and lived without worries. Unlike the flattery and deceit in sects, Gu Xuyao felt the atmosphere of the Leishi Village here.

Of course, nothing is absolute. Not everyone could accept Gu Xuyao, a wandering cultivator with an unknown identity, especially since his cultivation was relatively high in the entire Ru family.

"Big Brother Gu!"

A dress with floral patterns, shoulder-length hair with a hint of green, like the most common color in the Earth Resonance Swamp, black eyes without a trace of impurity, a high nose, and a rosy mouth. Even Zibì and Yixia would be overshadowed by her. She was Ru Lixi, the only daughter of the current family head, Ru Dongsheng.