Chapter 163: Seizing the Treasure

Soul-斷魂谷 was in chaos. All living beings were in motion, and all kinds of races appeared simultaneously: giant eagles soaring through the sky, flying stone men, winged human-faced bees, giants dozens of meters tall, and tree spirits rooted in the void... All of them surged with flashing energy, ready at any moment to rush toward the edge of the earth.

A pitch-black, densely packed mass, most of them driving various flying magical artifacts, while the various factions stood distinctly separated from one another.

Gu Sha, stepping on a flying sword, blended into the Gu family's procession. Wearing a grimace mask, he did attract a few extra glances from some of the Gu family's creatures, but none of them paid much attention to him.

This was because the high-ranking members of the Gu family present were all aware of Gu Sha's identity and knew that wearing a mask could reduce unnecessary trouble. As for the younger disciples, they all knew that the masked man was Gu Xiao's friend, so they did not mind him either.

Gu Sha came to the sides of Gu Xiao and Han Ze.

After the three of them exchanged greetings, Gu Xiao handed Gu Sha a token and said, "Brother Gu, this is the Gu family's disciple token. I know that your purpose in traveling with us is to minimize trouble and acquire some resources as much as possible. With the Gu family's token, if you encounter any secret realms occupied by the Gu family, you will be able to enter and leave freely."

A trace of surprise flashed across Gu Sha's pupils.

He had originally intended only to fish in troubled waters. He had not expected that even after Gu Xiao had already seen through his motive, he would still take the initiative to help.

Gu Xiao seemed to have guessed Gu Sha's surprise and chuckled lightly, "Brother Han holds you in extremely high regard. He has always told me that you are simply limited by being born on Earth, and if you had been born in a great star field, you would inevitably become a major figure. Although I find that somewhat unlikely, I trust Brother Han immensely and believe in his judgment. Therefore, regardless of whether you are willing to join the Gu family in the future, I am investing in your goodwill in advance."

"Thank you!" Gu Sha did not say much.

Han Ze smiled lightly from the side, "Mr. Gu, I know your personality, so I won't try to persuade you too much. Just remember to always look out for your own safety."

"Don't worry, Brother Han," Gu Sha said. "I will be careful."

Gu Xiao suddenly pointed at a young-looking man and woman with entirely white hair at the very front of the Gu family's procession, and said, "Brother Gu, those two are the Heavenly Gods sent down by my Gu family for this trip. The one on the left is my grand-uncle, and the one on the right is my grand-aunt. I have already spoken to them. If you run into any accidents within the Kunlun Mountains, find a way to ask them for help, and they will intervene."

Those two must have heard Gu Xiao's words, as they simultaneously turned around and nodded at Gu Sha.

Gu Sha cupped his fists in salute.

Gu Xiao lowered his voice again and said, "In addition, Brother Gu, there is one more thing you must pay attention to. There are several factions that you must never provoke under any circumstances: the Three-Eyed Royal Clan, the Oblique Moon Ancient Cave, the Taiyin Clan, and the Golden Clan. These four factions are Immortal Orthodoxies with reputations renowned across the entire universe. I have no idea why they have also come to Earth, but if you offend them, the scale of my Gu family will not be able to protect you."

A trace of strangeness flashed through Gu Sha's eyes.

During the few days he had stayed at the Gu family's stronghold, he had gained a general understanding of those upper-realm factions. Factions similar to the four major ones in Longbei could only be considered first-rate in a corner of certain star fields. In contrast, true immortal orthodoxies like the Gu family were overlords across entire star fields.

Therefore, even knowing that Gu Sha had offended those four major factions, the Gu family still dared to proclaim that they could protect his safety. The members of the Gu family were also exceptionally proud, filled with immense pride in their own orthodoxy.

Yet now, Gu Xiao actually uttered words of being unable to afford to offend them.

This was enough to show how powerful the Immortal Orthodoxies mentioned by Gu Xiao were, to the extent that even Gu Xiao, who possessed true immortal bloodline, held them in such awe.

Gu Xiao said, "However, these four Immortal Orthodoxies are quite easy to distinguish. Creatures of the Three-Eyed Royal Clan all possess three eyes. Monks of the Oblique Moon Ancient Cave wear very uniform attire, and their garments and weapons bear a distinct symbol: a bright moon. The Taiyin Clan is also quite obvious—they are rabbits; even those who have taken human form retain rabbit ears and red eyes, and some even have tails. As for the Golden Clan, they are the easiest to tell apart. Although their forms vary, just as their name suggests, their exteriors are golden, looking like balls of pure gold."

Gu Sha committed everything Gu Xiao said to memory.

Shortly thereafter,

A deafening roar shook the heavens and the earth.

The terrifying energy seemed to devour a realm of heaven and earth. Many living beings were chilled to the bone, thinking they were about to be swallowed up, but suddenly they found that the sky and earth seemed to have been cleaved apart, and the billowing white gas halted right there.

Simultaneously, a faint light emanated from the Kunlun Mountains, as if they had been revived and endowed with life, seeming to reminisce about ancient past events. The thick, heavy mist that enveloped them began to disperse, gradually revealing their true appearance.

A rumbling sound echoed endlessly within the mountain ranges as tens of thousands of towering mountains rose from the ground out of nowhere, appearing out of thin air in a magnificent display. Some of the mountains were majestic and sturdy, their overall bulk colossal, piercing through the heavens like Mount Buzhou from mythology, carrying a primeval and desolate aura as they lay horizontally there, reaching heights of tens of thousands of meters.

Others resembled divine swords defying the heavens, stabbing straight up into the firmament, extremely steep and impassable, while torrential rivers stretched out like boundless seas.

At a single glance, it was as if one were looking at a vast, independent world.

"Roar..."

Roars of beasts echoed from deep within the mountains, followed by billowing smoke and clouds. The silhouettes of fierce birds emerged, surging like a reversed mountain torrent or crashing against the heavens like a vast sea.

"The Kunlun Grotto-Heaven has opened! This is the moment!"

With a loud roar, an old ape leaped forward, flying thousands of zhang high as it charged into the Kunlun Mountains.

At the same time, all sorts of living beings moved in unison, all launching an assault toward the mist, each and every one of them wanting to be the first to enter the Kunlun Mountain range in pursuit of the greatest fortune.

Gu Sha was one of them as well.

However, unlike those living beings who searched aimlessly, he had a very clear direction. Treading upon his flying sword and driving it at maximum speed, he transformed into a streak of light, flying between the mountains and canyons. Along the way, he also spotted quite a few ripe and precious exotic fruits as well as ancient ruins, with countless living beings swarming toward them, but Gu Sha did not stop.

Flying at high speed,

he quickly broke away from the procession, pressing forward alone.

As he flew past a canyon with a roaring, turbulent river,

he swooped down directly, leaping into the river. Bursting forth with formidable energy to envelop his whole body and resist the churning waves, he plunged toward the riverbed.

He had seen it in the memories of the future:

at the bottom of this river lay a powerful bow, an immortal artifact left behind by an ancient mighty figure—a true immortal artifact, even more powerful than the whisk he had obtained in Mount Tai.

In his memories,

this immortal artifact was discovered by someone on the second day after the opening of the Kunlun Mountains, triggering a bloody battle. In the end, a giant tiger snatched it away, and on the spot, it used that immortal bow to shoot and kill a Heavenly God!