Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 370 - 8 Lan Yongning

Chapter 370: Chapter 8 Lan Yongning

Class A secret realm, a dense forest.

The preliminary round wasn’t conducted as a tournament on a platform, but rather, was a chaotic battle within a vast secret realm.

The only rule was to become the last hundred people remaining; during which, aside from magic treasures and talismans that surpass one’s own cultivation level, all methods were permitted.

As soon as Gu Wen landed, he encountered acquaintances.

A sword light soared not far from him, and in an instant, more than a dozen cultivators were sent out.

Xie Yunnan, dressed elegantly with eighteen spiritual swords revolving around her, stood suspended in the air and announced loudly,

"Heir of the Sword Sect, Xie Yunnan, awaits the arrival of heroes from all directions."

Having said that, she stood proudly—her tall figure, beautiful features, and peerless swordsmanship.

For a moment, it’s unknown how many young men were charmed by her.

Xie Yunnan wasn’t particularly concerned; she lived her life for the sword, and that was her path... Hm?

Xie Yunnan’s gaze met Gu Wen’s, then she silently landed, her figure hidden by the treetop canopy, causing many of the young talented generation to reluctantly withdraw their eyes.

A portion of fighters began flying swiftly in her direction.

After Xie Yunnan touched down, she spoke in a soft, obedient voice, "Senior, are you...?"

"I’m just having a look, do as you please."

"Oh."

Xie Yunnan turned around and soared into the sky, with her voice once again challenging the geniuses from afar.

Young people should be like this.

Gu Wen mused, then wandered around with a bamboo sword, taking care of one or two people afterward, no one bothered him again.

It wasn’t long before he saw someone get killed.

A middle-aged Golden Core cultivator was killed by a young Foundation Establishment cultivator in a cross-stage counter-kill. It seemed that they had a longstanding grievance, with the middle-aged Golden Core having killed the young cultivator’s son and wife, while the young man accused the other of condoning his son’s tyrannical behavior and causing the death of his sister.

Afterwards, a conflict erupted, and Gu Wen, a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, was overlooked.

Magic dueling has its advantages; cultivators proficient in dueling often prevail with a single move. Of course, there are all-rounders, but being versatile means it’s more difficult to stand out, leading to a jack of all trades, master of none.

The young man held a wisp of True Fire in his mouth, which, at the crucial moment, he spit onto the middle-aged Golden Core’s face. Instantly, True Fire dissolved his entire skull.

This bit of True Fire was the key point, piercing through the middle-aged Golden Core cultivator’s vital spot.

Looking at the burning corpse, Gu Wen thought: Cultivators, with their lifespans of hundreds or thousands of years, actually seldom die a natural death.

He stood by, watching; the young man cast a glance at him, frowning slightly showing an expression of distress, and spoke, "You saw that?"

Gu Wen nodded honestly, "I saw it."

"You’d better pretend you didn’t see anything; otherwise, consider the consequences for yourself."

The youth was surrounded by True Fire, his Foundation Establishment cultivation evident, resembling an ant with wings desperately trying to terrify Gu Wen.

And those tiger teeth, just like Chi Yu Zi, strangely cute.

Gu Wen bent down and picked up a wisp of ash, remarking, "Your True Fire is very special."

He had seen many kinds of True Fire, the most prominent being that of Angri Demon Saint, which already had a hint of transcendence. But compared to what the young man used, it was weak by several orders of magnitude.

This was clearly not ordinary True Fire.

Killing intent surfaced in the young man’s eyes, and he threatened coldly, "How did you know about it? It’s better for you not to know."

Gu Wen was originally merely inquiring, but seeing how childish the kid was, he couldn’t help but tease him, "The old man inside you told me. He’s an old acquaintance of mine; in terms of seniority, you should be calling me ’Ancestral Master.’"

"Stop spouting nonsense!"

The young man, enraged, spit out True Fire, a thirty-foot-long Fire Dragon sweeping over.

Before the Fire Dragon could reach Gu Wen, an aged, ethereal hand extended from the youth’s mouth and pulled the Fire Dragon back in.

Its immense form caused the young man’s face to char, his hair singed, with wisps of black smoke drifting out of his mouth.

"Ah, it’s hard to tell if you’re incredibly lucky or cursed with a hard fate, always stumbling upon trouble wherever you go."

The hoarse voice of the elder emanated from the young man’s mouth, immediately followed by his eyes aging by countless years, as if possessed.

Attending a so-called gathering of the chosen, first encountering the Demon Saint, inadvertently getting involved in the calamities of a major human and demon disaster. He had thought that by resolving this enemy, he would be free from calamities.

But he turned around to face an even more terrifying existence.

"This Fellow Daoist... no, this Saint Venerable, may I know your instructions?"

He looked intently at the ordinary-looking man in front of him and promptly changed his form of address.

A Qi Cultivation Stage level, yet like a layer of fog, impossible to discern the foundation.

Gu Wen shook his head, "I’m just an observer, merely asking out of curiosity."

The unidentified Residual Soul replied, "This fire is called Samadhi True Fire, originating from the Heavenly Court. May I leave now?"

Gu Wen said, "You can leave at any time; there’s no need to ask for my opinion."

"Thank you, Saint Venerable."

As soon as the voice fell, the youth’s figure vanished on the spot.

"Wait."

Gu Wen reached out his hand, and the youth reappeared; the controlling Residual Soul was on high alert but dared not react excessively.

"May I know if Saint Venerable has any further instructions?"

"Does the Heavenly Court no longer exist?"

"It perished hundreds of thousands of years ago."

"How did it perish? And who are you?"

The Residual Soul was silent, evidently reluctant to say more.

Seeing this, Gu Wen let go, and in the blink of an eye, the youth disappeared again, faster than before.

So fast that Gu Wen couldn’t even catch a trace of his presence, unable to bring him back again.

He mused, "Indeed, there are heavens beyond our own and people beyond ourselves; I am still not strong enough."

Today, a power appeared capable of escaping and not being found; tomorrow, another might emerge to match him in strength.

Just then, a streak of light flew from the sky, with cultivators from Taiyi City coming to inspect. They glanced at the corpse, then left immediately.