Abruptly, death warriors charged toward Gu Ran''s position.


    Their velocity far outpaced Gu Ran''s, constrained as he was by his need to stay hidden.


    In a mere moment, several death warriors at the Heavenly Origin realm positioned themselves in stealth near Gu Ran''s destination.


    Time proceeded at its measured pace.


    Unnoticed, Gu Ran inched closer to his objective.


    Simultaneously, the Feng n and their subordinates sped toward Vernal Horizon Lake, intending to tighten the perimeter of their search.


    Within the radiant barrier of the ck Wood Ind''s Great Formation, numerous cultivators were positioned at its focal points.


    They executed distinct formation strategies to sustain its function.


    At one of the formation nodes sat a man of advanced years, his hair as white as frost, looking as though he was teetering on the precipice of life and death.


    As cultivators advanced in age, theirbat prowess declined.


    Hence, Gu Ran had identified this elderly individual as his target for assassination.


    ''You''re my target!'' he mentally dered, a ruthless resolve taking over his features.


    ''Perish!'' A lethal glint shed in Gu Ran''s eyes as he abruptly materialized,unching a deadly assault on the elderly man.


    However, this elderly man had already been alerted by Jiang Chen''s death warriors!


    ''So he has finally shown up!'' he thought, feeling tense.


    ''Thank heavens someone warned me, or else, I would surely be in the afterlife by now!'' A silent gasp escaped the elderly man, his eyes filled with startled realization.


    Simultaneously, he tapped into the formation''s energy, conjuring a swift defensive light shield to deflect Gu Ran''s assault.


    He scrambled frantically to make his escape using every avable tactic.


    ''He''s exceedingly vignt!'' Gu Ran was momentarily stunned, but he didn''t halt his onught and continued his pursuit of the elderly man.


    Crash!


    With the power of his Inquiring Journey realmbat prowess, he ripped a fissure directly into the hastily erected defense.


    While the elderly man had managed to retreat a significant distance from his conjured light barrier just before the impact, he still bore the brunt of a fraction of Gu Ran''s assault.


    The force sent him careening backwards, beyond the periphery of the ck Wood Ind''s Great Formation.


    He was grievously wounded and tottering on the edge of death!


    The sheer intensity of the Inquiring Journey realm strike, even just a fragment of it, was not something a Heavenly Origin realm cultivator could casually endure.


    "Hmph! Obstruct me, and meet your doom!" A chilling light flickered in Gu Ran''s eyes as he prepared to prate the formation to finish off the elderly man.


    Although he had previously resolved to conserve time and depart from ck Wood Ind, the sight of the weak elderly man reignited the notion of vengeance and killing in his thoughts.


    For as soon as he extinguished the man''s life, he could absorb a portion of his cultivation base.


    But just at that juncture, a voice shouted, tension filling the air, "Gu Ran has appeared, annihte him!"


    Several Heavenly Origin realm cultivatorsunched assaults from every angle.


    Among them, one cultivator momentarily exhibited thebat prowess of the Inquiring Journey realm.


    The others all exhibited battle power equivalent to that of a Half-step Inquiring Journey realm!


    ''What!'' Gu Ran looked on, astonished, as the cultivators from a distance converged to eliminate him. ''There are even cultivators nearby who can exert Inquiring Journey realmbat power!''


    ''How...how can this be!'' Unable to grasp how his luck could turn so abysmal, he was stunned.


    Choosing a random direction for his escape, he had inexplicably encountered numerous Heavenly Origin realm cultivators, some of whom were even capable of mustering thebat power of the Inquiring Journey realm!


    And this was the third time!


    Each scheme had ended in utter failure!


    Gu Ran sincerely wished to rail against the heavens.


    However, his precarious situation didn''t permit such an indulgence as Jiang Chen''s death warriors had already converged by his side!


    ''Darn it!'' Gu Ran couldn''t afford to expose his back to the enemy and had no choice but to mount a defense.


    ng! ng!


    The battle was underway!


    Amidst the blurring afterimages, Gu Ran, leaning on the potency of his bloodline and the secret art of the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect, held his ground against a host of adversaries.


    Of course, a contributing factor was Jiang Chen''s directive to his underlings not to end Gu Ran''s life.


    The objective was to instill deeper fear in Gu Ran, leading to aplete breakdown of his mental resilience.


    ''This won''t work!'' As the skirmish wore on, Gu Ran''s anxiety escted. ''I can''t carry on this way, or else, once the Feng n''s forces encircle me, it will spell catastrophe!''


    The periphery of his gaze ceaselessly scanned his surroundings, hunting for an escape route.


    ''It''s time,'' Jiang Chen mused, instantlyunching a soul attack on the avian demonic beast that hovered in the sky. ''Any further dy and the Heavenly Fate might trigger another upheaval.''


    In a split second, the demonic beast in the skyof the Inquiring Journey realmunleashed a piercing cry. "Roar!" it wailed, as if grievously wounded, writhing in intense agony.


    ''What''s happening?'' Feng Hongbo was somewhat puzzled; he hadn''t caused this!


    However, spotting the opportunity, Feng Hongbo didn''t overthink and promptly acted to y the demonic beast!


    The gigantic carcass of the demonic beast plummeted into the sea, triggering towering waves.


    "Atst, it''s dead! Gu Ran, your doom is certain now!" Thrilled, Feng Hongbowho had previously been informed about the true identity of ''Niu Qing''no longer bothered with the remains of the demonic beast.


    He instantly soared toward Gu Ran''s location!


    Within moments, he reached the airspace above Gu Ran, casting his gaze down from an elevated position.


    ''How can this be!'' Gu Ran eximed in disbelief. ''Why did that demonic beast suddenly falter? Did it harbor a concealed ailment?''


    ''Why did that demonic beast suddenly falter? Did it harbor a concealed ailment?''


    ''Now that old man Feng Hongbo is unupied, and with that Zhang San, there are two Inquiring Journey realm cultivators. Moreover, there are also three Heavenly Origin realm cultivators who can temporarily elevate theirbat powers'' realm!''


    ''What should I do? What should I do now?'' His thoughts spiraled into chaos, and unbeknownst to him, cold sweat began trickling down his forehead.


    "Gu Ran!" Feng Hongbo called out, not immediately springing into action. From his superior position, he exuded the confidence of a sure victor. "Cease your resistance!"


    "As long as you surrender your invisibility skill, we''ll be in the same boat! I won''t just spare your life; I''ll also assist you in maintaining your cover and ward off the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect from pursuing you."


    "But if you decline," he continued, "I''ll have no choice but to subject you to some torment before delivering you to the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect in exchange for other advantages." Now privy to Gu Ran''s true identityand, more importantly, the fact that he was sought by the Ageless Spirit Heavenly SectFeng Hongbo grasped the significance.


    And the manhunt was likely incited by that invisibility skill.


    Once Feng Hongbo gained ess to such an invisibility skill, there was a high chance he''d be marked as a target by the Ageless Spirit Heavenly Sect.


    Hence, when he dered his intention to spare Gu Ran, he was sincere in his offer.


    Gu Ran was no fool; he knew Feng Hongbo wasn''t bluffing.


    However, even if he desired to, he couldn''t extract that invisibility skill.


    It was a gift derived from his bloodline.


    Moreover, Gu Ran wasn''t prepared to surrender it.


    Feng Hongbo was merely an Inquiring Journey realm cultivator...


    If it weren''t for his incredibly adverse luck this time, he, Gu Ran, would have already in enough adversaries to ascend to the Inquiring Journey realm!


    Reflecting on his unfortunate predicament, Gu Ran felt so disheartened that he wanted to tear his hair out.


    "Gu Ran! You have the span of three breaths to decide!" Feng Hongbo red icily at Gu Ran.


    Just as Gu Ran was debating whether to feign cooperation, a potent aura suddenly surged from afar.


    Boom!


    It momentarily paused, then altered its course and raced toward them.


    "This aura, it''s from the Dao Pce realm great powerhouse!" someone eximed in awe.


    "The Dao Pce realm great powerhouse is on her way!"


    "She must have been in transit and sensed the upheaval here!"


    On ck Wood Ind, everyone''s expressions underwent a drastic transformation.


    Especially Feng Hongbo, who was essentially attempting to assassinate Gu Ran and plunder from him, an act of extreme perfidy.


    Everyone knew that this esteemed Dao Pce realm great powerhouse upheld stringent moral codes and had an unimpeachable character.


    What could Feng Hongbo possibly do if she unearthed the reality?


    In desperation, he began conjuring up potential alibis in his mind.


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    The first protagonist, armed with a system, takes the stage.


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