Chapter 129: The Ancient Savage World, Long Aotian

The Great Elder could see that Gu Lingnan was truly calm and had truly let it go.

He sighed inwardly. The double-pupiled people and true natural supreme beings born from the ancient clan had now all turned their backs on their clan. Was it because these clan elders were too greedy? Now, where was the future of the ancient clan?

He felt disappointed. He was already old, but there was no one in his clan who could make any difference. This ancient clan had no successors.

The momentary lapse of consciousness was short-lived, and the Great Elder regained his composure as the anchor upon which all the Ancient Clan depended. Knowing that attacking through kinship was futile, he abandoned the evasive approach and spoke directly, "Gu Yuanming is not with the Clan right now, but he will return to the Imperial City in ten days' time for the Heavenly Blood War. This is the best opportunity you can seize."

Gu Jingyao stroked Cang Chen's feathers in his arms, a strange look in his eyes: "I thought, Great Elder, you wouldn't want us to go up against Gu Yuanming."

The Great Elder was calm, "You and I both know this battle is unavoidable. Gu Yuanming needs to kill you to completely resolve the hidden dangers of the Supreme Bone, and you will inevitably return for revenge. But to the Ancient Clan, whether you or Gu Yuanming wins, it's all the same."

Therefore, the Ancient Clan sided with both sides. Before the outcome of this battle was known, the Ancient Clan, led by their Great Elder, would not be an enemy of either side.

Gu Lingnan and Gu Jingyao's expressions changed slightly, and they understood the implication of the Great Elder's words.

The Great Elder continued, "The Heavenly Blood Battle is the perfect time. With the Human Emperor as witness, no one dares interfere with the outcome, nor does anyone dare object to the future successor. Without the influence of the Jing Clan, this duel will be somewhat fair."

This made sense. Gu Lingnan didn't believe that Gu Yuanming was a fair and upright person who was willing to fight one-on-one. It was really difficult for the two of them to win against dozens of elders of the Jing clan.

"The Heavenly Blood War..." Gu Lingnan asked, "I remember His Majesty the Human Emperor was in his prime, so why was he so anxious to select a successor?"

"That's exactly what I'm going to say next." Even the Great Elder's eyes dimmed when he mentioned this. His old words revealed the truth of this world. "Do you know why, apart from the Human Emperor, there are no other powerful Yuanzun realm masters in this world?"

The Yuan Zun realm is the realm immediately following the Dragon Transformation realm. Gu Lingnan was stunned. She had originally assumed that those at the Yuan Zun realm would retreat into the mountains and forests, rarely appearing in public. She hadn't expected that, aside from the Human Emperor, there truly was no other Yuan Zun in the world.

"Because the upper realm won't allow it. One year from now, the upper realm will open its gates to immortality again. The myriad races of the lower realm will all be plunderable resources for the upper realm's inhabitants. The upper realm won't allow any Yuanzun realm experts to appear. Once they do, they will be killed."

“Why is that!”

“How can an ant ask a god in heaven? To the stronger ones, we are just slightly bigger ants. Who would talk to an ant that was stepped on to death?” The elder said this calmly, as if he had accepted his fate.

The gate to immortality only opens once every two hundred years, and there are always those who refuse to accept their fate. Why, except for those from the upper realm, no one can claim the title of Supreme Being?

When he was young, he was called the "Golden Lion King" and he thought about defying fate, but the facts told him that he was not the one who could change the world.

"The Human Emperor is about to die, so the Heavenly Blood War must begin."

"Then why did His Majesty the Human Emperor cross that red line?" Gu Lingnan couldn't help but ask.

"Because the human race needs a Human Emperor, and because some people will not submit. Your Majesty, he is the most dazzling genius of the previous generation. Such a person will not be willing to be bound by the so-called rules." The great elder seemed to see that majestic figure again in front of his eyes. The Human Emperors of all generations were exactly the same.

During their silence, the Great Elder said, "One year from now, when the Ascension Gate opens, the Jing Clan's upper realm will officially arrive. You will have no chance, so the Heavenly Blood Battle will be your last chance."

"Also... although the gate to the upper realm will not open until a year from now, there may be people from the upper realm coming down to the lower realm before that." This was the Great Elder's implicit reminder to them.

The forces of the upper and lower realms are complexly intertwined, and behind many sects in the lower realms are the shadows of the great sects in the upper realm.

"As for your parents..." The Great Elder shook his head. "I don't know where they are. Back then, your mother was brought back to the clan by Gu Hao. No one knew her origins, and I haven't heard from them since that day."

"Thank you, Great Elder, for clearing up my doubts."

Gu Lingnan and Gu Jingyao bowed to the Great Elder and said goodbye.

The moment they stepped out of the door, they heard the old man's slightly hoarse voice behind them: "Children, as your great-grandfather, I owe you an apology."

The disasters that had unfolded back then, and which had afflicted him to this day, were ultimately the fault of this Great Elder. Publicly, he had failed to render a truly impartial judgment; privately, he had failed to protect his own descendants.

Gu Lingnan didn't speak, nor did she turn around. Once she and Gu Yuanming had settled the matter, there was no need for him to speak. She and her family were, after all, separated by a layer.

Ten days passed in a flash. The Heavenly Blood Battle was held far from the Imperial City. The venue had been cleared in advance by powerful individuals, leaving only the candidates present. Spectators were free to watch the battle from outside the battlefield, each based on their own abilities. The Imperial City would offer no protection.

Once you enter the battlefield, life and death are determined by fate.

In the Great Wilderness, which advocates actual combat, the rules of the Heavenly Blood Battle are simple - it is a big melee, and the one who survives to the end will be the next heir. Of course, if a candidate retreats in the middle of the battle and leaves the battlefield directly, he will be disqualified by default, and no one on the field will be allowed to pursue him again.

The tall and handsome Human Emperor stood at the front, a hint of smile appearing on his elegant face. It was hard to believe that this middle-aged man with a temperament as gentle as a pine or bamboo was the Human Emperor who intimidated ferocious beasts and fought against enemies thousands of miles away in all directions.

He threw a small object into the air. The jade-white object spun and grew larger. Only then did everyone see its true appearance and exclamations arose.

This is the ancient country's national seal, which contains the energy of the ancient country's dragon veins. Within the territory of the ancient country, whoever holds this seal can be called invincible.

The jade seal was suspended in the air, and the surrounding light was shining brightly. The golden light sprinkled on the ground, drawing a golden circle, framing the entire battlefield.

The Human Emperor said in a loud voice: "Those who wish to compete for the Human Emperor's throne must step into this circle."

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of young talents flew into the battlefield, holding magical weapons in their hands, and vigilantly watching every enemy.

The golden circle engraved on the jade seal was a screening process. Only those with royal bloodline and a bone age of no more than twenty years old could enter. Of course, if one broke through to the Dragon Transformation Realm before the age of twenty, they could still enter this circle without royal bloodline.

In the wilderness, the strong are respected, which is a rule recognized by all races.

Some people were unwilling to give up and tried to enter, but were instantly bounced hundreds of meters away by the golden light. They lost face and disappeared while covering their faces.

"Sister, he's here."

Gu Jingyao disappeared into the crowd, gazing into the distance.

The next second, the clear cry of a phoenix resounded through the sky.

Colorful clouds paved the road, and nine phoenixes pulled the carriage. This appearance was extremely cool, and everyone's attention was instantly attracted.

"He is worthy of being the genius of the ancient clan famous in the wilderness. If I am not mistaken, the one pulling the cart is the Qingxia Luanfeng, which inherited the blood of the true phoenix. This kind of ferocious beast has always been fierce and arrogant. How could the young King Ming be able to tame and control it to pull the cart? What a skill!" An onlooker exclaimed.

Gu Yuanming was honored as the Little Ming King by his followers.

A phoenix hovered in mid-air, casting a golden light across the avenue. A delicate hand slowly lifted the curtain, and four charming maids stepped out, each one possessing a Dao Palace realm cultivation. Each beautiful in their own way, they stood gracefully on either side of the avenue, awaiting their true master's arrival.

Gu Yuanming was holding a feather fan, and he walked freely and elegantly on the road in his phoenix chariot, with golden lotuses blooming under his feet. People with insufficient strength would feel dizzy and confused, but those who were attentive could hear the sound of chanting scriptures and seemed to be thinking about something.

This is the voice of the Tao.

There were constant exclamations from the crowd.

"That's the legendary Five Animals Fan, right? I heard it requires feathers from the Golden Crow, Phoenix, Vermillion Bird, Bifang Bird, and Chongming Bird to make it. Judging by its colors, only two of them shine. If only two feathers were gathered, the power would be unparalleled."

"Little Ming Wang's feet are blooming lotuses with every step. Could this be a lost ancient secret technique, the supreme technique of the Western Heaven Sect - the Nine-Transformation Golden Lotus?"

"No, judging from the lotus petals, there are only seven in number. It should be an incomplete Taoist method." Even so, it is enough to make people frightened.

Deep in the ancient world, sacred mountains, holy lakes... the gazes of all races were cast upon this place. Some, like the Chilong King of the White Sea, appeared openly, while others, like the Hydra of Canglan Cave, hid in the shadows. Regardless, they were all familiar with the future Supreme, whose fame resonated throughout the wilderness.

This battle had far more to do with humanity than just humanity. The Battle of Heavenly Blood was a battle between humanity's current generation's top prodigies. The azure-clad Human Emperor could sense the familiar presence of an old friend, but he remained silent. If humanity's future prodigies lacked the arrogance to demonstrate their skills and defeat all other races, they might as well return home quickly rather than pursue this supreme path.

Gu Lingnan's sight was hidden among the crowd. Although Gu Yuanming had a system that concealed his secrets, with the help of his double pupils, Gu Lingnan could still see traces of the magic he practiced.

"Ayao..."

Gu Jingyao shook his head: "Sister, no need. I have to truly defeat him before I can break that invisible chain."

He stared at Gu Yuanming quietly for a while and said, "Sister, let's go in."

Gu Lingnan nodded, and they stepped into the battlefield one after another, attracting the attention of only a few people.

The Human Emperor glanced over here as if aware of something, a smile on his lips. He originally thought that this Heavenly Blood Battle was not very interesting, but now it seems that it is quite interesting.

Xie Xinyan, who had been paying attention to the people on the battlefield, immediately noticed the two familiar people entering the field. She smiled faintly at Aruo and raised her chin in the direction of Gu Lingnan: "Look, the person you are looking for is here."

"Where is it, where is it?" Aruo, who was trying hard to find a familiar figure in the terrifying crowd, looked in the direction pointed by the senior sister and couldn't help but open his mouth wide.

"Ah, those are Luo Nan and Luo Yao." They are actually the sons of kings and princes! No, it should be said that they are indeed the sons of kings and princes.

Aruo was so confused that he couldn't figure out the situation.

The Human Emperor looked around and said, "I believe everyone who wishes to participate in the Heavenly Blood Battle has already arrived. In that case," he put away the Jade Seal, "then, the Heavenly Blood Battle shall begin now."

"Let me see, let all races see, that our human race has successors, our human race's genius can still subdue the Great Wilderness and become the master of this world!"

He laughed loudly, his voice shaking the heaven and earth, but all the races bowed their heads in silence.

【Author’s words】

Coming, coming