Gou's Liver Experience in the World of Demons and Demons

Even more terrifying, just as the longsword was about to strike his body, a sharp pain, as if a red-hot steel needle had pierced his brow, suddenly shot through the Bone Demon's forehead! A tyrannical, cold, and vast spiritual power, like a starry sea, ignored the defenses of his consciousness and forced its way in, throwing his mental awareness into chaos!
Although this chaos lasted only for a negligible moment, for a duel between top experts, that moment was the difference between life and death!
"laugh--!"

The faint sound of a sharp blade grazing flesh was exceptionally clear in the deathly silent hall.

Gu Sheng's figure flashed like a wisp of smoke, already landing several feet away. His long sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and a drop of crimson blood slowly slid down from the tip.

The Bone Demon stood frozen in place, a thin line of blood quietly appearing on the side of its thick neck. The next moment, the blood line burst open, and scalding blood gushed out like a fountain!

He instinctively raised one hand to cover his wound, while his other hand still gripped the ghost-head broadsword tightly. However, the rage and murderous intent in his eyes had been replaced by a bewildered horror mixed with excruciating pain and humiliation.

A severed neck is not necessarily fatal to a Venerable Realm cultivator with strong vitality. With timely treatment, the severed limb can even regenerate.

But what Gu Chi truly found hard to accept was that he had actually been... so easily, almost toyed with, by a mere cultivator at the Sect Realm level... killed with a single sword strike?! And this was after Gu Chi had directly confronted his strongest attack!

This disparity, this humiliation, instantly ignited all the ferocity and madness in his bones!

"Ah—!! I want you dead!!!"

Bone Demon let out a roar like a wounded beast, no longer caring about the mission or the consequences. His empty left hand suddenly reached into his robes, and when he stretched it out again, there was a jade talisman in his palm that was completely red, with illusory flames burning on its surface, and emanating a terrifying aura of the holy realm!

Within that jade talisman, a blurry figure could be faintly seen floating, clearly an object that sealed the power or will of a Saint Realm avatar!

He was actually willing to spare no expense, activating the power of the Saint Realm to forcibly kill Gu Sheng!

"stop!!"

Just as tensions were running high and a conflict at the Saint Realm level seemed imminent, a clear and authoritative shout suddenly rang out!

Despite her injuries, Tantai Xueli stepped forward and stood a short distance in front of Gu Sheng.

Although her beautiful face was pale at this moment, her eyes were sharp as knives as she stared directly at the seemingly crazed Bone Demon and the two companions behind him whose expressions were constantly changing.

She took a deep breath, her voice echoing clearly in the hall, carrying the unquestionable confidence and decisiveness of a noblewoman from a prominent family.

"I am Tantai Xue Li, the second young lady of the Tantai family of Zhongzhou! This secret realm is under the control of my Tantai family! You three holy lands have trespassed without permission, plundered the secret realm, and even attempted to harm us!"

She raised the pale blue doppelganger bead in her hand high, which exuded a faint holy aura, and her voice suddenly turned stern.

"If you dare to make another move, I will immediately crush this bead and summon a Saint Realm expert from my Tantai family! At that time, you three holy lands will have to give my Tantai family an explanation! Let's see whether your Saint Realm jade talismans fall first, or my Tantai family's Saint Realm avatar arrives first!"

Upon hearing this, the Bone Demon, who was about to recklessly activate the crimson jade talisman in his hand, suddenly froze!
Behind him, the black-clad man who had been shrouded in shadow, and the cloaked woman, also froze, their gazes turning to Tantai Xueli, their eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.

The Tantai family! An ancient family in Zhongzhou with a long history, profound heritage, two Saints presiding over them, and power comparable to ordinary Holy Lands! The woman before me is actually the second young lady of the Tantai family's direct line?!

Bone Demon's face turned extremely ugly, and the hand holding the crimson jade talisman trembled slightly, as if he was weighing the pros and cons.

He stared intently at the pale blue bead in Tantai Xueli's hand. From it, he could indeed sense a clear aura fluctuation belonging to a Saint Realm expert, which was definitely not fake.

His throat bobbed, producing a dry, hoarse sound as he forcibly suppressed his surging murderous intent and humiliation, and coldly snorted.

"Hmph! The Tantai family... What a prestigious name! Even if you are a member of the Tantai family, appearing in a secret realm secretly controlled by our three holy lands without authorization doesn't necessarily give you the upper hand! Who knows if you also want to seize the opportunities here?!"

Faced with Gu Chi's unreasonable rebuttal, Tantai Xue Li's pretty face was frosty, and her clear, cold voice carried an undeniable confidence.

"What a joke! This place is a hidden secret realm that was discovered by chance through an ancient, incomplete teleportation array within the 'Void Profound Realm' controlled by my Tantai family! In terms of who arrived first, it was my Tantai family who discovered and explored it first!"
When did this secret realm become 'secretly controlled' by your three holy lands? Could it be that your three holy lands have become so domineering that you can arbitrarily claim the secret realms controlled by other families as your own?!

Her words were reasonable and well-founded, clarifying the true origin of this place. It was an indisputable fact that the main entrance to the Void Profound Realm was indeed controlled by the Tantai family. And this hidden place was only accessed by Gu Ningshuang and her companions through a series of fortuitous events.

Upon hearing this, the three members of the Bone Demon were all momentarily stunned.

The man in black remained silent, but the shadow beneath his hood seemed to ripple slightly. A hint of surprise flashed in the cloaked woman's eyes, as if she hadn't expected the Tantai family to have such a clear claim to the "discovery rights" of this place.

Bone Demon's chest heaved, and the wound on his neck had stopped bleeding under the control of his powerful body, but the humiliation and rage of being slit in the throat by Gu Sheng's sword still churned in his heart, making him stare intently at Gu Sheng, his killing intent undiminished.

Just as the atmosphere remained tense, the gaunt man who had been silent and shrouded in the shadows of black suddenly moved.

His figure flashed like a ghost, silently appearing beside the enraged Bone Demon. He extended his withered, claw-like fingers and struck the Bone Demon's brow with lightning speed!
This point, while lacking immense power, carries a unique spiritual energy fluctuation that is cool, tranquil, and seems capable of soothing all restlessness and chaos.

The Bone Demon shuddered violently, and the almost bursting craziness in its eyes quickly faded, replaced by a slightly bewildered clarity.

He took a few deep breaths, forcibly suppressing the murderous intent and humiliation that were almost out of control. Although his gaze toward Gu Sheng was still full of resentment and coldness, he had at least regained his basic rationality.

The gaunt man then withdrew his finger and turned to face Gu Sheng and Tantai Xueli.

He slowly raised his hand and lifted the wide hood that covered his head and face.

What was revealed was a similarly gaunt face with high cheekbones and a pale, almost transparent complexion. He looked to be in his thirties, but his eyes were unusually bright. Deep within his pupils, countless tiny runes seemed to be constantly changing, giving him an unfathomable and calculating air.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a slightly stiff but still decent smile, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Gu Sheng and Tantai Xueli, his voice hoarse but clear.

"My name is Yuwen Ruo, a candidate Holy Son of the Divine Profound Holy Land. There was a misunderstanding just now. I hope Miss Tantai and this... friend will forgive me."

He first clarified his identity as a "candidate holy son of the Divine Profound Holy Land," and then lowered his stance, calling the previous incident a "misunderstanding," clearly intending to stabilize the situation first.

His gaze shifted to Gu Sheng, his eyes, seemingly able to see through people's hearts, scrutinizing Gu Sheng carefully. His gaze lingered for a moment on the longsword still clutched in Gu Sheng's hand, its tip dripping blood, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes. Then, with a hint of probing and confirmation in his tone, he asked, "May I ask, friend... are you perhaps Gu Sheng, the young master Gu, who recently defeated Shi Wufeng, the Holy Son of the Myriad Manifestations Holy Land, on the life-or-death arena in Tianyuan Imperial City, with the cultivation of a Grandmaster, and even withstood his self-destruction?"

Gu Sheng remained expressionless and nodded calmly.

"It is indeed Mr. Gu."

Although she already had a guess in her heart, a clear shock still flashed across Yuwen Ruo's eyes when Gu Sheng confirmed it with his own words.

The expressions of Gu Chi and Mei Qi behind him also changed slightly.

Gu Sheng's splendid achievements in the battle at Tianyuan Imperial City have obviously spread at an extremely fast pace, and even these people from the Holy Land who are on missions in the secret realm have heard about them.

"So it's Young Master Gu. My apologies for my rudeness."

Yuwen Ruo's attitude seemed to be a little more polite, but the scrutiny and fear in the depths of his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

"Young Master Gu's combat prowess is astonishing, and Yuwen Ruo admires it. However... today's events do indeed involve some secrets. As my companion said, this secret realm area is now under the joint 'care' and temporary control of our three holy lands, Shenxuan, Tianmei, and Tianxing."

Although the Tantai family controls the main entrance, the value of this hidden secret location... is extraordinary. The complexities involved likely require higher-level figures from both sides to sit down and discuss it carefully.

He phrased it tactfully, but his meaning was clear.

Our three holy lands have our eyes on this place. Although your Tantai family has made a contribution in discovering it, it won't be so easy for you to monopolize it. We need to call in someone in charge to discuss it.

Upon hearing this, Tantai Xueli frowned, remaining silent in contemplation. It involved the shared interests of the three holy lands, a decision that was indeed not easily made by a young lady from a prominent family like herself. Although the Tantai family was powerful, facing the three holy lands simultaneously placed them under considerable pressure.

Seeing this, Gu Sheng understood.

He stepped forward and spoke calmly.

"Since this involves negotiations between the Holy Land and the aristocratic families, it is certainly beyond the reach of us juniors. Xue Li, why don't you ask Senior Mingjing to speak with these three people behind the scenes?"

His words both gave Tantai Xueli a way out and also passed the buck back to the other party—if you want to talk, fine, but have the Holy Realm that can take responsibility behind you come out and talk.

Yuwen Ruo's eyes flashed, and the stiff smile on her face seemed to become a little more natural.

“What Young Master Gu says is quite right. Such matters certainly require the elders to make the decision.”

However, just as he finished speaking and the atmosphere between the two sides seemed to ease slightly, Gu Sheng's spiritual power, which had undergone the transformation of the Si Ming Dao and whose perception was extremely sharp, clearly detected that, centered on Yuwen Ruo, several extremely subtle spiritual power barriers, almost integrated with the surrounding space, had been quietly laid out like an invisible spider web, covering this area!

These barriers are not attacks, but rather a kind of early warning and blockade. They will detonate immediately if there is a violent energy fluctuation or if someone tries to force their way out, sounding an alarm and possibly even creating a temporary confinement!

Yuwen Ruo appeared amiable on the surface, but in reality, he was meticulous and cunning, never letting his guard down!
Tantai Xueli clearly sensed something as well. She glanced at Gu Sheng, and seeing him nod slightly in acknowledgment, she no longer hesitated.

She raised the pale blue Saint Realm Avatar Bead in her hand, took a deep breath, and tightened her fingertips—

"Crack!"

A crisp cracking sound rang out, and the pearl shattered!

A vast, powerful, and seemingly space-stabilizing aura of the Holy Realm erupted instantly from the shattered pearl! Space itself rippled and distorted violently, like a lake tossed with a boulder, groaning under the immense pressure!
"The mirror reflects all things, and the void takes form."

A clear, melodious, yet supremely majestic female voice seemed to come from the heavens above, resounding throughout the dilapidated hall.

The next moment, the void in front of everyone cracked open like a shattered mirror, revealing irregular cracks! From within the cracks, dazzling mirror light burst forth, and a peerless, graceful figure in palace attire, seemingly stepping out from the shattered void on a path paved with mirror light!
It is the embodiment of the sacred realm of Tantai Mingjing!
The moment she appeared, her deep, star-like eyes instantly locked onto Yuwen Ruo, whose aura was the most unique among the three present! Of the three, Gu Chi was fierce and ruthless, while Mei Qi was alluring and seductive.

However, Yuwen Ruo, who did not seem to have the highest cultivation level and did not carry any obvious Saint Realm incarnation carrier, could not escape Tantai Mingjing's perception because of the faint Saint Realm Daoist charm that flowed around him that was extremely compatible with this secret realm space!

Clearly, the source or lineage of the Saint Realm experts who are stationed at the entrance of this secret realm by the three holy lands and who have set up concealment and sealing measures are closely related to Yuwen Ruo!
"Junior."

Tantai Mingjing's avatar calmly fixed its gaze on Yuwen Ruo, its voice indifferent yet carrying an undeniable pressure.

"Now that you know that sacred sites and noble families are involved, this is not something you little kids can interfere with. Call out the person behind you."

When Yuwen Ruo faced the calm gaze of Tantai Mingjing's avatar, he felt a chill run down his spine, as if even his soul had been seen through. He dared not be negligent in the slightest and quickly bowed in respect.

"Junior Yuwen Ruo greets Senior Tantai."

He straightened up and, without hesitation, took out a black jade pendant engraved with intricate starry sky patterns from his pocket, and crushed it as well!

"Om-!"

Another burst of Saintly pressure erupted, but compared to the pure and refined mirror light Daoist charm of Tantai Mingjing's incarnation, which seemed to reflect all things, this pressure appeared more obscure and cold, carrying a strange sense of penetrating the spirit and controlling the soul.

The space cracked open again, and a slightly hunched, equally thin old man with a face that resembled Yuwen Ruo by six or seven points, dressed in a simple gray robe, slowly walked out.

The old man looked extremely old, his face covered with deep wrinkles, but his eyes were like the deepest, coldest pools, seemingly murky, yet occasionally opening and closing as if they could devour one's mind.

As soon as he appeared, his gaze fell upon the avatar of Tantai Mingjing. He paused slightly, then forced a smile that appeared kind but was actually a forced one. (End of Chapter)