To comprehend all laws and attain immortality

Gu Fan's control over the Zhenxuan Sealing Array is worlds apart from Xie Linyuan's.

Upon seeing this, the Du Chen Zhenjun, who was trapped in the formation, was instantly enraged.

"You brat, how dare you stop me!"

The black mist churned wildly, condensing into a hideous and distorted face, with features identical to those of True Monarch Duchen.

Gu Fan snorted coldly, his tone calm yet resolute: "I'm not stopping you, I'm killing you."

The heretical cultivators on the viewing platform had already fled completely, fearing that if they were a step too late, they would be caught in the crossfire. Only Gu Fan and Su Nanzhi remained.

Su Nanzhi also wanted to escape, but seeing Gu Fan step forward, a strange feeling welled up in her heart and made her stop.

After hesitating for a moment, she bit her lip, stamped her foot, and stepped forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Gu Fan.

His past experiences told him that Gu Fan would never do anything he wasn't sure of.

She chose to believe Gu Fan, even though he was facing a strange Nascent Soul cultivator!

......

To be honest, when the chaos first started, Gu Fan also considered leaving.

Who ruled the Qin state was none of his concern.

He had already received the payment for setting up the formation, and even though he felt some regret over Yun Shuwan's death, he was unwilling to risk his life rashly.

Even if the Qin state has not yet paid the Lingxiao Sect's compensation, that is something that Qi Zongyuan should be worried about.

But when True Monarch Duchen transformed into a ghost cultivator, the situation completely changed.

He knew the limits of the Zhenxuan Sealing Array; it couldn't possibly contain Duchen Zhenjun, who had broken free of the chains of resentment.

Once this fiend escapes, the Qionghua Realm will have one more demon that devours divine souls.

In other realms, there might be even stronger cultivators who would try to kill him, but Nascent Soul cultivators are already the pinnacle of the Qionghua Realm. With the three thousand years of foundation of True Monarch Duchen, he can even be said to have no natural enemies!

If it weren't for the numerous restrictions imposed after transforming into a ghost cultivator, he wouldn't have waited until today.

Perhaps by the time the states of Chen and Chu realize what's happening, True Lord Duchen will have already devoured enough divine souls and grown to an uncontrollable level, at which point he will surely commit boundless slaughter.

"You think you can kill me, a mere junior like you!"

Faced with Gu Fan's resolute words, True Monarch Duchen had no choice but to desperately try to break through the array barrier.

In an instant, the dark shadows and the array's radiance flickered, clashing against each other and bursting forth with dazzling light.

Gu Fan's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his face was slightly pale.

Using a third-tier superior formation to block a Nascent Soul ghost cultivator is a terrifying achievement in any region, and the consumption of divine sense and mental strength is astonishing.

Just then, Xie Linyuan came to his senses and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist. The Rebirth Sect will definitely repay you after this matter is over."

"After this matter?" Gu Fan forced a smile, his tone grave. "Fellow Daoist, you should quickly disperse the surrounding disciples. This formation can't hold for long."

He then informed Xie Linyuan about Du Chen Zhenjun's ghost cultivation state and how ghost cultivators could strengthen themselves by devouring divine souls.

The fact that ghost cultivators have unlimited lifespans was something he omitted from mentioning.

"Fellow Daoist, is what you say true?" Xie Linyuan's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

Gu Fan nodded slowly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I have seen records about ghost cultivators in the sect's records, so I recognized them."

The Lingxiao Sect had no records of ghost cultivators before, but from this day forward they will.

As the head of Wendao Peak, apart from Qi Zongyuan and Guiyun Sword Lord, no one in the sect dared to deny his words, and his statement was convincing enough.

Xie Linyuan nodded heavily, turned to look at the disciples of the Rebirth Sect, and said in a deep voice, "Disciples, listen to my command! All disciples may leave on their own, going to either the Chu Kingdom or the Chen Kingdom. Unless summoned by me, you are absolutely not allowed to return to Duyou City!"

After saying that, he looked at the Golden Core elders present and said, "As you all saw just now, the old thief Du Chen can devour souls. If he is allowed to come out, not only will you and I become his food, but the Qin Kingdom and even all living beings in the Western Continent will suffer his wrath."

"The fate of our sect rests on this battle! If you wish to escape, I will not stop you. But for the sake of the Dao Ancestor and the thousand-year heritage of the Rebirth Sect, I beg you all to lend me a hand and annihilate this fiend!"

By this point in the battle, the situation had long since spiraled out of his control.

Xie Linyuan chose to believe Gu Fan's words about ghost cultivators.

It wasn't just because of Gu Fan's mastery of array formations, but also because of the choices he made.

Sending disciples below the Golden Core stage away was both to preserve the legacy of the Rebirth Sect and to prevent them from becoming targets for the Dust-Crossing Sect.

As for the mortals within Duyou City, they were already too busy taking care of themselves to care for anyone else.

Even now, the Daoist seal above the altar has not yet dissipated.

Upon receiving the order, the numerous disciples of the Rebirth Sect dared not linger and immediately scattered and fled.

The Golden Core elders looked at each other, hesitant, unsure of what to do.

Two breaths later, an aged Golden Core cultivator slowly shook his head and said in a deep voice, "I will not leave. I was born and raised in the Rebirth Sect. Even if my sect is destroyed today, I will live and die with it!"

"Senior Brother Yunhe is right!" Another elder stepped forward, his eyes filled with determination. "Since my lifespan is already limited, rather than prolonging my life, I might as well fight to the death here. Our sect's thousand-year-old heritage must not end today!"

"I'll stay too!"

"Me too!"

With a leader in place, the other elders followed suit.

Having already heard of Du Chen's actions, they were filled with righteous indignation, and five Golden Core cultivators immediately stepped forward, determined to live and die with their sect.

On the other side, Duan Chen and An Hun exchanged a glance, nodded silently, and immediately set off with their escape light, turning around and fleeing towards the outside of Du You City.

Xie Linyuan indeed did not stop him.

Even though they chose to stay, Xie Linyuan dared not entrust them with important responsibilities.

Influenced by the two, several more streaks of light followed suit and departed.

In the end, seven Golden Core elders chose to stay and fight alongside Xie Linyuan.

Xie Linyuan looked at the seven elders with deep emotion in his eyes, and then he and the seven of them each occupied a side, firmly sealing off the entire Samsara Palace.

The purpose of this move was to completely block True Monarch Duchen's escape route to prevent endless troubles.

Afterwards, Xie Linyuan informed the seven elders about the dangers of ghost cultivators.

Upon hearing this, everyone was greatly shocked and their resolve to eliminate Du Chen was strengthened.

The eight people summoned their magical weapons and each guarded their own side of the defense.

Su Nanzhi also summoned her short sword and stood guard closely beside Gu Fan.

......

Gu Fan and Du Chen Zhenjun were locked in a stalemate for a long time.

The shadowy figure was worn down to only one-third of its original size by the array. The once indestructible array barrier finally gave way, crumbling inch by inch and slowly dissipating into countless fireflies.

Xie Linyuan and the other Golden Core cultivators stood solemnly, waiting with focused attention. Upon seeing the barrier shatter, they immediately leaped into action.

Xie Linyuan held a spirit banner and waved it towards Du Chen Zhenjun.

With a gentle sway of the spirit banner, ripples of pale white spread out, stirring the surrounding air like the surface of a lake, layer upon layer crashing against the dark shadow of True Monarch Duchen.

The other seven Golden Core cultivators and Su Nanzhi attacked simultaneously, their magical artifacts instantly engulfing Du Chen.