My son is about to break through.

The white-haired mummy stood there silently, eerie green flames burning faintly in its eye sockets, locking onto Gu Xiu, whose breath was weak and whose wounds were festering.

It did not attack immediately, as if it was watching its prey struggle before it died, or as if it was assessing something.

But the killing intent and death aura, which seemed to be formed from billions of years of frozen ice, were like invisible shackles, tightly binding Gu Xiu, making it extremely difficult for him to even breathe, and his soul felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar, almost frozen.

Large beads of sweat slid down Gu Xiu's forehead, soaking his tattered robes, and his back was already completely drenched.

That wasn't just cold sweat; it was a manifestation of the body's instinctive stress response as its vitality was continuously eroded by the strange Daoist energy.

At the wound on his left shoulder, the black, rotten area slowly wriggled and expanded like a living thing, with wisps of black smoke rising from it, carrying a pungent stench.

He could clearly feel that the vital energy in his body was being constantly devoured by this extremely insidious power.

Even without this white-haired mummy, he probably wouldn't have lasted much longer.

The shadow of death has never been so heavy and real as it is now.

However, the desperate situation did not extinguish the indomitable spirit in Gu Xiu's bones and the pride belonging to the Gu family bloodline.

The excruciating pain and weakness, however, ignited the deepest, most primal instinct within him.

"You think I'll just sit here and wait to die? Dream on!"
"A terrifyingly resolute light suddenly burst forth in Gu Xiu's eyes, like a dying beast preparing to unleash its final roar."

Instead of suppressing the wound, he frantically mobilized all the remaining vital energy and blood.

Even knowing it was a futile effort, he was determined to unleash his most brilliant attack in the final moments of his life, making that monstrous thing pay the price.

A faint yet intensely burning aura, carrying the meaning of mutual destruction, rose from Gu Xiu's body.

This aura caused the ghostly green flames on the white-haired, desiccated corpse opposite, which had been playing like a cat toying with a mouse, to flicker slightly, seemingly revealing a hint of mockery.

It emitted a low, eerie sound from its throat, and its withered, white-haired arm slightly raised. A denser black deathly light began to gather at its rotting fingertips, clearly preparing to grant Gu Xiu a final act of mercy and completely end this game.

Just as Gu Xiu's aura reached its peak, and the black light from the white-haired corpse's fingertips was about to burst forth—

“Sizzle——!!!”

Without warning, the thick, viscous, dark red sky above this strange continent, eternally illuminated by the blood moon and sealed by the Great Dao's restrictions, was torn open by an unparalleled and terrifying force, creating a huge crack.

Immediately afterwards, a hand emerged from the crack!
That palm was not a physical object, but rather a mixture of extremely pure and terrifyingly condensed Netherworld death energy and boundless blood energy. Its entire body exhibited a strange color that was a blend of dark gold and inky black, and the palm lines were as clear as the veins of the Great Dao.

The moment it appeared, it exuded a terrifying pressure that made the entire Blood Moon Continent tremble slightly. It was a pure manifestation of power that surpassed all living beings!
The target of the hand was crystal clear—it was the white-haired, dried-up corpse that was about to kill Gu Xiu.

The white-haired mummy reacted incredibly fast!

In the instant that palm tore through the sky, for the first time, a trace of fear was revealed in its eerie green flames.

It let out an unprecedented, sharp, piercing roar filled with terror and rage. It abandoned its attack on Gu Xiu and unleashed the terrifying black light condensed at its fingertips—enough to corrode the body of a Heavenly Venerable—along with the deathly Dao aura that erupted from its body like a black tide, all of which it blasted at the giant hand that descended from the sky.

however--

When the black light, powerful enough to corrode everything, and the boundless death energy collided with the giant hand of the underworld, it was like a mud ox entering the sea, failing to even stir a ripple, and was silently annihilated by the dark gold blood and profound death energy flowing on the giant hand.

Immediately afterwards, the giant hand descended, ignoring all the struggles and screams of the white-haired mummy, and gently squeezed.

"Crack... Pfft!"

There was no earth-shattering explosion, only a series of crisp sounds, like crushing rotten wood, and a soft sound like a bubble bursting.

Under Gu Xiu's horrified, even bewildered gaze, the white-haired mummy that had previously been so arrogant and had driven him to the brink of despair, along with the eerie Daoist aura surrounding it, was easily crushed by the giant hand that descended from the sky, as if it were an insignificant ant!
The mummified body crumbled inch by inch, turning into ashes. The eerie green flames were extinguished instantly, and the remaining strange Daoist aura was completely dispelled by the power of the giant hand.

From the moment the giant hand tore through the sky to the moment the white-haired, dried-up corpse vanished into thin air, the entire process was as fast as lightning, happening in the blink of an eye!
A terrifying and bizarre being, capable of driving Gu Xiu to despair, was gone just like that.

Gu Xiu stood frozen in place, his mind blank, and he even forgot to breathe.

The impact of what I just witnessed was far more intense than facing the death threat of the white-haired mummy!

It was an absolute crushing on a level of power, a world of difference between a mantis trying to stop a chariot and a majestic mountain!
Faced with such power, all his previous resolve and desperate gambles seemed so laughable and insignificant.

A profound terror, originating from the deepest recesses of his soul, overwhelmed him in an instant.

“Who is it…!”

Gu Xiu suddenly looked up, staring intently at the slowly healing spatial rift in the sky. His voice was dry and hoarse, filled with unparalleled horror and despair.

Such a terrifying being could kill a white-haired mummy with a single palm strike from a distance; what level of strength must its true form possess?

Why would they be here?

Friend or foe?

If it were the enemy... I'm afraid I would truly be doomed today, with no chance of resistance whatsoever.

When the disparity in strength becomes so great that it leads to despair, the thought of resistance will naturally fade away.

At this moment, Gu Xiu felt only a chilling despair and confusion.

However, the terrifying entity he had anticipated did not emerge from the crack to deliver its final judgment upon him, this mere ant.

On the contrary, as the spatial rift was rapidly healing, a figure that was all too familiar stepped out of the illusion and into reality, descending upon this desolate and lifeless land of the Blood Moon.

Wearing a dark imperial robe, his figure stood tall and straight like an ancient divine mountain. His body was surrounded by a mixture of ghostly death aura and majestic imperial power. His face was calm and indifferent, and his eyes were as deep as an abyss, as if reflecting the cycle of life and death.

It was Gu Qingfeng!
"Father...Father Emperor!!"

Gu Xiu was completely stunned. His eyes widened, his mouth slightly open, and his expression froze in a moment of extreme astonishment and disbelief.

He wondered if he was having the most absurd hallucinations because of his severe injuries and impending death.

Why is Father Emperor here?

That terrifying giant hand that tore through the sky and crushed the white-haired, dried-up corpse with a single blow... was it the work of my father?
But then Gu Xiu immediately dismissed the possibility of hallucination.

That familiar aura, that majestic gaze tinged with barely perceptible concern, and the sense of peace emanating from the depths of his bloodline—all of these things told him with absolute clarity that the person before him was his father, the Lord of the Xuan Tian Immortal Court, Gu Qingfeng!
The overwhelming joy of surviving the ordeal, the unbelievable shock, and the exhaustion from the sudden relaxation of his long-tense nerves surged into Gu Xiu's heart like a tidal wave, causing his voice to tremble slightly: "Father...you...you really came!!"

At this moment, all notions of princely dignity and celestial demeanor were cast to the winds.

He was just a child who saw the most solid support in a desperate situation.

Gu Qingfeng's gaze swept over Gu Xiu, especially lingering for a moment on the shocking, still slowly festering wound on his left shoulder, his brows furrowing slightly imperceptibly.

He didn't say much, but simply extended his right hand and lightly touched the air with his index finger.

"Buzz!"

A crystal-clear drop of blood, imbued with unimaginable vitality and supreme Daoist essence, condensed from his fingertip, transforming into a stream of light that instantly disappeared into the wound on Gu Xiu's left shoulder. The blood entering his body was like sweet rain falling on scorched earth!

"Chichichichi——!"

At Gu Xiu's wound, the stubborn and frantically corrosive strange Daoist aura, as if encountering its nemesis, emitted a sharp and shrill shriek that seemed to originate from the soul. Then, under the illumination and wash of the blood light, it melted away rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into wisps of black smoke and dissipating.

The rotten, black flesh at the wound quickly fell off, and fresh flesh grew and healed rapidly like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

In the blink of an eye, the terrible wound that could have been fatal had completely healed, leaving the skin smooth and new, without even a trace of a scar.

Moreover, the boundless vitality and Daoist essence contained in that drop of blood quickly circulated throughout Gu Xiu's body, nourishing his damaged origin.

Gu Xiu felt a warm current instantly flow through his limbs and bones, dispelling all the coldness. He felt as if he had been reborn, and his condition was even better than before he entered the secret realm!
He moved his left arm, feeling the strength within it, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Thank you, Father!"

Gu Xiu bowed deeply, his tone filled with reverence.

Gu Qingfeng nodded slightly, his expression remaining calm, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

His gaze swept over the desolate, lifeless continent shrouded in a blood moon once more, and he spoke calmly: "Tell me, why have you fallen into such a state?"

Given your temperament, you wouldn't willingly venture into such a perilous place unless absolutely necessary.

Upon hearing the question, Gu Xiu's excitement subsided slightly, replaced by a deep sense of helplessness and lingering fear.

He gathered his thoughts and began to speak with a wry smile: "Your Majesty, this matter... is not what I wished for."

Your son and second brother entered the secret realm together, but by the time you realized what was happening, your second brother had vanished without a trace, leaving you all alone on this strange continent.

He pointed around: "The sky above this place is forever shrouded in a blood moon, the land is desolate and lifeless, and there is an extremely powerful Great Dao restriction that covers the entire edge of the continent. Your son has tried several times, even using restriction-breaking talismans, but he could not shake it in the slightest. Instead, he suffered a backlash."

Left with no other option, they had to search for a way out within mainland China.

Gu Xiu's face showed lingering fear: "Who would have thought that this place would hide so many strange, reanimated creatures with formidable strength?"

Your son was unfortunately pursued by an ancient corpse. After a fierce battle, he was no match for it and was forced to use the blood essence mark bestowed upon him by His Majesty to finally kill it. However, he was also severely injured in the process, and that strange Daoist aura invaded his body, making it difficult to eradicate..."

“That white-haired monster was the one I encountered while my injuries were still healing. Its strength far surpassed that of the ancient corpse before. If Father had not arrived in time, I fear I would have been in grave danger.”

After listening to Gu Xiu's explanation, Gu Qingfeng's expression became clear.

Just as he expected, the location to enter this secret realm is random, and if you're unlucky, you might be directly teleported to some natural wilderness or dangerous area.

Gu Xiu was clearly the one who was unlucky.

"I see."

Gu Qingfeng's gaze was like lightning as he looked up again at the invisible Dao restriction network deep in the sky.

With his current level of insight, he could naturally see the ingenuity and power of this restriction.

"The Great Dao restrictions here have created a secluded and forbidden area."

"Let alone you, even an ordinary Ninth Tribulation Celestial Venerable who rashly enters would find it extremely difficult to break free of the restrictions without the proper method; they might even be trapped and die here."

Gu Qingfeng spoke slowly, revealing the true danger of this place.

This is not only a dangerous place inhabited by powerful and eerie creatures, but also a natural cage designed to trap intruders!

Upon hearing this, Gu Xiu felt even more terrified.

Even a typical Nine Tribulation Celestial Venerable could be trapped and killed?
With my mere fourth-stage cultivation, it was already a stroke of luck that I was able to hold out until my father arrived.

Gu Qingfeng's gaze once again turned to the depths of the continent, to the area where the blood moon's light was most intense and the strange Daoist charm was most concentrated.

He had a vague feeling that something unusual was going on there.

"This place is extremely dangerous and unpredictable; we should not stay here any longer. I will take you away from this perilous place first."

Gu Qingfeng withdrew his gaze and made a decision.

As soon as he finished speaking, his left hand shot out like lightning and grabbed Gu Xiu's shoulder.

The movements appear casual, yet they contain a certain spatial rhythm.

In the next instant, the two figures transformed into a blurry stream of light, soaring into the sky and heading straight for the invisible restriction that enveloped the continent!

As if sensing that someone was trying to force their way through, the invisible Great Dao restriction in the sky instantly manifested!
Countless dark red chains formed from Dao runes appeared out of thin air, weaving together into a giant net that covered the entire sky, shimmering with ominous blood light, and carrying the terrifying power to suppress all things, enveloping Gu Qingfeng and Gu Xiu.

Faced with this terrifying net of restrictions, powerful enough to trap and kill even a Nine Tribulation Celestial Venerable, Gu Qingfeng's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even pause in his steps.

He simply raised his free left hand, clenched his fist, and then threw a simple punch at the massive blood-red net that was descending upon him!
This punch lacked dazzling divine light and overwhelming momentum.

But wherever the fist passed, the void, like fragile glass, silently and inch by inch vanished, turning into the most primordial nothingness.

A domineering and unparalleled fist intent, seemingly capable of breaking all shackles and reversing the cycle of life and death, suddenly erupted!
"boom--!!!"

The Great Dao's restrictions crumbled.

Gu Qingfeng didn't stop walking; he left the place in one step.

next moment.

Both of them appeared in the starry sky.

"Phew, it's finally out!"

Having escaped that strange continent, Gu Xiu felt a sense of relief, as if he had survived a calamity. He looked back at the strange continent ahead, his eyes filled with apprehension.

If it weren't for his father's appearance, he would have perished here in this strange and forbidden place.

at this time.

Gu Qingfeng said, "Wait here for a moment, and I will enter this forbidden area to investigate further."

"Father, be careful!"

"Um--"

Gu Qingfeng nodded, said no more, and stepped into the forbidden area. (End of Chapter)