I have changed my destiny and become an unparalleled immortal.

And what's the deal with this "foundation entering the Purple Mansion"?

This is absolutely not the normal state of the cultivation method.

Could this mutation be due to the Heavenly Dao and the Book of Changes in Fate that just happened?

Was it that Heaven wanted to destroy him, and he was trapped in a desperate situation? The Book of Destiny forcibly changed this situation, opening up a mutated path for him through this predicament.

Gu Yun sighed.

I stopped thinking about it; it was pointless anyway, it was all gone.

Gu Yun looked at his empty dantian.

Startled, a conjecture arose in his mind: this Purple Mansion has thirteen beads, so it wouldn't need thirteen Dao Foundations; it might even need fourteen. The Dantian itself should have one.

Gu Yun tried to activate the Dao Foundation of his Purple Mansion, but found it didn't move. Looking at the empty dantian, it seemed he would have to start cultivating again.

Gu Yun stood there blankly, rain streaming down his face.

Generally speaking, if one can use all the precious treasures of heaven and earth and experience many life-and-death dangers to condense a perfect Dao foundation in the dantian, then one is qualified to be called a peerless genius and stand out among others in one's own sect.

But in this cruel world of cultivation, he insisted on working hard to create fourteen Dao foundations himself.

This means that the vast resources he had just absorbed from hundreds of elite personnel, and even devoured from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, were only enough to fill the pit containing the [Joyful] Pearl.

He needs to devour thirteen more Foundation Establishment cultivators. Does he have to devour Golden Core cultivators too? Wouldn't that be courting death?

Gu Yun attempted to activate the Dao Foundation within his Purple Mansion.

Not moving.

In other words, he now has a lifespan of two hundred years.

His physical body wasn't much stronger than that of an ordinary person.

However, his spiritual power was as if it had returned to pre-liberation levels, and he was unable to cast a single spell.

"Hehe...hehehehe..."

A low laugh came from Gu Yun's throat. It started as a soft laugh, then gradually grew louder, and finally became a maniacal laugh.

The voice was slightly mournful.

"Fourteen Dao Foundations... Hahahaha! Not bad! This is Heaven's will to destroy me."

"The current situation is not good."

Gu Yun looked inward again and found his dantian completely empty, as if he couldn't accept this reality.

His lips twitched uncontrollably.

"If a newbie at the first level of Qi Refining comes along and throws a huge fireball from more than ten feet away, I'm doomed."

Gu Yun was taken aback.

If Elder Kuyin's life tablet is broken, the Hehuan Sect will definitely mobilize.

Immediately afterwards, the vicinity of the Blissful Pavilion would soon be searched by old monsters in the Foundation Establishment stage and even the Golden Core stage using their divine senses as if plowing through a field.

At this critical moment, one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems mentions that retreat is the best course of action.

Given the current situation, the identity of "Old Ghost" can no longer be used.

Gu Yun's movements were extremely swift.

He immediately tore off his Purple Void Sect Dark Hall assassin uniform, the bronze mask representing Old Ghost, and the blood-red longsword.

He then found the deepest part of the swamp, stomped into it, and buried it all with a thick layer of decaying leaves and mud.

After Gu Yun took off his assassin outfit, you could see that he was wearing a thin, rough linen civilian outfit underneath.

The clothes he's wearing now feel a little tight.

His long, silver-gray hair was wet from the rain.

At that moment, he looked like a down-on-his-luck hunter or a woodcutter.

"Walk!"

Gu Yun did not delay at all.

Although he had lost his spiritual power, his hearing and sense of smell far surpassed those of ordinary people.

Taking advantage of the downpour, he quickly escaped.

……

As the sky began to brighten, the rain gradually subsided, turning into a light drizzle.

They have already fled for about 300 li.

Gu Yun lay prone behind a very dense thicket of bushes, holding his breath.

Not long ago, three figures of Hehuan Sect disciples riding on flying magical artifacts flew past in mid-air.

The search net has been cast.

Gu Yun's eyes narrowed slightly; his search was incredibly fast.

He was preparing to change direction and continue his stealth.

Suddenly, his ears, which were far superior to those of ordinary people, detected a strange sound that was extremely faint.

"...Father...help me..."

"A child's voice?"

Gu Yun frowned.

This place is in a state of chaos due to war, and there are monsters running around everywhere. It is a desolate wilderness.

How could there be a child's voice?

He had no intention of meddling in other people's business.

But the image of Luo Ling'er, small and innocent, involuntarily appeared in his mind. The image of Luo Ling'er calling him "Grandpa" and stuffing him with osmanthus cake.

Inside the Purple Mansion, the Thought Pearl flickered slightly.

Gu Yun sighed, lowered his body, and silently crept over, following the soft sobbing sound.

Pushing aside a patch of weeds about half a person's height, Gu Yun's gaze fell upon a hidden cave entrance ahead.

This is a deep cave used to trap wild animals, and it is more than two zhang deep. The entrance was originally covered with withered branches and leaves for camouflage, but now it has collapsed halfway.

At the bottom of the deep cave, there are more than a dozen sharp wooden spikes standing upside down.

If a person falls, they will definitely be pierced immediately.

But above the edge of the trap, there was a boy of seven or eight years old.

This child is very lucky.

When he fell, he landed right on a slope at the edge of the hole.

His left ankle was pierced by a splinter on the edge, and the blood was flowing slowly, indicating that it had been there for quite some time.

He gripped the soil tightly with both hands, his whole body was drenched by rain and his face was white, and his cries were weak.

"Don't move."

From the entrance of that cave, Gu Yun's deep and hoarse voice came out.

The little boy struggled to lift his head.

Upon seeing an elderly man with white hair standing at the entrance of the cave, a glimmer of hope immediately appeared in his eyes, and he spoke.

"Uncle... please help me..."

Gu Yun didn't say much more; he looked around.

If the timeframe were last night, he could have used his telekinesis to summon the child out of thin air.

However, since he has already lost his cultivation, he can only resort to the methods of ordinary people.

Gu Yun hurriedly searched the surrounding area for many small branches with dense leaves and soft clods of soil, and then accurately threw them at the many sharp wooden spikes at the bottom of the cave.

Before long, the tips of many deadly thorns were covered by thick branches, leaves, and soil, forming a buffer zone.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Yun walked to a large tree next to him and then took a liking to several branches that were as thick as an arm.

He reached out and snapped it open forcefully.

Click!Click!

The branch broke off easily.

Gu Yun himself was slightly taken aback; the physical body of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was indeed much stronger than that of a Qi Refining cultivator.

He casually tore off the tough vines, tied several large branches together tightly, and made a simple long ladder, which he then lowered to the bottom of the cave.

"Hurry up."

Gu Yun slid down the tree branch to the bottom of the cave like a nimble ape.

He held the trembling little boy in his arms, pressed down on the boy's pierced ankle with his other hand, and then very decisively pulled the boy off the splinter.

The boy suddenly screamed and almost fainted.

Gu Yun quickly climbed out of the deep hole. Then, Gu Yun gently placed the boy on the dry grass.

He tore a strip of cloth from his rather thin linen clothes with a hissing sound.

While crushing common hemostatic herbs found in the mountains and applying them to the wound, he quickly and skillfully bandaged the boy's ankle tightly.

This is the ordinary survival instinct he retained from his experiences of struggling in the army during those chaotic times.

My life has been saved.

After treating the wound, Gu Yun looked at the child who was shivering from the cold and asked, "Where do you live?"

"In that ravine ahead."

The boy gasped for breath in pain and pointed in one direction.

Gu Yun hoisted the boy onto his broad shoulders.

Guided by the boy, they avoided the main road and quickly traversed the dense forest.

After an incense stick has burned.

We arrived at an extremely secluded mountain hollow.

There are mountains and water nearby, and a small wooden cabin.

This little wooden cabin is rather simple but very sturdy.

Several dried animal hides hung under the eaves, and there were scattered animal traps and firewood in the yard.

Gu Yun pushed open the wooden door and looked around the room.

The house was furnished with very simple items, including only a wooden bed, a stone stove, and a few old farm tools.

Gu Yun placed the boy on the wooden bed and asked, "Are you alone?"

The boy huddled in the corner of the bed.

Large tears finally rolled down his dirty little face, and he choked out as he said:

"My name is Stone, and my family consists of only me and my father."

"My father was a hunter. Five days ago, he went into the mountains to check the traps, claiming he would bring me some large hares. But he never returned."

"I was extremely hungry, so I decided to go find my father myself. But I accidentally fell into a trap that my father had dug."

"Hasn't returned in five days?"

Gu Yun narrowed his eyes slightly.

These mountains are teeming with demonic beasts, and disciples of the Hehuan Sect are currently searching the entire mountain.

An ordinary hunter has been missing for five days, and he is most likely to have become the excrement of wild animals.

That hunter will never come back.

Gu Yun looked at the child in front of her. The child was all alone, clutching his injured ankle and silently shedding tears.

Looking at the small wooden house again, it was very remote, as if it were isolated from the outside world.

He is currently worried about not having a perfect identity to evade the pursuit of the Hehuan Sect, and at the same time, he urgently needs a quiet place to study himself.

This is a hunter's cabin, and there is an orphan boy who has lost his father. Isn't this a perfect cover sent by God?

"Don't cry."

Gu Yun walked to the stone stove, skillfully lit the fire, poured the remaining small amount of millet from the corner into the pot, and then grabbed a handful of wild vegetables from outside the yard and threw them into the pot.

The flickering firelight reflected on his face, giving people a sense of peace.

"Your father is not coming back."

Gu Yun's way of speaking was very direct and rather cruel, which shattered Xiao Shitou's illusions.

Stone cried desperately there. Gu Yunyun walked to the bedside with a bowl of steaming wild vegetable porridge and looked down at Stone from a higher position.

"But you survived."

Gu Yun handed the porridge to Shi Tou.

"From today onwards, call me Uncle."

"If anyone comes to search the mountain and asks questions, just tell them..."

Gu Yun opened his mouth and said, "I am your distant uncle."