Chapter 295: Gu Yuan: "It hurts, it hurts so much!"
Seeing the Three Immortals of the Gu Clan—beings who were legendary ancestors—also being so easily subdued by Xiao Yan, the people of the Gu Clan were almost numb.
Their minds were blank, their arrogance shattered. A cold sweat soaked their backs as they stared at the young man who had single-handedly overturned their entire perception of strength.
They could only place their final, desperate hopes on the last person.
Gu Yuan.
The Clan Chief of the Gu Clan.
A peerless powerhouse at the Late Stage of 9-Star Dou Saint on the Dou Qi Continent! He was a true legend, a man who stood at the absolute pinnacle of the world, second only perhaps to the Hun Clan's Hun Tiandi.
[Inorin's Note: A 9-Star Dou Saint (Jiu Xing Dou Sheng) is the peak of power beneath the legendary Dou Di (Dou Emperor) realm. Gu Yuan is one of the most powerful individuals on the entire continent.]
Surely, surely, even Clan Chief Gu Yuan wouldn't be no match for this young Xiao Yan, right? He was their final thread of hope, the pillar supporting the Gu Clan's sky.
Just as this thought crossed their minds, another event shocked them.
After the Three Immortals of the Gu Clan were captured, another powerful aura was forcibly pulled from the elder's pavilion. Xiao Yan simply reached into the void and yanked someone out.
That person was made to kneel on the ground alongside the others.
It was the 8-Star Dou Saint, the Hei Yan King, Gu Lie.
[Inorin's Note: The Hei Yan King (Black Flame King) is another one of the Gu Clan's top-tier experts, only below the Three Immortals and Gu Yuan.]
Seeing Hei Yan King Gu Lie being captured so suddenly, without even a chance to resist, everyone's heart skipped a beat!
If an 8-Star Dou Saint was like this—treated like a mere chicken—how terrifying must Xiao Yan's true strength be?
Is the Clan Chief... really his opponent?
Countless people were deeply, profoundly uneasy. Their hope was extinguished, replaced by a cold dread.
They were afraid that in the very next second, they would see their revered Clan Chief, Gu Yuan, also pulled from the void and forced to kneel there.
However.
Time passed by minute by minute, second by agonizing second. But Gu Yuan's figure was still nowhere to be seen.
A new, strange hope reignited in the hearts of the Gu Clan members.
Perhaps... the Clan Chief wasn't captured?
Perhaps he was preparing a world-shaking counter-attack?
Perhaps… the Clan Chief really can do it?
Their eyes lit up, grasping at this last straw.
Little did they know, their beloved Clan Chief, whom they revered as a god, was at this very moment suffering ten thousand times worse than them.
...
The very moment Gu Yuan saw Xiao Yan make his move on the Black Annihilation Army, he already sensed that something was terribly wrong.
He immediately wanted to intervene, but the moment he, a 9-Star Dou Saint, even thought of acting, the Void Realm in the area where he was located twisted violently.
Space itself seemed to congeal, turning from open air into an unbreakable, viscous prison, locking him in place.
A figure stood with his hands behind his back, appearing before him as if he had been there for all eternity.
Looking at that simple, young-looking back, a look of absolute horror flashed in Gu Yuan's eyes.
In his perception, his spiritual sense that could scan the entire continent, there was no trace of this figure's Qi. It was a void. Even the space where this figure stood seemed to not exist at all…
Only by looking with his naked eye could he see him.
That profound, contradictory sensation was very strange, and utterly terrifying.
One must know, he was a Saint-Grade powerhouse at the peak 9-Star Dou Saint Realm. For someone to appear before him undetected was impossible.
"I never thought we would meet in such a way, Clan Chief Gu."
That figure slowly turned around, and as expected, it was indeed Xiao Yan.
However, it wasn't his main body.
Instead, it was a Clone he had manifested using the Three Lives Emperor Scripture.
[Inorin's Note: The Three Lives Emperor Scripture is a powerful technique, likely from the chat group, allowing the user to create perfect clones of themselves (Past, Present, Future). This implies Xiao Yan isn't even using his full power.]
After much thought, Xiao Yan still felt that personally, physically disciplining his future father-in-law was a bit too harsh. It might make family dinners awkward.
But with a Clone doing it... it was completely different.
If the Clone hits you, what does it have to do with my main body, Xiao Yan? This was his flawless logic.
Gu Yuan looked at this clone of Xiao Yan, his eyes filled with a shock so deep it bordered on despair.
"I also never expected," Gu Yuan said, his voice hoarse, "that after the abandonment of the Dou Di Bloodline, the Xiao Clan could produce such a terrifying young man like you... You have even surpassed your ancestor, Xiao Xuan."
Gu Yuan believed that he had already given Xiao Yan a tremendous amount of importance.
He had even boldly estimated, based on Xun'er's reports, that Xiao Yan was very likely to possess the combat power of a high-level Dou Saint.
That is, the combat power of a 7-Star Dou Saint.
To have a 7-Star Dou Saint in his early twenties was already a miracle that shattered all records of the Dou Qi Continent. It was a bold, almost insane estimation.
Unexpectedly, he was still not bold enough. Not even close.
His own peak 9-Star Dou Saint Realm... his power that could topple mountains and boil seas... felt like an ant in front of this casual clone of Xiao Yan.
"I believe I have been very polite to your Gu Clan," Xiao Yan spoke calmly, his voice echoing in the small, sealed space. "But you all seem to be… not very sensible?"
Gu Yuan's heart trembled upon hearing this, and a bitter, self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.
Polite? Who the hell would have thought you were this formidable?!
He spoke with some bitterness in his voice: "Xun'er possesses a Divine Rank Bloodline that has not appeared in our Gu Clan for nearly a thousand years. So, the Elders in the clan naturally wouldn't want such a pristine bloodline to become imperfect due to other things... which is why they have repeatedly obstructed you."
"From my perspective as the Gu Clan Chief, I naturally cannot offer you too much help in these matters, as I am the Clan Chief and must prioritize the clan's future."
"The people in the clan are merely upholding the interests of our clan. It is not personal."
"So I never hid my cultivation," Xiao Yan interrupted him, his voice still calm, but with an edge of ice.
"When Xun'er and I parted ways before, she already knew I had broken through to Dou Saint. And I didn't let her conceal my cultivation."
"The purpose was to demonstrate my value, to show your Gu Clan that I was worthy, and to avoid unnecessary, stupid things from happening."
"But it seems," Xiao Yan's clone took a step closer, "you all are still dissatisfied!"
"I, a dignified Dou Saint, still have to be scrutinized like a commoner when entering your 'Ancient Saint City'?"
"Mere ants at the Dou Zun Realm dare to show Killing Intent towards me? Towards a Dou Saint?"
Xiao Yan's voice dropped. "Does your Gu Clan really think that I, Xiao Yan, have no temper?"
Upon hearing such words, Gu Yuan's heart pounded wildly.
What Xiao Yan said was not wrong.
But…
Who in their right mind would believe this was true?
A Dou Saint in his early twenties? From a declined family in a small, backwater place like the Jia Ma Empire?
Even the most outlandish storytellers in the teahouses wouldn't dare to exaggerate this much.
Everyone in the Gu Clan, from the top elders down, thought this was something Gu Xun'er had fabricated. They believed she was lying about his strength to make her clan accept him.
He himself, Gu Yuan, was half-skeptical.
So, he did not stop the Gu Clan members from "testing" Xiao Yan.
His political calculation, as a Clan Chief, was simple.
If the test revealed Xiao Yan was truly a good-for-nothing, it would be even better. It could directly put an end to Gu Xun'er's thoughts. What is there to like about a good-for-nothing?
If Xiao Yan wasn't a Dou Saint, but had decent talent (a Dou Zun, perhaps), and Gu Xun'er still liked him, that could still be reluctantly accepted.
And if the test revealed he was indeed a Dou Saint (which Gu Yuan thought was a 1% chance), that would naturally be for the best.
From the Clan Chief's standpoint, there was no loss either way.
So he let the Gu Clan members, like Gu Lie and the Black Annihilation Army, provoke Xiao Yan.
But now... he realized his calculation had a fatal flaw. He had never, ever considered a fourth possibility.
He had never considered that Xiao Yan wasn't just a 1-Star Dou Saint, but a terrifying monster stronger than him.
Things had gone too far.
If Xiao Yan were merely a Dou Zun, or even a 1-Star Dou Saint, then undergoing some trials to marry the pearl of the Gu Clan would be understandable.
After all, the cultivation world relies on strength.
Even if Xiao Yan were a 1-Star Dou Saint, he would still be in a disadvantageous position in front of the behemoth Gu Clan. Gu Xun'er marrying him would be considered marrying down.
If you don't undergo some trials and pay some price, how can it work?
The problem lies in the fact that Xiao Yan is stronger than the entire Gu Clan.
The Gu Clan, in front of Xiao Yan, is the weaker party.
Strength reigns supreme.
It's your Gu Clan's good fortune that I fancy someone from your clan, and you still dare to test me? That was the unspoken message.
The relationship between Xiao Yan and Gu Xun'er was not like this, but the underlying logic of how things operate in this world was precisely this.
If Xiao Yan was weak, no matter how good his relationship with Gu Xun'er was, it would be useless; the Gu Clan would judge if he was worthy.
If Xiao Yan was strong, what if he had no feelings for Gu Xun'er? He could just snatch her directly. What could the Gu Clan do to him?
Since ancient times, only the strong test the weak.
How could the weak test the strong?
Therefore, the Gu Clan had kicked a 9-Star Dou Di-grade iron wall.
Gu Yuan thought it over and over, his mind racing, and finally resorted to playing the only card he had left: the emotional card. "Those Elders... they are also doing it for Xun'er's sake. They just want her to be happy and safe."
Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this, a cold, mocking smile. "What a coincidence. I am also doing it for Xun'er's sake."
Gu Yuan's heart dropped.
"If the people of the Gu Clan are so arrogant and overbearing, and they provoke strong enemies in the future—enemies they can't handle—implicating Xun'er... well, that would not be good at all."
"So," Xiao Yan's clone said, his voice reasonable, "I need to clean out some of the arrogant, stupid people in the Gu Clan for Xun'er. I need to teach them a lesson, lest they implicate Xun'er in the future."
He looked Gu Yuan in the eye. "This is also for Xun'er's good, isn't it?"
Gu Yuan was stunned upon hearing this. He opened his mouth several times but didn't know what to say.
Those in the Gu Clan who were dissatisfied with Xiao Yan were using the excuse of 'for Gu Xun'er's good' to prevent her from being with Xiao Yan.
Now Xiao Yan was turning that logic around, using the very same name of 'for Gu Xun'er's good' to deal with those Elders.
Using their own spear...
To attack their own shield.
He truly didn't know how to refute.
Xiao Yan looked at the silent, pale-faced Gu Yuan and spoke again: "If I were only at the Dou Zun Realm, I could accept undergoing some trials with Xun'er. I would have."
"Defeating the strong 'geniuses' of your Gu Clan, proving myself worthy to be with Xun'er... Xun'er is worth me doing that."
"But the problem is, I am a Dou Saint. And a Dou Saint whose combat power can rival a Dou Di. The Gu Clan daring to show Killing Intent towards me... that indeed shows commendable, if suicidal, courage."
"How about this. You want to test if I am worthy to be with Xun'er. Fair enough. I will also test..."
"I will test if you... are worthy to be Xun'er's clan members!"
As Xiao Yan spoke, his clone casually tore open a piece of space. He then opened up a stable, complete Small World, a pocket dimension that pulsed with its own laws.
[Inorin's Note: A 'Small World' (Xiao Shijie) is a personal pocket dimension. Casually creating one from scratch is an ability far beyond a normal Dou Saint, bordering on the creative power of a Dou Di.]
Gu Yuan's eyes widened in fresh horror. Casually creating a stable world? This... this was a divine ability!
"There are six checkpoints in here," Xiao Yan's clone explained, gesturing to the portal. "Blade Mountain and Sword Sea, Blazing Sea of Fire, Ten Thousand Year Ice Valley, Calamity Wind Scouring Bones, Endless Purgatory, and Absolute Trial."
"If anyone from your Gu Clan can pass these six checkpoints, then your 'testing' me today will be written off. After all, you tested me, and I also tested you. Courtesy demands reciprocity, and we will be one big, happy family."
"But if you can't pass..." Xiao Yan's clone smiled. "Clan Chief Gu Yuan should understand one simple principle."
"The strong... cannot be insulted!"
Gu Yuan looked at Xiao Yan's casual method of opening a Small World and fell completely silent.
Between Dou Saints, why was the gap so vast? This was no longer a gap; it was a chasm between a man and a god.
He looked at the so-called "six checkpoints" swirling within the Small World.
He didn't know how Xiao Yan had created these six checkpoints.
However, with his 9-Star Dou Saint perception, he could feel that some of the checkpoints contained extremely terrifying power.
If he, a peak 9-Star Dou Saint, entered, he would also have to shed a layer of skin, if not die.
As for the other members of the Gu Clan... Gu Lie? The Three Immortals?
Entering would be instant, absolute suicide.
Are you testing the Gu Clan... or are you testing ME?
Gu Yuan suddenly recalled what Gu Xun'er had once jokingly said.
She said Xiao Yan had long wanted to "spar" with him, to "teach him a lesson" for letting her suffer in the Xiao Clan.
The so-called six checkpoints…
This was revenge. Naked, personal revenge!
"Sigh…"
Gu Yuan let out a long, weary sigh. He wasn't too worried about his own safety. He was, after all, Xun'er's biological father.
Xiao Yan couldn't possibly really kill him.
But today... If he didn't shed a layer of skin, if he wasn't beaten half to death, this matter probably wouldn't be resolved.
"Alright," Gu Yuan said, straightening his robes with a grim dignity. "I am Xun'er's father. So let me be the one to prove... that I am worthy to be her father."
Gu Yuan gathered his Dou Qi and walked into the Small World as if he were walking to his own execution.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly at this scene.
Old man... Your good days are coming.
...
Upon entering the Small World, Gu Yuan immediately felt the difference in this place.
This place had an incredibly pure, vibrant essence of flora and wood Qi. It was a life force so dense it was almost liquid.
This essence continuously seeped into his body, nourishing his physical form.
[Inorin's Note: This healing energy comes from the Azure Emperor Wood Emperor Art, one of the Five Emperor Arts Xiao Yan obtained, providing near-infinite regeneration.]
With this special essence, Gu Yuan estimated that as long as he wasn't instantly killed and his soul shattered, no matter how severe his injuries, he would be able to recover.
If he encountered this essence in the outside world, Gu Yuan would probably be overjoyed.
Isn't this a proper great Opportunity? A life-saving, divine item.
But encountering such a thing here, Gu Yuan could only smile bitterly.
No need to think. This thing must be Xiao Yan's doing.
The purpose was to keep him alive.
Just as he had guessed, his life was not in danger.
However, he estimated, with this healing... he was going to suffer greatly, and for a very long time.
"Let me see… what methods do you possess, boy?"
As the strongest person on the continent, Gu Yuan quickly adjusted his mindset.
No longer afraid, he also wanted to see what methods this monstrous young man possessed. How could he be so powerful!
With confident, if resigned, strides, Gu Yuan walked into the first checkpoint.
Blade Mountain and Sword Sea!
The so-called Blade Mountain and Sword Sea was literal. It was a mountain range formed of consolidated blade light, and a vast ocean formed of swirling Sword Qi.
As soon as he stepped into the checkpoint...
Gu Yuan felt an incredibly sharp Killing Intent that made his soul tremble.
"This... this is 9-Star Dou Saint Realm blade light and Sword Qi?!"
Looking at the checkpoint before him, Gu Yuan gasped, his confidence vanishing.
Damn it. This wasn't a test. This was an execution!
A blade mountain composed entirely of peak 9-Star Dou Saint Realm blade light, and a sword sea composed entirely of 9-Star Dou Saint Realm Sword Qi…
How the hell was he supposed to get through this? This was the equivalent of fighting ten thousand versions of himself at once!
Gritting his teeth, he unleashed his own terrifying Dou Qi, forming a shield of golden flame, and then stepped into the Blade Mountain and Sword Sea!
"UGH!"
As soon as he stepped in, Gu Yuan let out a muffled groan.
Pain!
It hurt so much!
His golden Dou Qi shield, a defense that could withstand a meteor, shattered like glass.
Those terrifying blade lights and Sword Qis instantly tore through his defenses, then pierced deep into his physical body.
They rampaged wildly inside him, a storm of sharpness cutting his meridians, his organs, his very bones.
In just a few breaths, blood seeped and then gushed from all the pores of his skin. His entire body felt as if it had been put through a meat grinder and minced into paste.
If it weren't for that special, verdant life essence supporting him, healing him as fast as he was being destroyed, his physical body would have long ago separated into microscopic meat particles.
His entire body felt as if it were being cut by a million tiny knives.
For him, this was not a metaphor, but a realistic, agonizing description.
The crucial point was that this pain was not just the pain of his physical body being cut.
Those Sword Qi and blade light were infused with a foreign, destructive will. As they ravaged his body, that kind of searing violation, that kind of intense sensation...
Gu Yuan almost passed out from the sheer, overwhelming pain. The cycle of being shredded, then healed, then shredded again, was a torture designed by a demon.
Damn it! It would have been better to just get beaten up directly!
Gu Yuan regretted it. He regretted everything.
My daughter, what kind of husband did you find? You didn't find a husband, you found me a living King of Hell!
If he had known this day would come, he never would have sent Gu Xun'er to the Xiao Clan in the first place.
If he had known this day would come, he would never have allowed those idiots in the clan to test Xiao Yan.
Damn it, losing a daughter was one thing, but I had to suffer this pain too?
I suffered when I married my wife, and now I have to suffer when marrying off my daughter? Is this my fate?
Pain!
It hurt so, so much!
Gu Yuan was in so much pain that he almost lost consciousness, his mind almost numb. He didn't even know how he got through the Blade Mountain and Sword Sea. He just... endured.
But the moment he finally stumbled out of the Blade Mountain and Sword Sea, collapsing on the other side...
Tears streamed down his face.
Tears streaming down his face.
A dignified 9-Star Dou Saint Realm expert, one of the masters of the continent, was crying like a several-hundred-jin child!
Xiao Yan, seeing this scene from outside the Small World, sighed.
"Indeed," he thought to himself, shaking his head. "I am still too kind-hearted… Look how moved the old man is. He's weeping with gratitude."
"The Gu Clan was so excessive towards me, yet I didn't even personally lay a hand on the old man. I'm just letting him train. I'm such a good son-in-law."
—
In just a few breaths, the horrifying injuries on Gu Yuan's body fully recovered under the power of the verdant life essence.
This was naturally the credit of the Azure Emperor Wood Emperor Art.
With the Azure Emperor Wood Emperor Art fueling the small world's healing, it was difficult for Gu Yuan to even die.
Originally fatal injuries recovered in just a few breaths.
Gu Yuan couldn't even imagine how strong he would be if he also possessed such a divine healing ability. He would be truly unkillable.
But he didn't have time to marvel at this ability.
Because the second checkpoint appeared before him.
Blazing Sea of Fire!
This blazing sea of fire was, naturally, laid out by Xiao Yan using his collection of Heavenly Flames.
[Inorin's Note: Heavenly Flames (Yi Huo) are the most powerful flames in the BTTH universe, born from nature. Xiao Yan is famous for his ability to devour and control multiple Heavenly Flames.]
Walking over it would allow one to experience the... "exhilarating" sensation of various Heavenly Flames burning the body and soul.
In other words, it was to let Gu Yuan experience the intense, soul-searing sensation of absorbing Heavenly Flames, just as Xiao Yan had, but without the protection of the Red Emperor Fire Emperor Qi or a technique like Flame Mantra.
In the original story, Xiao Yan had desperately, painfully absorbed Heavenly Flames to become strong enough to be with Gu Xun'er.
It was time for this old man to experience it too.
The pain he felt at that time, Gu Yuan would now feel tenfold.
...
"Heavenly... Heavenly Flames!"
As a 9-Star Dou Saint Realm powerhouse, Gu Yuan naturally saw through the nature of the fire.
"A sea of fire composed entirely of Heavenly Flames…"
His mouth was very, very bitter.
With his Dou Saint cultivation, many normal Heavenly Flames actually couldn't cause him much harm.
After all, Heavenly Flames also varied in strength.
But…
These Heavenly Flames before him...
Without exception, all of them exuded the aura of the Dou Saint Realm. They were empowered by Xiao Yan's own terrifying power.
Terrifyingly strong.
If he stepped into it, the "taste" would probably not be too pleasant.
After much hesitation, his body still trembling from the memory of the blade sea, Gu Yuan carefully stepped into it.
Pain!
It hurt so much!
Without surprise, he let out another blood-curdling scream. The fire burned not just his skin, but his meridians, his Dou Qi, and his very soul.
Numb from the pain, his nerves on fire, he suddenly smelled a fragrance.
The scent... of roasted meat.
"What... what is that smell? It's... so fragrant!"
[Inorin Note: If you wish to support me so I can continue to survive and afford proper food, you can join my membership on Patreon [patreon.com/InorinTL].
As a special offer, I've opened a few limited-time tiers at a discounted price! You will get all the benefits of "The Plot Uncoverer" (normally $25), but at a much cheaper rate.
These slots are extremely limited:
"The Dedicated Fan": $9.99 (Save 60% / $15.01) - Only 3 slots
"The Lore Diver": $14.99 (Save 40% / $10.01) - Only 7 slots
"The Founding Pillars": $19.99 (Save 20% / $5.01) - Only 15 slots
Grab your slot before they run out! Besides membership, you can also donate via Ko-Fi [https://ko-fi.com/inorintl].
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]