Tang Ru's expression was conflicted and troubled.
The jade slip in his hand had not ceased trying to contact Li Guanqi, yet still there was no response.
Gu Chuan also realized what Tang Ru intended to do and pulled back, arriving before the dungeon.
Looking at the sealed entrance before him, his face turned exceedingly grim.
"Tang Ru!!!! Do you know what you are doing?!"
"You are going to your death!!! It's pointless!!"
"Why? Why go out there?"
Years ago, Gu Chuan had received favors from Tang Ru, which carried him through the hardest, most trying period of his life.
That was why back then Tang Ru had never worried that his eldest and second older brothers would go for the kill.
When Guanyun Pavilion was founded, Tang Ru contacted Gu Chuan at once.
Thus, the relationship between the two was more like an enduring friendship bridging generations.
Tang Ru's eyes were calm. Leaning against the stone wall, he said softly, "Some things must be done, even knowing they cannot be achieved.
"Right and wrong, good and evil, justice—sometimes they cannot be cleanly sorted out.
"If I believe it falls to me to do them, then I must."
The quiet murmur was exceptionally calm; Tang Ru had never been clearer-headed.
He knew what he was doing...
In the void, a pair of eyes stared fixedly at all this, chest rising and falling slightly in a sigh.
Just as the figure was about to reveal itself, its steps halted, and its form concealed itself once more, blending into the pitch-black void.
Boom!!!
Within the realm, Tang Ru abruptly unleashed his most powerful aura—mid Soul Formation Realm.
His concealed presence suddenly erupted into the open. The rotund Tang Ru teleported into the void above and roared at the top of his lungs:
"Stop right there, all of you!!!!!"
Spurt!!!!
Several primal energy spirit swords pierced straight through Tang Ru's limbs, sending his body hurtling backward and pinning him firmly against the stone cliff!!
Lu Hengtian narrowed his eyes, his hands manipulating the array plate pausing slightly.
Looking at Tang Ru, he frowned and said coldly, "Heh, stop?
"Who are you?"
As he spoke, the surrounding array plates were suddenly linked by black demonic flames, forming a profound array.
Inscriptions covered the void, and the array plates slowly shifted along a subtle pattern of arrangement.
Tang Ru endured the excruciating pain, his cheeks twitching faintly as blood trickled down the stone cliff.
"Me?
"Hahahaha, I am an elder of Guanyun Pavilion under Li Guanqi, and my father is Tang Wei, master of Treasure Pavilion in the Great Xia Domain!"
A glint of sharpness flashed across Lu Hengtian's eyes as he muttered, "Heh, what an unexpected bonus.
"So it was you who has been running the commerce for Guanyun Pavilion all along!
"Hahahaha, to think it would fall into my hands with zero effort! Don't tell me you happened to come to the Gu clan to investigate earlier events?"
Lu Hengtian raised a wrist. The spirit swords embedded in Tang Ru's body instantly morphed into chains, and with a flick of his wrist, he dragged Tang Ru over.
Bound in place by spatial power, Tang Ru could not help but feel a deep sense of helplessness.
Though facing a Mahayana realm cultivator, having his cultivation completely overwhelmed was only to be expected.
Yet a thought lingered in his mind...
*If it were Li Guanqi, he would certainly find a way to swing his sword!!*
*I... truly am useless...*
Just at this moment, before his primal energy was sealed, Tang Ru sent out one final transmission, then shattered Li Guanqi's jade slip!!!
Lu Hengtian did not strike again. Seeing this, the other two alchemists no longer planned to fight to the death either; they stood back-to-back in the distance, watching warily.
Zhu Ying ceased her attacks and urged, "Hurry and search! We don't have much time left."
On the other side, Yu Chang'an and Gu Lie were locked in combat, violent power venting recklessly.
The flames of the three volcanoes had now gone out, and more than half the peaks were shattered.
Gu Lie's expression was savage, his physical body battered bloody and mangled, yet the old man's tiger-like eyes blazed with spirit, surging with battle intent.
Yu Chang'an's plundered strength was not sustainable after all; after barely more than half an incense stick of time, only seventy percent of his power remained.
Enraged, Yu Chang'an could not help but curse, "Old bastard, if you can't be quick about it, come over and help!!"
Lu Hengtian's eyes shifted slightly. As his hands rapidly formed incantation seals, the ripples permeating the space suddenly turned much more urgent.
Furthermore, the investigative power of these ripples grew increasingly strong.
Elsewhere, Li Guanqi and his companions sped through the void, but even at their full speed, it would take some time.
Li Guanqi looked exceedingly grim; he had never imagined the Gu clan would be invaded at a time like this!!
What was more, over half a shichen had passed, yet not a shred of news had come out from within the Gu clan.
Li Guanqi had transmitted a message to Ji Yuchuan, but had received no reply either, which came as a surprise to him.
Gu Changsheng's face was as dark as stagnant water, terrifying fire power surging around him.
Meng Jiangchu was the same, not expecting such a major incident to occur, while Ye Xuan beside them wore a solemn look.
The enemy had struck so decisively, daring to move against such a formidable Ancient Clan.
Would these people target the powers of the Ethereal Immortal Domain next?
No one could say for sure.
Meng Wanshu looked at Li Guanqi with concern in her eyes, softly reassuring him that everything would be all right.
Yet Li Guanqi was more anxious than anyone. After all, Ye Feng and the other two were still inside the Gu clan's grotto-heaven blessed land.
If something truly happened to the three of them, he did not know what would become of him.
At the same time, he was deeply worried about Tang Ru's safety, though he felt that given Tang Ru's temperament, he would not necessarily be discovered.
Within the Gu clan realm.
The experts of the Lu and Zhu clans were numerous, striking with thunderous momentum and immediately overwhelming the alchemists, whose combat abilities were meager.
In the end, they had even captured over twenty Gu clan alchemists and hauled them onto the cloud boat.
The lowest in rank among these people were tier-five alchemists! There were even quite a few tier-six alchemists among their ranks.
The captured alchemists all had their dantian and souls sealed within their bodies; covered in blood, they were dragged onto the cloud boat like lambs to the slaughter.
Lu Hengtian kept his eyes closed, his brow tightly furrowed.
He did not understand why they had failed to find the grotto-heaven blessed land fragment mentioned in the intelligence within the Gu clan.
Even the spatial coordinates did not match up; they had found nothing at all.
Tang Ru gritted his teeth and said coldly, "If you don't leave now, you won't be able to escape. Li Guanqi's destination this time was the Nine Dragons Immortal Sect of the Ethereal Immortal Domain!
"After being ambushed by the Yu clan along the way, Xiang Huaizhi at the peak of the Mahayana realm and the Five Yang Ghost Emperor are all together with him!
"And... as far as I know, Nangong Xuandu is there as well. Are you really so confident that they won't make it back quickly?
"A peak rank-seven black flood dragon tears through the void at a speed scarcely different from a cloud shuttle. Do you still intend to linger here?"
Tang Ru's voice was swift yet steady, as if he were recounting matters that had nothing to do with him.
Lu Hengtian whipped his head around, and a hand violently pierced Tang Ru's throat!!
Spurt!!!
Blood gushed out. With a dark scowl, Lu Hengtian tore flesh and blood from Tang Ru's throat, his eyes narrowing as he spoke coldly:
"Shut up!! You noisy nuisance...
"This place is vast distances away from the Ethereal Immortal Domain. Do you really think they can return in a mere half a shichen?
"Besides... do you truly believe the present Gu clan realm is still in its original location?
"Hahahahaha, but what you said is not entirely wrong..."
The old man licked his lips and sneered. "Since we cannot find them, taking you back works just as well!
"If I remember correctly, you and Li Guanqi call each other brothers as well, don't you?
"From what I know, you two have known each other for many years, and your relationship has been exceptionally close throughout."
The crone beside him frowned and said in a deep voice, "Enough. Since we can't find them, take this fat man and leave first. The outcome is the same anyway!
"With Tang Wei behind him, we might even trade him for plenty of resources!"
With those words spoken, Lu Hengtian decisively stowed his array plates, clamped one hand around Tang Ru's neck, and turned his head to shout at Yu Chang'an, "Go!"
Yet at that very moment, a languid figure actually stepped out from the array barrier cloaked by the ancient boundary.
A playful smile curved on the man's lips. Looking at the group with a beaming grin, he said, "Leave? Where do you think you're going?"
Tang Ru's pupils constricted abruptly. Staring in shock at the man, he murmured in his heart, *Youming Blood Venerable!*
Chapter 897