Chapter 29: The Longevity Daoist still has value, so… let's kill him

This voice wasn't loud,

yet it clearly reached the ears of every living being in the Profound Heaven Continent.

Immediately after, in the Longevity Daoist's eyes filled with shock,

the void before him rippled like water.

A figure clad in a white robe, black hair hanging over the shoulders,

with a heroic visage, stepped out slowly.

He had no earth-shattering portent,

nor any aura capable of destroying heaven and earth.

He simply walked out like that,

yet he seemed to be the center of the universe, the source of myriad Dao.

He merely stood there,

the laws of the entire Profound Heaven Continent wailed and submitted to him.

The visitor was none other than the current head of the Gu Family, the present-day Heavenly Emperor, Gu Lin Tian!

"Father, you've finally come."

Gu Yuan saw the arrival and showed no surprise on his face.

Still, it's Dad!

"You went out for the first time and even found that idiot Gu Xue Dao—I naturally had to watch."

Gu Lin Tian didn't even glance at the already-terrified Longevity Daoist,

his gaze warmly fell upon his own son,

and he reached out to tidy his son's somewhat disheveled collar.

"Big brother!"

On the other side, Gu Xue Dao, bound by the Lifespan Chains,

at the instant Gu Lin Tian appeared,

his restraints vanished like smoke.

He somewhat embarrassedly scratched his head,

stepped forward and shouted,

"I… was just playing with him earlier, not serious yet."

In front of his dignified older brother,

he, who is overbearing and supreme before outsiders,

was just like a little brother who made a mistake.

Indeed, that is exactly the case,

the overbearing Gu Xue Dao fears this older brother the most,

for no other reason than having been beaten since childhood.

"Play?"

Gu Lin Tian glanced at him,

"He almost put Yuan'er in danger—this is also called play? Go to the Law Enforcement Hall yourself to receive punishment."

"Ah?"

Gu Xue Dao's face fell, but he dared not retort, only able to reply with a bitter expression:

"Yes, big brother."

He felt wronged inside.

How would I know this crappy place still hides such an old schemer!

Besides, wasn't it Yuan'er who wanted to come in?

I advised him!

You're clearly just looking for an excuse to punish me!

Father and son, brothers, the three chatted about family matters as if no one else were there.

Meanwhile, the completely ignored Longevity Daoist,

at this moment had already recovered from the initial shock and fear.

He stared fixedly at Gu Lin Tian, his cloudy eyes holding only endless despair.

Heavenly Emperor!

This is truly a genuine,

a Supreme Heavenly Emperor surpassing the Supreme Realm!

Moreover, he is a true Heavenly Emperor with deep foundations and earth-shaking battle power!

Before him, I am not even worth an ant!

It's over!

Everything is over!

He had plotted for countless ages, on the verge of success, yet never expected to provoke such an unimaginably terrifying existence at the final moment!

Just what is his origin?

In the Longevity Daoist's heart,

filled with endless regret and unwillingness.

"You… want to seize my son's body?"

Finally, Gu Lin Tian finished handling his family affairs,

and set his gaze upon the Eternal Daoist.

His eyes remained calm,

but beneath that calm,

lay an endless chill capable of freezing the entire universe.

At that glance, the Eternal Daoist felt his very spirit as if it were about to be frozen and torn!

"I..."

He tried to beg for mercy, to explain.

But he could not utter a single word.

"Very well."

Gu Lin Tian seemed to lose interest and said lightly,

"Weren't you seeking immortality?"

"Then I shall grant you... eternal life."

As the words faded, he slowly raised a finger and lightly pointed at the Eternal Daoist.

Gu Lin Tian's finger, seemingly ordinary,

yet contained an unparalleled power that obeyed his words and could overturn the universe.

With that single point, the Heavenly Dao of the entire Profound Heaven Continent roared, as if trembling and as if submitting.

"No—!"

The Eternal Daoist let out a howl of utmost desperation.

He could clearly feel his connection with Undying Mountain, with Lake of Longevity,

and the indestructible bond between him and the Heavenly Dao of this world,

being torn apart by an irresistible force,

hard, inch by inch, stripping away!

The Eternal Realm he once boasted of,

stood before him like a sandcastle, easily erased.

The accumulated power of Longevity Essence over several epochs surged like a flood released,

raging out of his body and returning to that milky lake.

His middle‑aged Daoist form, just restored to its peak,

once again with visible speed withered and aged.

His cultivation, which had been at the pinnacle of Supreme near the Heavenly Emperor realm, plummeted wildly!

Supreme Late Stage!

Supreme Mid Stage!

Supreme Early Stage!

Saint Realm!

Divine King Realm!

…

In the end, his cultivation fell to a level lower than that of an ordinary mortal!

He became a truly decrepit old man,

a frail old fool who could not even stand steady, exuding a dense aura of death from head to toe.

"My power... my Longevity Essence..."

The Eternal Daoist collapsed on the ground,

feeling the endless emptiness and decay within his body,

his murky eyes holding only endless deathly silence and despair.

His schemes spanning several epochs and his arduous cultivation for many epochs,

were reduced to nothing beneath that single finger.

"Splash!"

He could no longer hold on, fell to his knees, and frantically kowtowed toward Gu Lin Tian and Gu Yuan.

"Heavenly Emperor, spare me! Young Master, spare me!"

"I, an old fool, failed to recognize the great mountain, collided with the Heavenly Emperor and the Young Master! My crimes deserve ten thousand deaths! I beg the Heavenly Emperor for mercy, spare me a dog's life!"

He abandoned all dignity and pride.

He only wanted to survive.

Even if it meant living like a dog.

Gu Yuan watched his utterly humbled posture, feeling not the slightest ripple in his heart.

Had he known today, why bother the beginning?

He walked slowly to the Eternal Daoist, looking down from above.

"To be honest, your plan was a bit foolish, but the system you created is rather interesting."

Gu Yuan stroked his chin, eyeing Undying Mountain and Lake of Longevity with keen interest.

"Using oneself as the formation eye, stealing the world's Longevity Essence, feeding it back... tsk tsk, this cyclical system, though its path is twisted, still has commendable core principles."

Hearing this, the kneeling Eternal Daoist saw a faint, barely perceptible glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Could it be... that he still has some use?

Dad.

Gu Yuan suddenly turned his head, looked at Gu Lin Tian, and a brilliant smile appeared on his face.

Just kill him; this world only needs one manager.

!!!

The Longevity Daoist still wanted to say something.

All that could be seen was Gu Lin Tian raising a finger.

That finger again!

However, unexpectedly,

Gu Lin Tian extended his finger and touched it to Gu Yuan's forehead.

No rush.

Although this body is now useless, it is after all a naturally immortal physique, possessing an innate affinity for the world's life laws.

Gu Lin Tian pointed at the Undying Mountain,

Refine him into a puppet without independent consciousness, let him fully fuse with this Undying Mountain, becoming the mountain's deity, or rather the world's spirit.

This way, he can continue to maintain the operation of this lifespan cycle system, helping us continuously produce lifespan essence; although you now have a manager, don't we still need a gardener?

Yuan'er, what did you used to tell me? Oh right, this is turning waste into use, sustainable development!

……

Gu Yuan nodded,

gave his father a thumbs-up.

My father has the bearing of a true immortal!

Gu Xue Dao beside him was also stunned.

One can still play like this?

Refine a supreme peak powerhouse into… a gardener?

Since Yuan'er you also agree, then as father I will make a move.

Gu Lin Tian said with a smile.

He raised his hand again,

This time, in his palm,

countless profoundly mysterious immortal Dao runes appeared.

These runes turned into golden chains that instantly sank into the Longevity Daoist's glabella.

Ah—!

The Longevity Daoist let out a wail a hundred times more horrific than before.

He could feel his soul, his memories, his very thoughts,

being gradually worn away, decomposed, and reassembled by those golden runes!

He wanted to resist, but could not at all.

In his eyes flashed endless regret and fear.

Now he finally understood what Gu Lin Tian's words 'granting you eternal life' meant.

This is his eternal life.

In a state without self, without thought, like a puppet,

eternally imprisoned in the cage he himself built, working for others.

This is ten thousand times more cruel than killing him outright!

In his final consciousness,

at the moment when it was about to completely dissipate,

he saw that handsome youth smiling as he looked at him.

That smile, in his eyes, was more terrifying than the most wicked devil in the world.

Soon, the wailing ceased.

The Longevity Daoist's withered body rose again.

But now his eyes held no spark, only emptiness and numbness.

He bowed respectfully to Gu Yuan, his movements as precise as a marionette's.

Greetings…… Master.

Hmm, not bad.

Gu Yuan nodded in satisfaction.

Gu Lin Tian waved his hand, and the puppet's body turned into a stream of light, merging into the deep ley lines of the Undying Mountain.

From now on, he shall be the artifact spirit of the Undying Mountain, the gardener of this world, serving Gu Yuan for all eternity.

Having dealt with this greatest trouble,

Gu Lin Tian's mood also improved considerably.

He turned his body, his gaze sweeping across the entire Profound Heaven Continent,

in those eyes that seemed to contain the birth and death of the universe, a flicker of ardor flashed.

All right, Yuan'er, the appetizer is finished.

Next, it's time for the main course.