Chapter 489: Initiative

"I, the old man, obey!" Shou Zheng replied respectfully.

"From now on, you shall bear the title Shou Zheng, be reborn, and thus deserve a new name."

Gu Yuan looked at the loyal old man before him, pondered briefly, and slowly spoke, "The Immortal Court has passed, the past is like smoke. Senior, now you are a member of my Gu Family, so take the surname Gu. You have devoted your life to the righteous path, guarding the Immortal Court's legacy; this merit should be recorded for posterity. Then, let your name be 'Gong', and henceforth you shall be called Gu Gong."

Gu Gong!

Shou Zheng's soul-body trembled violently, he chewed over the new name repeatedly, and in those golden‑red flame eyes shone endless gratitude and relief.

Shou Zheng, what he guards is the righteousness of the Immortal Court.

Gu Gong, what he records is the merit of protecting the Dao.

The new master bestowing a name means he has truly been accepted by this mysterious and powerful clan.

"Old man... Gu Gong, thank you, Young Master, for the name!" He bowed deeply again, this time with sincere devotion and no regret.

After dealing with Shou Zheng's matters, Gu Yuan's gaze swept the great hall again.

He looked at the pile of Immortal King artifacts and divine materials on the ground, like a mountain of trash, and frowned slightly, seeming troubled about how to handle these "waste products."

"These items are all of poor quality, just taking up space."

Gu Yuan shook his head and said to Gu Lin Tian beside him:

"Father, later have Uncle Xuan Ce melt these items; keep the good materials to upgrade the Zhou Tian Xing Dou Great Array, and give the inferior ones to the clan's children to forge some playthings."

Upon hearing this, the people in the hall were fine; they were already accustomed to their Young Master's extravagance.

But Tu, kneeling beside them, went black‑eyed and almost fainted on the spot.

"Melt... melt?"

"Hundreds of Immortal King artifacts, just melted? Given to children as toys?"

Tu felt his heart gripped by an invisible giant hand, making even breathing difficult.

However, that was not the end.

Gu Yuan seemed to recall something and waved his hand again.

Whirr—

This time, what flew out from his inner world was no longer a treasure, but a sea of knowledge composed of countless jade slips, beast skins, ancient scrolls, and Dao steles!

Each of these classics exuded an ancient, weathered aura; the records on them were unmistakably the supreme techniques and ultimate divine abilities from the ancient Immortal Court era, long lost to history!

"Mixed‑Primordial Unity Formula, Southern Brightness of Fire Scripture (lower volume), Nine‑Turn Profound Skill, Eight‑Nine Profound Skill, Great Yin Scripture..."

Tens of thousands of unique Immortal Court volumes were uprooted by Gu Yuan from the Transmission Hall of the Sending Heaven Hall, packed, and brought back, now piled like trash across the other half of the Hall of Longevity.

"These techniques are rather interesting,"

Gu Yuan casually picked up a volume of "Sun True Scripture," flipped through two pages, and evaluated,

"Although most only reach the Immortal King realm, the principles they contain are quite valuable. Father, I entrust these to you; sift them, and those suitable for clan cultivation go into the family library, the unsuitable serve as reference material for analogical study."

"Very well," Gu Lin Tian nodded, looking at the mountain of Immortal Court classics; even his steady temperament made his mouth dry.

This was no longer a simple "harvest."

It was inheriting a complete Dao lineage of a lost civilization!

With these techniques, the Gu Family's future foundation will become terrifyingly profound.

And Tu, the moment he saw those tens of thousands of Immortal Court techniques appear, had the last sliver of luck and the last pride of being a Jue Dian Immortal King completely crushed.

If the earlier Immortal King Dao Fruit and massive Immortal artifacts displayed wealth and power,

then these tens of thousands of unique Immortal Court volumes represent a clan, a force so unfathomable that it can inherit a legacy spanning ten thousand ages...!

He finally understood.

The Gu Family is not a hidden sect, nor a sudden upstart nouveau riche.

It is a... awakening from slumber, a colossal entity older and more terrifying than the primordial celestial realm and any power he knows...

His previous petty thoughts of probing details and seeking escape now seem utterly ridiculous and childish before such an existence.

Escape?

Having offended a terrifying clan that can gift even Immortal Emperor artifacts and pack up an entire Immortal Court lineage, does the myriad heavens and worlds still have a place for him?

Fear!

An unprecedented, soul‑deep fear instantly drowned Tu's reason.

He realized his only way to live was to completely abandon all petty schemes and honestly become a dog.

A dog loyal to its master, wagging its tail and begging for mercy!

"Plop!"

Tu could no longer hold on; he lunged forward, dropping his knees to Gu Yuan's feet, and smashed his skull hard onto the cold ground, producing a dull thud.

"Master!"

Tu's voice trembled violently with extreme fear; he even dared not look up at Gu Yuan's eyes.

"Sinful slave Tu, blind to the great mountain, offending the master's tiger might, a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths! Sinful slave wishes... wishes to offer his true soul, sign an eternal master‑servant blood pact with the master, serve as beast of burden for countless lifetimes, wage war for the Gu Family across the heavens, through knife mountains and fire seas, without hesitation! All I ask is that the master grant the sinful slave a chance at redemption!"

As he spoke, he bit his tongue hard, spitting out blood infused with the essence of his Jue Dian Immortal King origin, which formed a mysterious complex crimson rune in midair.

Immediately, a fissure opened at his brow, and a strand of golden soul‑light bearing his life's essence was ripped from deep within his spirit and slowly merged into that crimson rune.

Master‑servant blood pact!

This is more domineering and harsher than any divine‑spirit contract!

Once sealed, Tu's life and death will hinge solely on Gu Yuan's whim; Gu Yuan can even, through this pact, read all his thoughts at any time and trigger his spirit.

From then on, he will no longer be an independent being, but Gu Yuan's most loyal and utterly unprivate... servant!

Seeing this, Gu Cangsheng and Gu Lin Tian were somewhat surprised.

They did not expect that this once unruly Jue Dian Immortal King would be so frightened as to voluntarily offer his very life and fortune.

Gu Yuan looked at the blood‑colored master‑servant contract at his feet, his expression equally surprised.

Such a pragmatic immortal king — he has never seen one like this before.