Chapter 494: Slay Martial

Gu Yuan's gaze shifted to the next set of reliefs.

After experiencing a dark era that lasted ten thousand years, upon the ruins, a new civilization began to sprout.

"When the path of immortality is completely blocked, the survival instinct of all living beings will drive them to seek a new way. Thus, the second phase of the Seeding Plan, Establishing Martial Arts, begins."

Qi Shi San pointed to a huge relief; at the center of the image stood a towering, mighty figure. He was bare-chested, muscles bulging, and with a single punch he unleashed, heaven and earth shattered.

"Our people incarnated as the Martial Ancestor and descended into this realm. He passed down a completely new cultivation system that does not rely on heavenly and earthly spiritual energy, but only trains the body and develops the human body's treasures—the Martial Path."

"The Martial Path begins with tempering tendons and bones and ends with opening the body's three hundred and sixty-five primary apertures. Opening each aperture grants a measure of strength; if all apertures are penetrated, one's body becomes a furnace, qi and blood like a dragon, possessing battle power fearsome enough to rival a True Immortal."

Qi Shi San's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

"For those beings who have struggled in darkness for ten thousand years, the Martial Ancestor is the savior. The Martial Path is the only hope."

"They fell into frenzy once again, and the whole world witnessed an unprecedented craze for martial arts."

Gu Yuan's gaze fell upon the diagram of the Martial Path cultivation system.

In his pupils, the gray-black Extinction Source Power swirled, and in an instant he saw through the deepest, most vicious trap hidden beneath this seemingly perfect cultivation system.

"Using qi and blood as fuel, the spirit and soul as a primer, they forcibly ignite the aperture's fire. Each opened aperture seems to make one stronger, but in truth it is draining one's own life essence."

Gu Yuan spoke lightly,

"This path, from the very start, is a dead end leading to self‑destruction."

"When all three hundred and sixty-five apertures are ignited, the gate to immortality will open; stepping through it… one may attain ascension… but it is also the moment a martial artist's qi and blood are exhausted, spirit and soul reduced to ashes, and they perish, body and Dao erased—isn't that what I said?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Qi Shi San's cloudy eyes.

He did not expect that this newly arrived Forty‑Nine Sir would have such piercing insight, seeing through the Martial Path system's core deception at a glance.

"Sir, your insight is like a blazing torch." Qi Shi San quickly flattered, "Exactly so. This Martial Path, from its very inception, was meant to completely sever the path of immortality."

"After all, those immortals were not completely wiped out; letting later generations take up the Martial Path can utterly sever the immortals' line. Its sole purpose is, in the shortest time possible, to have the beings of this realm concentrate and compress their lifelong life essence, ultimately… forming the 'seed' we need."

He led Gu Yuan to the far end of the hall.

There stood a massive doorway leading underground.

When the door opened, a thick, almost tangible life essence mixed with towering resentment surged forth.

Below lay a vast space stretching beyond sight.

Within it, countless diamond‑shaped crystals the size of a fist floated, each emitting a faint blood‑red glow.

Each crystal sealed the lifetime essence of a martial artist's qi and blood and spirit and soul.

They are those who reached the end of the Martial Path, achieved perfection, passed through the gate of immortality, and then spontaneously combusted to death.

All their lifelong austerity, hopes, and glory ultimately amounted to nothing more than an insignificant seed in this underground palace.

Awaiting harvest.

"Over the past seven hundred thousand years, the Abyss Realm has given birth to thirty‑seven generations of martial artists; each generation saw hundreds of millions of beings join, ultimately forming these 1,296,000,000 Martial Soul Blood Crystals."

Qi Shi San gazed upon this harvest scene piled from countless lives, feeling no pity at all, only the numbness of having completed a task.

"These are the seeds you have come to inspect."

Gu Yuan hovered above the sea of blood crystals, sensing the immense life force and towering resentment within them; in his dark eyes a strange light flickered.

Well played.

Truly a well‑played move.

The Extinction Source Plot of the Now Faction: Zang Tian Ge is exactly the opposite extreme of his true self's Divine Nation Dao, which evolves the world and creates life.

One is creation and giving.

One is deception and plunder.

Yet, in a sense, they lead to the same end by different means.

Both are playing with the laws and manipulating all beings.

The only difference is that one regards all beings as family and subjects, while the other regards them as crops to be harvested at will.

"Is this… the Dao of the Now Faction: Zang Tian Ge?" Gu Yuan murmured to himself.

He saw that, deep within the billions of blood crystals, a faint yet extremely pure world origin was being continuously drawn out and assimilated by them.

This is the true purpose of the Now Faction: Zang Tian Ge.

They not only wish to harvest the life essence of these martial artists, but also, by this means, to drain the very last origin of the entire world!

Draining the pond to catch the fish, sucking the marrow from the bones!

"Sir, the formation of the Harvest Festival is ready and can be activated at any time." Qi Shi San said respectfully.

The so‑called Harvest Festival is a massive refining formation that can refine these 1,200,000,000 Martial Soul Blood Crystals together with the world origin of the Abyss Realm into the purest Extinction Source Power, which is then offered to the Lord.

"No need."

However, Gu Yuan shook his head.

He slowly drew the tattered black long blade at his back—Shattered Star.

"A mere middling‑thousand‑world's origin doesn't require all this trouble."

Gu Yuan's voice was cold and arrogant.

In Qi Shi San's astonished gaze, he raised the blade in his hand.

"I alone am enough."

"Sir… Sir, what do you mean?"

Qi Shi San looked at the ominous‑aura‑emitting broken blade in Gu Yuan's hand, his voice stuttering.

The Harvest Festival's formation, devised by the Now Faction: Zang Tian Ge after painstaking effort, is a supreme demonic array designed to harvest the world; it requires at least three full‑fledged apostles to jointly preside over it to ensure absolute safety.

This newly arrived Forty‑Nine Sir actually intends to swallow the entire world by himself?

This is downright arrogant!

Even if he is extraordinarily gifted and his power far surpasses that of ordinary apostles, after all it is the origin of an entire middling‑thousand world, together with the 1,200,000,000 Martial Soul Blood Crystals accumulated over seven hundred thousand years!

However, Gu Yuan completely disregarded his shock.

"Noisy."

Gu Yuan merely spat out two words coldly.

His pitch-black eyes glanced at Seventy-Three indifferently.

Just a glance.

Seventy-Three felt his soul as if struck by an invisible heavy hammer, the whole person as if hit by lightning, violently spitting out a mouthful of black blood, thud-thud-thud stepping back dozens of steps, and plopping down on the ground.

He looked at Gu Yuan with a face full of horror, that gaze as if looking at a demon god crawling up from the depths of hell.

Too strong!

Strong to the point of being unreasonable!

After all, I am also a genuine Immortal King's Disciple; although years of guarding this place have depleted my origin and my strength is no longer at its peak, I shouldn't be so severely injured by just one glance from the opponent!

Lord Forty-Nine's strength probably far exceeds that of a formal disciple; perhaps... only the top disciples could match him!

And those... some of the strong ones are not even weaker than a typical Pavilion Lord!