Chapter 285: Realization

Chen Che returned from the underground corridor and closed the door to the Secret Chamber, restoring everything to its original state. Just as he was about to leave, he heard footsteps.

With no other choice, Chen Che immediately flashed to the side, lowering his presence to the absolute minimum.

The room door opened, and Gu Yuanzong, Gu Zhengying, and Gu Zhangsheng walked in one after another.

Gu Yuanzong sat on the chair where the entrance to the Secret Chamber was located and subconsciously touched the button that opened the Secret Chamber.

"Dad, you must have seen it too; Chen Che is in the Grandmaster Realm, so the mysterious person from before was not him."

Gu Zhengying said with a face full of regret.

"Dad, I don't think we can blindly trust a piece of broken stone. This whole matter is inherently strange. If it wasn't Chen Che, I can't think of anyone else it could be."

Gu Zhangsheng said.

Gu Yuanzong frowned, appearing to be deep in thought. He quietly raised his head and glanced at the place where Chen Che was.

Meeting Gu Yuanzong's eyes, Chen Che's heart gave a violent jolt, which he immediately suppressed. He glanced at the time; there were only ten minutes left before the Invisibility Array would fail, and he had to find a chance to leave.

But just in case, he took out three Ghost Gate Needles and inserted them into his face, altering his appearance.

Gu Yuanzong frowned and watched for a while before turning back to say, "A cultivation realm cannot be faked. Since it isn't him, then let's think about who else it could be."

"Dad, do you have any suspects?"

Gu Zhangsheng asked.

Gu Yuanzong shook his head: "If I did, I wouldn't be asking you two."

"Dad, why don't we cancel the Ritual?"

Gu Zhengying said worriedly: "We have clearly been targeted. Now the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light; I am afraid something will go wrong."

"No."

Gu Yuanzong said with a firm attitude: "I specifically had people survey it; this full moon night will have the most abundant True Qi in history. Furthermore, we have laid the groundwork for so long; if we give up this time, who knows what complications might arise for the next one."

"Dad is right, I don't think we need to cancel it either."

Gu Zhangsheng said: "Big brother, when did you become so timid? Not to mention in Jinling, how many people in Xia can actually do anything to us? Don't even be afraid of that rat causing trouble in the dark. Once the Ritual is complete, we won't even need to take Beijing seriously."

"I'm timid? I'm being cautious! You also know the importance of the Ritual; if even the slightest mistake occurs, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Gu Zhengying argued.

"But now everything is ready, the location of the Altar and the time for the Ritual have already been arranged. To give up now would be falling short of success for the sake of one throw!"

Gu Zhangsheng would not budge an inch.

"Enough!"

Gu Zhengying wanted to say something more, but was forcefully interrupted by Gu Yuanzong.

"This matter is settled; the Ritual will proceed as planned."

Gu Yuanzong asked: "Now tell me about the preparations you have made."

Gu Zhangsheng gave Gu Zhengying a smug look and said: "Dad, the Altar is located on Moon Shadow Island, three nautical miles from Jinling. According to your instructions, I specifically had people survey it. When the moon is full, that place will be the most True Qi-dense place in the whole world!"

"Also, because we previously encouraged the various families to take the pills, a portion of them have already shown extremely high talent. I made a rough calculation: the Ding Family, Ma Family, Ouyang Family, Huang Family... adding these families together, there are a total of one thousand three hundred people."

Gu Zhangsheng beamed and flattered him: "With these excellent sacrifices, once the Ritual begins and the Array Diagram on the Altar is activated, they will all be your nutrients. Combined with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi of the full moon night, it will guarantee you soar to the heavens!"

Gu Yuanzong nodded with satisfaction and asked again: "What is the plan to get these people to the island?"

"Naturally, in the name of socializing."

Gu Zhangsheng continued to answer: "These one thousand three hundred people are basically all young people. It is perfectly normal for young people from powerful families to socialize with each other. Moreover, since it is being hosted by our Gu Family, they will be scrambling to come, let alone be suspicious."

"Very good."

Gu Yuanzong instructed: "Three days from now is the full moon night. Before then, I do not want any more messy business. Everything must prioritize the Altar Ritual. Do you two understand?"

"Yes."

The Gu brothers replied in unison.

"Who's there?"

Gu Yuanzong suddenly let out a shout, his voice like a booming bell. The entire room shook several times, and Gu Zhengying and Gu Zhangsheng were startled, their eardrums feeling a splitting pain.

Chen Che stood alive and well in the room, holding his phone, the recording progress numbers still ticking. He turned off the recording and grinned at the three of them.

Just now, when the three were talking about the Altar, Chen Che had become so engrossed in listening that he only thought about recording it and forgot the time limit of the Invisibility Array.

Now that the Array had dissipated, he naturally revealed his form. Fortunately, he had altered his appearance earlier and did not expose his true identity.

"You little brat, you actually dare to sneak in here! Your guts are truly not ordinary!"

Gu Yuanzong roared in anger, his aura surging violently. The raging True Qi shattered the rosewood desk beside him into powder. Without making any move, he arrived in front of Chen Che in the blink of an eye.

He struck out with a palm, his majestic aura like a collapsing mountain and an overturning sea. Before his palm even hit Chen Che, the power of his True Qi had already caused the ground to crack; the fissures spread like dense, swarming little snakes from the floor to the walls and the ceiling.

"Boom!"

This strike was too fast; Chen Che had no time to dodge and had to cross his arms in front of his chest to take the blow head-on.

"Pfft!"

Gu Yuanzong's palm pushed Chen Che's arms into his chest. Chen Che felt his internal organs churning and spat out a mouthful of blood. His body recoiled, slamming into the wall, and he was sent flying out like a cannonball from a barrel.

Having succeeded with one strike, Gu Yuanzong did not pursue the victory. Instead, he ordered: "Go call Black Tortoise, Azure Dragon, and White Tiger. Seal off the Gu Family for me; he absolutely must not be allowed to escape. Once discovered, there is no need to report—kill him immediately."

"Yes!"

Gu Zhengying and Gu Zhangsheng responded and left quickly.

A flash of panic appeared on Gu Yuanzong's face. He immediately returned to his seat, opened the entrance to the underground corridor, and jumped in. After entering, he saw the shattered stone wall. The Stone Stele that had inherited the entire history of humanity stood there alone, like a tomb of time.

"No... cannot... absolutely cannot..."

Gu Yuanzong's chest heaved and his shoulders trembled. A monstrous rage was building in his chest, on the verge of erupting.

"I will never allow anyone to interfere with my plan. One step away, only one step away! No matter who you are, I will definitely kill you today!"

Chen Che stood up from the ruins, clutching his chest. He began to run with staggering steps, but after only a few paces, he spat out another mouthful of blood. The churning, sea-tossing pain inside his chest was almost tearing him apart.

Rapid footsteps came from behind; the Gu family members had arrived. Chen Che wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and gritted his teeth as he moved.

A hand suddenly reached out from the void and grabbed Chen Che's shoulder; before Chen Che could resist, he was forcibly pulled over, stumbling.

"Cough!"

Chen Che rested his chin on the person's shoulder, his face twisted, and he couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of blood.

"Shh! Don't make a sound!"

Song Jinhe held Chen Che tightly, her fair, slender hand gently patting his back, while her eyes vigilantly observed the Gu Family members who were pursuing them.

"Eldest Young Master, the person is not here!"

"He cannot run out of the Gu Family; search for me inch by inch!"

………

Gu Zhengying led the Gu Family members running past Song Jinhe's eyes; only after they had run far away did Song Jinhe's expression relax, and she let out a breath.

"Kid, this time you owe me your life again. If I hadn't come to save you in time, with my invisibility Array as cover, let alone you, even I would have been discovered."

Song Jinhe stroked Chen Che's back and said.

Chen Che opened one eye and saw the Array Diagram shrouding Song Jinhe and him; he wanted to say something, but it aggravated his injuries, and he coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Song Jinhe was stunned, only then realizing how heavily injured Chen Che was, and even her tone revealed a trace of panic: "How did you get injured like this? What should we do now?"

Chen Che gave a bitter smile: "I didn't expect the Gu Family Patriarch to have such strong power; he showed no mercy, and I was caught off guard. I was truly careless... cough cough..."

"Don't speak for now, I will take you away right away!"

As Song Jinhe spoke, she prepared to carry Chen Che on her back, but Chen Che stopped her and shook his head, saying: "We can't leave. If you carry me, you will definitely disturb your True Qi. The others are easy to deal with, but the three Protectors beside Gu Yuanzong all have Earth Master Realm cultivation, and Gu Yuanzong himself is at the Heavenly Master Realm; they will definitely discover us... cough cough..."

Chen Che coughed violently a few more times and spat out blood, a sight that left Song Jinhe terrified and aching with concern.

"Moreover, Gu Yuanzong will soon suspect me, so I must switch back with Shen Qi."

Chen Che panted as he spoke.

"But your injuries..."

Song Jinhe's pretty face was full of worry; she hugged him tightly, using her own body to support his to help him lighten the strain.

"My injuries don't matter; I just realized something incredible..."

Chen Che breathed heavily, his shoulders heaving, and he showed Song Jinhe a reassuring smile, "Senior Sister, help me buy some time; in five minutes at most, I will be able to recover."

Song Jinhe nodded like a pounding pestle: "Okay!"