Mystic Abyss Prison-Suppressing Art

This flaw was nothing during times of peace; living a long life was actually a blessing.

However, in times of turmoil, an era that demanded rapid improvements in strength to deal with crises, this flaw became a fatal weakness.

Gu Changyuan happened to be able to help them solve this problem.

In the Ruins of Disorder, he had unexpectedly obtained some cultivation methods and secret techniques that were just right for the job.

Among them was a technique called the Mystic Nether Hell-Suppressing Art, which pointed directly to the bloodline origin of the Mystic Turtle clan—Xuanwu.

The ancient divine beast Xuanwu possessed a dual body of a turtle and a snake. The turtle governed defense, guarding, and bearing weight, while the snake governed slaughter, devouring, and transformation. Only when the turtle and snake merged could the Xuanwu bloodline be considered complete.

However, within the inherited true bloodline avatars of the Mystic Turtle clan in the Wanluo Immortal Realm, there was only the turtle body and no snake body.

The appearance of this cultivation method meant that the degradation of the Xuanwu bloodline into the Mystic Turtle bloodline had not only occurred in the Wanluo Immortal Realm.

In other immortal realms and other domains, there were similar severed inheritances; otherwise, such a highly targeted technique could never have been created.

When Gu Changyuan acquired this technique in the Ruins of Disorder, he did not pay it much mind. He was not a Mystic Turtle, so he had no use for it.

But he kept it anyway, because in a place like the Ruins of Disorder, anything could serve as a bargaining chip for survival the next day—cultivation methods, medicinal pills, magical treasures, intelligence, or even a single sentence from a stranger.

He had developed a habit of keeping everything, thinking that it might come in handy one day.

Over the years since he arrived in the Jiuxiao Realm, this habit had proven its foresight time and time again.

Practicing this technique inherently had bloodline restrictions—only demon cultivators of the Mystic Turtle lineage could practice it.

Although practitioners could not undergo atavism to become a Xuanwu through this technique, as the chasm of bloodlines was not something a single cultivation method could cross.

They could still condense a phantom snake outside their bodies.

The phantom snake was not a physical entity, nor was it a bloodline; rather, it was the physical manifestation of the technique's power.

Using the practitioner's Mystic Turtle bloodline as a foundation and the technique's special circulation method as a skeleton, it condensed into a snake-like phantom formed purely of spiritual energy.

The phantom snake could help the Mystic Turtle accelerate the absorption of surrounding spiritual energy, elevating their originally slow rate of spiritual energy accumulation to a whole new level.

More importantly, the phantom snake possessed formidable offensive capabilities.

Of course, the technique that Gu Changyuan sent to the Northern Nether Mystic Turtles was only the foundational part required to cultivate the phantom snake, and it was merely an incomplete fragment.

Naturally, Gu Changyuan kept the complete text and the supplementary techniques regarding the phantom snake's offensive abilities for himself.

It was not out of distrust, but because he needed to retain enough bargaining chips before a formal partnership was established.

However, he could be certain that the Northern Nether Mystic Turtles desperately needed this technique.

Even if it was just a fragment, and even if it only contained the foundational parts, it was enough to make them place sufficient trust in the sincerity and capabilities of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

Listening to Tushan Youyao's report, Gu Changyuan then asked about the situation on the Dongfang Immortal Island.

The Dongfang Clan were dragons, one of the top factions in the demon realm.

Unlike the Northern Nether Mystic Turtles, they did not have that kind of innate flaw.

The Imperial Court's reach had not yet touched the Demon Immortal Realm, at least not for the time being.

The dragon race also lacked the hidden worry of the Nanming Phoenix Clan, who feared that the orthodox lineage from the upper realm might come to settle scores.

They lacked neither cultivation methods, nor resources, nor powerful backers. There was no pressing reason for them to join someone else's faction.

For now, there was no breakthrough point.

Gu Changyuan was not in a hurry. Some things could not be rushed, and some predestined affinities had simply not yet arrived.

Good.

He stood up from his chair and walked to the window, his gaze falling upon the mountain forest illuminated by the morning light.

Once a reply comes from the Northern Nether Mystic Turtles, let me know.

Yes, Master.

Tushan Youyao's voice came from behind him, gentle yet firm.

Gu Changyuan nodded, then turned to leave, teleporting himself to the Heavenly Human Holy Land.

...

Upon returning to the Heavenly Human Holy Land, Gu Changyuan saw Jun Anshi sitting at the edge of a mountain peak. Her legs dangled in the air, swaying slightly, and she rested her head in her hands, gazing thoughtfully into the distance.

He walked over to Jun Anshi's side and sat down next to her.

Xiao Shi, what are you thinking about?

Jun Anshi had long grown accustomed to her master suddenly appearing beside her, so she was not overly surprised.

Resting her head on her hands, she looked at Gu Changyuan and slowly spoke:

Master, do you think I am truly not fated to meet Xuanxu? It has been fifty years, and I haven't even seen him once.

Jun Anshi even wondered if he had never considered her a friend in the first place.

Those hundred-plus years they spent together felt like a fleeting illusion, not even worth mentioning.

Sitting beside her, Gu Changyuan's gaze fell on the distant sea of clouds. He showed no expression on his face, but inwardly, he felt like coughing up a mouthful of old blood.

Why did it have to be this matter? This is something your master truly cannot help you with.

He sighed in his heart. Gu Changyuan had originally thought that time would dilute everything.

Fifty years was enough time for a brief encounter to have its edges smoothed out by the years, turning into a blurry, warm light in one's memories.

However, Jun Anshi's reaction completely exceeded his expectations—it wasn't diluted; it had settled and deepened, almost turning into an unforgettable white moonlight in her heart.

Over these past few decades, Gu Changyuan had also symbolically sent people to search everywhere for traces of Xuanxu. He had even personally visited the places where Xuanxu was rumored to have appeared back then. Yet, every time, they returned with the same result: no news at all.

Every time, Jun Anshi would wait for her master's news with joyous anticipation. But upon learning that there was no progress, the light in her eyes would instantly dim, and her expression would become incredibly lonely.

Whenever Gu Changyuan saw her like this, he inevitably felt a pang of heartache. Yet, he could only offer verbal comfort; besides that, there was nothing else he could do.

He looked at Jun Anshi with a gentle gaze and slowly replied:

Perhaps he is also diligently cultivating, silently waiting for the immortal path to be reconstructed, wanting to wait until his own strength is formidable enough before stepping into a broader world.

With his level of talent and strength, once he ascends to the immortal realm in the future, he will inevitably become a mighty expert, renowned throughout the entire Wanluo Immortal Realm.

When that time comes, searching for him might be much easier than it is now.

Hearing her master's words, the loneliness in Jun Anshi's eyes instantly vanished. As if injected with new hope, she suddenly felt that these words made perfect sense.

She abruptly stood up. Her originally melancholic expression was swept away, replaced by a look full of drive, and her eyes seemed to sparkle with light:

That's right! He is so amazing, he will definitely shine brilliantly once he reaches the immortal realm. By then, news of him will be everywhere. I don't believe I won't be able to find him!

As she spoke, a smile crept into her voice, as if she could already see that scene playing out.

And by then, I also need to have enough strength to stand before him. It wouldn't do if I finally found him, only to realize I haven't even become an immortal yet.

Saying this, she gave Gu Changyuan a deep bow, her tone respectful and grateful:

Thank you for your guidance, Master. I will go absorb today's combat experience and cultivate diligently!

After she finished speaking, she turned around and ran off.

Her footsteps were brisk, and her clothes fluttered in the wind. She seemed like a completely different person from the girl who had been sitting by the cliff in a daze just moments ago.

Gu Changyuan sat by the cliff, watching Jun Anshi's retreating back as that ray of light grew further and smaller.

He let out a sigh. Someday, if the chance presented itself, he would have to explain this matter to her clearly.

Keeping her in the dark forever was simply not a solution.