Chapter 540: Gu Realm

"Alliance Leader!"

"You've come out of seclusion!"

When they saw the young man sitting on the seat, they were stunned for a moment. Then their faces lit up with joy and they immediately called out to him.

Although Xiao Ming often entered seclusion and wasn't always involved in day-to-day affairs, he had long become the backbone and spiritual pillar of the Heavenly Court. Even the few individuals Xiao Ming respected as the First Elder would use honorifics when it came to formal occasions. Only in private would they adopt a more casual tone.

"Mm, I've just emerged," Xiao Ming confirmed.

The First Elder and the others regarded him with enthusiasm, while Zhu Zhen, who possessed the highest cultivation among them, observed Xiao Ming thoughtfully.

Although Zhu Zhen could no longer directly sense Xiao Ming's cultivation realm, relying on his innate magical beast intuition, he felt that the aura of danger emanating from Xiao Ming had increased many times over.

"You've grown stronger once again," Zhu Zhen's tone was certain.

Xiao Ming offered a slight smile in response before controlling his Dou Qi.

"The Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame has been a tremendous help to my cultivation, and indeed, I have made significant progress."

Xiao Ming's actions deepened Zhu Zhen's amazement. Now, apart from the fact that he could see Xiao Ming with his bare eyes, he couldn't sense him at all!

This wasn't exactly because Xiao Ming's cultivation had far surpassed his own. Normally, after a breakthrough, one's aura would be highly turbulent. Yet now, Xiao Ming could precisely control his Dou Qi to such an exquisite degree!

This level of control was quite rare. After all, Zhu Zhen had lived for tens of thousands of years, but it was still impossible for him to achieve such precision.

Zhu Zhen's astonishment remained unnoticed by the others. However, everyone was still brimming with excitement. The situation in the Central Plains was tumultuous, with major events seemingly on the horizon. Xiao Ming's increasing strength was undoubtedly a good thing.

The First Elder and the rest had not forgotten the main topic of their discussion. Now that Xiao Ming was present, they could continue deliberating the continent's affairs and ultimately defer the final decisions to him.

As they recounted the events to him, Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes and recalled the contents of the life simulation in his mind.

[Day 1: You emerge from seclusion and encounter a meeting of the high-ranking members of the Heavenly Court. You receive an "olive branch" from the Gu Clan, and with the thought of resurrecting your Ancestor Xiao Chen in mind, you decide to visit the Gu Clan...] 

[Day 3: Upon arriving in the Gu Realm, you are attacked for possessing the Tou She Ancient God's Jade. You scare the hell out of a nine-star Dou Saint with a single move...] 

[Day 4: ...] 

[Day 27: You free Zhu Kun and encounter the Di Tier Embryonic Pill. You let it go after a few exchanges...]

[...]

This was the content he simulated right after he came out of seclusion. Even without reading the later part, the first part alone hinted at enough information.

Xiao Ming was confident that he could easily deal with Hun Tiandi and the Nihility Devouring Flame in no time. Given his current strength, it was not a difficult task.

The attack within the Gu Realm appeared to be a calculated move by the Hun Clan to eliminate them all at once. It could be said that the Hun Clan was very considerate.

After careful consideration, Xiao Ming saw no need to deviate from this course.

"I will personally visit the Gu Clan," Xiao Ming said. "As for the younger generation dispatched to the Central Plains, we will simply ignore the members of the Yan and Lei Clans. Our sole focus will be on contacting the remaining young generation of the Yao Clan. Ying'er will be in charge of this task."

Unlike the younger generation of the Yan and Lei Clans, the surviving members of the Yao Clan had no clan to return to. Moreover, a significant portion of them were alchemists. Therefore, Xiao Ming entertained the idea of recruiting them and forming a new branch of young, prodigious alchemists within the Heavenly Court. Naturally, his lady alchemist was the ideal choice to lead this new branch.

Cao Ying's alchemy skills were already the highest at her age. However, to fully persuade the remaining members of the Yao Clan to join, Xiao Ming planned for her to refine a Heavenly Flame. This would significantly boost her alchemical prowess, possibly reaching the nine-colored Eight-Tier in a short period.

She had refrained from attempting to refine the Three Thousand Burning Flame after winning the Pill Gathering, as she knew from Xiao Ming that without the dragon seal left by the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe, it was impossible for her to refine it with her current strength.

However, now Xiao Ming wanted to help her refine not the Three Thousand Burning Flame, but a Seed Flame from it.

Xiao Ming's seclusion this time was not only to refine the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame, but also to learn how to create Seed Flames from the very Seed Flame of the Nihility Devouring Flame he had devoured from Hun Mie Sheng. In the future, it would not be far-fetched to offer Seed Flames as a reward to the alchemists of the Heavenly Court.

This was part of Xiao Ming's plan to have Cao Ying refine a Seed Flame; he wanted to show it to the Yao Clan members as an additional incentive for them to willingly join the Heavenly Court.

Given Xiao Ming's current level of strength, this task wouldn't consume much time. Therefore, after seeing everyone nod, he proceeded, "Adhere to the arrangements I've previously made. Those with lower levels of strength should seek refuge in designated areas, while those with higher levels of strength should remain on standby and maintain vigilance against potential adversaries."

"By the way, if I were to summon you later, don't fight with your life on the line. Prioritize your own life and the safety of fellow Alliance members."

Xiao Ming's last words naturally left the First Elder and the others a bit confused.

"Are we going big? Or is there something fishy going on with the Gu Clan this time around?"

Xiao Ming just smiled, stood up, and did not give a direct answer.

"In the days to come, this world may undergo a profound reorganization."

This left the First Elder and the others standing with their eyes wide open.

...

The Gu Realm was located in the East Region of the Central Plains. It was an area where almost all the factions were considered their subordinates.

Of course, even some of the heads of these factions did not know much about the supreme ruler of the East Region. The only thing they knew was this: This Supreme Emperor-like being possessed an extremely terrifying power!

To operate in this vast and boundless area of the Central Plains, affiliating oneself under the Gu Clan was ultimately an effective guarantee of survival.

The Gu Clan was a mysterious and powerful clan that had existed from ancient times to the present day. They possessed talents that were the envy of ordinary people. The arduous path of cultivation, which ordinary people found challenging, appeared to them as a smooth road leading straight to the top of the heavenly path. In the eyes of ordinary people, they could become strong and quickly surpass their peers who cultivated like mad with a minimum of effort.

Due to these various factors, the Gu Clan had a kind of mysterious appeal in the eyes of many in the East Region.

Nowadays, however, the mysterious veil of the Gu Clan was slowly fading away. The reason for this was the pressure from the Hun Clan, which caused the Gu Clan to increase their military strength by recruiting personnel from subordinate factions.

This also allowed many subordinate factions to gain insight into the Gu Clan's situation.

Ancient Stone Square.

This was a vast and endless grassland, with lush greenery filling the eyes and releasing a rich and vibrant vitality.

In one particular area of this grassland, a large and towering stone square stood proudly. The stone square stood about a hundred meters above the ground, supported by numerous huge stone pillars. From a distance, it resembled a giant standing between heaven and earth, giving a sense of grandeur.

Inside this stone square, the space was a twisted color with occasional flashes of silver light. Figures shot out from the inside and landed lightly on the square.

The massive square was already crowded with people. The busy and noisy sounds converged and rose straight into the clouds.

Swoosh...

There was another violent distortion in the air, and then a figure appeared and landed steadily on the stone platform.

The entire square fell silent for a moment with the appearance of this person.

An elderly figure suddenly appeared in the empty space in front of this person as soon as he appeared.

This elderly figure wore a green robe, had white hair, and a youthful face with a smile on his fair face, giving off an ethereal aura.

"At such a young age, Your Excellency possesses such a profound cultivation realm. Coupled with your extraordinary appearance. Just as I thought, you must be the Alliance Leader of the Heavenly Court, Xiao Ming, right?"

The old man in the green robe chuckled as he looked at the refined and elegant young man.

Xiao Ming looked at the old man in front of him and nodded.

"Keen eyes."

Upon hearing Xiao Ming's acknowledgment, the old man in the green robe smiled a little, but inside he was secretly surprised as he hadn't even noticed Xiao Ming's arrival. If Xiao Ming hadn't released his aura to attract him, he might not have noticed at all.

'This young fellow is being hailed within the clan as the most promising candidate to break through to the Dou God realm on the entire continent. Some are even suggesting a marriage alliance between him and Xun'er, and it's not without reason. He's truly an extreme genius.'

A thought flashed through the old man's mind before he continued, "I am Gu Dao. I assume your visit is related to the Hun Clan. Please join me in the Ancient Realm to learn the latest news. The Lei and Yan Clans are there as well."