The Third Round of Ten Thousand Poisons, Forgetful Traces Break the Heart

The nine-layered linked Gu formation completely closed, sealing the entire ravine entrance into an airtight iron barrel, preventing even a wisp of wind from getting in.

Black, murky mist surged from the crevices of the cliff face, carrying a bone-chilling, foul stench.

On the boulder at the mouth of the ravine, Chan Chen still had that gentle, smiling expression, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yunsheng as if he were looking at prey that had already fallen into his pocket.

On the two stone pillars beside him, two people were bound with Gu threads—the two alien siblings. The man was covered in wounds and barely breathing, while the woman's bone flute was broken and black blood was flowing from the corner of her mouth.

"Brother Xiao, how have you been?" Chan Chen's voice floated lightly, drifting along the Gu mist to Xiao Yunsheng's ears.

"They have been infected with their natal Gu poison, and the mother Gu is in Chan Chen's hands. As long as Chan Chen has a thought, the two of them will instantly be attacked by the Gu poison," Shen Lingxi, who was knowledgeable, explained in a low voice.

"Chanchen, what do you want to do?" Xiao Yunsheng asked coldly.

Chan Chen smiled, raised his hand and waved it, and the Gu patterns on the cliff wall lit up instantly, causing the ground of the entire Fenlin Ravine to tremble slightly.

Then, he pointed to the ground beneath his feet, his smile gradually fading, a sinister madness appearing in his eyes: "Beneath the earth veins of this Burning Scale Gorge, I have set up the Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Array. The array's core is deep within this gorge, where one hundred thousand Soul-Devouring Blood Gu are raised. Once the array is fully activated, the Gu poison will spread along the earth veins, and within three hours, hundreds of thousands of creatures outside the Yan Yu Mountains will be devoured by the Gu poison until their bones are gone."

These words struck Xiao Yunsheng and Shen Lingxi like a thunderclap!

"Are you crazy?" Shen Lingxi shouted angrily. "Those are all unarmed civilians. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

"Divine retribution?" Chan Chen scoffed. "I have never felt any sense of obligation towards either of you. Now, the lives of these hundreds of thousands of people, and the lives of you two, are all in Brother Xiao's hands."

He slowly walked down the boulder and stood in the very center of the Gu formation, surrounded by a faint black mist. This was the first time he had revealed his true cultivation level—the Mind-Clearing Realm—but his aura was more than ten times stronger than that of the dead Chan Li!

"I won't make things difficult for you," Chan Chen said with a smile, as if he were discussing something extremely easy. "I've set three tests for you. If you can pass them all, I'll immediately release these two people and dispel this Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Formation on the spot, which will also count as making friends with you, Brother Xiao. But if you can't pass them, then you'll have to follow my rules—hand over the Hidden Scale Heavenly Talisman!"

"I can kill you right now!" Xiao Yunsheng's eyes narrowed, and he slightly raised the Forgotten Trace Sword, with golden-red primordial flames swirling around its blade.

Chan Chen smiled nonchalantly, snapped his fingers, and the alien man let out a painful roar, his veins bulging, and black Gu threads crawling out from under his skin!

"The moment I die, the mother and child Gu will explode, killing these two people instantly. The Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Formation will then be fully activated, and hundreds of thousands of people will perish with me. Can you afford to gamble that?"

Xiao Yunsheng's hand holding the sword trembled slightly as he stared intently at Chan Chen, his palm gripping the hilt tightly!

Chan Chen looked at his reaction, a hint of triumphant smile flashing in his eyes.

He understood Xiao Yunsheng too well. From the moment he rescued Mu Gu and his sister from the mountain stream, he knew that the weakness of this disciple in blue was the righteousness that was engraved in his bones.

"How do you want to play?" Shen Lingxi stepped forward and took Xiao Yunsheng's arm.

"That's more like it, haha." Chan Chen grinned wickedly at Shen Lingxi, "The first challenge: breaking through the gate of life and death with wisdom."

The moment Chan Chen finished speaking, the entire Gu formation suddenly began to rotate, and all the patterns of the nine-layered Gu formation lit up. Eight identical stone doors appeared in front of Xiao Yunsheng and the other person.

"These eight gates consist of one gate of life and seven gates of death. The gate of life leads directly to the core of the formation, removing the mother-child Gu poison from these two individuals; for each gate of death that is chosen incorrectly, these two individuals will be afflicted with an additional bone-corroding Gu poison, and if they choose three incorrectly, they will die on the spot."

Chan Chen crossed his arms and smiled broadly, "Oh, by the way, the stone gate will be rearranged every ten breaths, and you only have three chances to choose."

As soon as he finished speaking, the eight stone doors began to spin rapidly, and amidst the swirling Gu mist, no difference could be discerned.

Ten breaths passed in the blink of an eye.

Shen Lingxi closed her eyes and activated the Innate Sword Seal, intending to find a weakness with her sword energy.

"No, he's blocked the aura of all the life gates; my sword imprint can't penetrate!"

Xiao Yunsheng didn't speak, but the corners of his mouth slightly turned up as the Xuanheng Curse he had seen in the Xuanqi Cave flashed rapidly through his mind.

Chan Chen's Gu formation may seem chaotic, but it is actually arranged according to the Seven Star Incantation Track of Xuanheng Guanmai Clan. The position of the Life Gate always follows the flow of the incantation!

"Five breaths!" Chan Chen reminded him with a smile, his tone full of mockery.

"The third gate!" Xiao Yunsheng suddenly exclaimed, tapping his toes on the ground. The Forgotten Mark Sword unleashed a sword aura, precisely striking the third stone gate!

The stone gate shattered with a crash, revealing no deadly Gu behind it, only a clear spring—the antidote spring for the Mother-Child Gu!

Looking again at the Gu threads on the alien brother and sister, they instantly dimmed a bit!

Chan Chen's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Brother Xiao, you do have a good eye. But don't be too happy yet, this second test won't be so easy."

He leaped into the air, and a jet-black bone blade suddenly appeared in his hand. Black mist surged around him, and seven black Gu shadows shot out from his body, each wielding a bone blade. Their figures and swordsmanship were exactly the same as Xiao Yunsheng's!

"Second challenge: Break through the Seven Shadow Poisons with your sword."

Chan Chen's voice came from within the Gu shadows, "These seven Gu shadows have replicated all of your Flowing Cloud Sword Technique; they know everything you know. Each time you break one, the remaining Gu shadows will replicate your sword moves, becoming even stronger. Break all seven Gu shadows within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the seven Gu shadows moved simultaneously!

Gu Ying executed the Flowing Cloud Three Forms and the Flowing Cloud Sword Essence Seven Forms with unparalleled skill, perfectly matching Xiao Yunsheng's sword path!

Xiao Yunsheng leaped forward to meet him, the Forgotten Trace Sword clashing with the Bone Blade. With each strike he made, the Gu Shadow could accurately replicate, parry, and even counterattack him with the same sword moves!

In just a few dozen moves, he was forced to retreat repeatedly, and a cut was made on his shoulder by the bone blade of the Gu Shadow, from which the black Gu poison instantly spread.

Xiao Yunsheng leaped far away from the seven Gu shadows! His gaze was fixed on them, and his mind sank. In an instant, he understood how to break the deadlock!

The more he used his familiar sword techniques, the more passive he became!

He took a deep breath, abandoned all his sword techniques, and moved his feet in a zigzag pattern, his body shifting and dodging among the seven Gu shadows. He no longer took the initiative to attack, but relied solely on the most basic Flowing Clouds and Shadows to dodge, letting the Gu shadows' attacks come like a storm, yet he never revealed the slightest flaw.

He was waiting, waiting for Gu Ying to completely replicate all his sword moves, waiting for the moment when Chan Chen thought he had run out of tricks!

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn is already more than halfway over.

The breathing of the alien man and woman grew weaker and weaker. Chan Chen stood to the side, smiling, and said, "Brother Xiao, time is running out. Is all you can do is hide?"

At that very moment, Xiao Yunsheng made his move!

He no longer used any ready-made sword moves, but instead completely merged the Flowing Cloud Sword Intent that had been etched into his bones over the past three years with the Burning Fortune Heart Fire within his body. The Forgotten Trace Sword, wrapped in golden-red flames, unleashed a sword strike that was without moves or style, yet perfectly smooth and traceless!

This sword strike has no name and no set pattern!

The seven Gu shadows froze instantly. They could replicate all the existing sword moves, but they could not replicate the sword intent and Dao heart that belonged only to Xiao Yunsheng in this sword!

Pfft—!

With a flash of sword light, the seven Gu shadows shattered simultaneously, turning into a sky full of black mist and disappearing without a trace.

Xiao Yunsheng sheathed his sword and stood there, slightly out of breath, but his eyes were fixed firmly on Chan Chen!

The smile on Chan Chen's face vanished completely, and a sinister glint flashed in his eyes!

"Very good, very good. Brother Xiao has indeed not disappointed me. Now, in this third test, we should see just how much your Dao heart is worth."

With a wave of his hand, the two people on the two stone pillars were instantly hoisted up by the Gu threads. The Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Array deep in the earth veins also began to tremble violently, and black Gu mist surged out along the cracks in the ground, about to completely erupt.

"The third test: the choice of your Dao heart." Chan Chen's voice turned cold, devoid of any gentleness. "Now, I'll give you two choices."

"Your first choice is to lay down your sword, destroy your dantian, and hand over the Hidden Scale Heavenly Talisman. I will immediately release these two people and disband the Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Formation. I mean what I say."

"Your second option is to kill me now, but these two people will die a horrible death immediately, and hundreds of thousands of people will be devoured by the Gu poison. You, Xiao Yunsheng, will become the sinner who caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent people!"

"Now, choose!"

The Gu mist grew thicker and thicker, the two alien beings' auras grew weaker and weaker, and the earth's veins trembled more and more violently. The lives of hundreds of thousands of people, and the lives of the two people in front of them, all rested on Xiao Yunsheng's shoulders.

"Chanchen, what kind of third trial is this? You're going back on your word!" Shen Lingxi said angrily.

Chan Chen chuckled wickedly and said, "Now that you're inside the formation, I'll naturally set the rules!"

Xiao Yunsheng looked at the two people on the stone pillar, then at the surging Gu mist in the earth veins, and slowly put down the Forget-Trace Sword in his hand.

"Xiao Yunsheng!" Shen Lingxi roared sharply.

A gleam of wild joy flashed in Chan Chen's eyes as he stepped forward with a smile: "Brother Xiao is indeed a sensible person. If you had done this earlier, you wouldn't have suffered so much..."

But before he could finish speaking, Xiao Yunsheng suddenly moved!

Instead of picking up the sword, he opened his arms and released all the primordial fire in his dantian!

The golden-red flames instantly swept across the entire Burning Qilin Gorge, not heading towards Chan Chen, but flowing along the cracks in the earth's veins and into the core of the Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Array!

This is the original heart fire of the Qilin cursed beast; we'll use it to deal with the poison of the Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Array!

These 100,000 Blood Gu were like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun in the face of the Primal Heart Flame!

A sizzling sound came from deep within the earth's veins. The originally restless Myriad Gu Burning Heaven Array was instantly suppressed by the Lin Fire, and the surging Gu mist dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye!

At the same time, Shen Lingxi reacted instantly, activating the Innate Sword Seal with all her might. A golden sword aura precisely struck the stone pillar, severing the Gu threads binding the two. Simultaneously, the power of the sword seal surged into their bodies, temporarily sealing the onset of the Mother-Child Gu!

The foreign woman, despite her pain, picked up the broken bone flute and played a clear, melodious tune!

Seeing this, Chan Chen's smile froze completely, his eyes filled with disbelief and horror: "Impossible! How dare you... Aren't you afraid of the backlash from your inner fire, causing your body to explode and you to die?!"

Xiao Yun Sheng slowly raised his head, his body ablaze with fiery unicorn flames, his eyes as cold as ice: "My path is to slay demons whenever I encounter them!"

He raised his hand and summoned the Forgotten Sword back into his grasp. The flames on the sword surged, pointing directly at Toad Star.

But Chan Chen suddenly laughed, "Xiao Yunsheng, this is just the beginning. The news that you embezzled the altar's opportunity has spread throughout the Central Plains! Now, all the cultivators in the world want your life."

"We have a long future ahead of us!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chan Chen's figure instantly merged into the Gu mist and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest!

Meanwhile, cultivators from various sects rushed in from the direction of the ravine, their eyes fixed on Xiao Yunsheng, filled with greed and killing intent.