SWNOVELXO Chapter 206 - Departure
Gu Yao said, “Do you think the title ‘Big Brother’ is worth so much? Do you think I’m still the pitiful child in the Gu family mansion, yearning for your familial affection?
From the moment I stepped out of the Gu family’s door, it was as if I had escaped a cage and embraced boundless freedom. The two words you so casually utter now only serve to awaken memories of my past.”
Gu Chen was stunned. This person had changed so much—he was no longer the same as before. Gu Chen clearly remembered the old Gu Yao, cowering in a corner, watching their family of four interact with such humble longing. Back then, Gu Chen had felt proud of himself and had even flaunted their closeness deliberately in front of Gu Yao.
Gu Yao lowered himself slightly and reached out to brush something off his body, revealing a hidden object. “Besides, even at this moment, you’re still plotting against my life. The title ‘Big Brother’ is utterly meaningless. Don’t worry; for the sake of our blood relation, I won’t take your life myself. However, I won’t condone your evil deeds either.”
With that, Gu Yao crippled Gu Chen’s dantian, stripping him of all his cultivation and reducing him to an ordinary person. Gu Yao wanted to see if Gu Chen could ever climb back up without a dantian, and perhaps even acquire a technique that didn’t rely on one. If Gu Chen could truly achieve such a feat, Gu Yao would at least admire his perseverance.
Gu Chen writhed in pain on the ground, while Gu Yao conjured a small flame in his hand. The fire consumed a dark red insect that had been clinging to his body. The insect’s sharp, piercing cries could be heard as it burned.
When the insect was finally destroyed, Gu Chen coughed up a mouthful of blood. This insect had been cultivated with his own vital blood. Although it didn’t reach the level of a fully-fledged parasitic worm, it still possessed some of its effects. Gu Chen had planned to take advantage of his earlier plea for mercy to secretly implant the insect into Gu Yao’s body, intending to manipulate him.
Even if the insect couldn’t control Gu Yao outright, it had been created from yin energy and filth, designed to corrupt Gu Yao’s mind and disrupt his temperament. When Gu Yao first showed a moment of surprise, Gu Chen’s heart had filled with joy. After all, Gu Yao had walked straight into his trap—what better time to use this opportunity?
However, Gu Chen had underestimated Gu Yao far too much.
Sounds of battle echoed from outside—it was Tian Feirong and the fatty youth fighting against the demonic cultivators. Gu Yao no longer spared Gu Chen a glance. Instead, he flicked a pill into Lu Minzhu’s mouth before leaving with Chi Changye.
Moments later, Lu Minzhu regained consciousness, feeling the return of spiritual energy within her body. The lingering taste of the pill in her mouth startled her, and she immediately extended her spiritual sense to assess the situation outside. What she saw was Gu Yao and Chi Changye walking away shoulder to shoulder. Even when they noticed her spiritual sense, neither turned back.
Lu Minzhu let out a low laugh. Gu Chen’s miserable state lay before her, a stark contrast to his scheming attempts to deal with Gu Yao. Yet, he couldn’t even handle a single move from Gu Yao and was effortlessly crippled. Like a rat skulking in the shadows, Gu Chen could never bask in the sunlight or compete with the brilliance of the light.
Approaching Gu Chen, Lu Minzhu couldn’t suppress her laughter. “Look at you, so pitiful. Alchemist Gu has spared your life, and I won’t do anything extra. I sincerely hope you live a little longer—don’t die too easily.”
Still conscious, Gu Chen spat out another mouthful of blood as Lu Minzhu turned and walked away. With his cultivation abolished and trapped in the perilous Southern Mang Mountain Range, his survival was already counting down. There was no need for her to do anything more.
After arriving here, Gu Yao and Chi Changye had first searched for Gu Chen instead of the Beixing Sect disciples. Not only did they find him, but they also encountered Lu Minzhu, who had come from Yuanyang Town. In that moment, Gu Yao couldn’t help but feel it was some kind of fated entanglement. From there, Tian Feirong and the chubby youth handled the other demonic cultivators while Gu Yao and Chi Changye approached Gu Chen.
Both Gu Yao and Chi Changye felt confident leaving Tian Feirong to deal with the demonic cultivators. Even if he were overwhelmed, Chi Changye could intervene in an instant. Tian Feirong’s unique physique, imbued with Azure Flame, was the bane of demonic creatures.
The outside was shrouded in eerie winds and the shrill, soul-shaking cries of vengeful spirits. Poisonous insects hid in the dark clouds above, but soon, the sky was illuminated by crimson flames. The fire burned so fiercely that both spirits and insects fled in panic, only to be blocked by the formation Chi Changye had set earlier. In the end, the flames consumed them entirely.
They arrived just in time to rescue the Beixing Sect disciples, who then joined them in pressing deeper into the fray.
Tian Feirong dragged a captured demonic cultivator outside. The man held a soul-ensnaring banner, now burned and rendered useless. The cultivator, frail and withered, curled up into a ball.
Seeing Gu Yao and Chi Changye approach, Tian Feirong spat at the demonic cultivator and said, “This old bastard tried to seize my body—he’s courting death!” If not for his special physique, he might have fallen victim. The path of cultivation was indeed fraught with danger, with traps lurking at every turn.
Chi Changye reached out, capturing the demonic cultivator with a wave of his hand. Without hesitation, he forcibly searched the man’s soul. Moments later, the cultivator was reduced to dust by Chi Changye’s sword aura. He said coldly, “These demonic cultivators have quite the scheme. They target small, unremarkable families, abducting their members to extort support and cultivation resources from the families. Gu Chen is a prime example. Who knows how many wandering cultivators have perished at their hands? Lately, they’ve grown bolder, even targeting disciples from sects and prominent families.”
Lu Minzhu, who had just arrived, overheard this and was shocked by how deeply this faction had hidden itself. If not for Gu Yao and his companions arriving in time, the Beixing Sect disciples might have faced disaster. Grateful, Lu Minzhu bowed sincerely to them. “Minzhu thanks Alchemist Gu and Senior Chi for saving us. Beixing Sect is deeply indebted.”
“It’s good that you’re safe, Junior Sister. Many thanks to Alchemist Gu, Senior Chi, and the other two Daoists,” added the senior brother leading the group. Despite their caution, they had still fallen into a trap, a testament to the cunning and unpredictable methods of these demonic cultivators.
“No need for thanks,” Gu Yao replied with a wave of his hand. “Just make sure to clean this place thoroughly.”
“Understood,” the Beixing Sect disciples responded, joining the effort to purge the area.
Chi Changye held an object that had fallen out of the demonic cultivator’s storage bag. Anything related to dark or sinister energies was immediately destroyed without a second glance. Such items weren’t worth keeping, and leaving them to circulate would only bring harm—better to end them here and now.
However, a jade slip in his hand caught his attention. A quick inspection revealed something remarkable: it contained the missing half of the body-refinement technique Gu Yao had been searching for. Finding it here was almost unbelievable. Previously, they had destroyed a booklet containing some methods for using the technique, though it employed unorthodox and improper means.
Gu Yao took the jade slip and used his spiritual sense to examine it. His face betrayed his surprise. He had given up hope of ever finding the missing half of the technique, yet here it was. After a brief scan, he stored it in his spatial ring. Xu Chen, however, showed great interest and began studying it earnestly.
By the next morning, the sun rose, dispersing the dark clouds and mist that had shrouded the area. The accumulated dark energy began to fade. The senior brother leading the Beixing Sect disciples and Lu Minzhu were bidding farewell to Gu Yao and his companions.
Lu Minzhu was deeply grateful for their intervention. Reflecting on the past, she felt a pang of guilt and realized how far behind Gu Yao she truly was. “Alchemist Gu, Senior Chi, I…”
Gu Yao, guessing what she wanted to say, interrupted gently. “The root of those past events wasn’t yours alone. Without you, there would have been another Lu family daughter. There’s no need to dwell on it, Fellow Daoist Lu. We were once acquaintances—let’s each go our own way and cherish the days ahead.”
Lu Minzhu felt a wave of relief. Gu Yao bore no grudges for the past, which was unsurprising. Without his broad heart, he wouldn’t have reached his current level. Yet, she also felt a tinge of regret—she could leave no lasting impression on him. His casual “Fellow Daoist Lu” was little different from addressing a stranger.
As this thought crossed her mind, another gaze sent a chill down her spine—it was Chi Changye’s. Startled, she quickly said, “Alchemist Gu, Senior Chi, take care. We won’t disturb your journey any further.”
She realized how close she had come to offending Chi Changye. Many who didn’t know the full story assumed Chi stayed by Gu Yao’s side only because of his alchemist status. However, she had witnessed enough to understand that Chi Changye valued Gu Yao as a person far more.
Given Chi Changye’s decisive nature, it was already merciful that he hadn’t silenced her for good. Lu Minzhu dared not linger on her thoughts any longer. “Farewell, everyone,” she said, bowing deeply before departing.
Meanwhile, Tian Feirong and the fatty youth had already boarded their flying artifact. After cupping their hands in farewell to the Beixing Sect disciples, the artifact soared into the sky and disappeared over the horizon.
The Beixing Sect disciples stood in silence for a while before their senior brother sighed and said, “Let’s go. This trial has ended—time to return to the sect.”
“Yes, Senior Brother,” they replied, and the group departed.
—
As they left the Southern Mang Mountain Range, Gu Yao felt a growing sense of detachment from the Gu family. It was as if the connection between them had thinned, and even the bottleneck holding him back from reaching the Golden Core stage seemed to loosen. At the same time, his departure from the Tianlin Continent felt ever closer.
Back at Tianfu Academy, Gu Yao and Chi Changye stayed only a few months. During their time there, they made some arrangements and left resources with the Alchemist Guild. The idea of establishing a dedicated alchemy pavilion was still premature, but there was no rush. They would return one day—if for no other reason than the impending ten-year pact that loomed on the horizon.
While at the academy, the four companions lived in near seclusion, with only Dean Yu having frequent contact with them.
Once they had resolved all external matters, the four of them set off on their next journey.
Tianfu Academy had long concealed a teleportation array, though it had been damaged over the years. Successive deans had attempted to repair it but failed to restore it to working order. Moreover, the energy required for activation was immense, and the situation on the other side of the array was completely unknown.
The day of farewell finally arrived. Dean Yu stood atop the main peak of the academy, gazing at the sky where the figures had long vanished. He hadn’t asked where the teleportation array led, nor did he have any desire to travel through it himself. For the remaining time before the ten-year pact, his focus was on maintaining order on the Tianlin Continent and keeping an eye on that old troublemaker in Shifang City.
Others, like Jiang Yan and his companions, felt a sense of loss as well. But they quickly pulled themselves together. Ten years would pass in the blink of an eye, and they believed the Tianlin Continent would be transformed by then. When that time came, the Tianlin Continent would no longer be a place of constraint.