Chapter 70: The Secret of "Rebirth"

The Grand Hall fell into absolute silence.

The group sat cross-legged, recovering their breath for a while. Fortunately, there were many of them—each one a top-tier powerhouse in the outside world—yet no one had expected that repairing a Connate Spirit Treasure would be so mentally and physically draining.

A moment later, a ripple of magical power suddenly emanated from the secret chamber deep within the Grand Hall.

Immediately after, three streaks of light landed before the hall.

The figures of the three Grand Cultivators appeared clearly.

As for the Demon Purification Platform, it had likely been left behind in the secret chamber. Though the Three Alliances had now joined forces, these three Grand Cultivators naturally didn't want this Connate Spirit Treasure to fall into the hands of the other two.

Seeing this, the other cultivators ended their meditation and looked up at the trio.

Gu Xuanzhou swept his gaze across everyone present and gave a light cough.

"Fellow Daoists. After the three of us discussed it, from now on, the Demon Purification Platform will no longer belong to any individual—it will belong solely to the Three Alliance Council. Should an emergency war arise, it will be mobilized by the Council's unified command."

He paused.

"Although this treasure has been repaired, its power is far from what it was in its ancient prime. But even so, it cannot be compared to those top-tier ancient relics or imitation spirit treasures."

He chuckled lightly, his gaze sweeping over each face in turn.

Inside the Grand Hall, the old monsters had mostly calmed down, but the mention of that legendary Connate Spirit Treasure still sent an unforgettable chill through their hearts.

Suddenly, Gu Xuanzhou's gaze stopped on Jiuyou.

"Fellow Daoist Jiuyou. As I recall, as soon as you arrived at your defensive position, you killed three Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts in succession. Later, during the Beast Tide, you nearly slaughtered a Ninth-Tier Demon Beast. And you even took a full-power blow from a tenth-level great beast with your physical body, helping this Gu locate where that beast was hiding."

His tone was calm, but every word was crystal clear.

"If not for that, this Gu might not have been able to kill it so easily. Your contributions in this battle are undeniable."

Jiuyou's expression remained unchanged, but inwardly, he grew cautious.

This old bastard was lifting him so high with his words—he was probably trying to make him a target.

"After consulting with Brother He and Brother Wei, we have decided to grant you this treasure to commend your merits."

Gu Xuanzhou's hand produced a set of gray wide robes, about the size of a palm, faintly shimmering with spiritual light.

"Fellow Daoist Jiuyou, this Gu noticed during the frontline battle that you seem to lack speed, otherwise you wouldn't have been caught off guard by that tenth-level great beast's sneak attack. This treasure is called the 'Heavenly Wind Robe,' an ancient relic that greatly increases flight speed. It may serve you well."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall stirred with commotion.

The old monsters all turned their gazes, their eyes darting between Jiuyou and that gray ancient relic, filled with envy and surprise.

Two things surprised them.

First, that Gu Xuanzhou was willing to part with an ancient relic as a battle merit reward.

Second, Jiuyou's strength.

A Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator who had only recently broken through could easily kill three Eighth-Rank Demon Beasts? If it were them, it would take quite a bit of effort.

And he had nearly killed a Ninth-Tier Demon Beast—if it were them, they might not have been able to do it.

Even more astonishingly, taking a full-force blow from a tenth-level great beast and still sitting here as if nothing had happened? A full-power strike from a tenth-level demon beast—if it were them, they'd either be dead or severely injured. Without decades of recovery, they wouldn't be able to bounce back.

This old demon truly hid his depth well.

The old monsters secretly reevaluated him in their hearts, raising their estimation of this newly advanced Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator a notch.

At the same time, Gu Xuanzhou presenting an ancient relic as a reward on the spot—which of these old monsters, all several hundred years old, didn't understand his intent? It was just rewarding merit to motivate people.

Jiuyou glanced at the crowd, smiled faintly, stood up, and took the Heavenly Wind Robe. His divine sense secretly swept over it, confirming it was genuine, before quickly tucking it into his storage pouch.

"Grand Elder Gu is too kind. This old man was merely fulfilling his duty to the human race. Since it's a decision made by the three elders together—"

He raised his eyes to look at the crowd and clasped his hands in a bow around him.

"Then this old man will gratefully accept."

A flicker of envy passed through the eyes of the cultivators in the hall. Ancient relics were rare—even they, Mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, didn't necessarily have more than a few on hand.

The three Grand Cultivators watched this and nodded in satisfaction.

Just then, a cultivator stood up and made a respectful bow.

"May I ask the three elders? Could it be that this second great matter is to open the treasure vault and reward merit, so as to inspire the countless cultivators of the Abyssal Sea?"

Gu Xuanzhou let out a light laugh but didn't answer. Instead, his gaze shifted to He Taiyi.

He Taiyi shook his head.

"Ha ha ha—if it were only that, the three of us could simply inform you all through the Council's jade tokens. Why would we keep you waiting here for so long?"

He casually took out a bamboo slip from his storage pouch.

"As for the secret within, you'll understand once you've read it."

He Taiyi handed the bamboo slip to the cultivator nearest to him.

That person initially looked puzzled, but the moment his divine sense probed into it, his eyes abruptly widened. He let out a startled cry, his voice trembling slightly.

"This... this can't be the legendary 'Rebirth'? The ancient legends—they're actually real!"

The other cultivators grew even more curious.

The bamboo slip was passed from hand to hand.

Each person who examined it showed an expression that was nothing short of dramatic.

Finally, the bamboo slip reached Jiuyou.

His divine sense delved into it.

A moment later, his expression was the same as the others'—first astonishment, then gravity. He silently handed the bamboo slip to the next person.

Before long, everyone in the hall had finished reading the contents of the bamboo slip.

In every person's eyes, there was disbelief and endless longing.

The information recorded on the bamboo slip was simple in concept, yet utterly earth-shattering.

"The continent... it really exists!"

Jiuyou's thoughts churned.

That's right. The message on this bamboo slip was precisely information about the continent.

He immediately recalled the information about the forces on the continent from the map he had obtained on that Nameless Desolate Island. Though it differed slightly from what was recorded on this bamboo slip, it was largely consistent.

And the true owner of the Golden Sun True Flame, the Heavenly Sun Supreme One. His sect, the Azure Sun Sect, was also on this continent.

The cultivators in the hall looked at each other, their eyes filled not only with disbelief but also with a trace of excitement.

He Taiyi's voice suddenly rang out, stirring hearts.

"Fellow Daoists. You've all finished reading, haven't you?"

He stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping across the entire hall.

"That's right. The continent does exist. And more than that—we have found a way to go there."

As soon as these words fell, the hall erupted in uproar.

He Taiyi raised a hand to quell the murmurs and continued.

"The information on the bamboo slip was obtained by this seat personally infiltrating the continent, capturing one Early Nascent Soul cultivator and several Golden Core Cultivators, and extracting it through soul search. The faction divisions and sect layouts on the continent are now fully within our grasp."

He paused, his tone rising gradually.

"Now, this Tianyuan Sea is filled with spreading blood mist and rampaging Beast Tides. It is no longer a place for us to stay long. The sea beasts are endless; the blood mist expands daily. To retreat is to die."

"And ahead—"

He pointed east, his voice ringing like a bell.

"Is the continent. A vast and boundless world, with inexhaustible resources and countless opportunities for fortune and creation. There, there is no blood mist, no Beast Tides. Only sacred mountains with spiritual veins, ten-thousand-year-old spirit lines, and ancient ruins!"

"The human race of the Tianyuan Sea has only one choice—to fight, to press forward without hesitation, if we are to have even a sliver of hope for survival!"

His gaze cut like a blade across every person present.

"Everyone. What we must do is not flee—it is to conquer. To conquer that continent, to seize that land, and carve out a path of survival for the human race of the Tianyuan Sea!"

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Then, one by one, gazes began to burn with fervor.

The continent!!!