Mysterious mirror hanging high

Chapter 1076 Regret

"madness."

Fu Changting sneered, "So self-righteous... You'll regret this later..."

He then transmitted his voice to Fu Qianxue: "Sister, I've figured out this Xuanjing Daoist. He's just a show-off who likes to flaunt his abilities in front of others... He might not even be able to take care of himself in such a perilous place as Guixu, yet he dares to act so righteous."

"Once his elixirs and medicines are all gone, let's see if he can still be as public-spirited as he is today!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

A century has passed in the blink of an eye.

In the absolute desolation of Guixu, where there is no rotation of the sun and moon, no changing of the seasons, the passage of time can only be roughly estimated by the cultivator's own instinctive perception of the flow of magical power and the fluctuations of the soul.

For cultivators like Jing Yu who are proficient in the [Law of Lifespan], it is even simpler. They only need to record the loss of their lifespan after eliminating the unnecessary consumption of the Lifespan Burning Secret Technique.

For a cultivator in a grotto-heaven who can live for 30,000 years, a hundred years is but a fleeting moment. But in this desperate situation where resources are scarce, dangers lurk everywhere, and hope is slim, every day feels like an eternity of torment.

Initially, thanks to the abundant resources stored in the cave and the pills efficiently refined by Yue Liusu, the prodigies were able to maintain basic dignity and order.

They took turns on guard duty, exploring this seemingly endless wasteland, and repelling the periodically appearing Void Demons time and time again. Although each battle consumed precious spiritual resources, at least on the surface, this team composed of geniuses from all sides of the Immortal Realm still maintained basic cohesion.

However, the most terrifying thing about the Ruins is not the Ruins Demon, but the intangible yet omnipresent despair and exhaustion.

Over the course of a century, they explored countless miles of gray and black land, only to find an unchanging desolation and death.

No valuable clues were found, no possible "exit" was discovered, and not even a trace of unusual material different from the gray-black soil was encountered.

Hope, like a candle flickering in the wind, gradually fades with each futile attempt.

Even more fatal is the consumption of resources.

Even the most abundant family fortune cannot withstand a century of continuous squandering.

Elixirs, immortal essence stones, and all kinds of rare and precious materials... are decreasing at a visible rate.

Among the true disciples of the Dao Lords, they have the strongest foundation, the most powerful supernatural abilities, and the most skillful control over the subtleties of power... Therefore, the amount of energy required to defend against the attacks of the Void Demon is also the least.

In addition, they were already much wealthier than the disciples of the Golden Immortal lineage, so the Dao Lord's true disciples still had thousands of years' worth of supplies to squander.

As for the siblings Fu Changting and Fu Qianxue, who are the son and daughter of the Taiyin Demon, they probably possess enough rare and precious treasures to allow them to persist in this place for thousands of years.

Of course, the supplies held by all the cultivators mentioned above were not as plentiful as those for Yue Liusu alone.

However, for the other geniuses from the Golden Immortal lineage, supplies were somewhat scarce.

Many disciples of the Golden Immortal lineage, who came from less prestigious backgrounds, did not have abundant resources in their grotto-heavens to begin with, and after a hundred years of consumption, they have little left.

The initial mutual support and solidarity were gradually replaced by a tacit indifference and self-preservation.

Every time the Demon of Ruins attacks, everyone prioritizes their own safety, conserving some strength in battle and guarding the gates tightly in defense. No one is like Jing Yu a hundred years ago, who would take the initiative to share the burden of others.

Conversations within the group dwindled, the atmosphere becoming suffocatingly oppressive. The only sounds were the brief, intense battle cries during the Void Demon's attack and the even more deathly silence that followed.

On this day, the Void Demon arrived once again as promised, silently coalescing from the eternal darkness.

The battles were just like every one of the past century... but the unexpected often happens in the midst of mundane repetition.

A prodigy from a certain Golden Immortal lineage, named Zhao Lang, possessed the cultivation level of the early stage of the Cave Heaven realm.

His face was sallow and his breath was weak. He wielded a long sword with a dim light, and his movements were no longer skillful.

The Void Demon he faced was actually at the late stage of the Cave Heaven realm!

If this were outside, Zhao Lang, as a true disciple of a Golden Immortal, with his exquisite cultivation techniques and natal longsword, could easily fight against an ordinary late-stage Cave Heaven cultivator, even if he dared not claim victory. However, he should be able to manage to stay alive.

But this is Guixu.

After a century of fierce fighting, the immortal essence stones he carried in his cave had long been exhausted, and the last pill that Yue Liusu had refined to quickly restore true essence was also used up three days ago.

At this moment, his true energy was almost exhausted. When he circulated his cultivation technique, his meridians felt like they were being pricked by needles. He was barely holding on with his willpower and remaining instincts.

His swordsmanship became increasingly chaotic, and his steps became more and more unsteady.

The faceless Void Demon opposite him, expressionless, continued its fierce attacks, each strike carrying the immense power of a late-stage Cave Heaven cultivator, causing Zhao Lang's Nascent Soul to tremble and his longsword to groan.

"puff!"

Finally, due to a moment of carelessness, the Demon King seized upon the weakness of the prodigy before him and struck a blow that wounded him.

Zhao Lang let out a miserable groan, his body retreating rapidly, his face instantly turning ashen, and his aura becoming extremely weak.

it's over...

A clear idea came to mind.

He knew he would definitely not be able to withstand the next attack.

And around him... he managed to glance around with the corner of his eye.

Other prodigies? The closest few were only a few dozen feet away from him; with their cultivation levels, it would be a piece of cake for them to come to his rescue.

But their faces showed only a numb calm. When their eyes swept over him, they quickly looked away, as if they didn't see his danger, or as if they did see it but chose to ignore it.

Some people even moved further away without leaving a trace, afraid of being caught in the crossfire of his battle, or... afraid that this Void Demon would come after him after killing Zhao Lang.

"Help...help! I can't hold on any longer!" Zhao Lang cried out for help, but his cries for help did not bring any rescue. Instead, they made the surrounding prodigies move further away from him.

At this critical moment—

"Clang!"

A clear, melodious sword cry suddenly rang out, not particularly loud, but rather carrying a somewhat muffled quality.

A simple yet powerful sword light, as heavy as a mountain, arrived first despite being delayed, and precisely positioned itself between Zhao Lang and the Void Demon!

It is **non-aggression**!

Immediately afterwards, the bladeless longsword named "Non-Aggression" spun around, its blade radiating bursts of earthy yellow light, transforming into a solid sword light barrier that firmly protected Zhao Lang within it, while also separating him from the late-stage Cave Heaven Realm Demon.

“Fellow Daoist Jian…” Zhao Lang collapsed to the ground, looking at Jian Yunyuan’s calm and resolute profile. His lips trembled, wanting to say something, but due to the weakness of surviving the ordeal, he could not utter a single word. Only two lines of turbid tears silently slid down his cheeks.

Those geniuses who had initially chosen to ignore him now cast complex glances at him.

There was surprise, confusion, shame, and a fleeting indifference.

Jian Yunyuan, who saved Zhao Lang, seemed to have done nothing of importance; his main focus remained on dealing with the Void Demon that was attacking him.

But no one noticed that Jian Yunyuan's eyes at this moment also contained a complex emotion that was hard to explain.

Feeling the negligible amount of true energy consumed within him as a result of his sword strike, "Non-Aggression"...

He seemed to regret it.