When Gu Changhuan asked the question, Zhenlingzi fell silent for a moment.

He was now only a wisp of remnant soul, and after being awakened, he had indeed considered seizing Gu Changhuan's body. However, he never expected that Gu Changhuan was actually a possessor of the Great Dao Body, a physique seen once in ten thousand years. This discovery sparked a different notion in his mind.

"I would like to strike a bargain with you."

Now Gu Changhuan fell silent. A bargain with a Great Ascension cultivator? He had only just reached Foundation Establishment. What could he possibly offer Zhenlingzi?

"I'm afraid I have nothing to offer you, Senior," Gu Changhuan said cautiously.

"I don't need you to give me anything. I need you to do something for me. When I brought on the Immortal Spirit Tribulation, I thought I had a fair chance of surviving it and ascending. But an enemy struck me with a curse during the tribulation, and my body was destroyed. I immediately split my soul, sending most of it into reincarnation and leaving a remnant behind in the hope of revenge."

Recalling the past, a trace of biting coldness flashed in Zhenlingzi's eyes.

Gu Changhuan began to understand.

"You want me to avenge you, Senior?"

"Exactly!" Zhenlingzi nodded.

Gu Changhuan let out a dry laugh.

"You may be overestimating me, Senior. I have the Great Dao Body, but I live in an ordinary Lower Realm. I can't even be sure of reaching Nascent Soul, let alone taking on anything in the Spirit Realm."

Zhenlingzi waved his hand. "Agree to the bargain, and I have a way for you to reach Soul Formation in the Lower Realm and ascend to the Spirit Realm!"

This condition was difficult to refuse. Gu Changhuan felt a surge of temptation.

Seeing him hesitate, Zhenlingzi did not press further.

After carefully weighing the bargain, Gu Changhuan said, "I can promise you this: if I ascend to the Spirit Realm and reach Great Ascension, I will avenge you."

Zhenlingzi laughed heartily. "Your word is enough! Hand me an empty jade slip."

Gu Changhuan hurriedly passed over a blank jade slip.

Zhenlingzi grasped it in his hand, and within a couple of breaths, returned it. "This contains information regarding the one who ambushed me. Keep it safe. Once you reach the Great Ascension stage, do not seek him out unless you are entirely certain of victory!"

"What if that person has already perished?" Gu Changhuan asked.

"Impossible!" Zhenlingzi declared with absolute finality.

After a moment of thought, he added, "If he has already perished, you shall kill his direct disciple instead."

Gu Changhuan nodded, finding the terms reasonable.

"How can you ensure that I reach the Spirit Realm, Senior?" Gu Changhuan asked.

Zhenlingzi reached out and grabbed at empty air. A jade box flew out from Gu Changhuan's storage ring and landed in Zhenlingzi's palm. His hand brushed over the lid, a look of reluctance and nostalgia flashing in his eyes.

Seeing how deeply Zhenlingzi cared for the contents, Gu Changhuan's curiosity flared intensely.

Zhenlingzi blew a gentle breath upon the box, and the lid sprang open.

"You couldn't use the things in the other jade boxes yet. But this alone can bring you to Soul Formation, even in a Lower Realm short of Spiritual Qi and spiritual treasures. It also played a great part in helping me reach Great Ascension."

What manner of treasure could endlessly benefit a Great Ascension cultivator?

More curious than ever, Gu Changhuan took half a step forward to see what lay inside.

It was a miniature three-tiered pagoda, its surface covered in dense, mysterious runes.

He felt an odd sense of familiarity, as though he had seen similar markings somewhere before.

"This is the Xuantian Tower. It has three floors and a space of its own inside. On the first floor, ten years pass for every year outside. I spent my whole life trying to open the second and third floors, without success. Perhaps one day you will have the chance to explore them. I planted many spiritual herbs inside; there should still be plenty of seeds left. With this treasure and your Great Dao Body, you can look forward to ascending to the Spirit Realm. And in time, I shall have my revenge," Zhenlingzi said slowly.

Gu Changhuan was stunned, as though a mountain of gold had just fallen into his lap.

He accepted the Xuantian Tower with trembling hands. "Senior, this gift binds us together. I swear upon my Dao Heart: if I reach Great Ascension, I will slay your enemy with my own hands and avenge you. If I break this oath, may I be condemned to rebirth as a mortal forever!"

Zhenlingzi laughed aloud. "You mean it! Then let me help you one last time!"

With that, a blazing purple light erupted around Zhenlingzi. His form dissolved into a wisp of smoke that gradually condensed into a purple bronze lamp.

At the same time, the surrounding space shifted. Gu Changhuan found himself back in his secluded cultivation room.

Before him rested two objects: the purple lamp and the Xuantian Tower.

"The Heart-Burning Lamp!"

Gu Changhuan stared at the purple artifact, speechless.

The Heart-Burning Lamp was made through a secret technique in which a cultivator willingly transformed their own soul into a lamp. It did nothing for the cultivator who made it, but once lit, it could help others overcome cultivation bottlenecks and strongly suppress Inner Demons.

Only cultivators of the Soul Formation stage and above could forge such an item, and its value increased with the strength of the creator. In the Spirit Realm, a Heart-Burning Lamp was virtually priceless.

And this one had been made from the soul of Zhenlingzi, a Great Ascension cultivator.

It could serve as a supreme protective treasure for the entire human race.

Gu Changhuan bowed deeply to the lamp. "I will place a tablet in your honor in the Gu Clan's ancestral hall, Senior Zhenlingzi. For generations to come, as long as our clan survives, we will keep incense burning for you."

He carefully stored the lamp away before turning his attention to the Xuantian Tower.

A series of blasts sounded outside the formation. Someone was attacking the defenses around his room!

Had the Gu Clan been raided?

Gu Changhuan put away the Xuantian Tower and swept the area with his Divine Sense. The person attacking the formation was Gu Xuanzhan.

Gu Xuanzhan had arrived before the spiritual pressure of the successful breakthrough spread outward. Before he had time to rejoice, Gu Changhuan's Divine Sense had abruptly become undetectable.

To an elder, such an occurrence was terrifying.

A cultivator's Divine Sense was as vital as a mortal's breath; unless deliberately concealed, it could not simply disappear. Fearing that Gu Changhuan had suffered a mishap similar to Gu Shixin, Gu Xuanzhan had struck without hesitation.

The defensive formation around the room was only of the Second Tier High Grade, and a single blow from Gu Xuanzhan had brought it to the brink of collapse.

Fortunately, he sensed Gu Changhuan's Divine Sense again and stopped in time. Otherwise, the second-tier high-grade formation would have been destroyed.

At that moment, Gu Wanhao and Gu Wanchang arrived as well.

They had been discussing clan affairs in the council hall. No sooner had they sensed Gu Changhuan's breakthrough than another powerful surge of spiritual power followed. Fearing something had happened to him, they rushed over.

Gu Changhuan lowered the barrier and looked at the anxious expressions of his elders, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Wasn't his successful Foundation Establishment a cause for celebration?

Why did the elders look so panicked?

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