Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, Hefeng Academy.
This academy, guarded by scholars, had suddenly become the focus of the demon race's concentrated attack. Great demons Ji An, Lian Ban, Chen Feng, Liu Bai, and others, wounded but relentless, pressed their assault. Mid-air, Gu Lingyu's ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Idol spanned the heavens, engulfing the entire academy, continuously deploying various Confucian means to defuse the onslaught of the great demons.
At this moment, players could no longer approach the battlefield of Hefeng Academy. All around, great demons of the Upper Five Realms wreaked havoc; to touch them was to die!
...
"Gu Lingyu!"
High above the clouds, the Demon Ancestor Qing Kui narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Your junior grand-uncle has already returned to dust, so why do you persist? You, a sage of Confucianism, a figure of renown in the literary world, are you throwing away a bright future to accompany Lin Zhao in death?"
Gu Lingyu's smile was gentle. "Does the Demon Ancestor know who Zero Yu respects most in his life?"
"Your master, the pedantic Master Zi Huai?" the Demon Ancestor asked indifferently with a smile.
"Nay."
Gu Lingyu shook his head and chuckled, "The one Zero Yu respects most in his life is Grand Uncle Master, the Confucian Sage Qin Suihan. A hundred years ago, Master Qin guarded a white tree here, sacrificing himself to earn the world an atmosphere of all things reviving. I, Gu Lingyu, am naturally no match for Master Qin, but I am confident in guarding a sliver of noble spirit above the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake."
He narrowed his eyes, looking at the great demons, and said with a smile, "The Snow Domain Heavenly Lake is the territory of the human realm, a place where our predecessors shed blood and died for the world. If one day the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake is left only to a flock of beasts, wouldn't that be a cause for regret?"
"Too much nonsense!"
The Demon King Chen Feng laughed heartily, raising his long sword and unleashing a sword light thousands of zhang long, which pressed down fiercely upon Hefeng Academy. However, it was blocked by a Confucian aura unleashed by Gu Lingyu.
"Hmph, still struggling like a trapped beast?"
The great demon Ji An roared, stirring up a sky full of watery currents with a steel fork, and violently attacked Hefeng Academy from the east.
"Boom—"
With a deafening roar, Gu Lingyu's body trembled violently once more. The golden Dharma Idol, filled with noble spirit, seemed to be unable to bear it any longer, its shoulders cracking and on the verge of collapse. If the Dharma Idol were completely destroyed, Gu Lingyu would suffer the same fate as Qin Suihan, ultimately dying and vanishing, with perhaps only a wisp of his soul remaining.
"Come on, attack together!"
The Demon Ancestor Qing Kui frowned and said, "Send Sage Gu on his way!"
The next moment, the Demon Ancestor Qing Kui took a deep breath and unleashed a life-bound technique, striking heavily upon Hefeng Academy's grand formation. Liu Bai, Yu Zhi, Ning Yuan Sheng, Long Zheng, and others also unleashed their offensive techniques. Numerous great demons attacked Gu Lingyu from all directions.
In mere moments, Gu Lingyu's Dharma Idol began to violently disintegrate. His arms turned to dust in the wind, a truly tragic sight.
The demon race, of course, knew that Huang Tingyu was holding back his life-bound techniques and not fighting with all his might precisely to protect the younger generation at the mountaintop villa. Therefore, killing Huang Tingyu was already difficult. A thirteen-realm sword cultivator with the bloodline of the Celestial Hound returning to its ancestor was almost impossible to kill.
Thus, the final pillar of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake was Gu Lingyu before them! If Gu Lingyu were killed, the demon race would have a clear path here and could then sweep through the entire human realm!
After the time it takes to burn one stick of incense, Gu Lingyu's Dharma Idol had almost completely disintegrated.
He stood on the ridge of a scholar's building within the academy, blood constantly spilling from the corners of his mouth, his face pale, having reached his limit. Even his body had begun to crack. The self-sacrifice of a thirteen-realm Confucian sage in defense of the world, how tragic!
"Master Gu!"
From afar, Tong Yu watched Gu Lingyu's tragic state, his eyes welling up with tears. Why had this gentle and refined young master been suppressed to such a dire state for the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake and Hefeng Academy?
Zhang Luobai looked at Gu Lingyu, tears flowing silently. Although he was a student in the academy and a disciple of Gu Lingyu's disciple, in terms of seniority, Zhang Luobai should have called Gu Lingyu "Senior Brother." Many times in the academy, he had rushed impetuously before Gu Lingyu, shouted "Greetings, Senior Brother!" bowed, and then fled.
Each time, Gu Lingyu would smile gently. "Little Martial Uncle's disciple, I like him too. Although this brat is a bit mischievous, his nature is kind, and his talent is quite extraordinary." Thus, when Zhang Luobai called him Senior Brother, Gu Lingyu never punished him, sometimes even calling the brat over and giving him a pastry or something similar.
Now, with Gu Lingyu on the verge of dying, Zhang Luobai wept uncontrollably.
The best master in the world was gone.
Now, the best senior brother was also gone.
Zhuang Yirong's shoulders trembled, weeping profusely, but she dared not make a sound, fearing that everyone would think her, a formidable warrior from the mountaintop villa, was too weak.
Huang Tingyu, holding his sword Amber, looked solemn but remained silent. It was Gu Lingyu's choice. The principles of a Confucian sage were far more important than Huang Tingyu's own thoughts, so he would absolutely not interfere.
...
"Hmph, pedantic!"
The great demon Yu Zhi, after unleashing a wisp of flame, smiled. She greatly disliked people like Gu Lingyu, who clung to a principle. Such scholars were detestable alive and regrettable dead.
"Give me your life!"
The Demon King Chen Feng raised his sword, stirring up rolling sword qi. Among the great demons, Chen Feng's killing intent was the most vigorous, as he desperately desired Gu Lingyu's head. Before descending to the lower realm, his master, the Kunpeng Demon Ancestor, had said that Gu Lingyu was the most formidable Confucian cultivator in the lower realm. If he could slay Gu Lingyu, it would be a great merit!
"Hmm?"
Gu Lingyu looked up, gazing at the offensive techniques of the many great demons. His expression was quite calm and serene, even with a smile on his lips. The time for unwavering resolve had truly arrived. Facing death, he was not so afraid.
"Master!"
A group of young scholars cried out, each filled with anxiety. But none could resolve Gu Lingyu's desperate situation. Their realms were too low; they were no match for the thirteen and fourteen-realm demons in the sky.
However, just as the great demons were about to finish off Gu Lingyu, there was a faint rumble of thunder from the four horizons of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Following that, dense literary fortune rolled in, an omen far surpassing the omens of Yu Wanling and others entering the Rebirth Realm. At this moment, almost all the literary fortune in the world had gathered here.
The sound of the Great Dao boomed, and the flying snow in the sky instantly halted, suspended in mid-air. What's more, after a few breaths, the snowflakes slowly inverted and drifted upwards. All these signs indicated the birth of a sage.
"What is it?!"
Chen Feng's sword was shattered by the rolling Great Dao sound. He hurriedly looked up at the sky.
"Hmm?!"
The Demon Ancestor Qing Kui also looked up, his eyes filled with dread.
Under the clouds of gathered literary fortune, streaks of golden text hung upside down, all words of enlightenment from past Confucian sages. As these words descended upon heaven and earth, resonances echoed throughout the realm, and the entire world seemed to be ushering in the birth of a true sage.
It was a decree from heaven and earth!
Gu Lingyu sought to achieve enlightenment through death, which had actually triggered a decree from heaven and earth, and it was a decree for a Confucian Sage.
At this moment, with a single thought, Gu Lingyu could inherit the mantle of Qin Suihan and become the new Confucian Sage decreed by heaven and earth!
...
"Alas..."
He sighed, as if he had known it would come, but it had arrived a little late. If this decree from heaven and earth had come earlier, Gu Lingyu might have accepted it. After all, upon receiving the decree, his realm would have soared straight to the fourteenth realm. A fourteen-realm Confucian Sage guarding the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake might have truly turned the tide.
Back then, Qin Suihan, as a person of lowered status, was a thirteen-realm Confucian Sage whose might could resist many wise men. Gu Lingyu, now as a fourteen-realm Confucian Sage, might have truly prevented the great demons of Wuwang Mountain from even crossing the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
It was a pity that Gu Lingyu was too severely injured now, and his cultivation had been greatly depleted. Even if he accepted the title of Confucian Sage from this decree of heaven and earth, he would likely still be only thirteen-realm, unable to change anything.
Therefore, Gu Lingyu shook his head with a smile at the heavens and earth, cupped his hands in a gentle salute, and refused the decree of heaven and earth to become a Confucian Sage.
With Master Qin before him, how could he, Gu Lingyu, dare to be presumptuous?
However, even as Gu Lingyu refused the decree from heaven and earth, streaks of Confucian text from the decree still fell upon him. These were what Gu Lingyu wanted.
"Junior Uncle..."
Gu Lingyu looked towards the northern half of Wuwang Mountain, tears streaming down his face, "Zero Yu is leaving. From now on, I will help Junior Uncle guard Hefeng Academy, guard this sliver of noble spirit above the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, and never let those beasts contaminate it."
Saying this, he took out a withered branch from his embrace. It was a withered branch from a white tree that he had found among the relics of Qin Suihan's bookshop from the flow of time.
The quasi-Confucian Sage gently raised his finger and pointed. Instantly, a wisp of his vital energy fell upon the withered branch, and in a flash, the branch began to sprout, full of life. Gu Lingyu's body then scattered with the wind, pouring all his true essence into the withered branch.
A gentle breeze carried the withered branch to the center of Hefeng Academy. It immediately took root, and in a blink of an eye, it grew into a towering white tree. With Gu Lingyu's cultivation and the power of the Confucian Sage decree, this white tree grew exceptionally strong, lush with spiritual energy. It stood as a unique entity above the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, like a vast umbrella, shrouding Hefeng Academy.
...
"Hmm?"
The Demon Ancestor Qing Kui's heart suddenly chilled, and he quickly shouted, "Retreat quickly!"
Everyone retreated.
However, two great demons of the twelfth realm retreated slightly slower and were engulfed by the auspicious radiance emanating from the white tree. Their entire physical bodies instantly disintegrated into a spray of blood.
At this moment, the entire white tree radiated a forbidden power. Let alone twelfth-realm demons, even thirteenth and fourteenth-realm great demons would likely gain no advantage if they approached.
...
The quasi-Confucian Sage Gu Lingyu had long decided to transform into a white tree and continue guarding the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake.
"Bypass Hefeng Academy!"
The Demon Ancestor Qing Kui's eyes burned with rage, but there was nothing he could do. Hefeng Academy was now untouchable. Even if he were to confront it head-on, he would gain no advantage. Rather than engaging in a futile struggle with the white tree, it was better to conserve strength and continue plotting for the entire world.
A single Hefeng Academy could not make much of a splash in the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, especially since Gu Lingyu was dead.
...
Inside the academy, dozens of young scholars knelt in a row, their eyes brimming with tears.