Chapter 821: Saint!

A gnoll, holding a box of fragrant fried chicken, looked over in utter astonishment, nearly letting the box slip from his hands.

In an instant, he recognized that sword: "By the gods! The Farron Greatsword!?"

"And... the soul of the Undead Legion!?" In the realm of Dark Souls, slaying a powerful adversary always yielded a fragment of their soul's power, which could be used either to elevate one's own might or as a form of currency.

"Such a thing actually exists?!"

...

By this time, it was clear that the comprehensive score rankings had been finalized, and the victor was none other than Gu Tingyun, the Headmaster of the Haotian Academy from the Yuanyang City branch.

"Headmaster Gu, is there anything in particular you desire?" Boss Fang sent over a message, adding, "But let's make this clear beforehand—anything too absurd is off the table (wry smile)." After all, the system's limitations were absolute; the specifications for this custom reward could only reach eighty percent of the highest grade of rewards Boss Fang had previously obtained.

"Er..." Gu Tingyun looked at the rewards others had received and replied, "Allow this old man to ponder it for a moment..."

...

Over at the Half City branch, Mo Xian and the others from the Nanhua Sect quickly unsealed their own grand gift pack.

Suddenly, from within the package, a piercing golden radiance erupted, shooting straight into the heavens!

"What on earth has appeared?!"

Evidently, everyone realized that this was highly likely to be yet another extraordinary treasure!

As the light gradually receded, there was revealed an ancient, elegantly crafted precious sword, its blade clear and flawless as autumn water.

"An ancient divine sword—point it to the heavens and the sky shatters, point it to the earth and the ground splits."

"This... this is...!?"

"The Wuchen Sword!?"

"Li Xiaoyao's ultimate weapon from The Legend of Sword and Fairy—!"

"Holy sh*t!?"

Though anyone who had played the game knew that the Wuchen Sword was not quite as peerless as its description boasted, it was undeniably a divine blade beyond question.

"Quick, look what else there is!?" The onlookers gathered around the gift pack completely ignored the golden light that threatened to blind even eyes made of titanium, eagerly casting their gazes into the center of the radiance.

Within that golden light, there seemed to be the faint silhouette of a royal blue box, roughly the size of a palm, looking exquisitely crafted.

"What could this be now...!?" Among those watching the unboxing were cultivators from various great sects of the Eastern Continent, such as the Haotian Sect and the Xiaoyao Auspicious Skies, along with those from the Yuanyang City branch.

"What is this?" A group of cultivators looked at one another, murmuring, "Which fellow Daoist has ever laid eyes on such a treasure!?"

Elder Xiao Yunhe of the Haotian Sect leaned closer to the screen, faintly discerning the royal blue box, upon which were two silver characters of a peculiar design.

Subconsciously, he read them aloud: "Stride... Gum...?"

"Stride Gum!?" The surrounding elders all turned their heads, their eyes wide. "There exists such a treasure!?"

One shouted loudly, "What a strange artifact!"

"What is the function of this treasure...!?"

"It seems there is an inscription underneath..."

"Let me see!"

Upon that royal blue box, the text read: "Long-lasting flavor, ridiculously long..."

"..."

...

"What nonsense are you spouting!?" From within the piercing celestial radiance, one could faintly discern the figure of a man possessing the air of an immortal, who chided, "Do you have any idea what kind of calamity your actions will bring upon you? The order established by the ancient saints allows no violation by anyone, otherwise..."

The old cultivator stamped his feet in sheer anxiety, crying out, "Immortal... we... we are merely playing games! We truly haven't violated anything—!"

He hurriedly drew a communication jade from his robes, inside of which was saved a video of himself playing Darius: "Look... we are just playing this League of Legends, we really haven't done anything to provoke heaven's wrath or human grievance!"

"We have always minded our own business and kept to the laws, so why...!?"

"Hmph!" The figure within the celestial light let out a cold snort. "I see that you have lived far too comfortably in this peaceful era!"

"Though the techniques within are somewhat crude... do you truly take us for fools who cannot see through it!?" He looked at the communication jade held out by the old cultivator and sneered, "But I have no desire to explain it to you. You only need to know that everything learned in that shop is the forbidden of forbiddens, and that is enough."

Immediately following that, the voice grew even more chillingly cold: "Not to mention those absurd theories about slaughtering immortals and slaying gods! You simply do not know the depth of the heavens! What do you think you are, that you dare to play tricks before us!"

In that single instant, the mere sliver of an aura that leaked out made the old cultivator feel as though a terrifying, primordial mountain was pressing down upon him.

The old cultivator was driven to his knees almost instantly, and the communication jade slipped from his grasp, tumbling to the floor.

A mouthful of fresh blood erupted from his lips, his face turning deathly pale in an instant!

Even a minuscule thread of that aura was far more than he could bear!

"I am Gui Ye of the Primordial Cliff." Though his visage remained obscured, the voice was steeped in absolute arrogance; perhaps, at this moment, the speaker's face bore an expression of unbridled wildness and pride.

"Gui..." The old cultivator froze at first, and then an expression of sheer horror washed over his face. "This surname...!?"

He suddenly recalled fragments of records buried within the ancient texts of his sect.

It was said that long ago on this continent, there existed eight incredibly ancient clans, whose existence seemed coeval with human history itself.

There were even claims that all the methods of cultivating immortality passed down on this continent today originated from these eight ancient clans.

In that bygone era, those of the Saint Realm were nothing more than gate-keeping youths.

Even a partial stance displayed by a mere gate-keeper could throw the entire world into a fervor.

And in that era, the Saints of the Western Continent dared not arrogantly style themselves as such, for within these eight great clans stood eight supreme and peerless Saints!

According to ancient records, the world back then knew nothing of ascension; immortals dwelt hidden within spiritual mountains and vast rivers.

And it was explicitly recorded that a Saint of the Gui family had once shattered the souls of several immortals with a single palm strike, bringing about their complete annihilation!

To those for whom even feathering ascension was an unattainable dream, they could never fathom what kind of realm that truly was!

That was the existence they had held in the greatest awe and reverence since the day they first stepped through the gates of seeking immortality.

"Though that fellow Bixiao possessed some ability, she was nothing more than an outsider." The indifferent voice dragged the old cultivator back to reality. "Do not think I am unaware that certain fools, believing they escaped with their lives from her hands, think all is well."

The old cultivator was slightly dazed, still failing to comprehend the meaning behind the words.

The figure continued, "A long time ago, there was also a fool who overestimated himself. Now, he has transformed into something dropped into this filthy and turbid mortal world, fought over by these lowly ants—a divinity!"

"I have delivered the warning." The figure within the celestial light spoke one last time. "As for what you decide, consider it yourselves!"

With those words, the celestial light vanished, and the painting depicting the immortal, placed there for veneration, returned to its original state.

It was as though nothing had ever transpired.

The old cultivator stared in horror at his surroundings, and at the communication jade fallen upon the floor, which was still playing League of Legends.

"Quick..." He hurriedly scrambled up from the ground. "Quick, inform the Sect Master of this matter..."

Having run a short distance, he turned back around and scooped up the communication jade from the floor: "Right, send a message on QQ... send a message on QQ... look at this old brain of mine... I almost forgot!"

.