Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant

Now that he had resolved to leave this cage, the only one he could not bear to part with was the little girl before him.

"Host, when it is time to make a break, make it cleanly. If you do not leave the Ancient Realm, you will never be able to grow in peace, nor will you ever gain true freedom. As for Gu Xun'er, once you become strong enough, there will naturally come a day when you meet again."

The system's voice rang out, seemingly reinforcing Gu Xiao's determination to leave.

"You need to tell me that? Of course I know. You've got some nerve speaking up. If not for the mess you caused, would Gu Yuan have brought me to the Ancient Realm? Would I be facing this kind of trouble now?"

Gu Xiao rolled his eyes and spoke in his mind.

"But if it were not for this system, Host, you would not have met Gu Xun'er either."

The system said faintly.

"So you mean I should thank you?" Gu Xiao asked with an amused smile.

"Exactly. Host, you should thank this system," the system said solemnly.

"Heh." Gu Xiao sneered, withdrawing his attention from his mind and turning it toward Gu Xun'er.

As for the system, he could not be bothered to communicate with it. Most of the time, his system handled things efficiently, but sometimes it was utterly unreliable.

On the very first day it brought him to this continent, it had caused an enormous uproar. That was also the fundamental reason he had ended up in the Ancient Realm and viewed it as a cage.

What the system had done gave him an exceptionally mysterious and lofty background, but it had also brought him no small amount of trouble, leaving him to suffer the consequences now.

"Brother Gu Xiao, don't worry. Xun'er's after-effects have completely healed. It was all thanks to the jade pendant you gave me, Brother Gu Xiao. It really is useful."

Hearing Gu Xiao's question, Gu Xun'er smiled sweetly and took a jade pendant from her bosom. It was shaped like a Yin-Yang Fish, black as ink throughout, with only a tiny white dot at the center of its fish head, making it look exceptionally strange.

The entire jade pendant gleamed, emitting gentle, pliant waves of energy.

Gu Xiao smiled at the sight. Reaching into his robes, he produced a snow-white jade pendant with a black dot on it. With a light movement, the two pendants fitted together perfectly, seamless and without the slightest gap.

"These two jade pendants are called the Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant. Yours is the Yin Pendant, while mine is the Yang Pendant. We each have one. If I am no longer around someday, we will still be able to recognize each other through these pendants."

The Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant was a Ninth-Grade Treasure. It could nurture one's bone structure and improve one's physique, while also possessing extraordinary Great Power. It was one of the items included in the Beginner's Gift Pack given by the system.

The Yin Pendant contained incomparably pure Yin Elemental Energy, which happened to soothe the after-effects Gu Xun'er had suffered from fusing with the Golden Emperor Sky-Burning Flame. That was why he had given the Yin Pendant to Gu Xun'er. Sure enough, after she began wearing it, her remaining after-effects had completely vanished.

Moreover, he had already resolved to leave. The pendant could serve as a token by which they would recognize each other, while also leaving Gu Xun'er something to remember him by. He knew she would certainly be heartbroken if he left. Leaving this behind was, at least, a small expression of his feelings.

"If you are no longer around someday? Brother Gu Xiao, what do you mean? Don't scare Xun'er."

Sensing something unusual in Gu Xiao's words, Gu Xun'er's heart clenched, and a bad feeling rose within her.

"It means nothing. I was only speaking casually. Don't take it seriously, Xun'er." Gu Xiao smiled as he pinched Gu Xun'er's little hand.

"Really?" Gu Xun'er asked doubtfully.

"Really." Gu Xiao nodded.

Gu Xun'er looked at Gu Xiao, biting her red lips with her pearly teeth. Her eyes still held a trace of suspicion, but seeing his expression, she ultimately did not ask any further.

Brother Gu Xiao must be hiding something. It feels as though he might suddenly leave Xun'er one day.

Gu Xun'er murmured softly, an inexplicable and intense reluctance and sorrow welling up in her heart.

Inside a spacious Assembly Hall in the Ancient Realm, a group of people sat in their seats. They were all elderly men with white hair and beards. Every one of them possessed vast auras overflowing with terrifying pressure.

At the head of the hall, where the gazes of the elders converged, sat a middle-aged man. His aura seemed present and absent, as though he had merged with heaven and earth. Though he was clearly sitting there, he could not be sensed at all, giving off an exceptionally mysterious feeling.

The middle-aged man looked calmly at the elders before him, his fingers lightly tapping the tabletop with a steady tapping sound.

"Clan Leader, the plan has already been delayed for two years. It is time to carry it out. I believe it is also time to send Miss Xun'er to the Xiao Clan. After all, the Tou She Ancient God Jade is of immense importance. Our Gu Clan must obtain it, as it holds great significance for our clan's future. The Tou She Ancient God's Cave Mansion is something we absolutely cannot give up."

A White-haired Elder looked at the middle-aged man and spoke respectfully.

The identity of this middle-aged man was immediately clear. He was none other than the Gu Clan's Clan Leader, one of the continent's strongest experts, a Peak Nine-Star Dou Sheng Expert—Gu Yuan!

The White-haired Elders present were also extraordinary. Every one of them was a Dou Saint, and they were the true foundation of the Gu Clan.

"Elder Gu Lan is right. The Tou She Ancient God Jade is far too important. Leaving it with the Xiao Clan is indeed too dangerous. The Soul Clan may take advantage of an opening. It would be safer to retrieve it and keep it within our Gu Clan."

Another White-haired Elder spoke in agreement.

"But you all know that Xun'er does not wish to be separated from Xiao'er. You all saw how she reacted last time. Xun'er is my daughter, after all. I want her to have a happy childhood. I do not want her to do something she is unwilling to do."

Gu Yuan's gaze flickered slightly as he spoke in an even tone.

He was the Gu Clan's Clan Leader, but he was also a father. He cared about his daughter as well.

What was more, compared with the Ancient Jade, there was now another existence that held even greater appeal to him.

After Gu Yuan finished speaking, the atmosphere fell silent for a time. Several elders exchanged glances, their eyes glinting with thought.

"Then how about sending Young Master Gu Xiao to the Xiao Clan together with Miss Xun'er? That way, Miss Xun'er naturally will not make a fuss." An Elder seated toward the back spoke up.

"Absolutely not!"

"This must never happen!"

"Young Master Gu Xiao absolutely cannot leave the Ancient Realm!"

As soon as that Elder finished speaking, he was met with fierce opposition from the other elders.

"Clan Leader, please reconsider. This must not be done. Young Master Gu Xiao's origins are far too mysterious, and he carries heaven-shaking secrets. He is immensely important to our Gu Clan. Perhaps the opportunity for our Gu Clan to truly flourish and endure lies with Young Master Gu Xiao. Therefore, Young Master Gu Xiao must never leave the Ancient Realm, lest an accident occur."