Yin Pendant's Defense, Gu Xiao's Departure

"Bastard!" Gu Yuan roared as his towering aura erupted, launching a fierce attack at Soul Emperor.

Soul Emperor showed no fear whatsoever and met Gu Yuan's attack head-on.

"Hehe, a mysterious Divine Son who descended from the heavens and is tied to the Secret of Dou Di, plus the little princess of the Gu Clan. The Soul Clan has truly struck gold this time."

"Gu Lan" gave a sinister laugh, his withered palm reaching directly toward Gu Xiao and Gu Xun'er.

"Brother Gu Xiao!" Gu Xun'er cried out and threw her arms around Gu Xiao, squeezing her eyes shut. Her little face was filled with panic and fear.

Gu Xiao held Gu Xun'er with one arm. There was not the slightest hint of fear on his face; instead, he was calm to the extreme.

Whoosh! Just as "Gu Lan's" hand was about to touch them, an incomparably pure, icy energy suddenly burst from Gu Xun'er's body. The energy gathered into a black taiji diagram energy barrier, directly enveloping Gu Xun'er and Gu Xiao.

When "Gu Lan's" claw touched the taiji diagram energy barrier, it was immediately bounced away.

"What?" Gu Lan cried out in shock, a look of astonishment appearing on his face.

Inside the barrier, Gu Xun'er slowly opened her eyes. Her beautiful Big Eyes were full of bewilderment, as though she could not understand why the enormous claw she had imagined had yet to arrive.

"Silly girl, what are you thinking about?" Gu Xiao smiled softly and tapped Gu Xun'er on the tip of her nose.

"We're all right?" Gu Xun'er asked blankly.

"Of course we are. Look!" Gu Xiao pointed at the black taiji energy barrier overhead and smiled softly.

"This is?" Gu Xun'er studied the black taiji energy barrier, her Pretty Face full of curiosity.

"The Yin Pendant!" Gu Xiao pointed casually.

"It?" Gu Xun'er took the Yin Pendant from her clothes. At that moment, it was giving off a faint black radiance, while a steady torrent of pure icy energy surged forth from it.

"That's right. I told you before, the Yin Pendant specializes in defense and possesses extraordinary Great Power. You've seen its effect for yourself now. However, it has a limited number of uses—three in total. Once they are used up, the Yin Pendant will completely lose its effect. So take good care of it, understand?"

Gu Xiao spoke earnestly.

"Mhm, I understand, Brother Gu Xiao!" Gu Xun'er obediently nodded her little head and tightly gripped the Yin Pendant in her hand. Gu Xiao had been willing to give her such a precious treasure, and she was truly happy.

"What bullshit Yin Pendant? Just playing tricks!" "Gu Lan" cursed, his aura exploding. "Let me shatter it completely."

As he spoke, "Gu Lan" slammed his palm down. Unlike before, he was now using the full strength of a Four-Star Dou Sheng.

Bang!

"Gu Lan's" palm struck the black taiji energy barrier, sending faint ripples across its surface. Then, the previous scene repeated itself—his palm was directly bounced away, and even his entire body was flung more than ten meters back.

Seeing this, Gu Xiao did not even blink. The Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant was a Ninth-Grade Treasure, and it was a consumable Ninth-Grade Treasure at that.

Generally speaking, if a consumable item could reach the ninth grade, it was bound to possess immensely powerful strength. Its might generally far surpassed other items of the same grade.

Thus, although the Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant was merely a Ninth-Grade Treasure, its defensive power was no weaker than that of an ordinary ninth-grade mystic artifact.

For anyone below a Five-Star Dou Sheng to break through the Yin Pendant's defense was pure fantasy.

Though the Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant was called a Beginner's Gift Pack, it was actually compensation from the system. The system's beginning had indeed been a massive trap and had drawn no small amount of trouble. The Yin-Yang Profound Heart Pendant was meant to guarantee Gu Xiao's safety, so its power was naturally formidable.

"What a Yin Pendant. Gu Yuan, I never expected your Gu Clan to possess such a treasure." Soul Emperor narrowed his eyes, his expression turning unpleasant for the first time. Their plan had failed.

The Yin Pendant did not seem like something they could break anytime soon. In that time, the remaining Dou Saints of the Gu Clan could arrive hundreds of times over.

"How could your Soul Clan possibly fathom the depths of our Gu Clan?" Gu Yuan said calmly, his expression returning to normal. Yet deep in his eyes lay a trace of confusion. The Yin Pendant?

Their Gu Clan did not have such a thing!

This item could only belong to Gu Xiao.

Earlier, when he heard Gu Xiao tell Xun'er to safeguard the Yin Pendant, he had paid it no mind. Who would have thought this thing possessed such tremendous power?

Gu Xiao truly was unfathomable!

Naturally, Gu Xiao knew nothing of Gu Yuan and Soul Emperor's conversation, nor was he interested in knowing at that moment.

Now that the Yin Pendant had been revealed, Gu Yuan and the others would certainly become even more curious about it. The time had come for him to make his escape.

"Xun'er!" Gu Xiao called softly.

"What is it, Brother Gu Xiao?" Gu Xun'er looked at Gu Xiao curiously.

Gu Xiao smiled, released Gu Xun'er, and took a few steps back.

"Brother Gu Xiao, what are you doing?" Gu Xun'er watched his movements in confusion, her eyes carrying a hint of puzzlement.

"Xun'er, I'm leaving. You must take good care of yourself."

The corners of Gu Xiao's lips curved upward as he smiled softly.

"Brother Gu Xiao, what did you say?" Gu Xun'er froze. Then disbelief filled her eyes. What had Gu Xiao just said?

He was leaving?

"I'm leaving. I should have left long ago, but I could never bear to leave you. Today, though, the day I must depart has finally come."

A trace of reluctance flashed through Gu Xiao's eyes, but it was immediately replaced by firm resolve. If he wanted to control his own fate, he first had to leave the Ancient Realm.

"The Yin Pendant's defense can last for a quarter of an hour, enough to keep you safe. If you miss me in the future, just look at the Yin Pendant."

"I'll miss you too, Xun'er. Once I become strong enough, I'll return to the Ancient Realm. Xun'er, take good care of yourself."

As Gu Xiao spoke softly, brilliant multicolored light suddenly burst from his body. Beneath him, a Twelve-Colored Lotus more than three meters long slowly emerged, lifting his body.

A colored vortex suddenly appeared in midair. The Twelve-Colored Lotus carried Gu Xiao slowly out of the barrier before shooting upward.

"Don't even think about leaving! Stay here!" Seeing this, "Gu Lan," who had been knocked back earlier, charged straight at Gu Xiao.

"Gu Lan" reached for Gu Xiao with one hand, coming directly into contact with the Twelve-Colored Lotus.

Boom! As the blast rang out, "Gu Lan's" attack was completely neutralized. The Twelve-Colored Lotus trembled lightly, and a terrifying surge of energy erupted, sending "Gu Lan" flying backward.

"Overestimating yourself." Gu Xiao curled his lip as the Twelve-Colored Lotus shielded him and flew swiftly into the colored vortex.

In the final instant before entering the vortex, Gu Xiao looked toward Gu Xun'er, his teasing voice carrying out.

"Oh, right, Xun'er. There's something else I forgot to tell you. Girls need to protect themselves, especially by staying away from men with ulterior motives. If anyone has improper thoughts about you, just beat him until he's crippled."

With that, Gu Xiao's figure shot into the vortex and vanished completely.

"Brother Gu Xiao!" Gu Xun'er raised her head and murmured softly. Her bright Big Eyes brimmed with tears as two crystalline streams slowly ran down her fair cheeks...