The hall was utterly silent, sunlight slanting through the window lattice.
Gu Changling gazed quietly at the thick-browed Daoist, his expression complicated, and hesitantly began:
"Senior Brother, you..."
The thick-browed Daoist cut him off:
"Don't misunderstand, Junior Brother! I volunteered and went before the True Lord to ask for this!"
Gu Changling looked at him for a moment, bewilderment filling his face:
"Senior Brother, if you go to kill the Dao Child, how could you possibly survive?
"Qian Peak will certainly demand your life to appease the Patriarch's wrath. Within Separation Peak, there is not only the Fire Prison, but seven or eight punishment cells for extracting souls and refining spirits..."
The thick-browed Daoist lowered his head without answering, then suddenly asked:
"Junior Brother, how long have you been at Foundation Establishment?"
Gu Changling frowned and replied:
"One hundred and seventy years."
The thick-browed Daoist let out a long sigh:
"How quickly time passes. It's been over two hundred years since we cultivated together in the Lower Courtyard."
He paused briefly, then spoke a few words in an even tone:
"Junior Brother, my lifespan is running out."
Gu Changling abruptly froze. This senior brother of his had always remained in the Lower Courtyard, never finding an opportunity to reach Foundation Establishment, and naturally never receiving advancement.
A cultivator at the twelfth level of Qi Refining could live, at most, between two and three hundred years.
By a rough reckoning, his end was indeed approaching.
"Senior Brother, I can find you some heavenly treasures to extend your life."
Gu Changling considered briefly, assuming that Luo Yi had lured him with generous rewards to make the thick-browed Daoist willingly go to his death.
"You underestimate me, Junior Brother."
The thick-browed Daoist scoffed:
"I'm willing to serve as the True Lord's pawn and