Gu Chen had assumed that the Wei Family family would arrive first, but to his surprise, it was this person who had arrived silently. He must have followed Gu Chen's trail of monsters he had slain to get here.
Gu Chen remained silent, his figure seemingly blending into the darkness.
"Gu Chen, even if you don't speak, I know you're there." The man said coldly, "If you go any further, you'll reach Dragon Spine Mountain, the very heart of the Heaven and Earth Forest! I'm not afraid to tell you, even if Wang Gui were to be reborn, the Heaven and Earth Beast there wouldn't dare set foot there. If you go in, you'll surely die!"
Dragon Spine Mountain Range?
Gu Chen was hearing this name for the first time, and when he looked at the mountain range, it did indeed resemble the shape of a dragon.
However, he still did not speak.
The man persisted, saying, "Now, if you show up, I can guarantee your life! I can even let you join our family, so no one else will dare to touch you! As for the cultivation manuals, you only need to share them with me!"
This man was extremely arrogant. Even knowing that Yin Linquan and Zhuge He had arrived, he still dared to speak so arrogantly, clearly indicating that he must be a high-ranking figure on the Dragon Ranking. However, these people were all old foxes. Even if Gu Chen was truly desperate, he might not believe their nonsense, so he continued walking forward.
"I feel you!"
The man let out a wild laugh, and the moment Gu Chen moved, his body swooped down from the huge crown. Then, his body transformed into a phantom, appearing in front of Gu Chen in less than two or three breaths.
"Did you do this on purpose?"
Seeing that Gu Chen showed no sign of panic, the man frowned instead.
This was an elderly man with a small braid and a small blue cap that looked like it belonged to the Qing Dynasty. He wasn't particularly tall, and was even somewhat thin. But because of his powerful aura, no one dared to underestimate him.
"Of course," Gu Chen said calmly. "If I don't want you to find me, even if you shout until you're hoarse, you won't find me."
"Have you figured it out?" Although he scoffed at Gu Chen's confident words, the old man didn't utter a sarcastic remark. Instead, his eyes burned with fervor as he said, "Don't worry, as long as you join our family, I can guarantee your safety. Whether it's Yin Linquan, Zhuge He, or even the other top ten on the Dragon Ranking, none of them will dare to do anything to you!"
"Are you one of the six major powers?" Gu Chen asked.
"The six major powers? What a load of rubbish!" The old man with the braid laughed arrogantly, saying, "With you and me joining forces and possessing cultivation techniques, we will be the number one family in this Land of Heaven and Earth. We might even break through the Land of Heaven and Earth in no time. Those six major powers will only be a thing of the past. If they dare to disobey us, we might as well turn them into dust!"
"Oh?" Gu Chen said, "May I ask your honorable name?"
"My name is Nan Wuhen. You've been to the Dragon Ranking, so you should have seen my name," the old man said proudly.
Gu Chen thought for a moment and then remembered: Nan Wuhen, he did indeed have a memory of him!
This person is ranked eighth on the Dragon Ranking! However, he seems older than many others. Although his Inner Breath strength is profound, there's an air of someone nearing the end of their life. Moreover, Gu Chen doesn't understand why this person, who is only eighth, speaks so arrogantly, seemingly unafraid of even the six major powers!
"Although I am eighth on the Dragon Ranking, you should know that was my ranking twenty years ago!" Nan Wuhen seemed to see through Gu Chen's doubts and said arrogantly, "In the past twenty years, I haven't been to the Heaven and Earth Palace once. I suppose these people have already forgotten about me. Hehe, but it doesn't matter. I came out this time to try and become number one on the Dragon Ranking. I no longer care about those six major forces!"
"I see." Gu Chen nodded and said, "Your strength is indeed remarkable, I sense that, but your body seems to have a slightly decaying smell, I wonder if it's just my imagination..."
Nan Wuhen gave Gu Chen an approving look and said, "As expected of a cultivator, you can see my physical condition at a glance. Not bad. I'm not afraid to tell you, having reached my level of cultivation, I can already communicate with the heavens to some extent and know my destiny. At most, I have three more years left."
A cold smile crept onto Gu Chen's lips. No wonder this person wanted the cultivation method, which would turn him to dust and perish in three years. How could he not want it?! And his decision to abandon martial arts for cultivation wasn't for his family or to pursue a higher level like others, but to prolong his life!
"Give me the cultivation method, and I'll protect you. It's fair," Nan Wuhen said. "Now, not only the Wei Family, but I estimate Yin Linquan will also be coming. You won't have much time to consider then."
"I would like to ask Senior He, how will you protect me?" Gu Chen asked in a deep voice.
Nan Wuhen said calmly, "My strength is no weaker than Yin Linquan, who is ranked second. I'll deal with Yin Linquan, and you deal with the others. We'll break out of the Heaven and Earth Forest and return to my Nan Family. Afterward, I'll go to the Heaven and Earth Palace to register and hold a grand initiation ceremony for you. Don't worry, with your strength and contributions, you could even take the position of head of the Nan Family!"
"The position of family head?" Gu Chen chuckled. "That's a bit too much."
"I am the ancestor of the Nan Family. I offer you a seat, and no one dares to object," Nan Wuhen said. "With the protection of the Heaven and Earth Palace, you are already a member of the Nan Family. Other families will not dare to have any other thoughts. When the time comes, our Nan Family will cultivate and recuperate, and one day we will be able to reach the pinnacle of the Land of Heaven and Earth, or even break through the shackles of the Land of Heaven and Earth. By the way, aren't you going to the Gu Family? We'll go to the Gu Family family together then. A mere second- or third-rate family, I'll accompany you to wipe them out!"
Nan Wuhen is full of murderous intent!
Hearing this, Gu Chen shook his head. He didn't know if Nan Wuhen was too blindly confident or senile. As the saying goes, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." His Nan Family only had one Nan Wuhen. What made him think he could accept something like a cultivation method? In the end, not only would he not be able to protect Gu Chen, but his Nan Family would also face a great disaster, and a massacre of the entire clan was not out of the question!
Heaven and Earth Palace?
Even if it can suppress the six major powers, can it suppress all the other families in the Land of Heaven and Earth?!
Back then, a book called "The Heaven-Reaching Netherworld Art" that had never been tested or even demonstrated its power caused a great uproar and turned the Land of Heaven and Earth into a bloodbath. How much more terrifying is Gu Chen now, who has already shown the power of a cultivator!
What is the limit for a martial artist? It's the Peak Grandmaster Realm!
Once you reach this level, even ten thousand years of seclusion won't help! It's like the ancient era of cold weapons. If you're on the wrong path, without the steam age, the Industrial Revolution, or the invention of gunpowder, you could never possibly leap into the era of firearms!
The path to immortality is like firearms, it's another world!
Gu Chen was certain that no family in the Land of Heaven and Earth would let such a rare treasure go!
Nan Wuhen overestimated himself and underestimated the influence and madness of cultivation methods! Moreover, his promises might not be true. Gu Chen is not a three-year-old child; he wouldn't make up his mind just because of one word from him.