Chapter 379: A Completely Different Path

“What do you want me to do?” Gu Yang knew that this so-called choice was not a choice at all.

For the first time in his life, he felt this profound sense of powerlessness when facing a matter.

Zhou Ye spoke unhurriedly, “You come with me, and I will teach you the power of self-preservation. If you can earn my recognition within six months, I will let you go. However, I must remind you: seeking my recognition may be more painful than dying right now.”

Gu Yang hadn't expected this. “You want to take me as your disciple?”

Zhou Ye shook his head. “In my entire life, Yan Yan is my only student. I am only teaching you to provide an explanation to Yan Yan. But not everyone is suited to be an exorcist. Take you, for example—you are older, have no foundation, and your body is this weak. The probability is high that you will be killed by me in six months.”

He spoke with certainty; clearly, this was truly what he thought.

“Fine, I agree!” Gu Yang’s attitude was incredibly firm.

Even if he couldn't become an asset to Su Yan, at the very least, he must not become a burden to her.

“Think carefully. Coming with me means abandoning all the glory and wealth you currently possess. Furthermore, during these six months, you will never see anyone you know again—including Yan Yan, and including your parents. Can you truly let it all go?”

Zhou Ye felt it necessary to make things crystal clear, lest Gu Yang come to him weeping and begging to leave later.

Gu Yang clenched his fists tightly. “Didn't you say that I already have no path left to walk?”

“Correct. Once you leave the protection of the exorcists, you will be nothing more than a piece of fat meat being fought over by the evil spirits.”

Zhou Ye felt that although Gu Yang had little else to offer, his clarity of mind was something few could rival.

In the future, as long as he kept this kid by his side, perhaps that thing he worried about wouldn't be such a concern.

“Give me three days. No, two days. Once I have finished handling everything on this side, I will set out with you.” Once Gu Yang made a decision, he never dragged his feet.

A smile appeared on Zhou Ye's face as he pulled a lucky star from his pocket and tossed it toward Gu Yang's hand.

“Take this. It will ensure your safety for these two days.”

“Thank you... Teacher Zhou.” Gu Yang respectfully changed how he addressed Zhou Ye.

Regardless of what Zhou Ye's true intentions were toward him, they were undoubtedly sincere toward Su Yan. Since Zhou Ye didn't want to take him as a disciple, he might as well just call him "Teacher."

Zhou Ye gave him one last deep look, but this time, he did not correct the title.

With Zhou Ye's departure, Gu Yang was left alone in the room.

He gripped the lucky star tightly in his palm, his eyes flickering incessantly.

From this day forward, he was about to embark on a path completely different from the past twenty-odd years.

And as for where that path led... he himself knew nothing at all.

***

The Zhou Family Ancestral Land.

Everyone was embroiled in a fierce battle.

Su Yan looked at the evil spirits swarming in from all directions, her expression grim to the extreme.

She had lost count of how many evil spirits she had slain, yet countless more continued to appear as far as the eye could see.

It wasn't just her area; the surroundings of Ma Chulong, Ma Chulan, Du Jinsong, and Zhang Ximing were also completely overrun.

She even felt that this place wasn't the Zhou family's ancestral land at all, but a place specifically designed to suppress evil spirits. Otherwise, how could there be such a massive number of them?!

Before entering, Zhou Li had made it very clear: the only way to successfully pass the third gate was to slaughter every single evil spirit here. Therefore, they had no way to retreat.

“Ma family disciples, stay sharp! These are not hallucinations!” Ma Chulong shouted as he fought, warning everyone.

As soon as his voice fell, an exorcist not far away was swarmed and bitten on the arm by the evil spirits.

Before he could even react, that arm was violently torn away.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Another exorcist was pinned directly to the ground by the spirits; after several agonizing wails, he lost all signs of life.

This was a true fight for survival; the brutality of the scene exceeded everyone's expectations.

Everyone finally understood why the Zhou family had returned in defeat for the past hundred years.

By now, everyone was exerting their full strength. Whether they could pass the gate was no longer important; what mattered was surviving to walk out of here.

Kong Nian's situation was even more cruel than the others.

She currently possessed no spiritual power, and she could not even see. In such an environment, she was no different from a useless piece of trash.

Initially, Gan Hua and Kong Yueling could stand by Kong Xiang to protect her, but as the evil spirits were endless, the two had long since been forced to fend for themselves. Now, only Kong Xiang remained by her side.

Listening to the increasing screams of agony all around, the tension in Kong Nian's body felt as though it could snap at any moment.

“Martial Uncle, save me!”

The moment she lost the sensation of Kong Xiang's presence, she would scream in terror.

Losing face was no longer important; she absolutely could not die here. As long as she could successfully leave, she would never allow herself to be humiliated like this again.

Although Kong Xiang was powerful, it was impossible for him to protect a helpless Kong Nian without taking any damage himself.

Not only was he injured, but Kong Nian was also bloodied.

Despite the chaos, Su Yan still noticed the situation on Kong Nian's side.

Seeing that Kong Nian didn't even have the opportunity to strike back, Su Yan found this entirely within her expectations.

However, for Kong Nian to dare follow them in despite being in such a state, her courage was indeed commendable.

As Kong Nian dodged in a panic, the veil on her bamboo hat fluttered wildly. Su Yan noticed that a cloth band was actually tied over Kong Nian's eyes, which surprised her.

After all, when they entered the ancestral land, Kong Nian's eyes had been perfectly fine.

Therefore, something must have happened in the environment of the second gate that they were unaware of.

No wonder Kong Nian had been intentionally keeping her distance from everyone; it turned out she was trying to hide this?

In such a fierce battle, the only person who still had the energy and composure to observe others was Su Yan.

Thinking of this, a cold smirk curled at the corner of Su Yan's mouth as she inconspicuously moved toward the Kong family members.

Du Jinsong and Zhang Ximing noticed her intention almost immediately, and the two followed her at once, fearing something might happen to her.

“Su Yan, the evil spirits ahead are increasing. Do not take any unnecessary risks or act too aggressively.”

Although Du Jinsong was well aware of Su Yan's strength, he still felt the need to remind her. At a time like this, there was actually no need to use her trump cards.

Before they set out, the Captain and that gentleman had specifically instructed the two of them: within the Zhou family ancestral land, they must ensure Su Yan used the power in her pupils as little as possible.

In other words, they did not wish for Su Yan to fully reveal the secrets of her eyes so soon.

(End of Chapter)