Stop! You, a mere nobody, have no right to attend the ceremony!

Fortunately, after the flesh was burned away, the terrifying and strange energy from the pill spread out again, causing the flesh to regrow. Moreover, the speed of the flesh growth was increasing, and eventually, it reached the point where only rapidly moving tissue could be seen.

Before long, a vague human shape, covered in bloody flesh, quickly took form.

This process of burning and regrowth continued for several hours until, finally, the skin tissue fully formed over the flesh.

As the skin finished forming, the skeleton on the stone platform completely transformed into a human shape.

"I never imagined that such a miraculous thing exists in the world, something that can bring the dead back to life!" 

Some of the powerful figures from various Central Plains sects were now filled with extreme reverence for Gu Fei.

"Alright, from this point on, he needs to merge with this body on his own. During this time, it's best not to disturb him..." 

Seeing this, Gu Fei retracted the heavenly flame into his body and instructed Xuan Kongzi.

The onlookers finally began to disperse after witnessing this extraordinary display by Gu Fei, where he personally saved someone. It had been quite an eventful night for them.

"Husband, you've spent the entire night focusing on controlling the heavenly flame; you must be exhausted!" 

"The coming-of-age ceremony is about to start!"

Xiao Yi Xian and Cai Lin walked on either side of Gu Fei. Cai Lin wiped the sweat from his forehead, while Xiao Yi Xian took out a new robe and draped it over him.

As they stepped out of the hall, the sky outside was no longer dark; the first light of dawn had begun to appear.

At that moment, the Gu Sacred Mountain Range also became lively. Figures flitted across the sky, and the sounds of festive drums echoed throughout the mountains.

"Gu Fei, wait for me!" 

Xun'er, who had been watching Gu Fei the whole time, quickly followed after he left.

She was also one of the main participants in today's coming-of-age ceremony.

Years ago, during her bloodline test, her bloodline grade far exceeded that of ordinary clan members.

Today, at the coming-of-age ceremony, Xun'er was confident she could achieve the rare Grade 10 (Divine) Dou Di bloodline, one of only two in the Gu clan's millennia-long history.

"Xun'er..."

Xiao Yan turned to look back.

When he saw Xun'er chasing after Gu Fei, a wave of bitterness welled up in his heart.

Earlier, when he heard that Xun'er had already been married once, he was deeply pained.

But back then, there were too many people around, and he had important matters to attend to in the Gu Realm, so he forcibly suppressed those emotions.

Now that Yao Lao's situation had been mostly resolved, the painful feelings in his heart finally resurfaced.

He remembered how Xun'er used to cling to him back in Wu Tan City. Even when his cultivation regressed and he was mocked by others, Xun'er never abandoned him and always encouraged him.

Even after she left the Xiao family, she kept in touch, sending him all sorts of items to aid in his cultivation.

His feelings for Xun'er had long surpassed mere sibling affection.

But now, before he could take any action, Xun'er had already been married.

Although she had been divorced by Gu Fei, it seemed she still harbored feelings for him and wanted to reconcile.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yan felt a sharp pain in his chest, and he pressed his hand against his heart.

"Let's head out as well and let the old man quietly stay inside. From here on, it's up to him whether he can truly be reborn from the ashes..."

After setting up a few things, Xuan Kongzi led Venerable Feng and Xiao Yan outside.

He also placed a seal on the hall to prevent anyone from accidentally disturbing the old man inside.

"If she really still likes Gu Fei, I'll bury my love deep within. But if she ever turns back, no matter how difficult it is, I will pursue her..."

Once outside, Xiao Yan made up his mind and decided to go watch the coming-of-age ceremony as well.

...

After leaving the hall, Gu Fei led Xiao Yi Xian and Cai Lin toward the center of the grand square, which was enveloped in an ancient aura.

He didn't stop and paid no attention to Xun'er, who was hurrying after him.

Around the ancient square, there were rows of Black Submerged Army troops standing tall. Their sharp eyes, like those of eagles, scanned the surroundings continuously.

"Greetings, General Gu Fei!"

"Greetings, General Gu Fei!"

When these Black Submerged Army troops saw Gu Fei approaching, they respectfully saluted him.

Although Gu Fei hadn't pursued a higher position within the Black Submerged Army in recent years, after the previous generation of high-ranking officers like Gu Qing Yang and Gu Yao had been promoted to Great Generals, no one dared to challenge Gu Fei's authority. As a result, they automatically left a General's position vacant for him.

Everyone in the Black Submerged Army accepted this decision wholeheartedly. After all, Gu Fei had once easily defeated the current Fourth General Gu Yao, and now he had even stepped into the Half-Saint realm before Gu Yao and Gu Qing Yang.

With such achievements, who wouldn't be convinced?

"Mm."

Gu Fei gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and then walked inside.

Following closely behind Gu Fei, Xun'er also stepped in with determination.

However, when Xiao Yan tried to enter, the sound of long spears clashing heavily echoed.

It turned out that two Black Submerged Army soldiers in golden armor had crossed their spears to block Xiao Yan and Venerable Feng.

"Stop! This area is restricted. Only clan members and specially invited guests are allowed to enter..." 

The two golden-armored soldiers spoke in unison.

"We came here with the Pill Tower. We were invited by your Gu Clan. Is this how you treat your guests?" 

Being stopped, Xiao Yan immediately became angry and tried to argue.

"Heh, the Pill Tower is the Pill Tower, but you two don't meet the qualifications!" 

Xiao Yan's protest was met with merciless ridicule from the two golden-armored soldiers.

Just as Xiao Yan was feeling embarrassed and unsure of what to do, a young member of the Gu Clan walked over and whispered something to the two golden-armored soldiers.

"Let him go in and embarrass himself..." 

Afterward, the two soldiers, wearing mysterious smiles, lowered their spears and allowed Xiao Yan to pass.

Although Xiao Yan sensed something was wrong, he believed that the Gu Clan wouldn't harm guests attending the ceremony.

Not long after entering the square, Xiao Yan noticed several members of the Gu Clan looking at him with schadenfreude.

Suddenly, Xiao Yan felt a chill. His eyes quickly darted around.

At the far end of his vision, a figure radiating a cold, murderous aura sat cross-legged.

This person's hair was black and white, and his entire body exuded an icy presence.

Xiao Yan was unaware that the one who had gone to the Jia Ma Empire to kill him was just a small fry named Gu Li. The real threat was the chilling man before him now.

(TL/n: A bit late but here's the first release of the day. There were couple translation errors previously but I've fixed them- thanks a lot for pointing them out. Don't forget to leave a review if you're enjoying it so far!)