My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

"Young Master, I have tried my best..."

Amidst the sword light, Evergreen Pine's soul slowly dissipated.

Gu Lan quietly gazed at Evergreen Pine, a trace of respect in his eyes.

The sword strike he had just executed was a carefully restrained divine sword technique aimed at Evergreen Pine. In fact, it was very difficult for Evergreen Pine to block it head-on.

If Evergreen Pine had chosen to dodge, there might have been a slim chance of survival.

However, without hesitation, Evergreen Pine chose to manifest his true form, taking the full brunt of Gu Lan's strike.

The reason for such an action was simple.

It was to buy time for Cangming to acquire the Nine Heavens Earth Essence.

Such loyalty and righteousness were worthy of admiration.

"Members of the Ancient God Clan have much more integrity than some of the petty, hypocritical people in the Six Realms," Gu Lan mused.

Holding a sword in one hand, he grasped a small, green seed in the other, resembling a jade gemstone.

This was Evergreen Pine's core, known as the Evergreen Pine Seed or Evergreen Pine's Heart.

Once planted in the sect, it would, within a thousand years, grow into another primordial spiritual being, Evergreen Pine, a top-tier spiritual entity used to protect the sect.

Gu Lan planned to plant it at the entrance of Lanyan Royal School in the future.

"Master!"

"Are you alright? What just happened?"

At this moment, Chen Feng had put away his flying sword and hurriedly flew toward Gu Lan.

The moment his figure appeared, the enormous pine tree above the bamboo forest instantly changed from green to yellow, gradually turning into yellow powder that scattered between heaven and earth.

"I'm fine. Take this."

"The battle isn't over yet. Stay here and watch, but don't interfere..."

Gu Lan handed the Evergreen Pine's Heart to Chen Feng. Before he could finish his words, an unexpected event occurred.

A black vine shot out from the ground, directly blocking Chen Feng's path.

The vine resembled a sharp sword, exuding a strange aura.

It was only an inch from his nose.

"Damn!"

Chen Feng's heart nearly stopped from fear.

This was the first time he had directly faced such a powerful attack.

Fortunately, Gu Lan was right beside him. With a single raised finger, Gu Lan stopped the vine, blocking the attack effortlessly.

"Don't be afraid, Master's here."

Gu Lan spoke softly.

Hearing his master's words, Chen Feng obediently nodded, holding the Evergreen Pine's Heart, looking like a child.

However, at that moment, the enormous black vine, resembling a pillar of heaven, tore through the earth again and shot toward them at an alarming speed.

The air around the vine was filled with deathly black energy. Wherever it passed, flowers withered and all life decayed.

The terrifying power of death made Chen Feng shiver.

In the face of this vine, he felt that even if he unleashed all his swords, it would lead only to death.

The difference in their realms was simply too vast.

The vine's strength had already completely suppressed him.

A being with such power must be at least in the Main God Realm.

Judging by his master's solemn expression, Chen Feng believed the opponent's strength was no less than the God Realm, or perhaps even stronger.

"Master!"

"I'll cheer you on!"

Chen Feng, no longer impulsive like before, carefully hid behind Gu Lan.

At this moment, Gu Lan made his move.

First, he set up a simple defensive array around Chen Feng, then in a flash of movement, he met the black vine head-on.

Through his Heavenly Eye Technique, Gu Lan had already understood that Cangming had brought three powerful Ancient God Clan experts, all of whom were above the God Realm.

That Evergreen Pine had been strong, but it was only because Gu Lan possessed a technique that specifically countered their powers.

Moreover, catching them off guard helped him quickly end the battle.

Now, with the opponent taking the initiative, the battle was bound to become more complicated.

But most importantly, Gu Lan sensed the Nine Heavens Earth Essence's aura growing stronger.

This meant Cangming was close to succeeding.

In this situation, he couldn't afford to be entangled any longer.

Facing the black vine hurtling toward him, Gu Lan raised his Hongmeng Sword.

The sword's tip emitted a flame that illuminated the sky.

This time, Gu Lan did not unleash his most powerful move.

The black vine was clearly not the opponent's true form, so using a major move would only drain his energy unnecessarily.

There would be tougher battles ahead, and Gu Lan needed to conserve every bit of his strength.

Each of the twelve sword techniques had a different effect.

While the strongest was Sword Twelve, the other techniques had their own merits and were useful in different situations.

"Sword Six, Earth Core Fire Lotus!"

Gu Lan finally struck. The already cracked ground erupted with red magma, forming a fiery red lotus.

Sizzling sounds filled the air.

Under the terrifying heat of the Fire Lotus, the massive black vine slowly began to melt.

"Way of Fire!"

"Fire Origin, Fire Rule Power!"

"This guy actually controls a Rule Power, and he's only one step away from forming a Rule Mark!"

From beneath the earth, the Undead Vine sensed the power of Gu Lan's sword strike through its vine.

At that moment, it understood why Evergreen Pine had been so swiftly defeated.

A Heaven-Fixing Realm expert who was proficient in so many Rule Powers, coupled with a technique that countered the Ancient God Clan, could indeed defeat them in a single clash.

However, thinking of his comrade, who had fought alongside him for years, falling to the destruction of his soul and body, Undead Vine felt an overwhelming anger.

The various races of the Six Realms had once seemed insignificant to him.

Yet today, an insignificant insect had shaken the mighty tree!

And it had succeeded!

This was utterly absurd!

"Bumie!"

"Just bind him, don't act rashly!"

"We have thirty more breaths before I succeed. At that point, we can join forces and severely injure him!"

As Undead Vine prepared to teach Gu Lan a lesson, Cangming's voice rang in his ears.

Hearing Cangming's words, Undead Vine finally calmed down.

He raised his hand again, and the vines around him twisted like massive serpents, weaving through the earth to strike at Gu Lan.

The dense mass of vines seemed endless, forming a vast sea that rushed toward Gu Lan.

Faced with such a divine technique, Gu Lan's Earth Core Fire Lotus managed to block the first wave of attacks, but it soon exhausted its energy, turning into scorched earth as the vines pierced through it.

The black vines continued their assault, pushing toward Gu Lan.

"Found you!"

At this moment, Gu Lan suddenly smiled.

He had used his fire Rule power, which had a strong counter to death energy, not to severely wound his opponent, but to distract and delay him.

He had been searching for Cangming and the others' exact location.

Now, he had found them.

Since that was the case, Gu Lan would no longer hold back.

"One Breath Into Three Clarity!"

In an instant, Gu Lan's form split into four.

The Three Clarity avatars each wielded a long spear, a greatsword, and an ancient zither.