My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

After taking a glance behind, Gu Simu seemed to be deep in thought, gathering a stream of true qi in his hand.

If what Gu Lan said was true, then the shadow he was seeing should also mimic his movements.

Gu Simu slowly raised his hand, and he saw the shadow do the same.

After several attempts, Gu Simu was sure that Gu Lan was right.

He didn't bother with it further and focused on retracting his aura.

"Father, what should we do next?" Gu Simu asked, looking expectantly at Gu Lan.

Seeing her eager expression, Gu Lan almost spoke but swallowed his words.

"Let's first find the Flame of Hell with your father," he said.

He instinctively wanted Gu Simu to leave this place, but he knew her character well. She wouldn't listen to him.

Leaving her alone here would only bring danger, and it was safer to go with her.

"Why wait then? Let's go quickly before we run into trouble," Gu Simu said, already eager, a smile of excitement spreading across her face.

The shadow continued to follow them, but Gu Simu ignored it. As long as it posed no threat to her, she couldn't care less.

Seeing her leave, Gu Lan shook his head with a wry smile and stepped forward as well.

Inside the Land of Ruin, there were no signs of any living beings, so they hadn't run into any trouble so far.

But the further they went, the more uneasy Gu Lan began to feel.

The Land of Ruin had no borders.

The endless grayness around them made Gu Lan lose his patience slowly.

Not just Gu Lan, but Gu Simu's expression had also turned solemn.

Their pace slowed, and Gu Simu couldn't help but ask, "Father, where exactly is it?"

Gu Lan stared into the distance, his face dark as he shook his head.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be wasting time here."

After some contemplation, Gu Lan closed his eyes and stood still, and the aura of the Great Path began to emanate from his body.

This was the only method available to him now. He was curious just how deeply that fire could be hidden.

With the Great Path aura enhancing his body, Gu Lan could sense everything within tens of thousands of miles.

Soon, he felt a scorching energy.

However, the aura was very faint, and Gu Lan couldn't tell if it was the thing he was searching for.

But at this point, he had no choice but to investigate.

"Father, have you found it?" Gu Simu asked curiously.

Gu Lan, with a thoughtful look, nodded slightly.

This time, Gu Lan and Gu Simu didn't rush.

Their steps remained slow as they remained alert to their surroundings.

They didn't know how much time had passed before Gu Lan and Gu Simu stopped.

A few hundred yards ahead, there was a towering tree.

However, this tree was not made of wood but was instead formed by true qi.

Just one glance at it, and Gu Lan could feel the tremendous soul force radiating from it.

"Could it be the legendary Land of Ruin Tree?" Gu Lan muttered to himself, his expression growing more serious.

It was said that when powerful Immortal Realm beings fell, they would enter the Land of Ruin.

Their powers would then be absorbed by the Land of Ruin Tree.

Just as Gu Lan was deep in thought, a thick, resonant voice suddenly came from the sky.

"Who dares to enter the Land of Ruin?"

At the sound of this voice, Gu Lan froze. The Land of Ruin was supposed to have no living beings.

Before he could look ahead, a figure materialized under the Land of Ruin Tree.

A young man in a white robe walked out from under the tree.

However, Gu Lan didn't sense any life force from this person.

There was no true qi flowing in his body, only a powerful soul force.

"Who are you?" Gu Lan asked.

"I am the Guardian of the Land of Ruin, Wan Hun!" the figure answered.

Gu Lan had never heard of such a thing as the "Guardian of the Land of Ruin."

He didn't choose to act immediately and respectfully bowed toward the figure.

"Sorry for the disturbance, Senior. I have come only to seek the Flame of Hell."

"The living cannot enter this place. Since you've come, you must enter the Land of Ruin."

The man's answer completely disregarded Gu Lan's question. His face darkened immediately.

But feeling the powerful soul force emanating from Wan Hun, Gu Lan didn't dare to act recklessly.

Wan Hun, from the very start, had shown arrogance, and Gu Simu had already tolerated it for some time.

"Enough with the nonsense. Give me what I want, or I won't spare you," Gu Simu suddenly said, her voice cold.

Gu Lan's eyes widened in surprise at her sudden outburst.

"Do not be rude," Gu Lan immediately warned, but it was too late.

Wan Hun's face darkened, and he gathered a thick soul force in his hand.

With a swift motion, he struck. The dark aura immediately enveloped Gu Simu.

Wan Hun's strike was extremely fast, and the aura around him was strong and relentless.

Gu Lan instinctively moved to intercept, but he had no chance.

Facing the murky aura, Gu Simu had already adjusted her aura.

She had intended to resist, but surprisingly, the force had no effect on her.

Gradually, the dark aura dissipated.

Gu Simu looked around, and it was clear that she hadn't been injured.

Her aura remained intact, unaffected in the slightest.

Seeing this, Wan Hun was taken aback.

"How is this possible? You actually managed to resist the Land of Ruin's aura?"

"The Land of Ruin's aura doesn't seem all that impressive," Gu Simu commented, a hint of mockery in her tone.

Gu Lan was also filled with confusion, his face puzzled.

After some thought, he suddenly looked up, his eyes wide with realization.

"Could it be because of the Evergreen Pine...?"

Earlier, Gu Simu had devoured certain items, which represented Bumie and Busi.

Wan Hun's gaze was fixed on Gu Simu, and his eyes gradually began to shine with cold light.

"This power doesn't belong to you!" he exclaimed.

"If I absorb it, it will become mine."

Gu Simu wasn't in the mood to humor him and didn't want to waste any more time with him.

"Hand over what my father wants, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless," she warned, her tone icy.

As she spoke, she summoned the Hammer of Evergreen Pine.

Thousands of golden lights flashed as powerful true qi gathered around her.

"This is the Land of Ruin. You can't act so recklessly," Wan Hun said, preparing to make his move.

Seeing Wan Hun about to strike, Gu Lan stepped forward, positioning himself to protect Gu Simu.

"You!" Wan Hun hesitated for a moment. His raised hand slowly lowered.

He realized that there was some force around Gu Lan, and the Land of Ruin's aura couldn't harm him.

However, that force was very obscure, and he couldn't see through it.

Seeing Wan Hun's expression, Gu Lan no longer held back and directly revealed his Great Path aura.

"I am the Heaven Path," he declared.

He had hoped to bluff his way out of this, but Wan Hun wasn't a fool.

"Though you possess the Great Path aura, you are not the Heaven Path."

If he were truly the Heaven Path, Wan Hun would be able to sense it.

He didn't feel the power of the Heaven Path within Gu Lan.

Wan Hun's words hit the mark, and Gu Lan was left with no choice but to admit it.

"The Land of Ruin's aura can't harm us. Perhaps we should just leave it at that."

As the Guardian of the Land of Ruin, Gu Lan knew that Wan Hun's power was definitely not weak.

He had hoped that Wan Hun would back down, but suddenly a cold smile appeared on the latter's face.

"Do you two know where those shadows come from?"

He suddenly asked, and a sense of unease filled Gu Lan's heart.

Before either Gu Lan or Gu Simu could react, Wan Hun took a step forward and pressed down with his hand.

"Boom!"

A powerful wave of energy exploded outwards, and the two black shadows were instantly forced to their knees.