Chapter 34 — Reincarnated Venerables
After spending some time in the city...
Li Tianyu gradually learned more about Central Continent.
Unlike Southern Border, Central Continent still retained a system similar to the Gu World of his previous knowledge.
Sects.
Large sects.
Small sects.
And countless affiliated forces.
Rather than clans dominating the entire region, sects occupied a far more important position.
Li Tianyu casually wandered through the streets while listening to the conversations around him.
Soon...
Another topic caught his attention.
Geniuses.
Recently, quite a few monstrous geniuses had emerged.
And they weren't limited to the human race.
There were human geniuses.
There were also variant human geniuses.
The stories surrounding them were becoming increasingly exaggerated.
"Did you hear about that young genius from the eastern region?"
"Of course! He's already capable of displaying Immortal-level combat strength despite being a mortal!"
"That's nothing. I've heard that the genius from the Azure Cloud Sect defeated an entire group of Rank Five Gu Masters by himself."
"Those are nothing but rumors."
"Rumors? Then what about the one who killed a Rank Five Gu Master while still being Rank Three?"
The surrounding Gu Masters became increasingly excited.
Li Tianyu quietly listened.
The more he heard...
The more serious his expression became.
These weren't ordinary geniuses.
They possessed combat strength far beyond their cultivation.
Some could fight across several major realms.
Some had even reached the point where they could contend with Gu Immortals while still being mortal Gu Masters.
And the most frightening part...
They were incredibly young.
"Most of those monsters haven't even reached twenty yet."
"Twenty?"
"Some of them became Gu Immortals before twenty!"
The surrounding Gu Masters erupted into discussion.
Li Tianyu's footsteps slowed.
'Before twenty...?'
His eyes narrowed.
That wasn't normal.
Not even remotely.
A single such genius could perhaps be explained as an extraordinary coincidence.
But several appearing around the same period...
From both humans and variant humans...
And all possessing monstrous combat strength while being mortals...
That was no coincidence.
The conversations continued.
Naturally, the attitudes of the speakers differed depending on their race.
When discussing human geniuses...
Their voices were filled with admiration.
Pride.
Excitement.
Some even called them the future pillars of humanity.
But when variant human geniuses were mentioned...
The tone immediately changed.
They were called monsters.
Abominations.
Threats to humanity.
The same pattern appeared whenever the conversations turned toward the opposing race.
Li Tianyu listened silently.
After gathering enough information...
A thought gradually formed in his mind.
'These geniuses...'
'They're probably the reincarnations of the former Venerables.'
It was the only explanation that made sense.
The timing.
The age.
The absurd combat strength.
The fact that multiple geniuses had appeared among both humans and variant humans.
Everything pointed toward the same conclusion.
Li Tianyu's eyes flickered.
He had expected something like this.
After all...
This was now a world where multiple Venerables could exist.
And unlike the old Gu World...
The current era had already become distorted by Destiny Gu.
These reincarnated Venerables were no longer hiding their monstrous abilities.
They were openly displaying their strength.
And from the conversations he overheard...
Some of them had already slaughtered countless mortal Gu Masters during the conflicts between humans and variant humans.
Yet the Gu Immortals hadn't interfered.
They had simply watched.
Waiting.
The reason was obvious enough.
Once those monsters became Gu Immortals...
The old generation of Gu Immortals would have their opportunity to settle their debts.
But...
They had failed.
The reincarnated Venerables had successfully stepped into the immortal realm.
And once they became Gu Immortals...
Their already terrifying advantages became even more overwhelming.
The old Gu Immortals could no longer easily suppress them.
Li Tianyu silently processed everything he had heard.
Then...
A faint smile appeared on his face.
'At least this means I can truly let loose in Central Continent.'
He had been worried about attracting the attention of Gu Immortals.
But now...
The situation was different.
The reincarnated Venerables had already shattered the concept of what a mortal Gu Master was supposed to be capable of.
A mortal possessing Immortal-level combat strength was no longer unprecedented.
There were already multiple such monsters.
If Li Tianyu displayed strength beyond his cultivation...
It wouldn't necessarily attract immediate suspicion.
People would simply assume he was another monstrous genius.
Of course...
Li Tianyu wasn't foolish enough to reveal everything.
But he no longer needed to suppress himself to the same extent.
'This place is considerably more suitable for me than Southern Border.'
At least here...
There was no Fang Yuan.
And there were already enough monsters running around that one more wouldn't necessarily attract too much attention.
Li Tianyu continued exploring the city for some time.
Eventually...
The sky gradually darkened.
He found a relatively ordinary inn.
After paying for a room, he entered.
There was no need to rush.
He had traveled for a long time.
It was time to rest.
Li Tianyu sat beside the window and looked down at the bustling streets.
The city remained lively.
Gu Masters continued moving through the streets.
Merchants shouted.
Cultivators discussed the latest rumors.
And somewhere beyond this city...
The reincarnated Venerables were already rising.
Li Tianyu closed his eyes.
'The Central Continent...'
'It seems the real chaos has only just begun.'
With that thought...
He rested for the night.
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