A desolate and ruined Ancient Sacred Temple.
A scruffy middle-aged man sat alone, cross-legged.
His hands and feet were shackled, and chains pierced through his shoulder blades.
On his back, he carried a heavy ancient stele, inscribed with words left by the Hegemonic Body.
This scene felt somewhat bleak, somewhat lonely, and brought a pang of sadness to the heart.
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, Jun Xiaoyao would never have believed that the person before him was an Ancient Sacred Body.
But the resonance from his Bloodline made Jun Xiaoyao absolutely certain.
This person was an Ancient Sacred Body.
He was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, dressed in old grey cloth clothes, with a scruffy beard, turbid eyes, and disheveled black hair.
He looked like a middle-aged uncle drowning his sorrows in a wine market.
No one would have thought that this was an Ancient Sacred Body.
Even in decline, an Ancient Sacred Body typically exuded an aura of surging Qi and Blood, projecting an oppressive power that could dominate the starry river.
Yet, the Ancient Sacred Body before him resembled a disheartened, down-and-out middle-aged uncle from the Mortal World.
"Uncle, we brought you delicious food! We'll have roasted chicken later!" Xiao Xuanxuan stepped forward, holding a cleaned Spirit Feathered Chicken in her hand.
The man smiled, a hint of tender affection appearing in his eyes.
His somewhat rough large hand stroked Xiao Xuanxuan's small head.
"Uncle, this young brother is also an Ancient Sacred Body! He's very powerful and can help us!" Ning Chen also showed excitement.
"Senior, a new Sacred Body has finally arrived," Ning Defa said, bowing to the middle-aged man with respect in his eyes.
Even though the middle-aged man looked so down-and-out, their words were full of reverence.
The middle-aged man turned his gaze towards Jun Xiaoyao.
Jun Xiaoyao also looked at the middle-aged man.
Jun Xiaoyao could feel that the middle-aged man's Realm was not weak.
At the very least, he was in the Saint Lord Realm.
The Saint Lord Realm, compared to the Supreme Realm, might seem insignificant.
But it must be remembered that the Ancient Sacred Body was restricted by Heaven and Earth, making it extremely difficult to Cultivate.
In recent times, even an Ancient Sacred Body in the Saint Realm was rare.
An Ancient Sacred Body in the Saint Lord Realm was already an extraordinary Prodigy.
The Fallen Sacred Body that Jun Xiaoyao had previously obtained was only in the Saint Realm.
As for Jun Xiaoyao himself.
He was an anomaly, having signed in for a Sacred Body that was born to break its shackles, so he could not be counted among them.
The middle-aged man before him, though an Ancient Sacred Body in the Saint Lord Realm,
Jun Xiaoyao could feel that his internal Qi and Blood were decaying, his life force was drying up, and he was extremely weak, as if he was nearing the end of his life.
Those chains and the ancient stele were constantly eroding the man's Qi and Blood.
"I have something to say to this young brother," the middle-aged man said, his voice hoarse.
Ning Defa understood, and taking Xiao Xuanxuan and Ning Chen's hands, he said, "Come on, let's go roast this chicken."
"Oh, roasted chicken!" Xiao Xuanxuan giggled.
Ning Chen also wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
Watching the siblings depart, a look of tender affection appeared in the middle-aged man's turbid eyes.
Jun Xiaoyao then spoke, "It seems Senior has taken great care of this pair of siblings, even bestowing upon them the precious Desolate Ancient Holy Body Essence Blood that he had little left of."
Hearing Jun Xiaoyao's words, the man showed no surprise, but calmly spoke.
"I thought that even if I perished one day, I could leave a spark for the Sacred Body lineage."
"These two children have astonishing bone structures from birth, and the Sacred Blood in their bodies is much richer than that of other Guardian Lineage descendants. They are the sparks that will be enough to ignite a prairie fire in the future."
The man's tone was calm, without any resentment about his own situation.
"Are these few drops of Desolate Ancient Holy Body Essence Blood also Senior's?" Jun Xiaoyao took out the Desolate Ancient Holy Body Essence Blood he had acquired from the auction.
The man's expression remained calm, and he nodded faintly.
"Why didn't you resist?" Jun Xiaoyao posed the question.
In his view, this Sacred Body was definitely not someone who would cling to life and fear death.
Yet he was willing to endure the humiliation of being bound.
"I am the last Temple Master of the Ancient Sacred Temple, and also the last Sacred Body. My talent is limited; I only broke five shackles, and can at most Cultivate to the Saint Lord Realm, unable to advance further."
"I have already failed my ancestors, and I don't want to implicate the Guardian Lineage, who swore to follow the Sacred Body lineage to the death."
"I originally wanted to die in battle, but at a certain moment, I saw that pair of siblings, and it was as if I saw a spark of hope."
"I must survive, even if I endure all humiliation, to protect that village and let the spark continue…"
The man looked up, his eyes still bright.
Living in darkness, his Heart-Nature yearned for light.
He could die.
But before he died, he wanted to personally witness that pair of siblings grow up and continue the glory of the Sacred Body.
At this moment, even Jun Xiaoyao, with his usually indifferent Heart-Nature, couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his mind.
He now understood why Xiao Xuanxuan said that the Uncle was their great hero who protected them.
"May I ask Senior's esteemed name?" Jun Xiaoyao's tone also carried a hint of faint respect.
"My name is Wu Hu," the man named Wu Hu said hoarsely.
His name reflected his character.
"Hu" represents guarding.
It was precisely because of his guardianship that the Sacred Body lineage still had a flicker of hope.
"Senior Wu Hu, since I have arrived, no tragedy will be allowed to occur."
"The Ancient Sacred Temple and the Guardian Lineage will not decline like this!" Jun Xiaoyao's tone was very firm.
"May I know young brother's name?" Wu Hu smiled slightly, emerging from that bleak emotion.
"I am Jun Xiaoyao," Jun Xiaoyao said.
"Jun Xiaoyao… surnamed Jun… could it be…"
As if he had thought of something, a hint of astonishment flashed in Wu Hu's turbid eyes.
"Could it be, that Jun…" Wu Hu asked in surprise.
"That's right, I am from the Ancient Jun Family," Jun Xiaoyao said.
Wu Hu's body suddenly trembled, and an unprecedented golden light burst from his eyes.
His dormant Bloodline seemed to begin to boil, and he looked at Jun Xiaoyao as if he were looking at a rare treasure.
Wu Hu naturally knew of the Ancient Jun Family.
That was a terrifying Family that had been passed down for countless epochs in the Immortal Domain.
Even the Ancient Sacred Temple in its most prosperous period dared not underestimate the Jun Family in the slightest.
Ordinary Immortal Forces were not even considered by the Ancient Sacred Temple.
But in the face of the Jun Family, even the powerful Ancient Sacred Temple had to treat them with respect and caution.
Wu Hu had never imagined that this generation's Ancient Sacred Body would come from the Jun Family.
With such a powerful background, perhaps the Ancient Sacred Temple and the Guardian Lineage truly had a chance to rise again!
However, before Wu Hu could show joy,
Jun Xiaoyao once again released his aura.
That aura caused Wu Hu's expression to instantly freeze, his pupils to contract sharply, sensing a fact that he found unbelievable!
"This… how is this possible? In your Bloodline aura, there is no feeling of being suppressed, could it be…"
Even with Wu Hu's Heart-Nature, he couldn't help but tremble as he spoke.
Jun Xiaoyao said calmly, "I am a complete Ancient Sacred Body that has broken ten shackles."
Boom!
These words were like a thunderclap, striking Wu Hu's mind, causing his entire body to tremble uncontrollably.
Then, he suddenly looked up and burst into laughter, tears soaking his clothes.
His emotions were too agitated to suppress.
What he saw in Jun Xiaoyao was the hope for the rise of the Sacred Body lineage!