The atmosphere in the palace turned strange for a while, so much so that even the Palace Master couldnât help but shake his head as he threw a glance at the Great Elder.
Still, he kept quiet.
On the surface, the meeting between the Elders was meant to discuss the arrival of all the Dao Heritages in the Heavenly Dao Ancient City, but everyone present on the scene knew well that they wouldnât be able to change the outcome or stop all of those forces anymore.
So, the real purpose behind their gathering wasâŠit was to select someone from the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palaceâs younger generation to stand before the youngsters of the other forces like an iron wall.
Itâs just that they had no choice but to give face to the Great Elder and talk in riddles, without outright mentioning Gu Changgeâs name.
After all, there was no one better suited for the task beside Gu Changge.
As for the girl whom the Great Elder recently took in as his disciple, Gu Xianâer? Although she was born with enviable talent, but when compared to Gu Changge, she was still a bit lackluster.
Their strength and identity alone created a great chasm between the two of them.
Whatâs more? Gu Xianâerâs existence held no deterrent effect before outside forces, but Gu Changge wasnât the same.
He alone covered the sky of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace with one hand, held unimaginable might that was a cut above the rest of his peers, and none of the other disciples dared to provoke him.
Although the Elders didnât like this fact, they had to admit that Gu Changgeâs strength couldnât be questioned.
Who in the younger generation of the current era wasnât afraid of Gu Changge?
Just a few days ago, the Young Master of the White Tiger Family â a mighty Young Supreme â was humiliated beyond measure, yet still didnât dare to attack Gu Changge for revenge.
To put it in simple terms, the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace wouldnât need to worry about losing too much if they sent Gu Changge as their representative. He alone would be able to suppress the geniuses of all the other Heritages and reduce the competition their disciples would need to face.
There was only one problem thoughâŠthe disagreement between Gu Changge and the Great Elder.
The Elders had to somehow approve him as their representative as they had no other choice, so all of them were stuck between a rock and a hard place.
âThis old man already understands your meaning, so thereâs no need to beat around the bush like this; this old man wonât do something to hamper the success of our Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace!â
Although he said that, the Great Elderâs expression wasnât all that good. After all, if they went asking for Gu Changgeâs help to support the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, then wouldnât that make him lose all face?
Wouldnât the words he said the last time be in vain, and no different from him slapping himself in the face?
The Great Elder felt a blaze light up in his heart.
He had lived through innumerable eons, yet this was the first time he hit a wall again and again when dealing with someone from the younger generation.
It was simply unbelievable!
Right then, the Palace Master of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace showed a smile, and said, âThe Great Elderâs magnanimity knows no bound, so how can he take a youngsterâs offense to heart? As for that Gu Changge? Heâs the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family, and the only reason he came to our Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace was to get the position of our heirâŠalthough I have known about his plot since day one, I have intentionally ignored it.â
âAlas! This incident will give him enough leverage to attain his desire. Well, although Gu Changgeâs actions are elusive and incalculable, itâs still a fact that heâs a disciple of our Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, so I donât believe he will be heinous enough to harm us, the ones who taught and sheltered him, right?â
âIn my opinion, giving him the position of heir wouldnât be too big of a deal â after all, strength matters far more than a somewhat-distorted character.â
The Elders turned to look at each other, and then nodded in agreement at the Palace Masterâs words.
Now, even their Palace Master was supporting Gu Changge, so even if the Great Elder didnât like him, he couldnât bring out any justification to keep the position from him.
âForget it! This old man will lower his face today and go talk to that Gu Changge about this matter.â
The Great Elder said and dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand; his expression had worsened further, but he knew they had no other choice.
Without further ado, he disappeared from his seat inside the palace.
The Elders and Palace Master of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace couldnât help but shake their heads and sigh.
âTo make the Great Elder take a step backâŠthis Gu Changge is a unique existence in the younger generation, and he will certainly go far in lifeâŠâ
âŠâŠ
While the Great Elder and the others were discussing about what to do, Gu Xianâer was busy cultivating on the Great Elderâs personal peak.
[Woosh!]
Gu Xianâerâs slender figure was adorned in blue, and one could see a calm expression on her unparalleled, alluring visage.
With her eyes tightly shut, she sat cross-legged atop a spiritual bluestone. Brilliant rays of dazzling light burst forth from behind her, and spread in all directions.
Wisps of godly Purple Qi fell upon her from the sky like a thick mist, and circled around her figure, making her look like the Darling of the Great Dao.
The wisps of Qi brought along the aura of the Great Dao as they fell upon her figure.
It was as if there was an invisible hole above her head where it all descended from.
Right now, a new Dao Bone was on flames [not literally] inside her body as it released a deep, vast might.
The Dao Bone was like a flawless crystal that radiated Immortal Qi and resembled an Immortalâs bone. A hazy fog seemed to appear inside her Dao Bone, and one could see the illusion of a tiny Immortal sitting cross-legged inside it as it chanted supreme Dao scriptures.
[Boom!]
Soon, all the power inside every inch of her flesh and bones condensed and gushed forth to give off a terrifying aura of suppression that washed over her limbs!
She had broken through!
A hint of joy appeared on Gu Xianâerâs delicate and flawless face, but she soon calmed down.
She had finally broken through to the Conferred Lord Realm!
One had to know that Gu Changge was only in the Saint Realm back at her age!
Her cultivation speed was a lot faster than Gu Changge of that time.
âAs long as I cultivate diligently, I will overtake Gu Changge sooner or later, and then have my revenge!â
âAt that time, he will surely regret what he did!â
âI must let him know that I, Gu Xianâer, am not someone he can bully whenever and however he pleases!â
A brilliant light twinkled in Gu Xianâerâs eyes as she clenched her fists.
Over the last period of time, she had consumed countless divine pills and treasures, and cultivated various Ancient Heavenly Arts that were prepared for her by the Great Elder, so one could say that her progress was extremely fast.
It was much faster than before.
The method of attaining immortality recorded in the [Heavenly Immortal Dao Codex] was extremely elusive, to the point that it laid out a complete road for one to reach immortality, and that brought great benefits to Gu Xianâerâs cultivation.
Although her previous masters were also strong, they werenât versed in teaching cultivation like the Great Elder.
Everyone had their own specializations, after all.
The Great Elder had taught countless disciples, so he naturally had rich experience in the field, so he was able to teach her based on her aptitude.
As for Gu Xianâer? Her talent and foundation was extremely solid, and she had also cultivated step by step without rushing in any way, so it was only natural for her cultivation to increase by leaps and bounds.
Before long, Gu Xianâer further calmed her heart.
âIf Gu Changge hadnât provoked Master at that time, then I am sure that Master wouldnât have helped with my cultivation with such diligence. My current speed of cultivation is all thanks to Gu ChanggeâŠâ
âStill, I donât believe he would do such an act of kindness without reason! He must have some other plan. Although I canât figure out his intentions right now, I am sure that his intentions arenât good.â
Gu Xianâer thought in her heart.
Right now, the only thing she wanted to do was to stomp Gu Changgeâs face to the ground, and step on him for a while!
Right now, she was like a cold and arrogant fairy who stood above the nine heavens, and looked down on the mortals below.
Still, Gu Xianâer couldnât help but feel somewhat uncomfortable when she recalled that Gu Changge hadnât come to visit her during this period of time.
Suddenly, her expression showed a slight change, and she looked towards a huge boulder not far from her.
âWho is it?â
Gu Xianâer shouted with a cold voice.
At the same time, a jade sword appeared in her hand, and brilliant runes started to circle around her figure to give her an extraordinary appearance.
Just now, she sensed a slight fluctuation from behind that boulder, and that made her realize that someone was hiding so close to her without her noticing their existence even once, and that increased Gu Xianâerâs vigilance as she looked towards that direction with a frown.
After all, no one would have the guts to trespass on the Great Elderâs territory like this on normal days!
Itâs just that the Great Elder had gone to the Main Peak to discuss some matters with the other Elders and Palace Master, so he wasnât on the mountain today, and this made it possible for someone to sneak up here like this.
The Great Elder didnât have the habit of laying out formations and traps on his mountain as he was the only one cultivating atop his mountain peak.
Why would he need traps and formations when the mightiest being in existence himself was protecting the place?
Various thoughts went through Gu Xianâerâs mind, and her vigilance intensified.
She first suspected the sneaker to be Gu Changge, but quickly ruled out the possibility. Unless Gu Changge was bored and had nothing better to do, he would never come here to watch her cultivate.
As for Gu Changge plotting to harm her in secret?
Gu Xianâer didnât even consider that. If Gu Changge had wanted to kill her, then he could have done that a long time ago when she was at her lowest â why would he wait until this day to do that?
Just who could it be?
âSister Xianâer, please donât worry! I hold no malice towards you.â
Right then, a gentle voice as sweet as honey sounded from behind the boulder, and a tall and gorgeous woman walked out.
The woman was dressed in a grey gauze skirt, and her azure hair was tied up in a bun. She had a picturesque and breathtakingly beautiful face that radiated an inborn majesty and aloofness.
Even though Gu Xianâer was also a gorgeous beauty, she couldnât help but feel suffocated by the other partyâs divine appearance.
The one before her was no doubt the most beautiful woman she had seen in her life!
Such a face and temperamentâŠGu Xianâer couldnât think of anyone other than the Crown Princess of the Supreme Immortal Dynasty who would have such an unparalleled appearance.
Itâs just thatâŠwhy was she here? And just how long had she been watching her cultivate?
This puzzled Gu Xianâer.
âThatâs me.â
Yue Mingkong replied with a nod, and then carefully took a look at Gu Xianâer.
Gu Changge left the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace and went to the Heavenly Dao Ancient City for whatever reason, so she thought of coming here to see Gu Xianâer. But when she arrived, Gu Xianâer was lost in cultivation, so she decided not to disturb her.
For that reason, she concealed her aura and started to watch her from a distance.
Now that Gu Xianâerâs cultivation was over, she decided to release a bit of her aura to let her know of her presence.
Yue Mingkong held no malice towards the cold and arrogant-looking little girl, Gu Xianâer, instead, she felt some pity for her.
In her previous life, Gu Xianâer was the only one she could regard as her friend.
The two had met by chance.
Still, even though she was Gu Changgeâs fiancee, Gu Xianâer didnât hate her.
Instead, Gu Xianâer treated her as her equal.
It didnât take long for the two to become acquainted.
Itâs just that because of Gu Changge, the two of them eventually drifted apart and turned into strangers.
The last time she heard news about Gu Xianâer was when the Peach Village â where Gu Xianâer lived â was razed to the ground after Gu Changge sent an army of hundreds of millions to destroy them.
In the end, the mysterious peach tree at the entrance of the then-ruined village forcefully broke through the Void and disappeared without a trace.
Gu Xianâer, too, disappeared after that incident as if the Earth had swallowed her or the Heavens had whisked her away.
Back then, Yue Mingkong thought that Gu Xianâer probably believed that there was no way for her to avenge herself and the village, so she decided to go into hiding; but after thinking about the matter for a while, Yue Mingkong came to the conclusion that there was no way Gu Changge would let Gu Xianâer go just like that.
Gu Changge must have captured Gu Xianâerâs masters and threatened her into captivity in exchange for letting them go.
After that, no one could find out anything about Gu Xianâer, so it was very likely that Gu Changge swallowed her origin using his Forbidden Arts, and killed her off.
Gu Xianâer had lived a life of misery.
When she was young, her most beloved brother dug out her Dao Bone, and then she was forced to flee into the Land of Forsaken Immortals where she met her several mysterious and mighty masters. With deep hatred clawing at her heart, she single-mindedly cultivated in hopes of avenging herself in that place.
What a pity, though, that she never got to avenge herself!
Her masters had to rescue her countless times from Gu Changgeâs hands.
In their previous life, her lineage â her parents and relatives â were thoroughly exterminated by Gu Changge after he rose to the seat of Patriarch in the Ancient Immortal Gu Family; he didnât spare a single person from that lineage!
He was ruthless, too ruthlessâŠ
Yue Mingkong couldnât help but feel a burst of regret and sadness every time she recalled what went down in her last life.
In their previous life, she helped Gu Changge lord over the Supreme Immortal Dynasty, helped him annex countless large and small forces, and even helped him train the hundreds of millions of troops that later went on to raze the Peach Village in the Land of Forsaken Immortals.
Alas! Much had changed in this life, but Gu Xianâerâs situation was no different from before.
Back then, she joined the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace and became the Great Elderâs disciple and started to cultivate on his mountain. But because she had offended Gu Changge, her life in the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace wasnât all that good, and no disciple dared to mingle with her.
Even the Elders avoided her as if she was some kind of poisonous thorn or something.
After a while, Gu Xianâer chanced upon an Immortal Opportunity in the depths of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, and her cultivation base improved by leaps and bounds, so she took the opportunity to challenge Gu Changge, and even announced to the whole world the heinous deeds that Gu Changge had committed.
Her announcement caused a massive sensation in all directions, and shook the Upper Realm in its entirety.
After that, she fought with Gu Changge on the battlefield of the Ancient Heavenly Geniuses, and their exchange attracted the attention of countless cultivators and forces.
In that battle, she survived by the skin of her teeth, and finally won and killed Gu Changge.
That was the only time Gu Xianâer came out on top against Gu Changge.
Of course, Gu Changge used an Art of Suspended Animation to make himself appear dead in front of everyoneâs eyes as he didnât want to reveal his trump cards.
After that, Gu Changgeâs âcorpseâ was taken away by the Ancient Immortal Gu Family, and then, half a year later, he reappeared in the Upper Realm with an even more unfathomable cultivation base.
Soon, the two met again, and fought again, and as a result of this exchange, Gu Xianâer almost lost her life, but someone rescued her at the final moment.