Chapter 1335: Either He Killed an Ancestral God, or He Needs the Truth
Chapter 1335: Either He Killed an Ancestral God, or He Needs the Truth
"So, this is what you've been up to all this time?"
In a side hall of the Heavenslayers Alliance, wisps of incense smoke curled from a burner. Gu Changge lowered his eyes, leisurely sipping tea as he asked the question offhandedly.
Luo Xiangjun sat across from him, clad in a golden dress that accentuated her tall, graceful figure. Her snow-white neck was as slender and elegant as a swan's, exuding an air of nobility. Her bright eyes shimmered with a golden light, giving her an otherworldly beauty reminiscent of a sun goddess.
She sat upright, hands resting on her knees, poised and dignified. The hairpins in her elaborate coiffure dangled strands of pearls and jade, shaped like laurel branches. To an outsider, she might have been mistaken for a princess of some immortal dynasty, radiating regal elegance. It was hard to associate her with the "thief" from the Boundless Expanse.
"To be honest with you, Alliance Leader, every word I've said is true—there's no deception whatsoever," she replied with a nod, summarizing her experience of being trapped in that temporal tomb. "After obtaining the key from you, I immediately set off for the universe where the Eternal Hidden Treasury was located. But I never expected it to be guarded by terrifying Restrictions. That's why I was trapped for thousands of years and only recently managed to escape."
"The key alone wasn't enough to open the Eternal Hidden Treasury. Those Restrictions can only be bypassed by someone with the bloodline of the Divine Eternal Clan. I suspect we'd need to find a member of their clan to unlock the treasury..."
She carefully avoided mentioning anything about the Eternal Primordial God, as he had planted Restrictions in her Sea of Consciousness, controlling her life and death at will. Her primary goal was to use Gu Changge to contact Mu Yan, then leverage Mu Yan's Divine Eternal Clan bloodline to locate their new settlement.
Luo Xiangjun's emotions were in turmoil. When she had last seen Gu Changge in the Immortal Spirit Civilisation, he hadn't even conquered the Zhuo Clan, let alone established the now-feared Heavenslayers Alliance. The sheer magnitude of change in just a few thousand years left her awestruck and wistful.
During her journey to the Primary Hope Civilisation, she had heard countless rumors about the Heavenslayers Alliance every single day. Some revered it with fanatical devotion, while others despised it with murderous hatred—polarized extremes. But what truly shocked her were the Alliance's actions over the years, especially the incident involving the Primary Hope Covenant.
An entire Supreme Civilisation had "fallen," completely subdued under Gu Changge's rule. It was an unimaginable, almost fantastical feat. Had she not been fixated on the Eternal Hidden Treasury and instead stayed by his side, would she now hold a position of power within the Alliance?
"I see. I thought you might have died along the way," Gu Changge remarked mildly, setting down his teacup.
Luo Xiangjun's expression froze. She had expected him to suspect her of absconding with the treasury, but it seemed he trusted her—or rather, his overwhelming strength made him confident she wouldn't dare.
But "died along the way"...?
That phrasing was... unsettling.
"After escaping, I immediately returned to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation to search for the Divine Eternal Clan's descendants. But their ancestral lands were abandoned—they've already migrated elsewhere..." She lifted her teacup with practiced grace, taking a delicate sip before parting her lush red lips to speak.
"If they're gone, then forget it."
Gu Changge nodded slightly. He had already guessed Luo Xiangjun's intentions, but the Eternal Hidden Treasury no longer held any value to him.
To him, she was now useless.
He had no intention of wasting time or effort on her.
"If we want to open the Eternal Hidden Treasury, we still need to find—"
Luo Xiangjun tried to continue, steering the conversation toward her true purpose for coming here. But Gu Changge's dismissive tone made her pause, and realization dawned on her. She stiffened in shock.
"Alliance Leader... you no longer care about the Eternal Hidden Treasury?"
She abruptly rose from her chair, her grip on the teacup tightening until her fingers trembled.
Her heart was anything but calm—it was a storm of disbelief. She had prepared for countless scenarios, but never this: Gu Changge's utter indifference. It was as if the treasury meant nothing to him now.
But inside it could lie the General Outline of Transcendence—the very scripture the Eternal Primordial God had once obtained!
That scripture had driven countless ancient Progenitors to madness, sparking an era of chaos where the heavens themselves were shattered in the struggle for it.
"I don't."
Gu Changge shook his head, his expression unreadable as he regarded her. "Do you have anything else to discuss?"
"But Alliance Leader... this is the Eternal Hidden Treasury we're talking about!"
Luo Xiangjun was growing desperate, nearly reaching out to clutch his sleeve.
If Gu Changge no longer cared about the treasury, how could she possibly contact Mu Yan? How could she locate the Divine Eternal Clan and free herself from the Eternal Primordial God's control?
"What of it? I've lost interest. Had you come to me sooner, I might have reconsidered." Gu Changge gave a faint, dismissive shake of his head.
Seeing Gu Changge refuse so directly and even turn to leave, Luo Xiangjun was completely dumbfounded. Forgetting her usual dignified and elegant demeanor, she hurriedly blocked his path. "Alliance Leader, please wait!"
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. "If you wish to seek out the Divine Eternal Clan, go ahead. I won't stop you, nor will I leak any information about the Eternal Hidden Treasury. Whatever benefits you gain from it, I won't interfere."
"That's not what I mean..." Luo Xiangjun quickly shook her head, her beautiful eyes fixed intently on him. "Alliance Leader, I want to ask for your help..."
She bit her silver teeth and bluntly stated her desire to find Mu Yan, intending to borrow the Divine Eternal Clan bloodline within her to locate the clan's migrated destination.
"It seems you're still unwilling to give up on the Eternal Hidden Treasury," Gu Changge remarked, his gaze sweeping over Luo Xiangjun's face as if seeing through all the thoughts in her mind.
He smiled faintly and continued, "But this is a favor I cannot grant. I won't force Mu Yan either. However, I can relay your message to her. Whether she agrees or not is beyond my control."
Hearing this, Luo Xiangjun's face brightened with joy, her stunning features blooming into a radiant smile. "Thank you, Alliance Leader! Mu Yan is kind-hearted and surely won't refuse. I won't let her help go unrewarded—she'll receive satisfactory compensation."
"In the future, if the Alliance Leader has any orders, just command me. Xiangjun will repay you even if it means holding grass in my mouth."
With that, she didn't linger to waste his time. After bidding farewell, she left in high spirits.
"Mu Yan isn't as kind-hearted as you think..."
Gu Changge watched her departure with a faintly peculiar gaze but didn't stop her.
"Master, this woman seems to carry the aura of the Eight Legions. I suspect she might belong to one of them."
In the side hall, Old Man Cold Crow—whose gloomy eyes exuded a bone-chilling aura—only revealed himself respectfully after Luo Xiangjun had left.
The old Daoist had already departed the Primary Hope Civilisation, returning to the Decay Legion under Gu Changge's orders to search for traces of the remaining six legions.
Meanwhile, Old Man Cold Crow remained here to handle certain matters for Gu Changge.
Previously, Gu Changge had often assigned tasks to the likes of White Bone Ancestor King and Hun Yuanjun. But now, Old Man Cold Crow, Jing Tianyuan, and Chu Heng were far more convenient to use—their strength vastly surpassed ordinary Ancestral Dao Realm existences, whereas White Bone Ancestor King and Hun Yuanjun were still far from reaching that realm.
"Oh?"
"It seems she truly hides many secrets and treasures. Yet, a mere female thief who hasn't even reached the Ancestral Dao Realm dares to covet the treasury of a Primordial God. No wonder she's gotten herself into such a mess." Gu Changge chuckled lightly.
Though the aura was well concealed, its decayed, ancient stench—reeking of impending death—could never escape his eyes.
"Master, should I follow her?"
Despite his formidable strength, Old Man Cold Crow hadn't sensed the Eternal Primordial God's aura and didn't understand Gu Changge's implication.
"No need. She holds no value for now. Besides, she'll come seeking us again soon enough."
"I'd like to see if she can lure out some interesting old monsters."
Gu Changge waved his hand dismissively, paying no further mind to the matter.
Meanwhile, back at the inn, Luo Xiangjun barely had time to exhale in relief when a portal tore open within the Meru Space. The blurred shadow of the Eternal Primordial God emerged, carrying the jade stone, and landed directly on the table.
"It seems you were wise enough not to expose my existence," the Eternal Primordial God sneered with faint mockery.
"The matter is practically settled. I hope you'll honor your promise when the time comes."
Luo Xiangjun stared at him coldly, her eyes brimming with undisguised disdain and disgust.
"Rest assured. Once I locate my clansmen, I'll depart. Without flesh and blood to sustain me, my current state won't last much longer."
The Eternal Primordial God spoke indifferently.
Luo Xiangjun's beautiful eyes flickered uncertainly. She couldn't tell if he was speaking the truth or merely testing her—to see if she dared act against him.
"Still, you're quite fortunate. The leader of the Heavenslayers Alliance didn't notice the fluctuations in your emotions. Though he's audacious, he indeed possesses the confidence and strength to back it up. For now, it's likely no one in the Boundless Expanse can oppose him..."
"Unless..."
A trace of wariness suddenly flashed in the Eternal Primordial God's eyes, as if recalling something, his voice growing low.
Luo Xiangjun looked at him in surprise, unsure what riddle he was spinning now.
She naturally knew Gu Changge's strength was terrifying—she had realized it the moment they first met in the Immortal Spirit Civilisation. This was the intuition of a thief.
Many times, it was precisely this intuition that allowed her to escape danger in forbidden lands and perilous regions.
"Hmph. After countless epochs, I've once again sensed such a dense aura of an Ancestral God—yet never expected it to come from him."
"Either he's enslaved and nurtured an Ancestral God, or he's slain one."
"Truly unexpected..."
The Eternal Primordial God paid no heed to Luo Xiangjun's astonishment, merely sneering to himself.
His eyes grew profoundly deep and icy, with terrifying visions of universes perishing and stars shattering swirling within them, exuding a heart-palpitating, bone-chilling aura.
Many years ago, he too had been called the Eternal Ancestral God. One could say that today, he had once again sensed the aura of his own kind—yet never had he imagined it would be under such circumstances.
"What?"
These words sent a shiver down Luo Xiangjun's spine, her entire body breaking out in goosebumps.
An Ancestral God was fundamentally different from an Ancestral Dao Realm existence within the Immortal Dao Civilisation system, the latter being attainable through cultivation in one's lifetime.
In this current era, those who could be called Ancestral Gods had lived for countless eons, their lifespans so vast they were beyond reckoning—they were true Primordial Deities.
Before such Ancestral Gods, even the histories of some Supreme Civilisations might not amount to a fraction of their existence.
As far as Luo Xiangjun knew, within the Boundless Expanse, there were many Divine Empires, their heritage comparable to Supreme Civilisations, all founded and created by a single Ancestral God.
***
Meanwhile, deep within the sprawling palace complex of the Imperial Immortal Palace...
An ancient and towering library stood solemnly at its heart.
The pavilion had a hundred floors, each constructed with grandeur and majesty, surrounded by swirling Mist of Chaos, its formation patterns flickering with world-destroying fluctuations.
The structure itself bore the marks of time, exuding an aura of antiquity, as though it were the pavilion of ten thousand immortals, containing and merging all the ancient texts and records of the world.
On the highest floor, a tall and slender figure, her sleeves rolled up and her hair casually tied back, frowned deeply as she flipped through several handwritten notes before her.
She was utterly focused, her gaze fixed on the notes, but her frown only deepened. Soon, her eyes widened with shock and disbelief.
"How is this possible..." Ling Yuxian clutched the notes tightly in her hands, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
During this time, while stabilizing the Imperial Immortal Palace's affairs, Ling Yuxian had also been investigating the circumstances behind her elder sister's drafting of the Primary Hope Covenant.
Fortunately, her efforts bore fruit. While perusing some of Ling Yuling's handwritten notes, she finally discovered some clues.
First, she found a record about the First-Generation Civilisation Supreme Treasure tucked in the middle of an alchemy manual—written on a fresh sheet of paper, the handwriting neat and delicate, clearly detailing the mysteries and methods of controlling the Mirror of Reincarnation.
Then, she searched through several other notes and, unsurprisingly, found similar records.
Each note was inserted in the middle of a manual, the handwriting clear and elegant—so familiar it made her heart clench.
Ling Yuxian was utterly stunned, unable to believe what she was seeing. She recognized it immediately—this was her elder sister Ling Yuling's handwriting.
At some point unknown to her, her sister had secretly recorded information about various First-Generation Civilisation Supreme Treasures and hidden them among her personal collections.
But where had her sister learned all this?
Shocked as she was, Ling Yuxian also found it unfathomable. She and her sister shared a deep spiritual connection, able to sense each other's thoughts—so didn't this mean her sister had deliberately shielded her mind to keep this from her?
Had her sister been in contact with some entity or faction all along?
Otherwise, why would she suddenly decide to draft the Primary Hope Covenant and forge the Golden Book of Covenant?
So all of this had been premeditated.
"It seems that during that time, Sister must have been in contact with someone—or some faction. Everything she did was likely orchestrated by them."
"But why would she refuse to admit it and go to such lengths to hide it? The true mastermind behind the scheme against Senior Brother Gu must be the one who provided her with these records."
"Perhaps even Sister didn't realize that her so-called allies were actually setting her up, pinning the blame on her."
Suppressing the turmoil and chill in her heart, Ling Yuxian quietly pocketed the notes. Over the following days, she questioned the elders, inquiring about her sister's whereabouts and activities during the time she had been away from the Imperial Immortal Palace.
She suspected that it was during that period her sister had made contact with outsiders and devised the plan for the Primary Hope Covenant.
With these suspicions in mind, Ling Yuxian eventually narrowed her focus to the depths of the Imperial Immortal Palace—where the chaotic Spacetime Sea lay.
When her sister had first established the Imperial Immortal Palace, she had built it here to prevent the terrifying beings of the chaotic Spacetime Sea from invading the Primary Hope Civilisation and wreaking havoc. She had even forged the nine Mine Dragon Suppressing Pillars to hold back the tides of the Spacetime Sea, preventing them from surging forth and destroying everything.
Ling Yuxian suspected that during that time, her sister Ling Yuling had ventured into the chaotic Spacetime Sea. According to the elders, her sister had never left the Imperial Immortal Palace—let alone made contact with outsiders.
Moreover, Ling Yuxian knew that while the chaotic Spacetime Sea was known as a death zone for living beings—survivable only by Grand Spiritual Masters—over countless eons, anomalies and changes had inevitably given rise to pockets within it where living beings could dwell.
Her sister had likely known of these places—and had visited them.
"With my current strength, I cannot cross the chaotic Spacetime Sea. But I can relay this information to Senior Brother Gu, so we can expose the true mastermind and clear Sister's name."
"The Primary Hope Civilisation also needs the truth behind the Primary Hope Covenant."