Sensing the Omen of the Immortal War's Beginning, A Mere Purple Mansion, How Laughable
Sensing the Omen of the Immortal War’s Beginning, A Mere Purple Mansion, How Laughable
Just then, Gu Changge glanced at Gu Xianer and suddenly pulled a plain white little bottle from his robes, handing it to her. “This is the Lake of Reincarnation water Qin Wuya mentioned. I took a look at it, and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.”
“The water of the Lake of Reincarnation?”
Gu Xianer had been mulling over Qing Xiaoyi’s matter.
Hearing this, she didn’t take it, only staring at him blankly, her eyes lowering slightly. “After drinking this water, would one be able to recover their past-life memories?”
If what Qin Wuya and Heavenly Monarch Ziyang had said back then was true, then after she recovered her past-life memories, how was she supposed to face Gu Changge?
After all, judging from Qin Wuya’s words, in her past life she had been the Junior of both Qin Wuya and Heavenly Monarch Ziyang.
And Qin Wuya and Heavenly Monarch Ziyang were Gu Changge’s enemies.
“Maybe it can, maybe it can’t. I’m not sure about that either,” Gu Changge said.
“Then... do you want me to drink it?” Gu Xianer raised her eyes to stare at him, a strange meaning seeming to flicker within them.
She didn’t know why she suddenly asked Gu Changge this. If she really did recover her past-life memories, would she become a different person?
Gu Changge couldn’t help but laugh. “After you drink it, would you stop being Gu Xianer? Or would you suddenly be able to beat me?”
“That’s not what I meant. Stop changing the subject...”
Gu Xianer glared at him in annoyance, knowing full well that Gu Changge was deliberately dodging the question.
“Some things have to be left for you to decide yourself. After all, this is your own choice. Besides, I imagine you’re also curious whether what Qin Wuya and Heavenly Monarch Ziyang said is true or false.”
The smile on Gu Changge’s face faded.
At this moment, he was uncharacteristically serious, as if genuinely considering things for Gu Xianer’s sake.
Hearing this, Gu Xianer looked deeply at him.
Just as Gu Changge said, she really was curious whether what Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and the others had said was true or false.
Did reincarnation truly exist in this world?
Before, she hadn’t accepted it because she worried there was something wrong with the Lake of Reincarnation water.
But now, even Gu Changge had said so, which meant the Lake of Reincarnation water should be fine.
Then, after considering for a while, Gu Xianer pressed her lips together, seemingly having made up her mind.
She finally took the plain white little bottle.
But the next moment, her movements were extremely decisive, without the slightest hesitation. She turned the bottle upside down and poured it straight onto the ground.
Huala!
With that sound,
a silver radiance, brilliant as the Milky Way, poured down from the bottle’s mouth into the empty air.
It truly answered that line of verse.
As if the Milky Way were falling from the Ninth Heaven.
The lake water was dazzling and resplendent, containing mysterious runes, but in the blink of an eye it dissipated into the air, as if evaporated, and soon no trace of it could be seen.
Gu Changge looked at all this with seeming astonishment, then said with some heartache, “You just poured it out like that?”
Gu Xianer gave him a cool, indifferent eye-roll. “What else? Did you actually want me to drink it?”
“Wasteful girl.”
Gu Changge sighed lightly. “If you weren’t going to drink it, wouldn’t it have been better to give it back to me? Perfectly good Lake of Reincarnation water, wasted by you just like that. Qin Wuya probably paid a considerable price to obtain even this one little bottle of Lake of Reincarnation water.”
“Aren’t you focusing on the wrong thing? You’re actually feeling sorry for the lake water right now?”
Hearing this, Gu Xianer looked at him in displeasure.
She had thought that after she made this choice, Gu Changge would show an attitude different from usual.
Something like relief, happiness, or perhaps praising her a bit.
But there was none of that.
He was actually feeling sorry for a little bottle of Lake of Reincarnation water right now?
Could it be that in his heart, she was worth less than this bottle of water?
Gu Changge looked at her expression, which practically had “hurry up and praise me” written all over her face, and couldn’t help but laugh. “You poured out my Lake of Reincarnation water, and now you actually want me to praise you? Gu Xianer, your looks aren’t much, but your imagination sure is beautiful.”
“Gu Changge, all you know is how to speak against your conscience... You’re nothing but a detestable bastard!”
“Don’t you dare expect me to pay you any attention ever again!”
Gu Xianer was furious, her delicate body trembling with rage—though it was a pity she had a washboard figure, with nothing to heave.
After throwing down that harsh parting line,
her figure flashed, her skirt fluttering, and she vanished from the spot at once.
What did he mean, her looks weren’t much but her imagination was beautiful?
Was she not beautiful?
Originally, Gu Xianer had planned to throw down some harsh words about teaching Gu Changge a lesson someday, but after witnessing Gu Changge’s power with her own eyes, she had lost that inclination.
After thinking for a long time, the only threatening words she could come up with were these.
Gu Changge shook his head, watching Gu Xianer walk away, and the smile on his face finally faded.
In truth, even if Gu Xianer had drunk that bottle of Lake of Reincarnation water, it wouldn’t have had any effect.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have felt so at ease handing the bottle to her.
Given Gu Changge’s nature, he would never do anything beyond his control.
If Gu Xianer recovered her past-life memories and couldn’t let go of her two past-life Senior Brothers, how would she carry herself? Would she cross blades with Gu Changge once more?
Or perhaps Gu Xianer would take the initiative to personally sever her ties with her two past-life Senior Brothers.
But for her, that would be far too cruel.
Gu Changge didn’t want her to do such things either. These blood-stained matters of slaughtering one’s own sect kin were never suited for someone as ethereally immortal as her.
Gu Xianer pouring out the Lake of Reincarnation water was actually the best choice for her.
Of course, had she drunk it, the result would have been the same.
Because long ago, Gu Changge had already known that the Great Dao Bone contained innate bone inscriptions that did not belong to this era. They were incomparably profound and complex.
They had quite an influence on his cultivation, and he had later personally erased them.
And those innate bone inscriptions were clearly fragments of soul memories.
So if his guess was correct, Dao Xian’s so-called reincarnation memories were actually all contained within the Great Dao Bone.
But Gu Xianer’s Great Dao Bone had been dug out by Gu Changge when she was very young.
The Celestial Bone she had now, reborn through nirvana, was extremely pure, without any traces or imprints of a past life.
In other words, Gu Changge had actually long since severed her connection to her past life on her behalf.
After that, Gu Changge paid Gu Xianer no further mind. Before the experts of Purple Mansion came to kill their way over,
he took Qing Feng along, planning to bring Qing Xiaoyi back.
Back then, he had casually found some estate and tossed her inside. With Qing Xiaoyi’s current cultivation, keeping her confined for three to five years wouldn’t pose any problem.
Gu Changge wasn’t worried about her safety either.
He had already completely obtained the Source of Qing Xiaoyi’s Celestial Demonic Physique through the Dao Fruit of Reception.
So he hadn’t harmed her.
Soon, he and Qing Feng arrived at that desolate, quiet estate, long abandoned for years with no one living in it.
When he saw Qing Xiaoyi again, she was considerably more haggard and pale than before, her delicate face much thinner.
Like a clean little white flower, soft and frail.
“Young Master Changge, Brother...”
Seeing the two who had rushed here, Qing Xiaoyi’s eyes widened in shock, hardly able to believe it.
These past days, she had gone from the panic and unease of being abducted, through worry and despair, and had gradually become calm.
The mysterious person who had abducted her back then had never revealed his true face.
Qing Xiaoyi didn’t know what the other party’s goal was either.
“I’ve come to save you.”
Gu Changge smiled, reaching out to undo the Restriction on her body.
“Xiaoyi...”
Qing Feng was incomparably excited and thrilled, his face flushed red, nearly moved to tears.
“It was Young Master Changge who suppressed Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and came to save you...”
He was so excited he could barely speak coherently. Seeing Qing Xiaoyi’s confusion, he told her everything that had happened these past days.
Including how she had been abducted by Heavenly Monarch Ziyang.
How Heavenly Monarch Ziyang had planned to hand her over to the Successor of Demonic Arts.
And then how Gu Changge had suppressed Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, extracted her whereabouts, and come to rescue her—he told her all of it in detail.
After hearing it all, Qing Xiaoyi was utterly shocked, and felt even more gratitude toward Gu Changge. She had already held admiration for Gu Changge to begin with.
Now, having been rescued from the demon’s clutches by Gu Changge, she felt all the more that there was some indescribable, ineffable fate between her and Gu Changge.
To this, Gu Changge naturally waved his hand in modest refusal, saying it was simply what he ought to do.
After that, he brought Qing Xiaoyi and Qing Feng back to the Black Tortoise Empire, where Elders who had received the news had long since rushed over, including the Elder who had bestowed the Nine-Cycles Spirit Restoration Pill upon Qing Feng back then.
That Qing Xiaoyi could return safely naturally delighted them. However, considering that something major would soon happen in this place, they hurriedly took the two away, unwilling to linger.
The Black Tortoise Empire had become a land of trouble.
The same was true of the other great ancient empires. Sensing that something major was about to happen, many Cultivators hurriedly departed.
With Gu Changge situated here, if Purple Mansion wanted revenge, the first thing they would do was certainly send experts to kill their way over.
And a clash between experts of that level could destroy heaven and earth in an instant, let alone a mere little ancient empire.
Even if there were hundreds more, they would be annihilated in the aftershocks.
Considering this, Gu Changge planned to leave the Black Tortoise Empire first—not because he didn’t want to implicate this place.
To him, the life and death of these little ancient empires wasn’t worth caring about at all.
It was because he planned to go to the Vermilion Bird Empire. After all, that was the home nest of another Fortuitous One, Chu Hao.
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.
With a fire of this magnitude, how could a mere little Vermilion Bird Empire possibly withstand it?
Surely the Vermilion Bird Empire wouldn’t dare drive him away?
“Master, the people I sent out seem to have lost track of Qin Wuya. His concealment methods seem quite brilliant. He hid all along the way, and now his whereabouts are unknown.”
Then, Yin Mei hurried over, her naturally enchanting face showing some puzzlement as she reported another matter.
After Qin Wuya escaped from the Hengyue Mountain Range, Gu Changge had instructed Yin Mei to keep an eye on his trail.
Having suffered a loss once, Qin Wuya couldn’t possibly let Gu Changge leave any mark on him again. He was extremely shrewd, with many methods of concealment.
Yin Mei had never thought she would suffer a setback at Qin Wuya’s hands, yet in the end she actually lost his trail.
“It’s fine.”
“Qin Wuya will show himself again sooner or later.” Hearing this, Gu Changge merely waved his hand, unconcerned.
As long as Tang Wan was under his control, Qin Wuya couldn’t escape.
“This place won’t be peaceful for a while. You should return to the Merchant Alliance first, and while you’re at it, help me look into some information on the Hidden Ji Family.”
Gu Changge gave Yin Mei a task, telling her to leave first and not linger here.
Hearing this, Yin Mei gave a soft hum of assent, not particularly worried that anything would happen to Gu Changge.
In the following days, the Black Tortoise Empire was anything but peaceful. Every day, Cultivators and prodigies could be seen departing as divine rainbows, either returning to their clan lands or returning to the True Immortal Academy.
Even some Cultivators who had lived in the Black Tortoise Empire for generations led their clansmen away, leaving their homes behind.
The ruler of the Black Tortoise Empire wore a worried frown all day long, yet didn’t dare take the initiative to speak to Gu Changge about such matters. He could only pray that when the time came, the aftershocks of battle wouldn’t reach this place.
Otherwise, a hundred Black Tortoise Empires wouldn’t be enough to be destroyed.
During this period, Gu Changge also received a transmission from Yue Mingkong. She asked whether the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty needed to take action.
To this, Gu Changge simply answered that it wasn’t needed.
Yue Mingkong also knew that a mere Purple Mansion wasn’t worth Gu Changge taking so seriously, so after receiving this answer, she didn’t inquire further.
She had her own matters to attend to.
Among the Seven Tools of World Domination, she already possessed two: the Mirror of World Domination and the Seal of World Domination.
Now she also knew the whereabouts of the Sword of World Domination and was planning to seize it. Once all seven Tools of World Domination were gathered, they could open the Immortal Palace Ruins that had once collapsed into the River of Time.
And while Gu Changge was in the Black Tortoise Empire, the places where the other orthodoxies of the Beyond resided were not peaceful either.
Outside Sky Emperor Mountain.
A divine lake suddenly surged with ten thousand zhang of divine radiance, illuminating the surrounding waters in azure blue.
A blurry, towering figure shot up into the sky, wielding a three-pronged great halberd that seemed capable of destroying all things. Its gaze was like a heavenly blade, gazing far off toward where Purple Mansion lay.
In another place, within a stretch of blood-red mountain ridges, wisps of colorful mist emerged, and a figure with a terrifying, sky-shaking aura stepped forth, blood-red clouds materializing beneath its feet.
“Purple Mansion has murdered the successor of my Sky Emperor Mountain. This enmity is irreconcilable!”
These terrifying existences spoke with icy voices, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.
Beams of divine light shot skyward one after another, and vast hordes of Ancient Race beings could be seen assembling.
Blood qi surged to the heavens, killing intent billowed, clouds and mist churned—a pitch-black mass, like dark clouds pressing down.
Ying Yu’s figure was right there among them.
Heeding Gu Changge’s words, after returning to Sky Emperor Mountain, the first thing she did was persuade the many terrifying existences to wash away the humiliation Sky Emperor Mountain had recently suffered.
Clearly, these terrifying existences had long been holding back a bellyful of rage.
At this moment, even more so, they didn’t hesitate in the slightest, emerging one after another from their secluded cultivation grounds to demand justice.
Since Purple Mansion dared to shelter Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, who was connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts, that was tantamount to sheltering the Successor of Demonic Arts, which was tantamount to sheltering Sky Emperor Mountain’s enemy.
How could such a grudge be so easily settled?
Soon, the Sacred Emperor Realm existences among these beings struck out forcefully, directly opening a Space Tunnel to break through the realm boundaries and descend upon where Purple Mansion lay.
And at the same time, the Ancient Ye Family, the Endless Fire Kingdom, the Golden Qilin Clan, the White Tiger Clan, and other powers also underwent great upheavals.
Great armies began to assemble, vast and mighty, blotting out the sky and sun. Among them were ancient, majestic warships, scales gleaming, colorful feathers flowing, demonic wings covering the sun, their momentum shaking the heavens.
Space Tunnels opened, descending directly upon the territory where Purple Mansion lay.
For a time, the entire Beyond was shaken. Everyone sensed that this was the omen of an Immortal War about to begin!
Outside Purple Mansion, the armies of many orthodoxies began to emerge, determined to launch a crusade. Yet within the Immortal Gu Family, things appeared rather tranquil.
Clouds steamed and mist glowed in myriad splendor. Countless immortal mountains and divine peaks were wreathed in chaotic fog, as if one had arrived before the creation of the world.
“A mere Purple Mansion, how laughable, how laughable.”
“To dare provoke the majesty of my Immortal Gu Family—they must be tired of living...”
Within a towering, majestic great hall,
an old man with yellowed teeth, puffing on a long-stemmed pipe, looking just like an old farmer, was chuckling, appearing quite disdainful and contemptuous.
“Purple Mansion must have forgotten how their founder back then was tainted by the Uncanny, and how he ended up begging before the gates of my Gu Family’s mountain... It seems the years spare no one. Those little fellows who knew of this matter back then have probably all been outlived by us.”
Along with the faint voice,
an old man still carrying the scent of earth on his body strolled in slowly from outside the hall, his face hale and hearty.
At his waist hung a rusted iron sword, and he walked with quite a spirited air.
Within the great hall, even the current head of the Gu Family—Gu Changge’s father, Gu Lintian—appeared quite deferential.
Before these old men, he had no qualification to speak much.
The Gu Family’s Ancestors were different from those of other orthodoxies. They were not ranked by seniority of generation, but by strength.
It was just that this ranking hadn’t been redone for a very long time, because no one knew whether many of the Ancestors were dead or alive, in seclusion, or buried somewhere.
Over time, even the members of the Gu Family no longer knew exactly how many Ancestors their family still had.
Anyway, whenever some major matter came up that they couldn’t decide on, digging up the ancestral graves was the right move.
All these years, aside from Gu Nanshan, the Ancestor of Gu Xianer’s lineage who had come out for some air a while back, very few of the Gu Family’s Ancestors had shown themselves.
The Gu Family’s affairs, great and small, were almost entirely handed over to the family head and the clan elders to handle.
And the few Ancestors in the hall now had all made breakthroughs in their cultivation and were in good moods, so they had come out to take a look at the younger generation.
Gu Lintian wouldn’t disturb them over a trivial matter like Purple Mansion.