Weak, Pitiful, Helpless, and a Huge Eater — Charging into the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains
Weak, Pitiful, Helpless, and a Huge Eater — Charging into the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains
After returning to the Beyond, Gu Changge and Jiang Luoshen parted ways, and he did not make things too difficult for her.
Although he had ordered her around as a maid during this period, her status was ultimately that of the princess of the Godly Illusion Clan, the future Godly Illusion Emperor, so she had to be returned eventually.
Jiang Luoshen was somewhat stunned by Gu Changge’s straightforward attitude, failing to react at first, finding it a little hard to believe.
Although she had grown accustomed to being ordered around by Gu Changge, wasn’t freedom better?
“You promised me something — you can’t go back on it.”
Jiang Luoshen’s golden eyes were filled with suspicion.
On this trip to the Demon World, she had seen right through Gu Changge as a person. Some things he promised nicely with his mouth, but when it came time to act, don’t expect him to follow through on the agreement.
The matter of Jun Bufan was a perfect example.
“When have I ever gone back on something I promised?”
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow, feeling that this girl really didn’t trust him at all.
Admittedly, there were times when he didn’t keep his word, but that was toward his enemies.
Jiang Luoshen wore an expression that said “do you think I believe you?”
“You’re my little maid, after all. Why would I lie to you?”
Gu Changge’s tone seemed slightly disappointed.
“Little maid? Why am I the little maid?”
Jiang Luoshen was somewhat displeased, but the moment the words left her mouth, she felt something was off — wasn’t saying that indirectly admitting she was his maid?
Gu Changge smiled and said casually, “Naturally, because there’s also a big maid.”
Jiang Luoshen felt she was getting the short end of the stick and couldn’t help correcting him, “Who’s your maid? Gu Changge, don’t think that just because you ordered me around for a while, I’m your maid. This is a transaction between you and me.”
“Alright, I understand, little maid.”
Gu Changge nodded.
“You...”
Jiang Luoshen seethed with indignation, nearly grinding her teeth, itching to grab him by the mouth.
But she also knew she couldn’t win against Gu Changge, so she could only let it go, stuck with the title of little maid.
“Let’s go.”
Soon, her expression returned to coldness, and she directly led her clansmen away from this place, back to the Godly Illusion Clan.
After that, Gu Changge ordered Ze and the others to return to the Chaotic Star Territory and the Celestial Ancient Continent races respectively, while he himself took Bai Lian’er and Bai Hua back to the Longevity Gu Family.
“Rest assured. Since I promised to release your father, I won’t go back on my word.”
Gu Changge spoke.
Bai Lian’er appeared in the void with a peng, snorted, and said, “I hope so.”
Having witnessed Gu Changge’s methods, she could only hope he wouldn’t go back on his word — otherwise, if he did, there was nothing she could do about it.
Bai Hua followed timidly behind. Although he hadn’t suffered any torture at Gu Changge’s hands during this period, he was still terrified of him to the bone.
“Since I want you to work for me, I naturally wouldn’t deceive you so casually. Why can’t you have even this basic trust?”
Gu Changge looked somewhat regretful.
Bai Lian’er said flatly, “I can work for you, but you have to show some sincerity.”
She was no fool — on the contrary, she was very clever, with methods and schemes, and she wasn’t afraid of death.
She would never believe these empty promises of Gu Changge’s.
“Sincerity? Fine.”
“I will release your father, and as for the intelligence that the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion lacks most, I’ll arrange for someone to liaise with you.”
Gu Changge said casually.
He calculated the time — the Tang Family within the Alliance of Thousand Merchants should be nearly fully infiltrated by now, and it was time for Yin Mei to take the opportunity to take it over.
That way, most of the power of the Alliance of Thousand Merchants would fall into her hands.
As for Tang Wan, Gu Changge didn’t trust her. To him, Tang Wan was merely a chess piece to draw out the conflict between Chu Hao and Qin Wuya.
“Intelligence?”
Bai Lian’er’s expression shifted slightly. The resource the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion lacked most was indeed intelligence.
Although she had been developing informants all these years, the time had been too short.
For those orthodoxies and powers with legacies stretching back tens of millions of years, this bit of time was not even worth mentioning.
The other assassin organizations, such as Pagoda and Neraka, had been passed down in the Beyond for over ten million years, even spanning several epochs.
“Of course, if you plan to train personnel, I happen to have quite a few suitable candidates.”
Gu Changge continued.
He had quite a few forces on the surface, but very few he could mobilize in secret.
He might as well take this opportunity to bring the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion under his control.
Bai Lian’er was somewhat tempted by Gu Changge’s proposal. Back in her darkest hour, it was the Killing Emperor Legacy that had let her see hope in this world once more.
The Killing Emperor of old had been one of the foremost powerhouses in the world, founding the renowned Killing Dao Holy Land.
But later, for various reasons, the Killing Dao Holy Land fell apart.
Its legacy was buried in the River of Time, and through the long ages, no one had obtained it.
So in truth, Bai Lian’er deeply hoped to fulfill the Killing Emperor’s dying wish — to rebuild the world’s number one killing-path power.
A large part of why she founded the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion was also related to the Killing Emperor Legacy.
“I naturally have no objections. It just depends on whether you have the sincerity.”
Bai Lian’er said, still guarding tightly against Gu Changge — this was a man who would sell her out the moment she let her guard down.
Gu Changge smiled and said nothing more.
He knew Bai Lian’er would agree.
But before that, he still had many things to do. The matter of the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion could only be left to her for now.
During this period, quite a lot had happened in the Beyond. Although he was in the Demon World, he still knew of it all, because his informants reported everything truthfully.
As for the True Immortal Academy, Gu Changge had no plans to go there for the time being.
With his current cultivation, there was no need for him to go.
“The Demon-Burying Abyss has erupted, demonic qi soaring to the heavens. The Floating Buddhist Temple was nearly destroyed. Many monks of the Buddhist Mountain went there, and in the end perished within...”
“A great demon has emerged from the depths of the Demon-Burying Abyss, wreaking havoc everywhere. Even an enlightened Buddha nearly lost his life to it.”
“It seems she’s finally about to emerge — my dear disciple.”
Gu Changge’s gaze was deep and distant, countless memories flashing through his mind like fleeting shadows.
They finally settled on the foot of a green mountain, on a little girl in red who tugged at his sleeve, her eyes timid and uneasy.
Although he had begun laying the groundwork for this matter long ago, the chances of success were actually not great.
According to his memories, even in the deepest hell there was no hatred — that was how boundless her hatred was. She probably wished she could slice his flesh piece by piece and grind his bones to powder to swallow down.
However, though this matter was a headache, Gu Changge still had ways to handle it. After all, she had been his disciple back when he was the Demon Lord, and some things were shared between them.
Soon, after returning to the Longevity Gu Family, Gu Changge ordered Bai Kun to be released. According to their agreement, he naturally had no time to make things difficult for him.
Bai Kun wasn’t worth him wasting any extra time on.
For Gu Changge, this sort of thing was merely a matter of a single sentence.
For Bai Lian’er and Bai Kun, father and daughter, to be reunited again — it was impossible for them not to be overjoyed.
Bai Lian’er said nothing about the affairs of the Demon World, and Bai Kun tactfully refrained from asking.
Being able to survive was something he hadn’t dared to believe possible before; how could he dare ask for anything more now?
“Thank you, Young Master Changge.”
Bai Kun expressed his gratitude to Gu Changge, and was then taken away by Bai Lian’er, who planned to find a place to settle him first before discussing the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion matters with Gu Changge.
Gu Changge had some things he wanted to ask his father, but after consideration, he first went to the world where Gu Qingyi resided, finding her sitting quietly on a bluestone atop the mountain peak.
She seemed never to have moved, eternal and unchanging, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall. Her whole being possessed an immortal grace and otherworldly beauty — ethereal and misty, cool and transcendent. Even her skin was like the most flawless, delicate immortal jade, glowing with a moving luster, perfect to the extreme.
Yet if one looked closely at her face, one could not see it clearly, as if it were shrouded in a layer of mist. Only her eyes were visible — cool and profound, as if containing all the vicissitudes and loneliness of the world.
“You’ve come?”
The moment Gu Changge stepped into this place, she already knew, but she made no movement, simply waiting for him to arrive.
Gu Changge nodded and sat down casually on the bluestone beside her.
“Came to see you, and to check on this little one while I’m at it.”
He said with a smile, his gaze turning outward.
In the distance, the sea of clouds rose and fell, and the Little Wang Yue was frolicking within it, moonlight spilling over her slender, beautiful body, looking quite leisurely and joyful.
“There’s nothing much to see about me.”
Gu Qingyi shook her head. The expression on her face rarely changed, as if she never smiled.
However, Gu Changge was very familiar with her temperament and didn’t mind. He still smiled and said, “No, you’re beautiful.”
Hearing this, Gu Qingyi turned her head to glance at him, said nothing, then reached up to gather the dark hair draped over her shoulder.
She only made this little gesture when she was in a good mood.
Gu Changge didn’t call her out on it. He looked back at the Little Wang Yue and said, “Baibai’s strength has grown quite a bit during this time. It must have been hard on you.”
“She just eats a lot, so she grows faster. This child must have been starving before.”
Gu Qingyi shook her head. “I just watch her eat every day. I haven’t done anything for her.”
“It’s fine, just let her eat.”
Gu Changge laughed. “Could a single Wang Yue really eat my Gu Family out of house and home?”
Although ancient records did indeed mention instances of a Wang Yue eating an entire orthodoxy into ruin, those were just tales told over meals, and few took them seriously.
Still, the true body of a Wang Yue was an existence like an Astral River — one could well imagine its enormity.
Even the ancient gods who carried the stars on their backs were as tiny as dust before one.
And just as Gu Changge and Gu Qingyi were talking, the Little Wang Yue in the distance seemed to notice him. No longer fearful as before, she turned into a streak of silver light and flew toward them.
But just before landing in front of Gu Qingyi, a flash of moon-white radiance swept over her body, and she transformed into a silver-haired little loli only half Gu Changge’s height.
Her features were exquisite as a painting, her dark eyebrows slender, her nose small and delicate, her eyes like glazed glass tinged with faint crimson, her skin like white porcelain — one could even see pale golden veins. Her whole being exuded an aloof, noble air.
It was hard to connect her with the little Wang Yue that had just been frolicking freely in the sea of clouds.
As Gu Changge looked her over, she was no longer as fearful as before. Instead, she bared a mouthful of fine, slightly pointed little white teeth at him, putting on a super fierce expression.
“I’m your master.”
Gu Changge wasn’t annoyed, speaking in a calm and unhurried manner.
“Qingyi-jiejie...”
She snorted, turned her head away, ignoring Gu Changge, and instead went over to Gu Qingyi, acting quite clingy with her.
Her voice was lovely, with a cool, jade-like quality — somewhat similar to Gu Qingyi’s, actually.
“Don’t think that acting like this will make me forget how you were frolicking just now.”
Gu Changge said unhurriedly, hitting the nail right on the head.
The silver-haired little loli clenched her pearly teeth tight, her porcelain-white face flushing slightly, suddenly flustered and exasperated. “You’re the one frolicking! I was happy!”
“What’s the difference?”
Gu Changge asked.
“How is there no difference?”
The silver-haired little loli glared at him. “Is ’frolicking’ a word you use to describe a girl?”
“You’re just my pet. What girl? Why so many demands?”
Gu Changge shook his head, still looking perfectly at ease.
“You’re the pet! I’m a noble Celestial Beast, a Wang Yue!”
The silver-haired little loli was very displeased.
“A Celestial Beast Wang Yue is still my pet. I’m your master.”
Gu Changge said casually.
“I don’t have a master like you.”
The silver-haired little loli held quite a grudge against him. She still remembered how, back in the Purple Mountains, Gu Changge had spun all his flowery words to trick her.
And then, once they got here, he had just tossed her aside and ignored her.
She was just a little Wang Yue — weak, pitiful, lonely, helpless, and a huge eater.
How could he be so heartless, just abandoning her like that?
And he even gave her such an awful name.
Gu Qingyi watched Gu Changge and the Little Wang Yue bicker, quietly gathering the dark hair at her shoulder, saying not a word.
“You came to find me because there’s something you need, right?”
In the end, it was she who spoke first.
Gu Qingyi understood Gu Changge well. No matter when, he was someone who never visited without a reason.
“It’s actually nothing major. I just want to ask you for a favor.”
Gu Changge smiled. He hadn’t spoken up earlier precisely because he was waiting for Gu Qingyi to ask him first.
“What favor?”
Gu Qingyi asked.
“I’d like you to make a trip to the Demon-Burying Abyss for me, to check on how the seal there is holding up.”
As Gu Changge spoke, he kept watching Gu Qingyi’s expression.
But apart from a slight moment of daze, Gu Qingyi revealed not the slightest emotion.
This left Gu Changge somewhat disappointed.
“I understand.”
Gu Qingyi nodded. She had never refused Gu Changge’s requests — not before, and not now.
“Then I’ll be going. Oh, right — these are some curious little trinkets I saw on this trip to the Demon World. You stay here all the time, so you’ve probably never seen them.”
Gu Changge rose to leave, but before going, he pulled quite a few little trinkets from his robes.
There were tassels unique to the Demon World, hairpins with dangling ornaments, hair clasps, powders and rouges... nothing precious or rare, but things found only in the Demon World.
Because their raw materials came from the Demon World, they wouldn’t grow anywhere else.
“Mm.”
Gu Qingyi watched Gu Changge’s figure disappear, and only then did her gaze fall upon these little trinkets. She gently picked up one of them — a wooden comb.
Ordinarily, apart from cultivation, she never left this place. She had no contact with the people or affairs of the outside world, like an immortal in an ancient book, untouched by mortal dust, cut off from the world.
So it was Gu Changge who would bring her little trinkets from time to time.
After all, she was no mortal herself, and had no habit of touching mortal things.
After leaving this world, Gu Changge went straight to the main hall to find his father.
At the head seat, Gu Lintian’s aura was vast and profound, like an abyss, like a prison, his immense will filling this entire space.
“You’re back?”
Gu Lintian opened his eyes, his expression gentle.
“Father.”
Gu Changge nodded and spoke. “I want to know about the matters of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains during this period.”
The Beyond was not very peaceful these days — Gu Changge had already known this while in the Demon World.
Specifically, the Boundary Marker Sea that had been established beyond the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains all those years ago was now showing signs of drying up, the All-Repelling Force within it failing.
This had caused the many orthodoxies, powers, races, and great clans of the Beyond to stir restlessly, beginning to send experts there, intending to wage war and invade the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.
This matter had far-reaching implications — no orthodoxy, power, family, or race in the Beyond could stay out of it.
The Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were a world very similar to the Beyond, equally vast and boundless, ancient and long-standing.
The difference was that many epochs ago, a great war broke out between the two lands, and the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were defeated.
In the end, they had no choice but to retreat, leaving behind many territories. Their supreme existences joined hands and established the Boundary Marker Sea beyond the frontier.
It contained the All-Repelling Force, which even True Daoists found difficult to cross, and it became a natural barrier for the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, protecting that side for many years.
Over the years, there had been occasional frictions and skirmishes between the two sides, with casualties on both, but overall the Beyond still held a great advantage.
The Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains — just from the name one could tell the environment there couldn’t compare to this side; even the rules of heaven and earth were less complete than here.
This meant that even if the supreme existences there broke through to the Emperor Realm, they could hardly live for countless years — their lifespans were comparatively shorter than those on this side.
Moreover, the cultivation environment there was harsher, and the birth of powerhouses even more difficult.
Still, they were ultimately lands born together in the beginning — their rules, systems, and races were all very similar.
There was a saying on this side of the Beyond: only by completely merging the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains with the Beyond could the curse preventing immortality here be broken, allowing the Celestial Path to emerge once more.
Therefore, the Boundary Marker Sea showing signs of drying up this time was the best opportunity for the Beyond.
Even though this side still had to guard against the Eternal Overcast Crisis, they would spare no effort.
Hearing this, Gu Lintian was not surprised and said, “Some time ago, the Boundary Marker Sea showed signs of drying up. The forces stationed at the frontier sent the news back, shaking all sides. Many orthodoxies and powers began assembling their forces, attempting to invade that side.”
“By now, many powers have already sounded the horn and dispatched their armies.”
“The True Immortal Academy, Sky Emperor Mountain, the Mortal One’s Hall, the Longevity Wang Family, the Ancient Ye Family, the Supreme Cave Heaven, and many other powers have all sent their elites. Countless young prodigies have also seized the chance to rush over, vowing to fight their way into the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.”
“This great war is unavoidable. For us, right now is the best opportunity.”
Gu Changge nodded, somewhat lost in thought. It seemed these truly were troubled times.
The eruption of the Demon-Burying Abyss, the calamity of the Eternal Overcast — not a single one of these was a small matter.
And yet at this very moment, the Boundary Marker Sea had dried up, and the various races were assembling to invade the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.