A Big Piece of Fat Meat, the Cloud Burial Grounds of the Nine Great Mountains
A Big Piece of Fat Meat, the Cloud Burial Grounds of the Nine Great Mountains
The Sky Deer Goddess was exceedingly beautiful and moving, her figure tall and graceful, like an upright Buddha Lotus.
Her features were exquisitely flawless, divine light flowing all over her body, releasing a brilliant, radiant glow that made it impossible to ignore her presence.
Yet on this street, aside from Lin Wu, everyone else seemed to turn a blind eye to her.
Around her body existed a special domain field—unless she wished to be seen by someone, no one could perceive her.
This was not merely a display of profound cultivation, but also the manifestation of a rather mysterious divine ability.
The origins of Sky Deer City were quite ancient; it was said to have existed even before the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains split from the Beyond.
The whereabouts of the Sky Deer Goddess were even more elusive and hard to trace.
Across countless epochs, the living beings and Cultivators who had seen her true face could be counted on one’s fingers.
“I want to know why you’re helping me.”
“Right now, every faction in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains believes that Lu Luo has fallen into the hands of the Beyond, that there’s no saving her.”
“No one would choose to help me at a time like this.”
Seeing that the Sky Deer Goddess’s attitude did not seem feigned—on the contrary, she was quite sincere—Lin Wu gradually set his heart at ease. He gave a bitter smile, though some doubts still lingered in his heart.
The Sky Deer Goddess smiled faintly and said, “Let’s talk as we walk.”
“Protecting the safety of Sky Deer City, protecting all living beings of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains—this has always been our duty.”
“There’s really nothing to be puzzled about.”
The street was silent and quite wide, shrouded in grey mist, bearing traces of past wars.
In some places, one could still see motionless figures, seemingly seated in meditation, yet devoid of any life force.
For countless years, Sky Deer City had stood between heaven and earth just like this, resisting the invasion of the Beyond.
“I understand.”
Lin Wu nodded and silently followed behind the Sky Deer Goddess, his heart suddenly growing somewhat heavy.
There weren’t many pedestrians on the road, and quite a few were faces familiar to Lin Wu.
But now, the way they looked at him was filled with sympathy and pity.
The matter of the Immortal-Killing Gourd being seized by the Beyond had caused quite an uproar in Sky Deer City.
Many people felt that Lin Wu’s actions had been far too selfish—he had saved a small number of people, but those who would be sacrificed in the future would be far greater in number.
However, some also knew that this matter was not up to Lin Wu. Even if he hadn’t handed over the Immortal-Killing Gourd back then, it likely would have been to no avail.
Because Gu Changge was simply too powerful. Many speculated that his strength had already surpassed the Sacred Emperor Realm.
Faced with such an enormous gap, what other choice could Lin Wu have had? And in the end, even the woman he loved was taken captive.
“He’s a pitiful soul too.”
“I just wonder what he’ll choose to do.”
Many people watched Lin Wu’s figure gradually disappear, sighing inwardly.
However, they did not see the Sky Deer Goddess walking ahead of Lin Wu.
Soon, Lin Wu and the Sky Deer Goddess arrived at a pavilion—a famous ancient building within Sky Deer City.
Beside it, spiritual springs gurgled, steam rose, immortal mist swirled, and colorful clouds flowed nearby.
A young woman had already been waiting here.
She too was dressed in white, her face delicate and flawless, bearing a temperament similar to that of the Sky Deer Goddess.
Seeing Lin Wu and the Sky Deer Goddess arrive, she opened her mouth as if wanting to say something.
But the Sky Deer Goddess smiled and waved her hand, signaling that she need not say more.
Lin Wu was also somewhat puzzled. The young woman before him looked to be about his own age.
Yet he had never seen this face before.
He was tactful enough not to ask too many questions.
“Sit.”
After the Sky Deer Goddess gestured for him to sit down, she walked over to the other side.
At the same time, with a wave of her slender hand, faint clear radiance sprinkled down, enveloping the ancient building to prevent any commotion here from leaking out.
Lin Wu looked at the Sky Deer Goddess before him in confusion, wondering what she was planning that required such caution.
“Sky Deer City is not actually safe. The Beyond has many spies—in fact, without our knowledge, they have already planted people here.”
“So it’s better to be careful.”
Seeing his puzzled expression, the Sky Deer Goddess couldn’t help but smile and explain.
Lin Wu’s heart shook. He had never imagined that Sky Deer City, which he believed to be the safest place, also had spies from the Beyond.
Since these words came from the Sky Deer Goddess, they could not possibly be false.
In this world, there was likely no one who understood Sky Deer City better than her.
“I understand. What do you need me to do?”
Lin Wu’s expression turned solemn as he asked in a deep voice.
“Three days from now, I will leave Sky Deer City with you and head to the Boundary Marker Sea to rescue your beloved.”
“Before that, you must not reveal my whereabouts, nor mention this matter to anyone.”
“I need you to guarantee that you can do this.”
The Sky Deer Goddess spoke, her gaze drifting beyond the ancient building, seemingly falling in the direction of the Boundary Marker Sea.
Lin Wu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and promised, “I can do all of that.”
“I trust you.”
The Sky Deer Goddess’s expression was very gentle as she continued, “In that case, three days from now, meet me outside Sky Deer City. During this time, you may seek out helpers you trust.”
With that, she waved her slender hand once more. Hazy clear radiance sprinkled down, and Lin Wu had already vanished, reappearing outside the ancient building.
Such unfathomable methods made his heart tremble.
That Sky Deer Goddess just now... seemed quite extraordinary.
Thinking this, he inexplicably gained a bit more confidence in his heart.
“Lu Luo, wait for me. I’m coming to save you right away.”
Then, Lin Wu strode away, his heart filled with excitement and apprehension, rushing toward the Lin Family’s residence to gather manpower.
At the same time, he sent a message to Granny Lu Cui from back then, asking her to accompany him to rescue their young lady.
And after Lin Wu’s figure disappeared, the gentle expression on the face of the Sky Deer Goddess inside the ancient building vanished, replaced by a pensive look.
“Shifu, are you really going to the Boundary Marker Sea?”
The young woman behind her showed worry and unease on her face.
The Sky Deer Goddess nodded, an inexplicable Dao charm surfacing on her face, then she sighed somewhat and said, “On this journey, life and death are uncertain, the road ahead is vast and unknown. If I cannot return, the safety of Sky Deer City will be entrusted to you from now on.”
“You need not avenge me either. If even I cannot resolve this calamity, then your revenge would be useless. So stay in the city and cultivate diligently.”
Her words were very calm, as if she had long known all of this.
Hearing this, the young woman’s face filled with reluctance and sorrow, and she said in a trembling voice, “Shifu, even you have no confidence?”
She knew that given her shifu’s character, she would not lightly speak words akin to final instructions.
This could only mean that for this trip to the Boundary Marker Sea, even she did not have full confidence.
The Sky Deer Goddess smiled faintly, still very calm and composed, as if she had long known what she would face.
“I divined that Gu Changge ten times in total. Nine times I suffered backlash, and even the one success only let me glimpse a stretch of grey darkness.”
“Shifu, since you clearly know how powerful he is, why must you still go?”
The young woman’s lips were pale, trembling slightly.
The Sky Deer Goddess shook her head and said, “As the Sky Deer Goddess, this is our destiny in itself. You need not grieve too much.”
“Actually, several years ago, I should have passed the identity of Sky Deer Goddess on to you.”
“But you were still young, your cultivation had not yet matured, and it happened to coincide with the Beyond’s invasion. I truly could not rest easy.”
“But things have come to this point today—it is no longer up to you or me.”
“You too must gradually grow up, shoulder great responsibilities, and bear your own mission. If the city stands, we stand; if the city falls, we fall.”
“I understand, Shifu.”
Hearing these words, the young woman also understood that further persuasion would be difficult. Her eyes reddened slightly, her voice choked, and she nodded heavily.
The Sky Deer Goddess revealed a gentle expression and stroked her head.
“Don’t be so disheartened. What if I manage to come back?”
Even so, she had no certainty in her own heart either. Back then, when a True Daoist of the Ancient Royal Families of the Beyond came knocking at the gates, charging to the very entrance of Sky Deer City,
she had full confidence in suppressing and killing them.
Yet when facing a young prodigy of the current generation, she felt an indescribable sense of powerlessness, without the slightest bit of confidence.
Not to mention that the shores of the Boundary Marker Sea were now a veritable dragon’s pool and tiger’s den, with various Daoist traditions and factions stationed there, and countless powerful experts.
Once her whereabouts were exposed, it would inevitably draw pursuit from everyone.
But in her view, this was also the only opportunity to eliminate Gu Changge.
A head-on confrontation was definitely out of the question, so she could only catch him off guard.
And soon, three days passed. At the gates of Sky Deer City,
before a grand and ancient altar, Lin Wu waited with many living beings and Cultivators.
Every Cultivator and being was shrouded in divine radiance, wearing battle armor, their auras powerful.
Besides him, there were also Granny Lu Cui and other Green Clan members who had escaped with their lives back then.
However, the strongest among them were merely at the Sacred Emperor Realm—only two in total.
One was Granny Lu Cui, and the other was an old monster from the Lin Clan, dispatched to protect Lin Wu.
This operation to rescue Lu Luo could be called perilous beyond measure; at first, no one was willing to come along.
Even for a Sacred Emperor, going meant near-certain death. However, considering Lin Wu’s status, the Lin Clan still sent some people to accompany him.
So at this moment, everyone’s faces were filled with silence and tragic solemnity, as if they had already foreseen the outcome.
Because Lin Wu, as agreed, had not mentioned the Sky Deer Goddess’s existence to anyone.
He also knew that the Sky Deer Goddess’s existence was like a trump card that could not be easily revealed.
Around the Teleportation Altar, many young beings and Cultivators also stood, watching all of this with complicated gazes.
Among them were young prodigies from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains side, with extremely powerful talent.
Some could even rival Lin Wu, their entire bodies shrouded in divine light, golden flames dancing upon their shoulders.
Some of them had also wanted to accompany Lin Wu to the Boundary Marker Sea.
But they were all held back by the clans behind them. At this moment, they all remained silent, seeing Lin Wu and the others off.
Just then, a faint ripple came through the void, divine light spread, and an inexplicable Dao charm diffused—the Sky Deer Goddess appeared.
However, aside from Lin Wu, no one else noticed her.
She was still dressed in spotless white, ethereal and otherworldly, her whole body gleaming with crystalline light, accompanied by a delicate fragrance, like an immortal jade body.
The Sky Deer Goddess smiled faintly at Lin Wu. She was clearly standing right there, yet no one could see her.
This method gave Lin Wu a bit more confidence in his heart.
“Let’s go.”
Soon, brilliant light lit up on the Teleportation Altar, dazzling and resplendent, and Lin Wu led everyone into it.
A wave of spatial fluctuation spread, and then everyone seemed to be traveling through a cosmic tunnel.
They could see numerous stars floating, the Milky Way rolling, stirring up silver light that filled the sky.
Above the firmament, a magnificent divine light could be seen, as if tearing through the universe, forming a passage that descended toward the distant Boundary Marker Sea.
By the shores of the Boundary Marker Sea, upon a towering and ancient Ancient Battleship, chaotic mist flowed, colorful clouds swirled, and palaces and pavilions stood tall, as if a divine treasure tower had fallen to this place.
A dark, massed army was stationed here, their blood vitality surging to the heavens, their killing intent shaking the nine skies.
Terrifying baleful aura transformed into banners, unfurling between heaven and earth.
This was a horrifying force—the baleful aura alone emanating from it made countless ancient worlds tremble.
Even across a distance of hundreds of millions of miles, it made the distant armies of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains tremble with fear, not daring to approach, only able to watch from afar and guard strictly against a sudden attack from this side.
Although quite a few Daoist traditions and factions chose to station themselves here, waiting for more armies to descend,
there were likewise powerful experts who led iron cavalry charging forth without any scruples, like a flood, sweeping away everything along their path, unstoppable by anyone.
However, before that boundlessly vast and chaotic Aether Abyss, they came to a halt.
There, even True Daoists had to be careful and cautious, not daring to be careless, for there was a risk of becoming lost within.
Moreover, within it were countless Great Dao storms, void turbulence, and chaotic seas—truly terrifying, capable of reducing one to dust at the slightest misstep.
As the foremost barrier of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, the dangers of the Aether Abyss needed no elaboration.
To crack the correct route through it would require considerable time.
Over these countless years, the Aether Abyss had been changing at every moment.
Even Cultivators of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains needed to constantly pay attention and search for the exact route.
The mighty army halted before the Aether Abyss, and supreme experts began to take action, performing divinations in an attempt to crack the correct route.
Meanwhile, somewhere within the Aether Abyss, a hazy light flashed.
Several figures appeared atop an ancient altar, then tore through space and vanished again, without causing any commotion.
At the same time, in a dark and damp dungeon,
Lu Luo’s face was slightly pale as she watched Gu Changge open the cell door and walk in, unable to suppress a shiver.
“I gave you three days. Have you thought it through?”
Gu Changge casually glanced at her, inwardly estimating that Lin Wu should be arriving around now.
“Don’t even think about it. I will never betray our realm.”
Although Lu Luo’s expression could not hide her fear, she remained quite stubborn, refusing to yield.
“Is that so? In that case, do you plan to watch with your own eyes as Lin Wu, who comes to save you, is buried here?”
Gu Changge smiled nonchalantly.
Then, from outside the dungeon behind him, a tall woman with skin of a faint moon-white hue walked in. At the center of her brow was a wisp of pale golden pattern, her features lovely and quite moving.
“You... what do you want to do?”
Seeing this scene, Lu Luo did not understand Gu Changge’s intentions, but unease rose in her heart, and she couldn’t help but retreat a few steps.
“Begin.”
Gu Changge paid her no mind, instead speaking to the tall woman behind him.
“Yes, Young Master Changge.”
The tall woman was very respectful toward Gu Changge. Hearing this, she walked up to Lu Luo and, disregarding her frightened and uneasy expression, extended her hand and placed it upon her forehead.
Weng—The next moment, accompanied by waves of radiant light emerging, like hazy divine dawn interweaving,
the tall woman became blurred—her bones, flesh, and organs all seemed to be remolded.
Her features, figure, and even her aura and temperament were all changing.
This was no simple disguise technique, but the dissolution of all the bones and flesh of her body, reconstructed and reshaped anew.
In almost the blink of an eye, she transformed into Lu Luo’s appearance.
Aside from some differences in clothing, everything else looked as if carved from the same mold—utterly identical, with no discernible difference.
She even imitated the frightened and uneasy expression to perfection.
“You... who exactly are you? What do you want to do?”
Lu Luo’s face was pale as she looked at the woman before her who was identical to herself, the fear in her heart deepening.
She had already faintly guessed Gu Changge’s intentions.
“Not bad, though it’s only skin-deep. I’m afraid it won’t fool the Mirror of Heaven and Earth of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.”
“But fooling that fellow Lin Wu should be enough.”
Gu Changge ignored Lu Luo, instead carefully examining the woman before him and nodding with some satisfaction.
The woman before him was named Shen Chun, a heaven-blessed daughter of the Mirage Demon Clan, whom he had sent people to find these past days.
Because the Mirage Demon Clan was most skilled at disguise—especially those who had cultivated a Mirage Pearl, who could perfectly conceal their original aura, making their deceptions nearly indistinguishable from reality.
However, trying to sneak into Sky Deer City with just this would still be somewhat difficult.
For the Mirror of Heaven and Earth hung suspended in the sky, capable of reflecting the true forms of beings from the Beyond.
The environments of the two worlds differed, as did the rules of the Great Dao, making it easy to detect the differences.
But fooling Lin Wu for a short time should pose no problem.
“Tell me, when Lin Wu comes to rescue you, will he realize that what he’s saving is actually just an impostor?”
Gu Changge glanced at Lu Luo, a faint, elusive smile on his face, and said, “Though even if he finds out, he probably won’t dare do anything. After all, you’ll still be in my hands.”
“You’re a demon!”
Hearing these words, Lu Luo finally understood Gu Changge’s sinister intentions. Her voice trembled, her heart filled with fear and sorrow.
So from beginning to end, he had never intended to let Lin Wu rescue her.
Instead, he planned to use her to continuously coerce Lin Wu, forcing him to work for him.
For her, this was torture and torment worse than death.
How could she stand by and watch Lin Wu be exploited by Gu Changge without doing anything? Just as Gu Changge had said before, she actually had no choice—only, she had not previously imagined that Gu Changge’s methods would be like this.
Lu Luo’s face turned deathly pale.
However, Gu Changge had already left with Shen Chun at his side, paying no further heed to her collapsed on the ground.
“If Lin Wu dares to show himself this time, it means he has backing at his side.”
“The backing of a Son of Fortuity shouldn’t be too simple. Lin Wu is no fool—without confidence, he wouldn’t come to rescue this woman.”
“By that reckoning, it seems we’ve hooked a big fish.”
Soon, the space before him was torn open. A strange gleam flashed in Gu Changge’s eyes as he led Shen Chun into it, heading toward the Boundary Marker Sea.
He was actually somewhat curious about how many True Daoists still remained in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.
After all, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains could not compare to the Beyond—True Daoists were nearly their peak combat power.
As for Remnant Immortals, even if any existed, they had not appeared in the world for countless years.