Still Don't Trust This Servant? The Battle for the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains
Still Don’t Trust This Servant? The Battle for the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains
“How much do you know about the Nine Great Mountains?”
Gu Changge asked.
“The Nine Great Mountains have nine Mountain Elders, from the First Mountain to the Ninth Mountain. The First Mountain Elder is the strongest, but he has been in secluded retreat for countless years and has not appeared in ages.”
“So even I have never seen the true location of the First Mountain. As things stand now, the Nine Great Mountains all follow the Second Mountain Elder’s orders.”
The Sky Deer Goddess spoke eloquently, a peculiar emotion flickering in her bright eyes.
“You have a grudge against the Nine Great Mountains?”
Gu Changge caught the emotion on her face.
It seemed this woman really did intend to borrow his hand to strike at the Nine Great Mountains.
However, Sky Deer City and the Nine Great Mountains were both barriers guarding the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains—yet there was friction between them.
This surprised Gu Changge somewhat.
“There was indeed a bit of one, once.”
The Sky Deer Goddess nodded slightly, her gaze falling on his face, a faint smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. “Could it be that Young Master Gu intends to avenge me?”
“When it comes to grudges, I believe it’s best to settle them yourself. If the Sky Deer Goddess plans to make a move, I certainly wouldn’t mind sending some people to help you.”
Gu Changge merely smiled at her words.
The Sky Deer Goddess knew this was just Gu Changge’s excuse for not wanting to act personally.
“In that case, many thanks, Young Master Gu.”
Still, she did not refuse.
Though the Nine Great Mountains left no trace to follow, the Sky Deer Goddess had a way to find their exact location.
Aboard a Blue Cloud Flying Boat, one could reach the Cloud Burial Grounds of the Nine Great Mountains—and she happened to possess one such boat, obtained years ago.
After that, Gu Changge made arrangements, summoning numerous powerhouses. The weakest among them was at the Sacred Realm, and they could form battle formations together to unleash even greater might.
Beyond that, there were even several beings of the Sacred Emperor Realm—no, of the Quasi-Nirvana Realm.
These powerhouses were all elite veterans who had survived a hundred battles, their killing prowess heaven-shaking, with few equals in their own realm.
Three days later, dawn light emerged at this place. An enormous Blue Cloud Flying Boat materialized from the Sky Deer Goddess’s hand, rapidly expanding until it was like a mountain range stretching across the sky.
All the powerhouses received their orders and transformed into divine rainbows, descending onto it.
The void split open, a golden passage appeared, and the Blue Cloud Flying Boat carried everyone straight into it, as if traversing the universe itself.
This was a means of tearing through the cosmos, vanishing millions of miles away in an instant.
This Blue Cloud Flying Boat had a canopy of resplendent nebulae, beams of Immortal Gold and ancient wood, a hull of supreme Immortal Gold, and oars of nine-colored celestial light—vast and ancient.
All the powerhouses aboard could even feel a sense of vicissitude, as if they were ferrying across the River of Time.
“I obtained it by chance back then. I never thought I’d have a use for it in this life.”
Standing on the Blue Cloud Flying Boat, the Sky Deer Goddess shook her head gently, seemingly speaking to Gu Changge beside her.
“Bring tea.”
However, Gu Changge had no intention of listening to her idle chatter. He sat down at the stone table and stools and ordered directly.
“Young Master Gu, you really do treat me like a maidservant.”
The Sky Deer Goddess was dressed in snow-white robes, wisdom-light glowing about her, her countenance peerlessly beautiful. As she spoke, her eyes blinked, demonic energy barely concealed within them.
“Naturally.”
Gu Changge said.
The Sky Deer Goddess nodded, a smile still playing at her lips. She did not refuse. With a wave of her slender hand, jade tea ware appeared, and she began brewing tea. Her dark hair flowed smoothly, gleaming with luster, possessing a unique beauty.
The other powerhouses watched this scene from afar, clicking their tongues in amazement.
What an exalted status the Sky Deer Goddess held—yet now, before the Young Master, she had fallen to such a state.
Several days later, the Blue Cloud Flying Boat tore through the universe, delving deep into some mysterious region, as if arriving at the very edge of heaven and earth.
This place was vast and boundless. Giant stars hung like clouds, ancient trees stretched across the sky, growing within the cosmos and drawing in the essence of heaven and earth—every branch and leaf seemed capable of holding up a world.
The Astral River was incomparably thick, wreathed in boundless mist, cascading down from ahead with a rumble. Spray scattered, smashing terrifying ripples into the cosmos.
Every splash of spray seemed formed from countless small worlds converging.
Looking at the waterfall before them that seemed to crash down from the highest point of the heavens, everyone was somewhat shaken.
“So this is the Cloud Burial Grounds where the Nine Great Mountains lie?”
Gu Changge looked up. Following the waterfall before him, he could seemingly make out a vast continent hidden above it.
This place did not belong to the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.
To be precise, it bordered the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, but due to the terrain, it appeared quite mysterious, its traces hard to find.
And here, Gu Changge clearly sensed an unusual aura.
In his eyes, these Nine Great Mountains were a fat piece of meat—what a pity that the Beyond had failed to notice them for countless years.
“Apart from the most mysterious First Mountain, the other eight mountains of the Nine Great Mountains are all here.”
After arriving at this place, the Sky Deer Goddess’s state of mind shifted greatly, streaks of divine radiance flowing within her eyes.
“To enter the Nine Great Mountains, one must pass through the waterfall before us.”
She said.
The next moment, she struck out one Divine Chain of Order after another, taking control of the entire flying boat and beginning the crossing.
The Blue Cloud Flying Boat was quite ancient. In an instant, a layer of celestial mist arose across its surface, isolating everything.
Then it ascended against the waterfall, incomparably steady, like an ancient bedrock.
Gu Changge noticed her actions and felt a vast, boundless aura emanating from above the waterfall.
He instructed the many powerhouses behind him to prepare themselves—there might well be a bloody battle ahead.
He just wondered whether these Nine Great Mountains could give him some pleasant surprises.
Meanwhile, above the waterfall lay a magnificent and vast floating continent.
Ancient ferocious beasts were numerous, savage fowl crossed the skies, primordial forests spread densely, grand mountains towered, and palaces stood in archaic splendor.
Chaotic celestial waterfalls cascaded down, suspended between the various peaks.
Celestial mist pervaded the air, celestial light interweaving.
Ten thousand streaks of auspicious radiance, a thousand wisps of propitious color.
It was a shocking sight.
This place was like a true paradise beyond the mortal world, a celestial realm on earth.
The living beings here all carried an immortal charm, their auras extraordinarily powerful, utterly different from the people of the outside world.
All manner of Celestial Herbs and divine springs, rarely seen anywhere in the world.
Within it, purple crags towered, cliff faces gleamed smooth, fragrant grasses grew, ginseng and lingzhi breathed in and out, and qilin-like auspicious beasts lay alone beneath bluestone slabs.
Silver cascades fell one after another, steam rising in curls, spirit fowl dancing in flight, aged herbs exuding fragrance.
As far as the eye could see, there were immortal mountains and divine peaks, and in the distance, palaces and heavenly towers of exquisite beauty.
At the very center stood a number of incomparably majestic great mountains, shrouded in celestial radiance, waterfalls cascading around them like scattered islands strewn across a starfield.
Streaks of divine rainbows swept across the sky. The cultivators within them were all dressed in feathered robes and star-crowns, enveloped in celestial light, daoist robes fluttering, bearing an air of transcendence.
“I wonder what the Second Mountain Elder is thinking, actually planning to seal the mountain and stop interfering in outside affairs.”
“It’s said the Second Mountain Elder divined an omen of calamity through the trigrams—who knows if it’s true or false. Right now, all the Mountain Elders have gone to the Second Mountain to discuss it with him.”
“How long has it been since our Nine Great Mountains last manifested our might in the mortal world? This time, with the Beyond invading once again, it’s the perfect moment for us to reveal ourselves to the world and gather faith.”
“Yet the Second Mountain Elder chooses this very moment to seal the mountain.”
Several cultivators with wide sleeves rode an Arcane Bridge across the sky, discussing these matters.
Their faces all looked young, but their true ages were not small—occasionally, a sense of vicissitude showed in the depths of their eyes.
As they spoke now, they could hardly hide their resentment toward the Second Mountain Elder for wanting to seal the mountain.
“Whatever Shifu says naturally has its deeper meaning. You lot gossip behind his back—aren’t you afraid he’ll punish you if he finds out?”
At that moment, a burst of divine light arrived, and a golden passage abruptly materialized at the edge of the sky.
A breathtakingly beautiful woman stepped out, her features like a painting, her skin snow-white and crystalline, like a fairy walking out of a scroll, carrying an immortal air—though her expression was cold, giving off an unapproachable, icy feeling.
Hearing her words, the faces of the speaking cultivators all changed, and they hurriedly said, “We beg Eldest Senior Sister’s forgiveness. We know our error and won’t dare do it again.”
The beautiful woman swept a faint glance over all of them and said, “Don’t let it happen again. Don’t let me hear you speaking ill of Shifu behind his back again.”
“Yes, yes, yes, we understand. Thank you, Eldest Senior Sister.”
The cultivators hurriedly replied, deeply reverent toward the beautiful woman before them, then quickly left the place, not daring to linger.
The beautiful woman watched until their figures disappeared, only then withdrawing her gaze.
Her brows couldn’t help but furrow, and she murmured almost to herself, “Lately, the various mountains’ resentment toward Shifu has grown ever stronger—there’s even much opposition now.”
“Indeed. With the Beyond invading the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, this is precisely the moment for the disciples of the Nine Great Mountains to make their names known to the world and gather faith. Yet Shifu insists on sealing the mountain. It’s truly baffling.”
“Eldest Senior Sister Suyun is right. The Second Mountain Elder’s current actions are truly incomprehensible.”
At that moment, a man’s voice came, accompanied by faint dawn light, as if a figure had condensed out of the fabric of heaven and earth.
It was a man clad in golden armor, tall and upright, even his hair a brilliant gold, as if celestial radiance flowed through it. His eyes held vertical pupils of pale gold, like a young god, giving off a feeling of matchless power.
Behind the golden-armored man followed several more cultivators, both men and women, faintly regarding him as their leader.
“Chen Suyun greets the Chosen One.”
Seeing the golden-armored man, Chen Suyun’s gaze remained unchanged, and she gave a slight bow.
“Eldest Senior Sister, there’s no need for such formality. You and I are both disciples of the Nine Great Mountains—no need to be so courteous.”
The golden-armored man smiled at her words, appearing quite gentle and courteous.
The Nine Great Mountains were unlike other forces—here, apart from the Mountain Elders, there were no distinctions of elders.
Seniority was determined by the time one had joined the Nine Great Mountains.
For example, Chen Suyun had joined the Nine Great Mountains earlier than everyone else, making her the rightful Eldest Senior Sister.
The golden-armored man before her was named Gu Wudi, the Chosen One of the Nine Great Mountains—that is, its successor.
From his name alone, one could see his ambition: a heart set on being invincible under heaven, sweeping through the ages.
Though he had joined the Nine Great Mountains later than Chen Suyun and the others,
his talent was so powerful that his cultivation overtook them from behind, crushing everyone to become the Chosen One of the Nine Great Mountains, his limelight unmatched for a time.
In the Nine Great Mountains, apart from the various Mountain Elders, his status was the most exalted—even the personal disciples of the Mountain Elders had to bow when they saw him.
So toward Chen Suyun before him, he was clearly not as respectful as the others, his attitude quite casual.
“Oh right, Eldest Senior Sister, since you’re here, why don’t I see our Little Junior Brother?”
“I remember you two were usually inseparable—wherever you went, he followed. Why is he nowhere to be seen today?”
Gu Wudi’s gaze drifted behind Chen Suyun, seemingly somewhat surprised, asking what he already knew the answer to.
“Little Junior Brother is currently at Shifu’s side. Perhaps Shifu is giving him some instructions.”
Hearing this, Chen Suyun shook her head, her expression calm.
“Is that so? I actually had some matters I wanted to discuss with Little Junior Brother. I didn’t expect he wouldn’t be here—forget it, then.”
Gu Wudi smiled, a trace of sinister malice flashing through his eyes, but it quickly returned to normal.