The Hidden Pawn Planted in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, the Last Possibility
The Hidden Pawn Planted in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, the Last Possibility
Over twenty years ago, the pawns that the Longevity Gu Family had planted in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains made their move, nearly annihilating the entire lineage of the Guardians in a single night, with only a scattered few slipping through the net.
It was because of this event that the Fortuitous One, Xiao Yang, came to be born bearing a blood-deep vendetta.
That was why Gu Changge had specifically asked his Family about it, learning the full story behind what happened over twenty years ago.
As it turned out, it was connected to the Barren Realm, from before the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had even come into existence. Back then, the Longevity Gu Family had a subservient clan called the Bone Clan, whose strength was extremely formidable—enough to rank among the renowned powers of the entire Beyond.
However, this clan later committed a grave mistake and was exiled in its entirety to the Barren Realm.
Because of this, the clan had always longed to escape the Barren Realm and return to the Beyond, and the previous wars between the Beyond and the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains happened to provide just such an opportunity.
The Longevity Gu Family thus reached an agreement with them, promising to erase their criminal status and permit the Bone Clan to return to the Beyond.
After that, the Longevity Gu Family planted the entire Bone Clan within the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains as a hidden pawn, one that could play an unimaginable role at a critical moment.
By now, the Bone Clan had occupied the Great Bone Domain, one of the Ten Domains. Though their numbers were few, their clan’s Ancestor was terrifyingly powerful and had survived undying through the ages, so no one dared provoke them.
This time, Gu Changge intended to activate this hidden pawn, to see whether the last remnants of the Guardian lineage could be eradicated—pulling up the weeds by the roots.
“Since they were able to nearly wipe them out completely over twenty years ago, it seems this Bone Clan does have some tricks up its sleeve.”
Gu Changge left Sky Deer City alone, heading for the Great Bone Domain, with no one at his side except Ah Da.
With his current strength, bringing along a large entourage would serve no real purpose.
As for the Sky Deer Goddess, due to her status, Gu Changge had her remain in Sky Deer City. With her familiarity with this world, she could quickly help Gu Changge properly deal with the captives.
The Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains consisted of Ten Domains in total, the vastest and most boundless of which were the Great Cloud Domain and the Crimson Shack Domain.
The other six domains were noticeably smaller in territory.
As for the Eight Wastelands, they were extremely desolate, shrouded in miasma and Mists of Chaos, filled with mountains and great marshes, home to many powerful ferocious beasts and a small number of Human tribes.
The Wasteland Leaders of the Eight Wastelands, however, possessed terrifying strength and unfathomable cultivation.
After all, they needed to keep the creatures of the entire Great Wilderness in check—some of those ferocious beasts had extraordinarily long lifespans.
Though their intelligence was not high, they had accumulated immensely deep and terrifying cultivation.
In this war with the Beyond, the Wasteland Leaders of the Eight Wastelands had not taken part.
Still, several of those beings had gone to Sky Deer City and witnessed with their own eyes the vast, terrifying might of the Beyond’s army.
Afterward, they likewise kept far away from Sky Deer City and returned to their own territories.
Compared to the Ten Domains, the Eight Wastelands had clearly suffered far less from the flames of war.
In the eyes of the various powers and orthodoxies of the Beyond, the Eight Wastelands posed far less of a threat than the Ten Domains.
Viewed from high above, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains looked more like a single complete continent that had been shattered into several pieces, each separated from the others by great distances.
Yet the territory of each domain spanned beyond hundreds of millions of kilometers, some even reaching billions.
Now, with war raging everywhere, the armies of the Beyond could be seen almost everywhere, charging into every corner of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.
“According to the message my Shifu left me, the First Mountain Elder should currently be somewhere within the Eight Wastelands...” At this moment, within one of the Eight Wastelands.
Amid the boundless, towering wilderness, where ancient trees pierced the sky, miasma hung thick, and vines grew massive, Xiao Yang, Gu Wudi, and the others were making their way forward.
Both of them, however, looked rather weary.
Although the two had harbored considerable enmity toward each other before, after going through certain events, Xiao Yang’s attitude toward Gu Wudi had clearly softened quite a bit.
Especially when, along the way, they encountered a powerful ferocious beast of the Sacred Emperor Realm—it was Gu Wudi who had stepped in and saved him.
This left Xiao Yang feeling conflicted, sensing that Gu Wudi had changed.
This time, with the fall of the Nine Great Mountains and the Third Mountain Elder’s fate unknown, he too had matured considerably, no longer the cowardly, self-willed man he once was.
Besides the two of them, the other great clans of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had also dispatched quite a few experts to accompany them, all coming together to search for the First Mountain Elder.
This was already the third month since they had left Sky Deer City.
Along the way, they had trekked across mountains and rivers, searching many places, until they finally locked onto this location, believing the First Mountain Elder should be here.
A figure like the First Mountain Elder was like a divine dragon whose head could be seen but never its tail. He had long since stopped cultivating within the territory of the Nine Great Mountains. After handing the Celestial Seal of the Nine Mountains over to them, he claimed he was going into secluded retreat, but in truth, he had gone wandering the world.
Now the Nine Great Mountains had fallen, and even Sky Deer City had been breached. These blows of terrible news struck Xiao Yang one after another, weighing heavily on his heart.
The only option now was to find the Second Mountain Elder and, while at it, inquire about news of his family.
Otherwise, the entire Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains would fall.
“Sky Deer City has fallen, the Beyond’s army is sweeping across the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, and many places have already descended into chaos, ravaged by the flames of war and disaster.”
“And there is nothing we can do.”
The several experts behind Xiao Yang and Gu Wudi sighed.
They had never imagined that following these two in search of the First Mountain Elder of the Nine Great Mountains would end up saving their lives.
The Eight Wastelands had instead become a relatively peaceful region.
During this time, they had heard that countless living beings and Cultivators had died tragically within Sky Deer City.
Those who surrendered could keep their lives, but their future fates would certainly be no better.
What was especially galling was hearing that many clans had turned a blind eye to Sky Deer City and ultimately abandoned it and fled. Even the True Daoists of the Four Powerful War God Clans chose to surrender in front of everyone, utterly disgracing themselves.
Before that, they had spoken with such righteous fervor, vowing to face death without flinching—yet when the moment truly came, they chickened out, not even daring to resist.
This left many who heard the news furious, grief-stricken, and unable to believe it—this was the true face of those ancient great clans.
If the fall of Sky Deer City hadn’t threatened their own territories, they probably wouldn’t have cared at all, let alone sent armies to help.
“There’s no point talking about this now.”
“What matters most is finding the First Mountain Elder. His cultivation is unmatched—he will surely have a way.”
Hearing the conversation of the few behind him, Gu Wudi frowned, seemingly somewhat displeased, and spoke flatly.
“The Chosen One speaks truly. Right now, the only way is indeed to find the First Mountain Elder...”
At these words, the bodies of the few trembled, and hope surfaced in their eyes.
Yes, they still had one last resort—finding the First Mountain Elder of the Nine Great Mountains. The origins of this being were extremely ancient; it was said he had existed even longer than the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains themselves.
If even he had no solution, then the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains would truly be beyond saving.
Xiao Yang nodded, his gaze likewise revealing anticipation.
Weng!!
But just then, he suddenly felt something in his bosom grow faintly warm.
It was a very simple Jade Pendant, without even any patterns, plain and natural, wreathed in a lustrous glow.
“This is something my Shifu gave me before I left.”
“He said that as long as I get close to the First Mountain Elder, this Jade Pendant will glow and respond.”
Xiao Yang’s heart shook, and then delight appeared on his face.
He truly hadn’t expected his luck to be this good—after only this short a time, the Jade Pendant was already glowing.
Didn’t that mean the First Mountain Elder’s whereabouts were right nearby, not far from them?
Thinking of this, Xiao Yang couldn’t help but show excitement and exhilaration.
Noticing this scene, a strange glint flashed through Gu Wudi’s eyes, and the others were equally shocked, asking, “Could it be that the First Mountain Elder’s place of seclusion is right around here?”
Xiao Yang nodded. “That should be right. This is the Jade Pendant my Shifu gave me. He said it’s imbued with the First Mountain Elder’s aura, and it will react when we’re relatively close to him.”
However, the Eight Wastelands spanned billions of kilometers at every turn, so he couldn’t be sure just how close “relatively close” really was. He could only judge by the pendant’s radiance.
After that, they quickened their pace, heading deeper into this Great Wilderness, and the many ferocious beasts within could not halt their advance.
Half a month later, deep within the Great Wilderness, mountain ridges stretched in ranges, lakes lay embedded in the earth like jadeite, jade-belt-like gentle streams flowed through, and colorful mists curled about, creating an exceptionally hazy, dreamlike scene.
There were also golden fields, orderly houses, crisscrossing paths, and intersecting ditches—a veritable paradise apart from the world.
The sights here left Xiao Yang, Gu Wudi, and the others somewhat astonished.
It looked like a small tribe, yet it carried a certain spiritual quality, utterly different from the tribes they had encountered along the way.
By that gentle stream, they even saw several fair-skinned, beautiful, fresh-faced women, sleeves rolled up as they pounded laundry.
“It can’t be wrong. The First Mountain Elder must be living in seclusion here.”
“The people here all carry a spiritual quality about them. Though they’ve never cultivated, their vitality is far stronger than that of ordinary people.”
Xiao Yang took out the Jade Pendant, secretly thrilled in his heart, feeling that all these days of effort had not been in vain.