The Immortal Palace Treasury May Not Be in the Beyond, Jiang Chuchu's Thoughts
The Immortal Palace Treasury May Not Be in the Beyond, Jiang Chuchu’s Thoughts
9 To Make Up for the Regrets in His Heart, the Grand Wedding to Be Held Half a Year Later (Please Subscribe)
The marriage alliance between the Longevity Gu Family and the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty had, in fact, already drawn the displeasure of many Dao Lineages and forces more than a decade ago.
But intimidated by the sheer might and antiquity of the two powers, and the unfathomable depth of their foundations, none of the various forces dared to voice their objections, fearing retaliation from either side.
Now, Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong had both reached marriageable age, and both powers intended for the two to wed and fulfill their destined union.
Gu Changge had traveled all the way from the Longevity Gu Family to the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty without deliberately concealing his whereabouts, so the various forces and Dao Lineages all had informants who noticed, speculating about the purpose of his visit.
Some believed that Gu Changge’s trip to the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty was most likely to discuss the wedding date with Yue Mingkong. The two were a perfect match of talent and beauty, a match made in heaven—a pair of immortal lovers.
In terms of prestige and status, it would be difficult to find anyone in the entire Beyond who could rival Gu Changge.
Even Ancestor-level figures of the various races and forces had to treat him with utmost courtesy, not daring to overstep.
To the younger generation, Gu Changge had long since become an insurmountable, terrifying Devil Mountain.
The gap between them was like a chasm between heaven and earth; they could not even glimpse his back.
Although Yue Mingkong also belonged to the younger generation, her power and influence had already surpassed nearly all of her peers.
She could converse as an equal with Honoured Nobles and leaders of great sects, sitting on the same level as them.
Aside from her, there were probably few among the younger generation who could be worthy of Gu Changge.
The various forces and Dao Lineages of the outside world buzzed with discussion about this matter, closely watching the movements of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty.
However, over the following days, even the many court officials and female officers could not catch a glimpse of Yue Mingkong.
Several grand court assemblies were presided over personally by Emperor Yue, rather than him retiring behind the scenes as he usually did.
In response, all sorts of speculation emerged. Some said the Crown Heir Yue Mingkong was cultivating a divine immortal technique and needed to enter seclusion for a time.
Others said she was together with Gu Changge, discussing cultivation methods and verifying each other’s insights, seeking to advance further on this path.
But in truth, during this period, Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong did nothing at all—and naturally did no cultivation either.
He accompanied Yue Mingkong as they left the Imperial Capital of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty, traveling through many corners of the various heavens of the Beyond.
The two were like a pair of immortal lovers; magnificent mountains and rivers, the beauty of heaven and earth—all bore their footprints.
In various places, living beings and Cultivators discovered traces left behind by Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong. Many young Cultivators were so thrilled that they enshrined those spots, preserving them for future generations to admire.
Whether it was Gu Changge or Yue Mingkong, both were destined to be the absolute protagonists of this world in the future, capable of reaching inconceivable realms.
The traces they left behind were naturally of no small significance.
Yue Mingkong was content and joyful, the smile on her face hardly ever fading.
Gu Changge had made up for many of her regrets. Whether in her past life or this one, she had never imagined there would come a day when she could travel the world together with the one she loved.
Wandering among the mortal world, building a home by the lakeside, living in seclusion in a mountain village, like an old married couple.
Rising with the sun to work and resting at sunset, the man plowing and the woman weaving—peaceful and serene.
This kind of life also made up for the debt Gu Changge had long felt in his heart toward Yue Mingkong.
Compared to the scheming and deception among Cultivators, he actually enjoyed this kind of life too, though he understood it could not last long.
The two traveled all over the Beyond and even visited some Forbidden Areas, pausing outside them with the intention of venturing further in, but in the end they gave up on the idea.
Gu Changge only wanted to quietly accompany Yue Mingkong across these lands and seas, unwilling to stir up more trouble.
At his current level, even the many Forbidden Areas of the Beyond could be tread upon as flat ground, entered safely—unless they truly hid power surpassing the Celestial Realm.
And so, half a year later, Yue Mingkong and Gu Changge returned to the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty.
On the very day she returned to the Imperial Capital, Emperor Yue appeared and, before all the civil and military officials and the assembled courtiers of the Celestial Dynasty, personally issued the decree to abdicate the throne to his daughter Yue Mingkong.
This decision shocked the entire Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty, including all the surrounding Dao Lineages and forces closely watching the matter, who likewise found it inconceivable.
In their view, although Yue Mingkong was the Crown Heir, she was still young—only in her twenties—and even her cultivation was insufficient. How could she fully govern an entire Celestial Dynasty?
After all, not just anyone of the younger generation could be like Gu Changge, possessing at such an age the strength to sweep aside even the old generation.
Although Yue Mingkong had governed the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty in perfect order during this period, with iron-blooded and forceful methods, she ultimately lacked something.
Compared to the leaders of the various Cults of Immortality and Supreme Dao Lineages, she was too young, too inexperienced, and her strength likewise fell short.
However, on the very day Emperor Yue issued the decree to abdicate the throne—
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Gu Changge, who had vanished from the Beyond for some time, appeared once more, accompanying Yue Mingkong as they emerged together within the imperial palace of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty.
After appearing, he did nothing much—he simply addressed the assembled officials and announced one matter: his wedding date with Yue Mingkong. The two had decided to hold their grand wedding half a year later, and would invite nearly all the Dao Lineages and forces of the Beyond.
Once this matter was announced, it immediately caused an enormous sensation, shaking the entire court of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty.
The news spread as if it had grown wings, triggering earthquakes in every region.
In nearly every ancient city, Cultivators and living beings were discussing the matter, eagerly anticipating the grand wedding of Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong half a year later.
Many forces and Dao Lineages located extremely far from the territories of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty and the Longevity Gu Family began dispatching disciples and Elders that very day, bearing lavish gifts and hurrying over, intending to arrive in time for the grand wedding half a year later.
A marriage alliance between the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty and the Longevity Gu Family—this was an event of unimaginable magnitude!
Especially since one of the two getting married was Gu Changge, the undisputed leading figure of the Beyond today.
This news swept through like a hurricane; every Cultivator who heard of it was shaken and astonished.
And after Gu Changge appeared at the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty, the many officials who had harbored criticisms about Emperor Yue’s abdication all shut their mouths one after another.
After all, with Gu Changge backing Yue Mingkong, who would dare utter a single word of dissent?
From then on, Yue Mingkong succeeded the throne as the new Emperor, honored throughout the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty as Empress Mingkong, becoming one of the few figures in the recorded history of the Beyond to take control of an immortal Celestial Dynasty in her twenties.
The various forces and Dao Lineages also sent congratulatory gifts at the first opportunity, coming to express their goodwill.
Half a year later, Yue Mingkong would be Gu Changge’s wife—the power behind her was simply beyond imagination.
Therefore, none of the forces dared to offend her lightly, doing their utmost to curry favor.
And just as enormous waves surged across the Beyond because of this matter, within a palace in the Imperial Capital of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty—
Yue Mingkong’s delicate brows were slightly furrowed. From her jade hand, she flicked out several streaks of brilliant divine light that hovered high in the air, and she spoke to Gu Changge behind her.
“Of the seven Tools of World Domination you had sent to me, I have only managed to condense four so far. Three remain that are very difficult to condense—the Tower of World Domination, the Sword of World Domination, and the Flask of World Domination.”
(670 The Immortal Palace Treasury May Not Be in the Beyond, Jiang Chuchu’s Thoughts — Please Subscribe)
Within the palace, divine light shone brilliantly, illuminating the surroundings like a flowing mass of starlight, interweaving and converging in the void, with mysterious rules and Dao rhythms condensing.
One by one, the Tools of World Domination emerged, radiating different halos and Principles of Dao, rising and falling there, containing unimaginably mysterious power, as if they could collapse the void and grind all things to dust.
These were the Tools of World Domination passed down since before the Immortal Epoch, said to possess the power to dominate the world. The method of their forging was unknowable, and there was even a saying that the Tools of World Domination were innate, naturally-born objects.
However, such claims were rare, and whether they were true or false could not be determined.
Gathering all seven Tools of World Domination would allow one to condense a Key of World Domination, with which to open the Immortal Palace Treasury.
The Immortal Palace Treasury had always been a legend of the Beyond for countless years, for it involved the Immortal Palace from before the Forbidden Epoch.
Back then, the Celestial Domain and the Beyond had not yet been separated, and all of Heaven and Its Thousand Worlds were ruled by the Immortal Palace—its territory boundless, beyond imagination.
All Cultivators and living beings were subjects of the Immortal Palace, “four eight seven,” sheltered under its protection, carefree for millions upon millions of years.
Had it not been for the great calamity that later befell heaven and earth—a sudden catastrophe that swept across all the heavens, causing the Immortal Palace to collapse and the River of Time to dry up, everything shattering into chaos—
Even heaven and earth themselves were buried and destroyed, becoming a taboo era that no one dared mention again.
The living beings of later generations called that era the Forbidden Epoch.
And within the Immortal Palace Treasury were hidden the treasures accumulated by the Immortal Palace over countless eras.
The immortal treasures and divine objects stored within surpassed the imagination of every Cultivator in this world.
It was no exaggeration to say that if news of the Immortal Palace Treasury were to leak out, it would inevitably set off boundless storms of blood—even the Celestial Domain would likely be alarmed.
Only by gathering all seven Tools of World Domination could one possibly find the location of the Immortal Palace Treasury.
However, during this period, despite exhausting many methods, Yue Mingkong had only managed to condense four of the Tools of World Domination. To fully condense all seven and thereby refine the Key would require far more time and effort.
“It’s fine. Leave the Sword of World Domination, the Flask of World Domination, and the Tower of World Domination to me.”
“It seems I underestimated the difficulty of this matter. But there’s no rush for now—the Immortal Palace Treasury may not even be within the Beyond.”
Gu Changge shook his head as he spoke. Gazing at the many halos flickering gently in the void, he swept out his sleeve and collected them all.
Since Yue Mingkong could not yet refine the Key, he could only wait until he had time later.
“Changge, do you think this Immortal Palace Treasury is real or fake? Why did the Immortal Palace that once ruled all the heavens collapse, with even the immortal Master of the Immortal Palace buried within the River of Time?”
Yue Mingkong’s delicate brows furrowed slightly as she could not help but ask.
In terms of origins, the lineage of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty actually had deep connections with the Immortal Palace of old. When she was young, she had perused ancient scrolls and learned fragmentary records of the fall of the Master of the Immortal Palace.
It had shocked her greatly at the time—she had never imagined that the Master of the Immortal Palace, who once ruled all the heavens, had not passed away from reaching the end of his lifespan and dispersing into ascension.
Rather, he had suffered unimaginable Dao injuries, and was ultimately buried within the River of Time in the Nine Heavenly God Coffin.
The palace that had held the funeral for the Master of the Immortal Palace now stood in the deepest reaches of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty’s Ancestral Land.
That palace was extremely mysterious, ordinarily impossible to see at all—even the ruler of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty was not qualified to enter it.
It was said that the palace connected to a mysterious river, and by following that river, one could be sent into the deepest reaches of the universe.
“Perhaps the Immortal Palace encountered some great enemy. Isn’t that the speculation all along?”
Gu Changge smiled at her words.
Regarding the matters of the Forbidden Epoch, he actually knew quite a lot—after all, the Demon Lord was one of his incarnations.
Only, as for why the Demon Lord had severed that era and carried out the act of world destruction—
He still had not the slightest memory of it, nor did he know the reason. Of course, in Gu Changge’s view, it was simply that the time had not yet come.
“Even the Master of the Immortal Palace could encounter an unimaginable great enemy?”
“This world truly holds far too many things that we have never understood.”
Yue Mingkong’s gaze grew somewhat dazed as she thought of the scenes that had appeared during this recent period.
If that were truly the case, then did this world really have an unseen existence manipulating everything—including her rebirth?
Otherwise, how could one explain the Great Dream Immortal Art that had suddenly surfaced in her mind during this time?
“Rather than thinking about all that right now, you’d be better off thinking about how our grand wedding should be held half a year from now.”
Gu Changge smiled, took hold of her jade hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze, bringing her back to her senses.
Yue Mingkong shot him a mild glare, but the corners of her mouth still involuntarily curved into an arc.
Half a year later—her heart had been looking forward to it all along.
After leaving the Imperial Capital, Gu Changge brought Ah Da along, tore through this universe, and headed straight for the Sky Domain where the Mortal Palace was located.
Whether it was the manifestation of the Dark Heaven or going to see Jiang Chuchu, he inevitably had to return to the Mortal Palace.
News of his grand wedding with Yue Mingkong had now spread throughout the Beyond, and Jiang Chuchu, cultivating within the Mortal Palace, must have learned of it too.
Given her temperament, if Gu Changge did not go and give her an explanation, she might very well turn love into hatred.
Unlike Yue Mingkong, who dared to love and hate openly, Jiang Chuchu kept her thoughts buried in her heart most of the time, never showing them outwardly.
So at times, she would act impulsively, regardless of the consequences.
Furthermore, the Golden Fortuity Cauldron placed within the Mortal Palace back then should have gathered and absorbed its fill of Fortuity by now. Gu Changge intended to carry out the second manifestation of the Dark Heaven.
During this period, he could already sense wisps of willpower converging from across heaven and earth, coming from the living beings and Cultivators who had heard that Sacrificial Scripture some time ago.
Although this willpower was still very faint—insufficient to stir the Dark Heaven hidden within his Inner Universe, let alone allow a wisp of True Soul to enter it—
In Gu Changge’s view, this willpower all represented enormous potential for the future. They were all his future devout believers.
Time flew by, and half a month later, within the Mortal Palace at the very center of the Sky Domain.
Dressed in white, her dark hair cascading like a waterfall, her expression cool and calm yet appearing somewhat thin and haggard, Jiang Chuchu sat cross-legged within the palace.
A hazy figure of a female immortal manifested around her, a terrifying aura permeating the air.
Within the palace, wisps of silver Power of Faith converged from the various heavens of the Beyond, incomparably vast, transforming into a silver ocean that rose and fell there.
Having quelled the calamities of the Absolute Yin Heaven in quite a few places during this period, the prestige of the Mortal Palace had risen to yet another level.
But just then, Jiang Chuchu, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed, suddenly let out a muffled groan. Her face abruptly turned pale, and crimson blood spread across her white robes, a glaring sight.
She slowly opened her eyes—eyes that had once been incomparably clear but now held traces of weariness and bloodshot veins.
“Have I fallen into demonic deviation again?” Jiang Chuchu murmured softly, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, as if asking herself.
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But soon, she took out a clean silk handkerchief and wiped away the blood at the corner of her mouth, looking extremely practiced and natural at it.
During this period, she had found it difficult to enter meditative stillness, and even when she barely managed to, she would be disturbed by all sorts of stray thoughts surfacing in her mind.
This was something she could never have imagined in all her previous years of cultivation.
She possessed the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Immortal Heart, with the innate gift of seeing through all falsehoods in the world—so-called inner demons and karmic obstacles simply did not exist in her eyes.
Yet these past few days, she had repeatedly suffered qi deviation, her heart in turmoil, unable to calm her mind.
Jiang Chuchu even felt that her Dao Heart had been damaged, no longer as whole as before—cracks had formed upon it.
“Half a year from now, he will be marrying his fiancée. But he promised me... he promised he would marry me.”
Thinking of this, Jiang Chuchu’s gaze suddenly grew somewhat lost, her eyes dim.
She clutched at her chest, feeling waves of stifling pain within.