Yan Jingyun couldn't help but show a trace of surprise in his eyes as Gu Qingfeng swallowed the Gu God Pill without hesitation.
"You seem genuinely intent on saving His Majesty."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at him and replied indifferently, "To be honest, my sincerity might surpass anyone else's here."
Yan Jingyun studied him for a long moment before speaking slowly, "His Majesty may not be a good man, but the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty cannot exist without him."
"Oh?" Gu Qingfeng’s interest was piqued.
"The Celestial Star Tree was planted by His Majesty, and the Star River exists to nourish it. The entire domain of the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty is home to countless living beings, all under the protection of the Celestial Star Tree.
In the Abyss of Falling Stars, celestial meteors often crash down. Without the Celestial Star Tree, all those lives would perish."
Gu Qingfeng suddenly recalled the fragments of stars embedded in the Celestial Star Tree—so it had been shielding the realm from falling meteors all along.
"Both the Celestial Star Tree and the Star River are sustained by His Majesty. If His Majesty were to fall, within ten thousand years, the tree would wither, the river would dry up, and the entire Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty would collapse, plunging the land into chaos and suffering."
"So this is why you remain loyal to the Star Extreme Immortal King? No matter how cruel or tyrannical he is?"
"Correct." Yan Jingyun nodded. "Even if His Majesty slaughters indiscriminately, the death toll would barely reach a million. But without him, billions would perish."
At this point, Yan Jingyun seemed lost in thought as he continued, "Isn’t it absurd? The Star Extreme Immortal King is ruthless and bloodthirsty, claiming countless lives every year, yet billions still depend on his protection. The line between good and evil in this world is so blurred. What truly defines righteousness? What defines wickedness?"
His words seemed directed at Gu Qingfeng, but they were more a question to himself.
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "In my eyes, there are only two kinds of people in this world—family and non-family. That’s all."
Yan Jingyun was slightly taken aback. Though he didn’t fully grasp Gu Qingfeng’s definition of "family," he could sense the purity in his words.
Perhaps, sometimes, people should strive to be that simple.
After a moment, Yan Jingyun shook off his tangled thoughts and regained his usual composure. "Let’s go. It’s time for you to depart."
"You’re the one who should depart! Can’t you say something more auspicious?" Gu Qingfeng snapped.
Ignoring him, Yan Jingyun swung his sword toward the Celestial Star Tree.
Whoosh!
A brilliant silver crescent of sword energy shot into the sky.
A few breaths later, a radiant fragment of a starry leaf drifted down into Gu Qingfeng’s palm.
"Take this leaf and follow any branch of the Celestial Star Tree. Keep walking, and you’ll leave the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty, entering the outer Star Wastes."
Gu Qingfeng observed the branches stretching into the void—twisting and winding like majestic mountain ranges, countless paths veiled in mysterious, esoteric stellar energy, breathtaking yet perilous.
He stepped onto one of the branches, though "branch" hardly did justice to its vast, serpentine grandeur.
Behind him, Yan Jingyun’s calm voice carried over. "Remember, though you are of the Star Demon race and can navigate the Star Wastes with ease, even the most skilled swimmer will drown in a maelstrom.
So, if you encounter a celestial storm—a force of nature—do not hesitate. Flee immediately.
Only an Immortal King can withstand a celestial storm, and even then, a massive one could prove fatal.
Throughout history, only the Star Extreme Immortal King has ever emerged unscathed from such a tempest."
Gu Qingfeng didn’t look back, striding forward resolutely along the Celestial Star Tree’s branch.
Watching his unwavering figure, Yan Jingyun’s eyes flickered with admiration as he added, "Still, you needn’t worry too much. The Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty lies on the fringes of the Sixth Star Wastes, meaning your exit will also place you in the outer regions.
Most factions establish their territories in the periphery, where celestial storms are rare—odds of encountering one are one in hundreds of millions. The deeper you venture, the greater the risk. At the heart of the Star Wastes, storms are practically omnipresent.
But with the star chart I’ve given you, caution should keep you safe..."
"Enough! Since when did you become such a nagging old woman? I’m leaving—no need to see me off." Gu Qingfeng waved dismissively without turning around.
Outwardly composed, inwardly, he was panicking.
Damn Yan Jingyun! Why won’t you leave already?
How am I supposed to escape with you watching?
After hearing Yan Jingyun’s warnings, Gu Qingfeng had already decided—there was no way he was leaving the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty. The Star Wastes were far too dangerous!
Better to stay under the shelter of the mighty tree.
But with Yan Jingyun standing guard like a sentinel, there was no chance to slip away.
He walked for what felt like an eternity, nearly reaching the branch’s end, yet Yan Jingyun remained rooted like a stone statue.
Dammit!
Gu Qingfeng cursed silently. His only option now was to exit the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty first, then find a way to sneak back once in the Star Wastes.
A brief absence shouldn’t be a problem, right?
As long as he avoided a celestial storm, his strength could handle even a meteor shower.
And the odds of a celestial storm in the periphery? One in hundreds of millions—he’d never even won a lottery! What were the chances?
With that thought, Gu Qingfeng marched deeper along the branch, where it extended into the void, vanishing into a haze of gray mist.
Without hesitation, he plunged into the fog.
Instantly, the world spun, stars whirling past his vision.
When his sight cleared, Gu Qingfeng found himself standing in a shattered expanse of space—a graveyard of celestial debris drifting like refuse in the void.
Streaks of star fragments occasionally flashed past like shooting stars.
"So this is the Star Wastes? A ruin of the cosmos?" Gu Qingfeng murmured.
BOOM!
A deafening roar suddenly erupted.
Gu Qingfeng whipped his head around.
Holy—!
A one-in-hundred-million chance, and he hits it?!
Did the damn teleportation just drop him straight into a celestial storm?!
Not far away, a colossal tempest—spanning the horizon—raced toward him.
The storm towered like a pillar of annihilation, stretching across the cosmos. Howling winds, each strand saturated with overwhelming stellar energy, surged forth with a terrifying gravitational pull. Countless fragments of stars were sucked into its maw, shredded into streaks of light as they spiraled violently within the vortex.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
reezy rom-com) Good news: Jiang Liu is quite the ladies' man. Bad news: He’s lost his memory. Lying in a hospital bed, Jiang Liu listens to a parade of goddesses spouting "absurd claims," feeling like the world is one giant game of Werewolf. "Jiang Liu, I’m your first love." "Jiang Liu, you’re my boyfriend—she’s your ex." "Jiang Liu, we’re close friends who’ve shared a bed, remember?" "Jiang Liu, I want to have your baby." The now-lucid Jiang Liu is convinced this must be some elaborate scam... until someone drops the bombshell: "The day before you lost your memory, you confessed your feelings—and got into a relationship." Jiang Liu is utterly baffled. So... who the hell is his actual girlfriend?! ... Before recovering his memories, Jiang Liu must navigate this minefield of lies and sincerity, fighting to protect himself from these women’s schemes. But things spiral even further out of control as more people show up at his doorstep—each with increasingly unhinged antics. On the bright side, the memories he lost due to overwhelming trauma seem to be resurfacing. Great news, right? So why are they all panicking now?
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
