Return to Purple Bamboo Peak

Gu Changge's gaze, like an eternal cold star, slowly swept over the coagulated dark red Emperor blood, the broken fragments of Emperor weapons, and that cold, deathly still residual Dao charm.

In the deepest depths of his eyes, a speck of chaotic color silently spread, and the mighty power of the Delusion-Shattering Divine Eyes was circulated to the extreme.

In an instant, the profound brands left by the eternal time and space in this place were forcibly read by him.

Countless shattered fragments, yet containing ultimate energy and information, struck into his sea of consciousness like roaring thunder:

A halberd gleam, dazzling to the extreme and capable of splitting galaxies, flashed past, but upon touching some invisible barrier, it suddenly dimmed and shattered.

An Emperor's roar, filled with endless unwillingness and furious shock, shook the universe: "This array forcefully plunders the roots of heaven and earth..."

The voice stopped abruptly, as if forcibly cut off.

A terrifying phantom of an array diagram, so massive that it shrouded star domains, flashed and disappeared. Upon it, billions of runes lived and died, emitting a cold will to devour everything. Wherever it passed, all Daos wailed and laws disintegrated.

The fragmented scenes flashed past, but they had already revealed the terrifying confrontation of that great battle.

Gu Changge's gaze did not pause in the slightest, turning to fall upon the dilapidated world barrier.

In the vision of the Delusion-Shattering Divine Eyes, those crisscrossing cracks were no longer simple damage. Deep within the cracks, billions of extremely fine divine chains of order intertwined like spider webs.

They glowed with a faint black halo, interweaving with each other, unexpectedly forming the corner of an incomplete yet still slowly operating world-shocking grand array.

The origin of the Xuanhuang Great World was being forcibly extracted along these divine chains, like lifeblood continuously draining from a wound, merging into the violent chaotic turbulent currents outside the barrier, and ultimately vanishing into the unknown darkness.

His gaze continued to pierce through the world barrier, looking into the depths of the darkness.

There, an incomplete yet still suffocatingly massive outline of an array diagram was slowly revolving.

The main body of the array diagram was hidden within the chaotic mist. Only the billions of flashing runes on the edge could be seen. Countless divine chains of order drooped down from the array diagram, like greedy tentacles,

taking root in the cracks of the world barrier, simultaneously absorbing the origin of heaven and earth.

Gu Changge slowly withdrew his gaze. That touch of chaotic color at the bottom of his eyes quietly faded, returning to a profound depth as calm as an ancient well.

However, beneath that calmness, phantoms of flowing galaxies and the birth and death of all Daos seemed to flash past.

He did not speak, only quietly staring at those divine chains of order on the world barrier that slowly wriggled like living creatures, absorbing the world's origin, as well as the incomplete array diagram outline outside the barrier, hidden in chaos and suffocatingly massive.

Beside him, the Emperor soul of the Lord of Annihilation was violently trembling at this moment.

Having returned to the Emperor throne, he already stood at the absolute pinnacle of this world. Yet, facing this treacherous grand array that was eroding the world's origin, a profound sense of powerlessness unexpectedly arose within him.

However, this sense of powerlessness did not annihilate his will; instead, it ignited monstrous battle intent.

The Emperor's prestige around him was not displayed, but in those Emperor eyes that contained the cycle of life and death, an anger capable of burning up a sea of stars was ignited.

As an Emperor who once held the Mandate of Heaven and protected a region, he could not tolerate the great world that nurtured him being silently encroached upon like this.

His Emperor heart, which had been silent for an eternity, was now filled with awe-inspiring killing intent towards the mastermind behind the scenes, as well as a deep compassion for the fate of the common people in this world.

He wished he could immediately follow that plundering trajectory, charge into the depths of chaos, and fight to the death with the existence that laid down this array.

But his remaining rationality made him understand that this array was already deeply entangled with the origin of the world barrier. A rash forceful attack would likely harm the Xuanhuang World itself first.

This situation, where he knew the enemy was right in front of him yet had to endure, made his Emperor body tremble slightly, exuding a majestic aura mixed with extreme anger and the determination to protect.

Gu Changge took in all the reactions of the Lord of Annihilation and slowly withdrew his gaze.

"This array has become a maggot attached to the bone. To act forcefully upon it will not only be futile but will instead harm this world."

His voice was calm but carried a coldness that pierced through the ages. "A reckless move will only alert the snake in the grass and accelerate the plundering."

His gaze swept over those broken Emperor weapons and coagulated Emperor blood, eventually falling on the Lord of Annihilation, his tone suddenly becoming somewhat more relaxed.

"Wait until I go back and study the veins of this array diagram. Once I find a safe countermeasure, it won't be too late to come back and break it."

"Return."

"Yes, Your Lordship!"

The Lord of Annihilation respectfully complied. The surging battle intent around him slowly restrained, transforming into an even firmer determination.

He took one last look at the barrier cracks that were like scars of the world, burying this unwillingness and anger deep within his Emperor soul, waiting for the time to come.

Gu Changge's figure faded into the void. The next moment, he had already shattered space, bringing the Lord of Annihilation with him to quietly return to the Eastern Region of the Xuanhuang Great World.

When his feet touched the land of the Azure Mystery Sect, where spiritual energy was thin, a ripple uncontrollably arose deep within the Emperor soul of the Lord of Annihilation.

As far as his eyes could see, the mountain gate was quaint, and the highest cultivation base of the disciples was no more than the Cave Heaven Realm. The atmosphere of the sect was no different from an ordinary small faction in this world.

However, within such a seemingly ordinary sect, a figure like His Lordship was actually hidden?

The Lord of Annihilation collected his thoughts, not daring to show the slightest expression, and closely followed behind Gu Changge.

The two walked unhurriedly, heading straight toward the mountain peak shrouded in dense purple mist deep within the sect.

The closer they got to the Purple Bamboo Peak, the more the Lord of Annihilation could feel a state of returning to natural simplicity.

It looked ordinary from outside the peak, but stepping into it was like crossing a heavenly chasm. The dense innate spiritual energy condensed like a light mist, and the laws of the Great Dao were as clear as the lines on one's palm. With every breath, his Emperor body actually felt a slight, moist nourishment.

The purple bamboos were like jade, sprinkling Dao charm and rosy light as they swayed. Spiritual springs murmured, and vibrant vitality was hidden in the water vapor.

The ordinary pavilions and towers, every brick and tile secretly aligned with the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao, revealing supreme profoundness within the mundane.

What caught his attention even more was the layout within the peak. A quaint stone pagoda stood at the top of the peak. The body of the pagoda was mottled, circulating a vicissitude Dao charm that spanned through the ages. Even with his peak Great Emperor divine sense, he could not completely see through it.

And deep in the back mountain, clouds and mist lingered, similarly revealing a mysterious aura that was difficult to pry into.

The entire mountain peak was like a living creature, inhaling and exhaling the spiritual mechanisms of heaven and earth, naturally forming a supreme Dao ashram that surpassed an Emperor Court.

He originally thought that His Lordship might reside in some ancient secret realm or independent universe. He never expected it to be in such an ordinary sect, and it seemed he was the master of a peak?

Gu Changge leisurely sat down on a stone bench in the courtyard. He looked at the Lord of Annihilation beside him, whose mind was agitated but trying hard to maintain calm, and spoke faintly.

His voice appeared even more ethereal and profound in this environment rich with Dao charm: "This peak is named Purple Bamboo. From now on, you will be the first elder of this peak."

Hearing this, the Lord of Annihilation did not hesitate at all. He immediately bowed and replied, "I accept the order and will strictly obey Your Lordship's dharma decree."

His voice was deep and steady, carrying heartfelt respect.

To be able to follow such an existence and hold a position on this peak was a supreme opportunity for him.

Right as his voice fell, Gu Changge seemed to suddenly remember something and added, "By the way, when there is nothing to do on ordinary days, restrain your cultivation aura a bit."

The Lord of Annihilation was slightly startled. Although he did not understand the deep meaning, he still immediately replied, "Yes."

Gu Changge gently tapped his fingertips on the stone tabletop, pondering for a moment: "Hmm... just maintain it at... the Celestial Realm."