Depart, Immortal Realm

Within his perception, across the vast and boundless world of the Ten-Thousand Tribulations Battlefield, where heaven and earth evolved in myriad forms, a transformation far more intense and thorough than anything taking place at the Dao Repository Academy was unfolding!

In the regions where time flowed a hundred times faster, spiritual energy had grown so dense that it condensed into liquid spiritual rain. It drizzled softly, yet every drop shimmered with myriad rays of light and contained the most primal power of creation.

Xuanyangzi and the five sect ancestors sat cross-legged at the center of the spiritual rain, like five ancient, immovable mountains.

Before them, mountains of spiritual veins and sacred medicines were melting at a visible rate, transforming into torrents of the purest origin energy, which they greedily absorbed and refined.

Their auras were like dormant volcanoes, quietly accumulating terrifying power as they steadily advanced toward the distant barrier of the Quasi-Emperor Realm!

Several peak masters were staring foolishly at the phantom of an ancient sword floating within a lightning pool and radiating an aura of supreme might, grinning as though they had just obtained a priceless treasure.

The scene was even more spectacular throughout the wider trial grounds.

The disciples of the Qingxuan Sect were scattered across jungles, deserts, glaciers, volcanoes, lightning marshes, and countless other perilous environments, engaging in life-and-death battles against the various powerful beings evolved by the Ten-Thousand Tribulations Battlefield.

Roars, the clash of weapons, the thunderous explosions of spells, and the long cries of disciples breaking through at the brink of death rose and fell without end, merging into a passionate yet brutal symphony of growth.

Almost every few moments, a disciple would gain enlightenment at the very edge of life and death. Their aura would surge, drawing a localized torrent of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

Breaking through from the King Realm into the Saint Realm was no longer anything unusual. There were even prodigies of extraordinary talent who tempered a unique battle will in combat, forging foundations so solid they were almost terrifying.

The peak masters and elite elders, meanwhile, were active in regions containing special opportunities—or dangers of the utmost extremity.

From the ancestors down to the ordinary disciples, the strength of the entire Qingxuan Sect was soaring at an astonishing rate.

Gu Changge watched the Qingxuan Sect, alive with myriad phenomena and brimming with vitality, then turned his gaze toward the Great World of Xuanhuang.

The density of spiritual energy in heaven and earth continued to rise, and breakthroughs had become much easier.

The Saint Realm was no longer an unattainable peak. Auras belonging to Saints Kings and Great Saints were springing up throughout Xuanhuang like mushrooms after the rain.

Some old monsters who had remained hidden for many years were also stirred by the unprecedented prosperity of this golden age. Some emerged from seclusion to roam the world, while others searched for suitable successors.

Gu Changge withdrew his gaze.

It was time to deal with the thorn in his side that was the Immortal Hall of Fate’s Mandate, he thought.

“Jimie.”

His voice was not loud, yet it clearly resounded throughout Violet Bamboo Peak.

Almost the instant his words fell, space rippled slightly, and the figure of the Great Emperor of Annihilation quietly appeared. He bowed and stood solemnly.

“My lord, I am here.”

“I will be away for some time. The sect will be entrusted to your care.”

Gu Changge’s tone was calm. Then he added, “It may be as little as a few days, or as long as several months.”

The Great Emperor of Annihilation’s heart trembled when he heard this. His lord usually kept to himself, yet this time he would be leaving for several months?

Since Gu Changge did not explain further, he did not dare ask. He immediately lowered his head and acknowledged the order.

“Understood! Jimie will do everything in his power to guard our home!”

Gu Changge nodded slightly, then looked at the black dragon coiled around his wrist.

“Little White, you will come with me this time.”

“Yes, Master!” A clear dragon cry rang out, unable to conceal its excitement.

At last, it was his turn to accompany Master outside on an assignment! Little White’s heart leaped with joy.

Thinking of all the times Little Black had stolen the limelight before, it could not help glancing in the direction of the Dao Repository Academy.

That stupid bird can stay home and guard the place. This assignment is mine!

Though it did not know where they were headed, Little White noticed the unusual gravity in Gu Changge’s expression. It also put away some of its playful attitude, and a sharp glint flashed through its dragon eyes.

After making all the necessary arrangements, Gu Changge sank his mind into the system interface.

“System, how many years of cultivation will it take to break through to the perfected Celestial Immortal Realm?”

“Ding! Calculating based on the host’s current foundation and the Primordial Hongmeng Art…”

“Calculation complete. To break through from the ninth level of the True Immortal Realm to the perfected Celestial Immortal Realm, the required cultivation is: eight thousand years.”

“Eight thousand years…”

Gu Changge’s fingers tapped unconsciously against the armrest of the bamboo chair.

His gaze swept over the more than thirty million years of cultivation temporarily stored on the system panel.

Not bad. This amount was still well within what he could afford.

From the fragmented memories obtained through soul searching, he knew that the highest combat power on the surface in the fragment of the Immortal Domain where the Immortal Hall of Fate’s Mandate was located was the Celestial Immortal Realm.

But those memories were broken and incomplete. It was impossible to rule out the existence of hidden old monsters—or the possibility that the information itself was inaccurate.

Celestial Immortal cultivation might not be enough to deal with every unexpected turn of events.

“To be safe, I’ll see how things stand after I arrive, then raise my cultivation to a level sufficient to crush everything in my path.”

With more than thirty million years of cultivation, he refused to believe he could not deal with them.

Having made up his mind, Gu Changge no longer hesitated. He rose to his feet.

“Let’s go.”

With a single step, space twisted, and the figures of Gu Changge and Little White vanished from the summit of Violet Bamboo Peak.

The next moment, beyond the thick and crystalline barrier of the Great World of Xuanhuang, Gu Changge and Little White quietly appeared in the cold, silent chaos outside the world.

Looking around, they saw only endless streams of gray mist slowly churning, swallowing light and sound. In the distance, shattered remnants of stars and fragments of frozen continents dotted the void, forming a desolate, empty landscape.

Gu Changge’s white robes fluttered. A clear radiance naturally flowed around him, easily sweeping away the chaotic energy that surged toward them.

However, the instant they stepped beyond the barrier of the Great World of Xuanhuang—

“Roar—!”

A dragon cry filled with shock and disbelief suddenly rang out!

Little White, which had been coiled around Gu Changge’s wrist, seemed to have been struck by an invisible hammer. Its dragon body abruptly stiffened, then expanded and manifested against its will!

As black radiance surged, the true form of a black dragon stretching ten thousand zhang appeared in the silent chaos. Its scales were jagged, and its dragon might shook the void!

Its enormous dragon eyes were filled with utter shock and bewilderment. Instinctively, it coiled around Gu Changge, shielding him at its center as it warily surveyed this terrifying realm of absolute nothingness.

“Master! This is the chaos beyond the world?!”

Little White’s voice trembled faintly at the level of its very soul.

Though it was a true dragon with an exalted bloodline, it had been born and raised in Xuanhuang. This was the first time it had truly entered the primal chaos that gave birth to all worlds—and buried countless others!

Gu Changge stood atop the dragon’s head, his white robes perfectly still amid the chaotic currents.

He gently patted Little White’s cold, tense scales, his calm voice carrying a reassuring power.

“Do not be alarmed. Though this is chaos, it is not yet capable of harming your Imperial Realm body.”

Feeling the calm in Gu Changge’s voice, as well as the clear radiance that silently spread outward to create a completely safe region, the panic in Little White’s enormous dragon eyes gradually subsided, transforming into an even deeper sense of curiosity and awe.

It cautiously extended its divine sense, beginning to experience this realm of violent, primal laws that was utterly different from the world within the barrier.

Gu Changge continued calmly, “This journey of ours is to take a look at that so-called ‘Immortal World.’”

The Immortal World?!

Those two words exploded within Little White’s vast dragon soul like thunder rolling through the chaos!