Amid the crowd, another tempest surged through Ling Xi’s eyes.
In her previous life, she had exhausted her lifelong cultivation to tear through the world barrier, all for the sake of reaching the Immortal Realm—only to fall in the end.
Now that she knew the Immortal Realm had long since shattered, the pursuit that had consumed her entire life and the regret of dying in her quest seemed to have become nothing more than a tragically absurd waste.
The battles of the past, the agony of her death, and her obsession with the Immortal Realm all became hopelessly intertwined in that moment.
Gu Changge took in her reaction but did not expose her. His gaze swept over the others once more, and his tone suddenly turned solemn.
“The Immortal Realm has shattered, and chaos now runs rampant throughout the primordial void. The factions formed from the fragments of the Immortal Realm are all consumed by ambition. They will not stop plundering the origins of other worlds.
“You must cultivate as quickly as possible, solidify your foundations, and increase your strength. I have a feeling that many more battles lie ahead.”
As his voice fell, everyone nodded in succession. The confusion and melancholy in their hearts gradually gave way to resolve.
Gu Changge, however, had other plans.
Although he had already destroyed the Fortune-Bearing Immortal Palace and the factions occupying two other fragments of the Immortal Realm, what he had witnessed during his journey through the Immortal Realm had been far worse than he had imagined. Countless lower realms had been wantonly stripped of their origins, ultimately reduced to lifeless wastelands.
The Profound Yellow Great World was now rich in origin power and abundant in spiritual energy, comparable to an ancient blessed land. It would certainly be discovered soon by the scattered factions occupying the remaining fragments of the Immortal Realm.
When that happened, it would inevitably attract their frenzied covetousness and predation. Passive defense was by no means a long-term solution.
It would be better to take the initiative and seize control of every fragment of the Immortal Realm surrounding the Profound Yellow Great World.
That would eliminate the hidden threat while also allowing him to use those fragments as stepping stones to construct a passage leading deeper into the Immortal Realm.
He could open a genuine path forward for the cultivators of the Profound Yellow Great World. It would also make it easier for him to search for traces of his master and uncover the truth behind the shattering of the Immortal Realm.
As he pondered this, Gu Changge waved his hand and said calmly, “You may all leave. Cultivate diligently, and do not slacken.”
Everyone acknowledged his words and dispersed. Xuanyangzi, Xing Tian'ao, and the others departed one after another, and the quiet of Violet Bamboo Peak gradually returned.
Only Ling Xi remained where she was, without taking a single step.
Her eyes were lowered. The aura around her was no longer as cold and tranquil as usual; instead, it carried a trace of barely restrained turmoil.
Her master’s words echoed repeatedly in her mind—the Immortal Realm had shattered, the fragment factions were plundering the origins of other worlds, and countless lower realms had been reduced to dead wastelands…
Every word was like a cold needle, piercing the deepest worry in her heart.
What of the Canglan Great World, the homeland of her previous life—the world where the subordinates who had once sworn to follow her to the death still lived?
Was it suffering the same fate?
Unbidden, the final scene from her previous life surfaced in her mind. She had exhausted everything she possessed, burning her imperial blood to force open the world barrier and charge toward the Immortal Realm she had sensed.
Yet at the very moment she was about to reach it, she had been struck by a vast and irresistible law infused with destructive power. Her soul had shattered…
Could the Canglan Great World also have been targeted by such a faction long ago?
The thought left her entire body cold.
Gu Changge noticed every detail of her reaction. The concern she struggled to suppress—but which still escaped her eyes—was perfectly clear to him.
He lifted his teacup and spoke in a light, almost casual tone, yet his words struck precisely at the deepest secret in Ling Xi’s heart.
“What is it? Are you worried about the world you once lived in?”
“Boom!”
The question exploded in Ling Xi’s mind like a thunderclap. She abruptly raised her head and stared at Gu Changge.
She was a reincarnated soul from the Canglan Great World. In her previous life, she had ascended to the position of Great Emperor. This was the deepest secret she had hidden in her heart.
Yet her master had revealed it with a single sentence.
After her initial shock, Ling Xi gradually regained her composure.
Gu Changge possessed tremendous abilities and had insight into the ages. It seemed only natural that he could see through her reincarnated identity.
She could not help recalling the many thoughts she had harbored when she had first joined the Azure Mystic Sect. She had even imagined that, once her cultivation reached a sufficient level, she would be able to guide her master.
Now that she thought about it, those thoughts had probably been completely transparent to him from the very beginning, without the slightest concealment.
The realization made Ling Xi’s cheeks grow faintly warm. She lowered her eyes to avoid Gu Changge’s gaze, her expression slightly awkward.
After a moment, Ling Xi took a deep breath and looked up at Gu Changge once more.
“Master, you already knew?”
Gu Changge gave a slight nod. He said nothing more, merely looking at her in silence as he waited for her to continue.
“Then, Master… do you know what became of the Canglan Great World? Is it still safe?”
Her voice gradually softened, and her eyes filled with hope.
Gu Changge set down his teacup and pondered for a moment before replying slowly, “My journey to the fragments of the Immortal Realm was mainly to deal with the three factions coveting the Profound Yellow Great World. I did not venture deep enough to investigate the other distant lower realms.
“As for the Canglan Great World you mentioned…” He shook his head slightly. “I have never seen it, nor have I sensed its precise aura.”
Though he had not spoken any words of doom, his answer brought Ling Xi no comfort.
In the current state of the shattered and perilous primordial void, the words “never seen” and “never sensed” could themselves signify terrible news.
The light in Ling Xi’s eyes instantly dimmed, and her heart sank.
Even her master had failed to sense it. Either the Canglan Great World was extremely distant and difficult to locate, or its circumstances were likely already dire.
“However—”
Gu Changge’s gaze deepened, as though he could see straight through the anxiety and concern buried within her soul.
“You are my disciple. Whatever weighs upon your heart is therefore my concern as well.”
“Once the foundation of the Profound Yellow Great World is secure, I will take you personally into the primordial void and search for traces of the Canglan Great World.”
Ling Xi froze.
She had never expected that her master would not only see through her secret, but also take the concern she had buried deep within her heart—something she had nearly regarded as an impossible hope—and treat it with such solemn importance.
The despair and chill surging within her were slowly washed away by this sudden warmth.
The road ahead remained uncertain, and the fate of her homeland was still unknown, but at least she was no longer facing a darkness entirely devoid of hope.
Her master was willing to venture into the endless primordial void for her, searching for a world that might have ceased to exist long ago.
The weight of that promise made her throat tighten.
“Master…”
Ling Xi opened and closed her mouth, then finally bowed deeply, transforming all the emotions roiling within her into the most solemn gesture of respect.
“This disciple thanks you, Master!”
Gu Changge accepted her salute and replied in his usual calm tone, “Rise. Your most urgent task now is to improve your cultivation as quickly as possible.
“The primordial void is no place of safety. Without sufficient strength, you will be unable even to protect yourself, let alone search for others.
“Since you possess the foundation of your previous life, you must make good use of it. Return to your peak as soon as possible—and surpass it if you can.”
“Yes! This disciple will obey your command!”
Ling Xi rose, the light in her eyes rekindled. It was a light born of longing for strength and hope for the future.
Her master was right. Without strength, everything was merely empty talk.
“Go now,” Gu Changge said, waving his hand. “Cultivate diligently.”
“This disciple takes her leave.”
Ling Xi bowed once more. When she turned to leave, her steps were light, yet they carried a resolve unlike anything she had ever possessed.
Her master’s promise was both a stabilizing force and a powerful catalyst, making the path ahead completely clear to her.
She would become stronger—stronger at any cost.
Then, together with her master, she would search for the way home.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
