Signs of the Revival of the Immortal Path

After the great battle ended, the three of them successfully broke through to the Immortal King realm and were promoted to Earth Fiends.

It was also at that time that they were injected with that crystal core.

The moment the crystal core was implanted into their bodies, they instinctively rejected it—it was a foreign object, something completely different from their own flesh and blood.

But as time passed, they discovered that the enhancements brought by this crystal core were simply heaven-defying.

Cultivation speed, increased!

Spiritual power reserves, increased!

Law comprehension, increased!

Combat prowess, increased!

To some extent, that crystal core was even more terrifying than the legendary Supreme Bone.

Over time, they became completely dependent on this crystal core, focusing entirely on its amplification effects while neglecting the tempering of their own foundations.

And then came this mission.

The three of them were chosen to execute the task of exterminating the remnants of the five families in the lower realm.

If they completed it perfectly, they would receive generous rewards—more resources, higher status, and perhaps even... a chance to be promoted to a Heavenly Guard.

If any of the Twenty-Four Heavenly Guards were to fall, an Earth Fiend would be promoted to become a new Heavenly Guard.

Before descending to the lower realm, they were taught secret arts and bestowed with formations.

Everything was ready.

Brimming with confidence, they stepped into that teleportation array.

And then—

Just as they arrived in the Nine Heavens Realm, they were blasted out by a slap from some guy who appeared out of nowhere.

Then they were besieged by three lower realm natives and three old geezers who had smuggled themselves in.

Then they were forced to use their trump card formation.

Then the strange beast summoned by the formation was swallowed in two or three bites by something the other party casually summoned.

And then...

There was no then.

Gu Changyuan slowly opened his eyes.

The memories of the three had been completely read.

His understanding of the Imperial Court had deepened a bit more.

It was a pity that these three were too low in rank to touch the true core.

What was the strength of the Twelve Heavenly Balances?

They did not know.

Just how strong was The Emperor?

They did not know either.

Why was the Immortal Path sealed?

They still did not know.

The only thing Gu Changyuan could see was the face and aura of their superior Heavenly Guard, Xuntian, in their memories.

Just the aura in their memories was already countless times more majestic than these three.

Sure enough, the gap between the hierarchies was massive.

The final scene in the memories of the three was today—they were arranged into a massive formation.

Then, three phantom projections appeared.

The faces of those three projections could not be seen clearly, but their terrifying auras could be felt.

After they appeared, they directly shielded the entire formation, isolating it from all external probing.

Then, the formation activated.

Teleportation.

And then came the plot of them getting brutally beaten.

Gu Changyuan withdrew his thoughts, his gaze falling upon the three dying figures.

He had obtained all the information he needed; these three no longer had any value to be exploited.

He did not stay any longer. Turning around, he led his three disciples, Ye Qingxue, Lin Jingyu, and Yue Lingxi, stepping out of the God-Binding Coffin and returning to the plaza of the Zhuge family.

At this moment, Zhuge Dancheng, Zhuge Jinglong, Zhuge Sijue, Xu Mengyao, Wang Yutang, and the others were still quietly waiting there.

Xuanyuan Feiyue and Gongsun Xiangming had already returned to their respective quarters in the Zhuge family to rest.

Seeing Gu Changyuan appear, several people hurried forward to greet him.

Zhuge Dancheng spoke first, his tone respectful,

Senior.

Gu Changyuan nodded slightly,

The matter is finished. Go down and rest first, I imagine everyone is tired as well.

Seeing that Gu Changyuan had no intention of explaining further, Zhuge Dancheng naturally would not ask more.

He hurriedly bowed in acknowledgment, leading the crowd to retreat and return to their resting places.

Entering the courtyard, Gu Changyuan turned to look at Ye Qingxue and the other two,

That battle today should be a rare experience for you all. Go back and digest it well, thoroughly comprehending the insights gained during the fight.

Ye Qingxue and the other two exchanged glances and bowed in unison,

Yes, Master.

The three returned to their respective rooms.

Gu Changyuan also stepped into his own room.

The door closed.

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

In the next instant—

A formation silently unfurled beneath him.

A few breaths later—

A phantom projection identical to him in appearance peeled out from his body.

That projection was nearly transparent. It quietly hovered above Gu Changyuan's main body, glanced down at the cross-legged original body, and then suddenly shot up into the sky.

He had actively severed the karma and qi connection of this divine soul projection.

Through this projection, he could bypass many restrictions.

In an instant, that projection pierced through the roof, pierced through the firmament, and arrived above the Nine Heavens.

He went all the way up, up, and further up.

The scenery around him changed rapidly. The clouds swept past beneath his feet, astral winds howled beside him, the fluctuations of laws grew increasingly intense, and the spatial pressure became more and more terrifying.

But the projection continued to ascend.

Until—

Buzz!

An invisible boundary appeared before him.

That boundary could not be seen or touched, yet it truly existed.

It was like a transparent membrane, enveloping the entire Nine Heavens Realm and isolating everything above it.

The projection stopped its figure, hovering before that boundary.

He slowly raised his right hand, and a secret art quietly circulated within his palm.

That secret art turned into a faint glimmer of light, gently touching that invisible boundary—

Boom!

A powerful repulsive force instantly erupted from the boundary.

The projection's figure swayed slightly, but forcefully withstood the impact, remaining completely unmoving.

He continued to urge the secret art, the light in his palm growing brighter and brighter, slowly pushing forward.

The entire hand of the projection pierced through that first layer of boundary, touching another, more solid and heavy interface.

That was a completely solid interface.

Unlike the invisible membrane of the first layer, this layer of interface was tangible, formed, and could be touched.

This interface was a deep, dark color, its surface flowing with countless complex patterns.

Those patterns intertwined and coiled, forming an incomparably massive sealing formation that firmly locked down the entire interface.

Above the seal, countless auras could faintly be seen flowing; they were the traces of the Great Dao, the manifestation of laws.

Gu Changyuan could clearly feel that the surface contained countless Great Dao powers of slaughter, prohibition, suppression, and isolation, unimaginably heavy.

It was not just a collection of power, but the condensation of the Great Dao.

The complexity of the laws contained within was not something an ordinary cultivator could imagine.

But—

He narrowed his eyes, sensing carefully.

This seal seemed... to show signs of loosening.

Between those patterns, fine cracks could faintly be seen.

Those cracks were very subtle; without careful investigation, they would be completely undetectable.

But they truly existed, and they were slowly expanding.

Not only that.

Gu Changyuan also caught a trace of Heavenly Dao aura from the crevices of that seal, and felt a wisp of pure, ethereal immortal qi circling and flowing.

And from the memories of those three, he knew that this immortal qi was precisely the aura of the Immortal Path.