A few days later, Gu Changyuan returned from the Myriad Immortal Realm to the Nine Heavens Realm.
For other cultivators, returning from a higher realm to a lower one might be an ordeal.
The suppression of domain forces would cause immortal cultivators' cultivation levels to plummet.
But Gu Changyuan was different.
He simply adjusted his cultivation back to the Perfect Tribulation Crossing stage and returned to the Nine Heavens Realm without any adverse effects.
The moment he arrived in the Nine Heavens Realm, he used a teleportation array to go back to the Celestial Human Sacred Ground.
Gu Changyuan first toured the three major powers—the Celestial Human Sacred Ground, the Heavenly Demon Sect, and the Celestial Monster Pavilion—briefly inquired about the recent situation in the lower realms after the immortal path reopened, and confirmed that the three realms were stable, orderly, and free from major chaos, disturbances, or external threats. His heart was completely at ease.
Then he settled down at the Celestial Human Sacred Ground, planning to rest peacefully for a day in the lower realm.
The Imperial Court should still be dealing with the surprise attack by the Five Families of Central Continent, while simultaneously investigating the cause of the immortal path's premature unsealing and reopening.
Those Tianheng had likely already received the news, but their attention would be diverted—the attack from the Five Families of Central Continent was no trivial matter. The alliance of three families, though insufficient to shake the Imperial Court's foundations, would still cause them enough headaches to keep them busy.
The reason behind the immortal path's unsealing was an even bigger headache. The seal had been placed jointly by multiple Tianheng, and breaking it required several experts adept in different Daos to act simultaneously.
They would never imagine that only one person had broken the seal.
When it came to fighting, Gu Changyuan wasn't confident he could defeat the Imperial Court.
But when it came to detection and counter-detection, Gu Changyuan was exceptionally skilled.
In the early days of the Chaotic Ruins, he had relied on his top-tier counter-detection and tracking abilities to evade cultivators whose cultivation far exceeded his own.
Then he would constantly harass them with various tactics, taking advantage of his boundless spiritual energy to gradually wear them down until their deaths, after which he would plunder everything they had.
In the Nine Heavens Realm, the reason he could keep that Heavenly Guard undiscovered for decades was that his fabricated causal actions were so convincing that even the Immortal Emperor believed his own guard was genuinely carrying out missions in the lower realm.
And later, Zhen Yue thought he had truly eliminated Gu Changyuan and let down his guard.
In the Myriad Immortal Realm, while he couldn't claim to keep the Imperial Court from ever finding the Celestial Court's location, at least the Celestial Court would be safe for a year.
The Dao traces he released when he destroyed the seal—
He had guided each Dao's aura to a different location.
Even if the Imperial Court's Immortal Emperors tried to trace the unsealer's identity through those Dao auras, they would find the sources pointing to different directions.
How could they ever imagine that a mere lower-realm cultivator could master so many Daos at once?
In their view, unsealing the immortal path required dozens of experts proficient in different Daos working together.
How could a lower-realm cultivator, not even an immortal, possibly achieve such a feat?
As for the Lanyu Immortal Sect, it was just an insignificant sect among the countless immortal forces in the higher realms.
Suddenly destroyed, renamed, its mountain gate taken over—such trivial incidents happened every day in the immortal realm.
Today this sect perished, tomorrow that force was annexed, and the day after, a new name appeared in some corner.
Who would notice? Who would care?
Great powers were busy fighting over resources, small powers were busy protecting themselves, and wandering cultivators were busy with their training.
The Celestial Court's emergence in the immortal realm was like a pebble thrown into the ocean—it barely created a few ripples.
Gu Changyuan lay on the rocking chair, sunlight warming his face, feeling indescribably comfortable. He narrowed his eyes slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a satisfied arc.
"Ah, this is the life~"
He let out a long breath.
"Finally have some time to really rest."
Ever since Ye Qingxue and the others had come out of seclusion, he hadn't had a single moment of proper rest.
Luckily, he had come up with the excuse of inspecting the lower realm's situation to escape those girls.
Otherwise, he'd still be lying in the rear palace hall of the Celestial Palace—and not the kind of lying down that meant resting.
Gu Xing'er sat nearby, her hands propping her up as she gently swung her legs.
Her gaze rested on Gu Changyuan's face, observing his half-closed eyes and completely relaxed expression, a smile curling at her lips.
"Is it really that tiring?"
Her voice carried a hint of amusement, the tone rising slightly at the end.
"From what my senior sisters told me, after ascending and taking over the Lanyu Immortal Sect, you had all the disciples rest. You should have been lying around just like this, right?"
Gu Xing'er hadn't ascended yet—her cultivation hadn't reached the Perfect Tribulation Crossing stage.
But with the seal broken and the connection between upper and lower realms much smoother, she could keep in touch with her senior brothers and sisters through transmission arrays.
Gu Changyuan let out a light sigh, a sigh carrying the weariness of experience.
"You don't know those senior sisters of yours—each one is more relentless than the last."
His gaze traveled toward the distant horizon.
All dozens of his disciples knew about Gu Changyuan and Ye Qingxue's group.
No one had announced it publicly; everyone had simply figured it out.
Gu Xing'er had obviously figured it out too.
Her face formed a meaningful smile, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
"Brother, don't tell me you're—"
She paused, deliberately lowering her voice.
"Not up to it?"
"Hey."
Gu Changyuan propped himself up.
He sat up from the rocking chair, leaning forward slightly, raising his right hand to precisely pinch Gu Xing'er's nose between his two fingers.
Not too hard, not too soft—just enough for her to feel it, but not pain.
"You little girl, daring to tease your big brother?"
Gu Changyuan's voice held a helpless amusement.
"Your big brother here is a perpetual motion machine."
His tone was perfectly matter-of-fact, without a hint of embarrassment.
"But even I need some downtime now and then, right? Plowing the fields constantly is exhausting."
Her nose pinched, Gu Xing'er's voice came out a bit muffled, but her smile didn't diminish—in fact, it deepened.
"Oh?"
Her voice stretched the sound out.
"Then does that mean, brother, you could handle a few more?"
Gu Changyuan's brows lifted in amusement, the corner of his mouth curving into a playful grin.
His gaze fell on Gu Xing'er's face, catching the mischievous smile at the edge of her lips, and he joked,
"What, Xing'er thinking of joining in too?"
Gu Xing'er's ears suddenly turned red, the flush spreading from her earlobes to the outer edges.
Her smile stiffened for a moment, a flicker of panic flashing in her eyes before quickly returning to normal.
And then, she didn't refute him.
She only lowered her head slightly, her gaze shifting from Gu Changyuan's face to land on her own toes.
Gu Changyuan's heart skipped a beat.
Holy crap.
Did I actually hit the mark?
He watched Gu Xing'er's reddening ear tips, her slightly pressed lips, and her fingers nervously twisting the edge of her clothes.
Her reaction was remarkably similar to that of his seven previous disciples.
Unbeknownst to him, they had already developed feelings for him that went beyond the master-disciple bond.
Gu Changyuan looked at Gu Xing'er's profile, at her attitude of neither confirming nor denying, and a subtle premonition stirred in his heart. In the future, she might very well make a move on him.
He lay back down again.
The rocking chair swayed gently beneath him, letting out a soft "creak."
His hands rested one over the other on his stomach, his gaze drifting toward the clouds passing across the sky. His expression remained as calm as if nothing had ever happened.
Alright, we can deal with it later.
One more or one less—it really makes no difference in the end.
Seven is a bother, eight is a mess, and nine or ten aren't much different either.
When debts pile up, you stop worrying; when lice infest, you stop itching.
The difference between lice and disciples is that you can comb out lice with a fine-toothed comb, but you can't comb out disciples.
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!" "......"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
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?"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
