The Key to Breaking the Deadlock

"But they didn't give up.

They kept trying new methods, new angles, new variables.

If one attempt wasn't enough, they tried ten. If ten weren't enough, they tried a hundred. If a hundred weren't enough, they tried a thousand.

During that time, the Star Clan's secret realm star charts were refreshed almost every single day."

She lifted her eyes, and the golden pupils reflected Gu Changyuan's silhouette.

"Until over a thousand years ago, two new variables appeared in the futures they glimpsed anew."

Gu Changyuan's brow twitched slightly.

"One was the Imperial Court. The other was a silhouette.

Xuanji and Wuyi saw what the Imperial Court was doing: dominating Central Continent, sweeping across the five clans, sealing the immortal path, trying to monopolize the human immortal realm.

At first, Xuanji and Wuyi thought the Imperial Court was the key to breaking the deadlock.

Perhaps the end of the Wanluo Immortal Realm required a powerful external force to reverse course—perhaps the Imperial Court was that force."

"But later, they discovered the Imperial Court wasn't the answer.

The stronger the Imperial Court grew, the faster the Wanluo Immortal Realm's fortune drained away.

They didn't see the Wanluo Immortal Realm sinking toward nothingness—or if they did, they didn't care.

They only cared about power, about territory, about how much they could control."

Xinghuang's gaze shifted from Gu Changyuan's face to the flowing star chart on the stone table.

"So Xuanji and Wuyi turned their attention to the other variable—that silhouette."

Her voice paused briefly.

"That silhouette was indistinct, its trajectory hard to trace, its threads of causality tangled and complex.

But the mere existence of that silhouette caused the future of the Wanluo Immortal Realm to shift.

It went from 'heading down a single dark path' to 'a fork in the road appeared.' Where there's a fork, there's hope."

"So one day, Zixu and Xuanji left the Star Clan together, seeking that unknown silhouette.

After that, Buyu also left the Star Clan.

And now, you should already know—the silhouette they once detected was probably you."

Gu Changyuan said nothing.

His fingers stopped moving on the armrest.

"Though I don't know what Zixu's goal was exactly.

Perhaps he and Xuanji searched the heavens until their final hope settled on the Chaos Ruins.

So Zixu went.

He went to that primordial chaotic wasteland where no living being should set foot.

Even if there was a chance you weren't there—even if the odds of finding a single person in that boundless rift were nearly zero—he still went."

Xinghuang's voice was very soft.

"Fortunately—their gamble paid off.

In the Chaos Ruins, Zixu finally found you. And you came to stand before us."

The hall fell silent again.

Gu Changyuan leaned back against the stone seat, his gaze fixed on the star chart above the dome. His deep eyes held no ripples.

But in his heart, it was hard not to be moved.

No wonder.

No wonder the first time he met Xing Zixu, he'd sensed a look of "finally found you" on the other's face.

Like someone who had walked in darkness for a very long time had finally glimpsed a faint glimmer of light ahead.

Not joy, not excitement—but immense relief.

Like a stone that had hung suspended in his heart for countless years had finally hit the ground.

No wonder Xing Zixu had chosen to walk alongside him in the Chaos Ruins.

No wonder Xing Zixu, before his fall, had trusted him enough to entrust him with his ancestral relic and the future of the Star Clan.

Because Xing Zixu had no other choice left.

If he missed this chance, if he hesitated at the final moment, if he hadn't handed everything over to Gu Changyuan—then all the persistence and sacrifices along his path would have meant nothing.

No wonder Xinghuang and the others felt so mixed upon hearing his words.

Wasn't this a bit like Xing Zixu sacrificing himself just to find Gu Changyuan?

Gu Changyuan was silent for a long time.

In his mind, he saw Xing Zixu's face—that ever-smiling expression.

That look after their first meeting, when all the sorrow had vanished from his demeanor, replaced by peace.

And finally, the request at the end: for Gu Changyuan to protect the Star Clan.

He opened his eyes, looking at Xinghuang, at Xing Wuyi, at Xing Weiyang.

"So this is what you've been holding back all this time," he said.

Xinghuang nodded slightly, a trace of apology in her golden eyes.

"Our shift in attitude toward you wasn't because we didn't trust you—it was because seeing you reminds us of Zixu.

Thinking of Zixu reminds us of why he went there. Thinking of why he went there reminds us..."

"That it was because of me," Gu Changyuan finished.

Xinghuang neither nodded nor shook her head. She was simply silent.

Gu Changyuan leaned back, his gaze calm as he watched the star chart spin across the dome.

The stars revolved. The star tracks ran their courses. The starlight flickered.

Everything was so orderly, so regular, so self-evident.

His voice was steady and composed.

"I promised Zixu I would protect the Star Clan's future.

That promise will not change, whether you join the Heavenly Court or not."

Xinghuang looked at him, the complex emotions in her eyes gradually settling, revealing a purer radiance.

A smile appeared on her face.

"As for joining the Heavenly Court, Pojun just stated our position. Since your contest is over and the answer is clear, I have no objection."

When Xinghuang finished, Xing Wuyi and Xing Weiyang said nothing, which counted as tacit agreement.

Gu Changyuan sat up straight, pulling away from the backrest. He placed his hands on the armrests, leaning forward slightly.

"Good. In that case, the details of joining the Heavenly Court can be handled by my disciple and the Tai Zu here."

He said this very naturally, without any hint of embarrassment.

Gu Changyuan was a hands-off leader, and the others around him had long stopped handling the Star Clan's affairs themselves.

Let the higher-ups discuss the big picture, let the lower-ups negotiate the details—it was the most efficient, least troublesome approach.

As Gu Changyuan spoke, his expression suddenly turned serious.

The laziness between his brows vanished, replaced by a grave look.

"As for what you said about the Wanluo Immortal Realm's future heading toward nothingness..."

He paused.

"Perhaps I have a clue."

The moment his words fell, a flicker of silence passed through the hall.

Xinghuang, Xing Pojun, and Xing Wuyi changed color, their eyes burning as they fixed on him.

Even Xing Weiyang, who had been lying motionless the whole time, slowly propped herself up.

Her long-shut eyes gradually opened, her gaze landing on Gu Changyuan.

This was the answer the seven ancestors had been pursuing for thousands of years—the variable Xing Zixu had bet his life on, the future Xuanji and Wuyi had exhausted themselves trying to deduce and observe.

Now, Gu Changyuan said he had a clue.

Even if it was just a "clue," to them, it was the first true light in the darkness.

Gu Changyuan didn't drag it out. He spoke directly, his tone steady.

"I wonder if you've ever heard the name—the Cangwu Immortal Emperor?"