With a Direction

Xing Huang's brows twitched slightly, and he nodded.

"Of course I know.

The Cangwu Immortal Emperor was the strongest Immortal Emperor in the Northern Continent, mastering the Cangwu Dao.

His strength far surpassed other Immortal Emperors of the same rank, and his name has been passed down through countless ages in the Immortal Realm.

However, we haven't heard any news about him for a long time.

Occasionally, some cultivators in the Northern Continent mention him, but they are nothing more than unsubstantiated rumors. No one can confirm whether he is alive or dead.

Many speculate that he has already fallen, while others guess that he has gone to another realm.

After all, given his power, it is entirely possible that he left the Wanluo Immortal Realm for a higher-level domain."

Gu Changyuan listened and then nodded slightly.

"He truly has fallen."

These words cast a heavier shadow over the atmosphere in the hall.

The fall of a supreme Immortal Emperor is a monumental event in any era.

Gu Changyuan did not pause.

He recounted to the four seated before him the entire story of how Jun Anshi entered the dream world created by the Cangwu Immortal Emperor within the Cangwu Secret Realm.

He began with how Jun Anshi chased a rabbit into the inheritance space within the Cangwu Forest Sea, how she was accepted as an outer disciple by the remnant soul of the Cangwu Immortal Emperor in that dream world, how she spent a hundred and ten years in a realm where time flowed a thousand times faster, and finally, the brutal battle with the beast king that could devour everything, an opponent the Cangwu Immortal Emperor himself had faced.

He spoke in vivid detail, as if he had been watching from the sidelines.

"I have conducted an investigation."

Gu Changyuan's tone turned serious.

"The beast that caused the Cangwu Immortal Emperor's fall does not just devour spiritual energy; it can also devour karma and the future."

He locked eyes with Xing Huang.

"The reason Xuanji, Wuyi, and Buyu could not see the future of the Wanluo Immortal Realm, the reason they saw nothing but emptiness, is highly likely because that beast has returned. It is devouring the future of the entire Wanluo Immortal Realm, making it undetectable."

Once again, silence fell over the hall.

The seven ancestors had sought the answer to this mystery for countless eons, and now, finally, a clue had emerged.

The reason the Wanluo Immortal Realm's future was void was the existence of a beast that fed on the future itself.

The Cangwu Immortal Emperor had banished it at the cost of his life, but clearly, the banishment was not permanent.

To stand against such a beast, they would need to explore an even higher realm of cultivation.

Beyond the Immortal Emperor.

That realm—perhaps only a handful across the entire Wanluo Immortal Realm knew what it was, let alone how to reach it.

Xing Huang asked a few more questions, and Gu Changyuan answered truthfully with everything he knew.

By the time the meeting concluded, the atmosphere in the hall had lightened somewhat.

Not because the problem was solved, but because it had finally been articulated.

Vague uncertainties are the most torturous. Once the nature of the problem is clear, even if a solution is out of reach, the heart no longer feels burdened by an unseen weight.

Xing Huang rose from her stone seat.

She smoothed the hem of her moon-white long skirt, and her golden hair shimmered with a soft luster under the starlight.

"Changyuan," she said.

Gu Changyuan looked at her.

"I would like to return to the Heavenly Court with you. I want to see your direct disciples, and see how the Heavenly Court operates.

Since we will be visiting often in the future, it would be better to get to know them now rather than meeting face-to-face without knowing who's who."

Gu Changyuan naturally had no reason to refuse.

Xing Huang then turned to look at Xing Pojun, Xing Wuyi, and Xing Weiyang, a questioning glint in her eyes.

It was as if she was asking: Do you three want to come as well?

None of them declined, and moments later, through a teleportation array, they arrived at the Heavenly Court.

As the light faded, the five of them stood within the Celestial Palace of the Heavenly Court.

The palace was vast.

When establishing the Heavenly Court, Gu Changyuan had chosen a design far removed from the usual gilded splendor and ornate carvings.

It was closer in style to the Tiansheng Holy Land of Tianyuan Mountain—simple, airy, and grand.

With a wave of his right hand, Gu Changyuan summoned his thirty disciples.

Looking at them, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

He raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and gestured toward the four ancestors.

"These four are the ancestors of the Star Clan. All of them are Immortal Emperors.

They have agreed to let the Star Clan join the Heavenly Court.

From now on, handle the matters with the Star Clan elders yourselves.

I brought them here today simply to show them around."

The disciples' eyes fell upon the four figures standing before them.

Immortal Emperors.

Surprise flickered in their gazes, but it faded quickly.

Facing four Immortal Emperors, not a single one showed any hint of timidity; they all remained composed.

Their looks were filled with curiosity, assessment, and respectful politeness, but not a trace of a "we are beneath them" attitude.

Why? Because their master was Gu Changyuan.

Their master had never taught them to bow their heads before anyone, regardless of status, cultivation, or background.

Xing Huang's gaze swept over the thirty disciples, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes.

Hearing about the brilliance of Gu Changyuan's disciples was one thing.

Seeing them in person was entirely another.

Especially the human disciples—all ten of them possessed ancient top-tier constitutions. How had he managed to find them all?

She withdrew her gaze from the thirty and fixed her eyes on Gu Changyuan.

Those golden eyes carried a complex, indescribable emotion.

Not shock, not admiration, but a bewilderment—a "How in the world did you accomplish this?" kind of look.

In the Immortal Realm, the most powerful forces would spend every ounce of their strength to compete for, cultivate, and protect a single disciple with a top-tier constitution.

And Gu Changyuan? He had thirty of them.

No—more than thirty. There were also three in the Jiuxiao Realm.

The four ancestors couldn't help but steal another glance at Gu Changyuan.

To gather so many extraordinary talents together...

His methods, his resources, his potential—it was far deeper, far more unfathomable than they had ever estimated.

"Senior Uncles," Leaf Qingsang led the thirty disciples in a unified voice.

This title was no mere formality.

By seniority—since their master, Gu Changyuan, had inherited the position of the Origin Star Ancestor from Xing Zixu and was considered a peer of the seven Star Clan ancestors—his disciples would naturally address the seven ancestors as "Senior Uncles."

The four ancestors had no objection to this.

Gu Changyuan first let the disciples get acquainted with the four ancestors.

Xing Huang asked a few questions here and there, her tone gentle, as if chatting casually with juniors.

Xing Pojun said nothing, but his gaze lingered momentarily on each disciple.

Xing Wuyi also remained silent.

Meanwhile, Xing Weiyang was asleep.

The disciples, knowing their personalities, took it in stride.

After the introductions, Gu Changyuan escorted the four ancestors on a tour of the Heavenly Court.

The place was vast.

When building it, he had designed it for a "many people in the future" scale.

When the tour ended, Gu Changyuan sought the approval of the four ancestors, and once they agreed, brought them directly to the Tiansheng Holy Land in the Jiuxiao Realm.

Jun Mukong and Jun Anshi might have originally descended from higher realms, but cultivators needed to undergo a year of Immortal Qi baptism in the Immortal Realm before they could freely travel between upper and lower realms.

For disciples like Jun Mukong and Jun Anshi, they would still have to wait until they reached the Tribulation Transcendence Perfection stage and ascended through the Immortal Path to the Immortal Realm before they could travel freely again.