The Pouncing White Ling'er

The moment Bai Ling'er appeared, her gaze shot towards the peak of the Immortal Ascension Terrace like lightning.

She was equally filled with shock and curiosity. Reaching the summit of the hundred steps meant that this person's talent, potential, and will had reached a height even she found hard to imagine.

The Holy Land might birth a peerless figure surpassing the ten of them because of this.

She had to confirm personally: what kind of existence was this person? What was their character? Would they bring fortune or disaster to the Holy Land?

However, when her gaze finally pierced through the swirling clouds and radiant light, landing clearly on the face of that dark-robed figure at the peak—

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Bai Ling'er's exquisite eyes, capable of seeing through illusions and the human heart, suddenly widened!

Reflected deep within her pupils was a face engraved into her soul, a face she had missed for a full one thousand one hundred years, a face she hadn't dared to forget for a single day!

The familiar brows and eyes, the familiar contours, the familiar faint smile carrying a hint of laziness...

Impossible!

How could this be?!

Master... didn't Master mysteriously disappear a thousand years ago?

They had searched the entire Nine Heavens Realm, even risking their lives to explore ancient ruins and spatial crevices, yet there was never any news.

But... but this person before her...

That smile, that look, that aura... It couldn't be wrong!

Even though a millennium had passed, even though his aura seemed to have become more profound, vast, and unfathomable.

But that sense of familiarity originating from the depths of her soul, that feeling of immense peace and closeness unique to her Master... absolutely couldn't be wrong!

"Ma... Master..."

A murmur so low that almost only she could hear it uncontrollably escaped Bai Ling'er's trembling lips.

The voice was very light, carrying a trembling of disbelief, mixed with the sudden eruption of a thousand years of longing—the sourness, the ecstasy, and a trace of fear that this was merely a beautiful dream.

But before Gu Changyuan's divine sense, which surpassed the perception of this realm, this low murmur rang as clearly as if it were right next to his ear.

Seeing Bai Ling'er's momentary daze, her rapidly reddening eyes, and her slightly trembling body, he nodded slightly, the smile on his lips deepening.

Having received confirmation, Bai Ling'er only felt an indescribable, complex emotion—a mix of extreme joy, endless grievance, and the long-awaited echo of a lengthy wait—instantly wash away the shell of calmness and majesty she had meticulously maintained as a Holy Land Ancestor for a thousand years.

She wanted to rush over immediately, throw herself into her Master's arms like she did when she was a child, and cry loudly, pouring out all the worries, longing, grievances, and countless things she had wanted to say over the past millennium.

She wanted to tell her Master how much they missed him!

Wanted to tell him how the Holy Land had progressed step by step over these years!

Wanted to tell him how hard the Eldest Senior Sister had worked!

Wanted to tell him how much effort the junior brothers and sisters had put in!

But... she couldn't.

She was the Third Ancestor of the Heavenly Human Holy Land, an existence looked up to by tens of millions of disciples, one of the faces and pillars of the Holy Land.

At this moment, tens of thousands of eyes were watching from below, and countless cultivators from other factions were present.

She couldn't lose her composure, couldn't reveal any emotion that might affect the majesty of the Holy Land or allow others to pry into the weakness of her heart.

She bit her lower lip fiercely, forcing back the tears that were almost bursting from her eyes, her nails digging deeply into her palms, using all her strength to barely maintain a calm facade.

Only her slightly trembling shoulders and instantly moistened eyes betrayed the stormy waves currently raging within her heart.

Gu Changyuan took in all her struggles and restraint, feeling both moved and heartbroken.

He knew this was not the place to talk.

Gu Changyuan slowly turned around, facing the hundreds of thousands of gazes below that were either shocked, reverent, or fanatic.

His voice was peaceful and clear, not high-pitched, yet it seemed to contain some bizarre penetrating power, instantly suppressing all the noise and discussion, clearly entering the ears of everyone present:

"Welcome everyone, to the Heavenly Human Holy Land."

The moment his words fell, a surge of spiritual energy enveloped Gu Xing'er beside him and Dugu Shiling on the ninetieth step.

In the next second, the figures of the four vanished out of thin air under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

The plaza was once again in an uproar.

But this time, there was less shock and more endless speculation and discussion.

...

Heavenly Abyss Mountain, the absolute peak.

An elegant and quiet courtyard sat peacefully here.

The courtyard was not large: a few bamboo huts, a stone table, a few ancient pines, and a spiritual spring. It was simple but exuded the charm of the Great Dao's simplicity.

This was exactly the style of Gu Changyuan's residence in the Heavenly Human Sect of the Nine Heavens Realm back then.

Clearly, after his disappearance, Ye Qingxue and the others had relocated and rebuilt it exactly as it was here, meticulously maintaining it all along as the highest-level forbidden ground and spiritual symbol of the Holy Land.

Four figures silently appeared in the open space in the center of the courtyard.

Gu Xing'er obediently hid behind Gu Changyuan, curiously blinking her large eyes to observe the unfamiliar yet very comfortable environment.

Dugu Shiling, who had just been on the ninetieth step of the Immortal Ascension Terrace, suddenly appeared in this fairyland-like place the next moment. Standing before her were the Third Ancestor of the Holy Land and that mysterious senior who had reached the summit. Her mind went completely blank, and she could only instinctively remain quiet.

In front of Gu Changyuan stood Bai Ling'er, whose eyes were still red.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, his voice gentler than usual:

"Ling'er, I..."

Before he could finish speaking, the purple figure seemed to finally snap its last string.

"Master!!!"

A cry laced with tears, seemingly accumulating a thousand years of calling, suddenly erupted.

Bai Ling'er could no longer restrain herself. Like a child lost for a millennium who had finally found the way home, she used all her strength and threw herself fiercely into Gu Changyuan's embrace.

Her hands locked tightly around Gu Changyuan's waist, burying her face deeply into his chest. The tears she had suppressed for so long instantly surged out.

She cried without any regard for her image, weeping uncontrollably, her tears quickly soaking the lapel of Gu Changyuan's robe.

In that crying, there was the ecstasy of regaining what was lost, the grievance of a thousand years of waiting, and the fear buried deep in her heart.

She had been afraid that her Master was truly gone. In the past, no matter how often her Master went out, he would always come back to see them once a year.

But a thousand years ago, her Master suddenly lost all contact, and the disciples of her Master in the Heavenly Demon Pavilion and the Heavenly Fiend Sect were also unable to make any connection.

At first, they were extremely worried, fearing that something had happened to their Master and that he would never return.

But they still remembered their Master's words. He had said that as long as they could build the sect well and make it prosper, he would definitely be fine.

Thus, the ten founding disciples of the Heavenly Human Sect, following the rules and resources left behind by their Master, began to develop the sect with even greater dedication.

For a thousand years, they never stopped searching, yet they still found absolutely nothing.