After exchanging a few brief words with the two, Gu Changyuan turned sideways and raised his hand, inviting them to the Heavenly Palace's guest hall for a chat.
His movements were casual and natural, devoid of any unnecessary formality.
The two naturally did not refuse and followed Gu Changyuan into the guest hall.
When Gu Changyuan’s thirty-three disciples saw that the visitors were acquainted with their master, half of their wariness melted away.
Though their vigilance subsided, the disciples did not disperse. Instead, they followed their master into the hall.
Yin Hong and Ben Yansi swept their gazes over the thirty-three disciples behind Gu Changyuan, a flicker of shock flashing in their eyes.
Thirty-three individuals, their cultivation levels uneven, ranging from Human Immortal to True Immortal.
In the eyes of an Immortal Emperor, such cultivation was essentially no different from having none at all.
But cultivation was one thing; aura was another.
The thirteen human disciples each bore the aura of a Dao Body—every single physique a rarity that would appear only once in tens of thousands of years in the immortal realm.
As Immortal Emperors, they could sense the resonance between those Dao Bodies and the laws of heaven and earth. The stronger the resonance, the purer the physique and the deeper the potential.
As for the ten demonic cultivator disciples, Su Jiu'er and Yin Wuji lingered their gazes even longer.
Being of the demonic race themselves, their perception of demonic seeds was far keener than any human cultivator.
The demonic seed auras radiating from those ten disciples were clearly no ordinary demonic seeds—at least Holy Demonic Seeds, and many were of the Formless Demonic Seed variety.
Back in the Ruins of Chaos, their understanding of the Xuan Sha Ruins Lord had been sparse.
All they knew was that this man was exceptionally strong—strong enough to claim the top of the Ruins of Chaos, strong enough to kill enemies even they dared not provoke.
But they did not know his origins, his past, where he came from, or why he had appeared in the Ruins of Chaos.
Their perception of him had always been limited to the surface: “Very strong, very mysterious, do not provoke.”
So when they saw Gu Changyuan again, they encountered not just a benefactor who had once helped them, but a figure they had never truly understood.
His cultivation was unfathomable, and every single one of his disciples possessed a top-tier physique.
Gu Changyuan gestured for the two to sit on the guest chairs, then walked to the host seat, settled down, and began conversing with them.
For the most part, however, they were the ones asking about him.
Gu Changyuan did not hide much.
He gave a rough account of how he had founded three major forces in the Nine Empyrean Realm—the Heavenly Human Sacred Land, the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, and the Heavenly Demon Sect standing in a tripartite balance—his disciples’ growth, and the expansion of his influence.
Then he spoke of being swept away by a spatial rift and accidentally falling into the Ruins of Chaos.
Afterward, he returned to the Nine Empyrean Realm, led his forces and disciples in ascending to the immortal realm, annihilated the Lan Yu Immortal Sect, and established the Heavenly Court.
The two listened intently, without interrupting or interjecting.
When Gu Changyuan finished, they fell silent for a moment.
Then Ben Yansi spoke.
“I see that most of the Heavenly Court’s members are cultivators who have only recently entered the immortal realm—mostly from the younger generation. If you are to contend with the Imperial Court in the future, they will still need considerable time to grow.”
He did not question Gu Changyuan’s intentions, nor did he say “you can’t do it.”
His tone sounded more like he was stating a fact, a reality that needed to be acknowledged.
Given Gu Changyuan’s current strength, he could hold his own against the Imperial Court’s Immortal Emperors—Ben Yansi had seen Gu Changyuan fight in the Ruins of Chaos and knew that his battle prowess could not be measured by ordinary standards.
But the Imperial Court had eight Immortal Emperors, plus one ‘Monarch,’ and tens of thousands of Imperial Court cultivators.
Relying on Gu Changyuan alone might prove very troublesome.
He saw the talent in Gu Changyuan’s disciples and recognized their future potential, but the future was the future, and the present was the present.
The current Heavenly Court, if faced with a full-scale assault from the Imperial Court, would not hold out for long.
Gu Changyuan leaned back in the host seat, his gaze calm as he looked at Ben Yansi.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a faint curve—slight, but oozing confidence.
“Don’t worry. The disciples here in the Heavenly Court are all from the younger generation of cultivators.”
His voice was not loud, but it rang out clearly in the quiet guest hall.
“The five great families of the Central Continent have all joined the Heavenly Court. Their Immortal Emperors and Immortal Kings, being bound by the Imperial Court’s karma lock, are currently not stationed here in the Heavenly Court.”
Gu Changyuan swept his gaze from Ben Yansi to Yin Hong, then from Yin Hong across the thirty-three disciples in the hall, and finally back to Ben Yansi’s face.
“However, if we truly need them, we can summon them at any time through the teleportation arrays. Not ‘within a day or two’—‘at any time.’”
Yin Hong and Ben Yansi exchanged a glance, and a shared understanding flashed in their eyes.
So that was it.
The Immortal Emperors and Immortal Kings of the five immortal families, locked by the Imperial Court, had not appeared in the Heavenly Court—not because the Heavenly Court lacked Immortal Emperor-level combat power, but because they had to remain hidden to avoid detection by the Imperial Court.
If the Imperial Court learned that the Immortal Emperors of the five immortal families had collectively joined the Heavenly Court, they would no longer underestimate this newly born force.
When that happened, the Heavenly Court would not face a ‘probe’ but a ‘full-force strike.’
Remaining hidden, staying outside the Heavenly Court, preserving strength, and waiting for the right moment—this was indeed a sound strategy.
It would avoid prematurely exposing the Heavenly Court’s true power, prevent the Imperial Court from being alerted ahead of time, and keep the young disciples out of danger.
Yin Hong was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Ben Yansi.
Ben Yansi looked back at her.
Their eyes met for an instant, and something flowed in that gaze.
It was the kind of unspoken understanding shared between two people who had survived life-and-death trials together.
They had met in the Ruins of Chaos, married there, and survived there.
They owed Gu Changyuan their lives—a very real debt, for if he had not intervened back then, they would have died on that wasteland.
That debt had stayed with them, and they had always wondered how to repay it.
Now, an opportunity had come.
Yin Hong withdrew her gaze and looked back at Gu Changyuan.
She leaned forward slightly in her seat, her eyes carrying a serious, solemn light.
Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear and firm.
“Would you consider allowing my husband and me to join the Heavenly Court?”
Gu Changyuan’s brows lifted slightly.
“Back then, with your help, we managed to escape danger. We also said that if you ever needed us, we would be ready to lend a hand. Those words were not mere politeness or empty talk—they were sincere.”
She paused and glanced at Ben Yansi.
Ben Yansi said nothing, but his gaze said it all—it said, “I feel the same.”
“Now that your goal is the Imperial Court, my husband and I may have only recently stepped into the Immortal Emperor realm, our foundations still shallow and far from matching those old-guard Immortal Emperors. But we, too, have undergone the trials of the Ruins of Chaos, walked through seas of blood and mountains of corpses, and survived battles against enemies far stronger than ourselves.”
Her voice carried no trace of self-deprecation, no “I’m not really good enough but I’ll try” attitude.
She was stating facts.
Immortal Emperor at the early stage—it was indeed not strong among Immortal Emperors.
But they had combat experience accumulated in the Chaos Ruins, the instinct to survive in desperate situations, and the courage to never retreat when facing a stronger enemy.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of Gu Changyuan's mouth.
It was not a grand smile—even somewhat slight—but everyone present could see that it was a genuine, heartfelt expression of joy.
"Of course."
His voice was calm, yet warm.
"Welcome to the Heavenly Court."
He rose to his feet and extended his right hand.
Ben Yansi stood up as well, a smile on his face, and reached out to shake Gu Changyuan's hand.
Gu Changyuan smiled back.
"Then from now on, we are on the same side.
Let me first take you to choose a residence, and then I'll show you around."
"Very well."
Yin Hong also stood up, then followed Ben Yansi as Gu Changyuan led them out of the reception hall.
Ye Qingxue and the others had listened to their master's conversation with the two Immortal Emperors for an hour. Watching the three depart, they did not follow and instead returned to their own residence.
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!
u Chenyuan transmigrated into a female-oriented novel about a real and fake heiress, becoming the CEO elder brother of both. Unfortunately, the entire Lu family—including himself, the CEO—were mere cannon fodder in the story. Determined to save himself, Lu Chenyuan took action. The spoiled, attention-seeking fake heiress? Thrown into the harsh realities of the working class to learn humility. The love-struck real heiress? Pushed toward academic excellence, so lofty goals would blind her to trivial romances. As for the betrayed, vengeful arranged marriage wife… the plot hadn’t even begun yet. There was still time—if he couldn’t handle her, he could at least avoid her. "CEO Lu, are you avoiding me?" Mo Qingli fixed her gaze on Lu Chenyuan. For the first time, the shrewd and calculating Lu Chenyuan felt a flicker of unease.
ng to die together with you." Lin Xuan is dead, his body thrown into the river by his scumbag lover and her accomplice. She, the president of the Su Group, is decisive, ruthless, and ice-cold. For three days and three nights, she had his body fished out of the river, and without hesitation, she kissed the bloated corpse of Lin Xuan. She laid down beside him in a cold coffin, their fingers intertwined, a smile lingering on her lips as she closed her eyes. The noble and cold-hearted woman, only bending for one man—Lin Xuan. Lin Xuan, with his golden finger, is reborn and returns to the day of his wedding to the treacherous woman. Su Qiang comes to steal the bride. Lin Xuan's eyes light up, eager to pledge his loyalty on the spot, but instead, her kiss transfers a glass of drugged wine into his mouth, causing him to pass out... 【Male Protagonist with Single Female Lead】【Yandere Tycoon】【Action-Packed】【True vs. Fake Heir】
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
