Master, Welcome Home

However, how could Gu Changyuan's attack be so simple?

Just as the sword shadow on the side was dissipated by the Rewind—

Swish!

Another chaotic sword shadow of the same size and might appeared without warning from the other side of the four demons.

Lu Jiuyi let out a low growl, knowing he could no longer defend passively.

Divine Ability—Guardian Physique.

The Nine-Tailed Luwu bloodline boiled within him, and his figure instantly shot up in height.

Behind him, the phantoms of nine tiger tails surged, like nine divine whips.

He neither dodged nor evaded, elevating his defense and strength to the absolute limit as his nine tiger tails whipped fiercely forward with all their might.

Clang!!!

A deafening metallic clash exploded, sounding like tens of thousands of massive bells ringing simultaneously.

Lu Jiuyi's nine tiger tails collided viciously with the chaotic sword shadow, bursting with blinding sparks and ripples of energy.

Sun Buhuo roared and followed closely behind. His body expanded once more, transforming into a mountain-like giant ape.

Divine Ability—Mountain-Moving True Form.

With clenched fists wreathed in chaotic energy and berserk magnetic forces, he ruthlessly smashed into the side of the sword shadow's blade.

Boom!!!

With Lu Jiuyi taking it head-on and Sun Buhuo striking fiercely from the side, the two destructive forces acted simultaneously.

The chaotic sword shadow could no longer hold up and completely shattered, dissipating into a sky full of chaotic air currents.

Clap, clap, clap...

Crisp applause, carrying undisguised appreciation and gratification, came from above everyone's heads.

Lu Jiuyi, Xiang Xuanyin, Sun Buhuo, and Zhu Jiuyin—the four demons, all with slightly disordered auras at this moment—immediately looked up upon hearing the sound, their gazes shooting like lightning toward the source.

Then, the solemnity, vigilance, and gloom on the faces of the four demons... all their expressions completely froze as if turned to ice the moment they saw the newcomer clearly.

Their pupils abruptly shrank to the size of pinpricks!

Their mouths parted slightly in unconscious shock. Their bodies seemed nailed to the spot by an invisible force.

High in the sky, a familiar figure they had missed for a full one thousand one hundred years was standing in the air, wearing a gentle smile and gazing softly down at them.

If it wasn't their master, Gu Changyuan, who else could it be?!

And standing safe and sound beside their master were Ye Qingxue, Yue Lingxi, and Luo Qingchen—the three senior/junior sisters who were supposed to face a life-and-death tribulation according to Bai Zeming's prophecy.

It went without saying—their master had returned long ago and arrived a step ahead, using supreme methods to resolve their martial sisters' fatal crisis!

Immense shock, unbelievable ecstasy, yearning that spanned a millennium, the relief of surviving a calamity...

Master!

In the next second, the four figures shot forward like arrows released from a bowstring, instantly closing the short distance between them and rushing up to Gu Changyuan together.

They stared intently at Gu Changyuan's face, feeling his aura that was both familiar yet seemingly much more profound and vast. They didn't even dare to blink, as if blinking would shatter this beautiful illusion.

Looking at his four disciples who were so excited they could barely contain themselves, Gu Changyuan also felt a myriad of emotions in his heart.

He spoke first, his voice gentle and clear, breaking the intensely emotional, almost solid atmosphere:

Your response and teamwork just now were very good. Your judgment of timing, use of divine abilities, and mutual support were all excellent.

It seems that you have not slacked off over this millennium. Not only have you grown up, but you have also become much stronger. As your master, I am very pleased.

A simple sentence of affirmation acted as the most effective reassurance and the highest praise, instantly transforming the surging excitement in the hearts of the four demon disciples into indescribable pride and satisfaction.

Alright, this is not the place for a long catch-up.

Gu Changyuan swept his gaze around and continued.

We can talk as we go. Let's return to the Sky Demon Pavilion first. Your eldest senior sister must be anxious waiting.

With that, he waved his right hand, and a gentle force lifted everyone up, speeding away toward the Azure Nether Demon Domain, where the Sky Demon Pavilion was located.

......

During their few days of travel, whenever Gu Changyuan had free time, he would once again recount to Lu Jiuyi and the other three his experiences in the Ruins of Disorder over the past millennium, as well as how he managed to arrive at the Outer Realm just in time to save the three women.

Soon, the towering black obelisk and the ten surrounding pavilions of various styles came clearly into view.

Gu Changyuan and his group did not deliberately hide their auras.

When they flew directly above the Sky Demon Pavilion, ten auras of varying strengths spread clearly throughout the entire pavilion.

Tushan Youyao, Lan Caiyou, Bai Zeming, Ye Canglan, and Chi Huang all noticed the commotion immediately.

The disciples of the Sky Demon Pavilion's top ten pavilions were also drawn by this unusual aura. They walked out of their pavilions and looked up at the sky, their eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.

Tushan Youyao was sitting in the quiet room of the First Pavilion. The moment she sensed the auras, the threads of karma at her fingertips suddenly stopped.

She had no vigilance at all—those were the auras of Lu Jiuyi and the other three, as well as the auras of Ye Qingxue, Yue Lingxi, and Luo Qingchen. They were all on the same side.

This finally slightly loosened the string in her heart that had been taut for days, but it was immediately replaced by a massive doubt.

It was too fast!

According to her estimates, no matter how fast Lu Jiuyi and the other three were, it would take time for them to reach the depths of the Outer Realm. Scouting, receiving, and even potential battles would take even more time, and the return journey would be the same.

But now, from the time the warning was issued to their complete return, how many days had passed?

Unless... they met Senior Sister Ye and the others, who had already escaped danger, halfway there?

Or, the matter in the Outer Realm was quickly resolved in a way that far exceeded expectations and was simply unimaginable?

Almost at the same time, Bai Zeming in the Eighth Pavilion also sensed it.

He frowned slightly, the doubt in his heart even greater than Tushan Youyao's.

Ever since he was swallowed by that mysterious dark cage while prying into karma last time, and then rescued by that familiar Hmm?,

he tried to sense the karma of the life tribulations of Ye Qingxue and the other two women again, only to find that it was a chaotic blank.

This left him completely baffled and vaguely uneasy.

Now, they had returned so quickly and completely unscathed. What exactly happened in between?

Five streaks of flowing light flew out from the pavilion roofs almost simultaneously, quickly arriving directly above the Sky Demon Pavilion and hovering not far in front of Gu Changyuan's group.

But the moment they clearly saw the leading figure, the expressions of Tushan Youyao and the other four froze in unison. The demonic power around their bodies instantly fell into chaos, and even their breathing stopped for several breaths.

That figure was the appearance etched deep into their souls, the one they had searched for over a millennium. It was their master, Gu Changyuan!

Tushan Youyao's beautiful eyes, which seemed capable of stealing souls, were locked onto Gu Changyuan without blinking.

It's... Master?! Is it really Master?!

At that moment, all kinds of emotions were like a breached dam, instantly washing away all her rationality and defenses.

Her eye sockets grew hot, and warm liquid almost uncontrollably threatened to burst forth.

But she was Tushan Youyao, the eldest senior sister of the Sky Demon Pavilion, the Demon Ancestor who ruled a domain and shook the Demon Realm with her might.

No matter how excited or aggrieved she felt, she could not lose her composure in front of the disciples, nor could she show too much vulnerability in front of her master.

A millennium of endurance had long been carved into her bones.

She took a deep breath, drawing upon her formidable willpower to force back the tears threatening to spill, leaving only a faint redness at the corners of her eyes.

Looking up, she fought to maintain a calm expression. Yet, her slightly trembling eyelashes and tightly pursed lips betrayed the tumultuous storm raging within her heart.

"Master, welcome home."