The carriage traveled through the night.
After putting down the Luoshan Token that had just sent out a message, Gu Chengyin looked down at the fairy in his arms.
Lin Qingyan maintained the same posture, her forehead resting against the hollow of his shoulder, her entire body curled up in his embrace.
Her breathing had steadied, no longer as fragmented and trembling as before, but her fingers were still tightly gripping his lapels.
Gu Chengyin did not move, continuing to hold Lin Qingyan in his arms.
He let the carriage carry them through the sleepless night of Luodu.
Until faint voices could be heard from outside the carriage.
"Lord Jingzhe, Junior Preceptor Gu, we have arrived." The driver's voice was very respectful.
The carriage came to a halt.
Gu Chengyin looked down at the fairy in his arms and called out softly,
"Little Aunt."
There was no response.
Lin Qingyan's eyelashes drooped, resting motionlessly against her lower eyelids.
Was she asleep?
Gu Chengyin furrowed his brows slightly and called out again,
"Lin Qingyan."
Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes.
Meeting Gu Chengyin's gaze, she did not look away.
"Are we here?"
Lin Qingyan's voice was a bit hoarse, carrying the weakness of someone who had overdrawn their strength.
Gu Chengyin nodded.
"We have arrived at the Celestial Master Mansion."
Lin Qingyan lowered her eyelashes and, using Gu Chengyin's arm for support, slowly sat up.
After sitting up straight, she paused, as if waiting for a wave of dizziness to pass.
"I am fine now."
Gu Chengyin did not say anything; he simply stood up first and lifted the carriage curtain.
Outside, it was brightly lit.
The cultivators of the Celestial Master Mansion were lined up in two rows outside the gates.
Starting from the main entrance, they extended along the bluestone pathway all the way to the end of sight.
Everyone wore uniform celestial master robes with jade plaques hanging at their waists, their hair tied up high and secured with identical sandalwood hairpins.
No one was whispering to each other.
No one was looking around.
They simply stood there with lowered eyes, hands folded in front of them, waiting for the people in the carriage with the most standard posture of respectful welcome.
Gu Chengyin stepped down from the carriage first.
Standing by the shafts, he turned back and reached out his hand into the carriage.
Relying on his support, Lin Qingyan stepped out of the carriage, her footing still somewhat unsteady.
But it was much better than just now at Fanlou.
After steadying herself, she raised her eyes and swept her gaze over the two rows of cultivators.
The moment her gaze swept past, those cultivators bowed their heads even lower.
No one dared to look her directly in the eye.
This was awe.
It was a heartfelt awe that came from witnessing the judgment that had just torn across the night sky.
The name of Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion had circulated in the Great Luo cultivation world for decades.
Starting from when she formed her Golden Core, from every time she struck, every enemy she slayed, every time she made her opponents tremble at the mere mention of her name.
This title had long been branded into the soul of every cultivator in the Celestial Master Mansion.
But a title was ultimately just a title.
It was nowhere near as shocking as seeing it with one's own eyes.
Tonight, the commoners of Luodu saw the lightning that tore through the night sky.
Tonight, these cultivators of the Celestial Master Mansion saw exactly whose hands that lightning bloomed from.
Fighting three against one.
Was this merely a Golden Core?
Gu Chengyin supported Lin Qingyan as they stepped onto the pathway.
No one spoke.
There was only the subtle sound of footsteps stepping on the bluestone, and the rustling of robes fluttering in the night wind.
They walked through the pathway, passed through the main gate of the Celestial Master Mansion, and crossed the first and second courtyards.
Finally, they stopped at a spacious open plaza.
This was the inner plaza of the Celestial Master Mansion.
It was paved with large, solid blocks of white marble, each polished so smoothly it could reflect a person's image.
Twelve stone pillars stood around the plaza, their tops carved with Daoist runes. Faint fluctuations of spiritual energy flowed through them, serving as the array cores for the mansion's grand protective formation.
The center of the plaza was completely empty.
Only the night wind swept through the empty space, carrying a faint, whimpering sound.
Lin Qingyan came to a halt.
She let go of Gu Chengyin's hand and took something out from her robes.
Gu Chengyin looked down.
It was a tiny, pagoda-shaped artifact.
It was pitch-black all over, neither metal nor jade; its material was unidentifiable.
It was only about three inches tall, resting in her palm like a delicate toy.
Holding the object, Lin Qingyan gently tossed it toward the empty center of the plaza.
The object flipped three times in the air.
Then it began to grow larger.
It began to grow.
It was as if an invisible hand was layering it up; in one breath it grew a foot taller, in three breaths it grew ten feet, and in five breaths...
A familiar precious pagoda suddenly appeared right in the middle of the plaza.
The Heart-Calming Pagoda.
This was Lin Qingyan's natal artifact.
It was her sanctuary.
Lin Qingyan turned her head.
Her gaze passed over Gu Chengyin and landed three steps behind him.
An old man was standing there.
Gu Chengyin followed her gaze.
It was unknown when the old man had appeared.
He stood there wearing a dusty gray old robe, his graying hair tied up with an ordinary wooden hairpin.
He had a lean and clear face, with three strands of long beard under his chin fluttering gently in the night wind.
He was looking at the suddenly materialized Heart-Calming Pagoda, complex emotions in his eyes.
Lin Qingyan withdrew her gaze and looked at Gu Chengyin.
"I need to rest and recover for the night."
"During this time, Elder Qiu will protect you in my stead."
Hearing this, Gu Chengyin turned to face the old man, cupping his hands and bowing deeply.
"I will have to trouble Elder Qiu."
A glimmer flashed in Elder Qiu's eyes as he smiled and waved his hand.
His smile was very warm, like a neighborly elder looking at a polite junior.
"It is merely lifting a finger."
"Jingzhe, rest well."
He looked at Lin Qingyan and gave a slight nod.
"I will take good care of Junior Preceptor Gu."
Lin Qingyan said no more, turning around and walking toward the Heart-Calming Pagoda.
Gu Chengyin stood in place, watching her walk up to the pagoda's doors.
Then her figure disappeared into the darkness beyond the doors.
The pagoda doors slowly closed.
Gu Chengyin stared at the tightly shut doors, not looking away for a long time.
Meanwhile, Elder Qiu had stepped up beside him at some unknown point.
With one hand behind his back and the other stroking his long beard.
He was also looking at the Heart-Calming Pagoda, the complex emotions in his eyes not yet fully dissipated.
"To think that Jingzhe has actually become even stronger."
Elder Qiu turned his head and looked at Gu Chengyin.
Those eyes, steeped in the passage of time, were now full of emotion.
"Truly worthy of being her biological younger sister."
Gu Chengyin did not reply; he remained standing there motionless, his hands clasped behind his back.
But from all directions, countless figures had silently emerged.
Forming an encirclement, they trapped Gu Chengyin within.
Killing intent permeated the air.
Only then did Gu Chengyin let out a sigh and say,
"Elder Qiu, isn't this a bit too hasty?"
Standing beside him, Elder Qiu replied without a care,
"Forgive me, Junior Preceptor Gu, but the mandate of heaven is truly hard to defy."
Gu Chengyin continued to stare at the Heart-Calming Pagoda, speaking without even turning his head,
"Elder Qiu, don't you wonder why I dared to come here alone?"
Hearing these words, a solemn expression appeared on Elder Qiu's face; this was also his greatest doubt.
A man's reputation precedes him.
Just like the deterrent power of Jingzhe of the Celestial Master Mansion, Gu Chengyin was no ordinary person.
This man's name could be said to be thunderously famous throughout the officialdom of Great Luo.
For such a stunningly brilliant figure, since he could see through the ambush at Fanlou...
...it was impossible for him not to know that the Celestial Master Mansion of Luodu had received a secret edict from Emperor Luo.
The contents of the secret edict were very simple: kill Gu Chengyin at an opportune moment.
Yet even so, Gu Chengyin still accompanied Lin Qingyan here.
Moreover, he came completely alone.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
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!
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
