The entire Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace was in an uproar due to what happened on the day of Gu Changge's return. Many disciples busied themselves in the discussion about the matter in the various Immortal peaks, and even many of the Elders felt that they should intervene before matters turned for the worse.
Many speculated that Jin Zhou wouldn't give up, and would certainly avenge his little brother. After all, there was already a grudge between him and Gu Changge.
What surprised everyone, though, was the fact that Jin Zhou went into closed-door training, and no news came from his side over this matter.
As a True Disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, every move made by Jin Zhou would attract the attention of countless people. The fact that he chose to avoid conflict by retreating into seclusion shocked many!
As a Young Supreme, Jin Zhou had already lost badly at Gu Changge's hands when he suppressed his cultivation down to Gu Changge's level, so people guessed that he no longer had the guts to fight against Gu Changge now that his cultivation had overtaken Jin Zhou's.
This matter caused even more waves in the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace!
All of them were Young Supremes, and they had reached their current heights after working hard. They were arrogant youths who wouldn't back down easily, so Jin Zhou's actions puzzled everyone. Even his flocks of followers felt uneasy in their hearts. Although they held confidence in Jin Zhou, Jin Zhou's act of refusing to take on such a challenge made certain thoughts rise in their hearts.
Why did he go into closed-door training right now? Was he really afraid of Gu Changge?
If this matter hadn't caused a deep enough earthquake, then the appearance of the Great Elder, who hadn't appeared for a long time, did. Not only did he appear without warning, but he also had a girl dressed in blue next to him.
Many disciples immediately recognized the identity of the girl in blue — she was the girl because of whom Gu Changge almost slapped Jin Yu to death outside the gate of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace. There were rumors that she was a member of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family; more than that, there were rumors that she was Gu Changge's little sister!
It's just that the two seemed to have some sort of grudge between them.
The sudden appearance of the Great Elder drew the attention of many disciples of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, and many even speculated that the Great Elder intended to accept the girl in blue as his disciple.
One had to know that the Great Elder of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace was a figure who stood at the peak of the Upper Realm, and he had an unfathomable cultivation base. The disciples he once accepted were now absolute hegemons over massive territory of the Upper Realm. Just a stomp of their foot could send waves throughout the Upper Realm!
If the Great Elder truly intended to accept the girl in blue as his disciples, then there would be another True Disciple in the ranks of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace. In terms of seniority, even many ancient behemoths wouldn't be able to compare to her.
Another massive wave went through the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace after this matter came out. Before long, the girl in blue's identity was discovered by some cultivators: 'Gu Xian'er, 17 years old, extremely talented, and already at the Saint Realm.'
As for her origins, few could tell.
However, some people heard the Great Elder praise Gu Xian'er as the reincarnation of a supreme Immortal, Darling of the Dao, and the genius with an unparalleled foundation matched by none.
Once these words came out, another wave went through the world. One had to know that back when Gu Changge joined the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, the Great Elder had hardly said a few words of compliment.
Could this be that the girl in blue had a talent even greater than Gu Changge's?
The other person who attracted everyone's attention was Chu Wuji. Many saw him bring a bunch of his followers to visit the Great Elder's place of seclusion.
[In the Heavenly Dao Ancient City outside the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace.]
Gu Changge tasted the wine in his cup with a smile, and a look of intrigue on his face. Right now, he was sitting inside a magnificent hall.
In front of him stood a stunning woman with incomparable charm radiating from her every movement. Right now, she stood before him with a fearful and awe-inspiring expression.
The woman's eyes appeared watery, as if they could swallow a person with a single gaze. Behind her, a bunch of snow-white foxtails moved up and down, appearing lustrous and snow-white.
If some mighty figures saw her, they would exclaim in shock at the realization that she was a powerful descendant of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Family!
Moreover, judging from the number of foxtails behind the woman, it was clear that she didn't hold a low status in the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Family — her identity had to be extremely noble in the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Family!
Of course, if the disciples of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace saw her here, they would be even more shocked. After all, the woman was none other than Yin Mei, one of the strongest among the True Disciples of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace.
She was the Holy Maiden of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Family, an extremely mysterious and supreme existence among her peers.
"Master…"
Right then, Yin Mei called out to Gu Changge. Her gorgeous, snow-white face could be seen painted in fear and shame. One of her fluffy fox tail was in Gu Changge's hands, and his caressing made her almost unable to stand on her feet.
"This is the cure for your Heart's Demon."
Gu Changge threw a weird-looking pill towards her while playing with the fluffy tail in his hand. As soon as Yin Mei got her hands on the pill, she swallowed it without hesitation, and then heaved a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, Master."
Gu Changge nodded, and the expression on his face was such that she couldn't guess just what went through his mind.
Right now, he was looking through his Original's memories.
Yin Mei was the most mysterious of the five main True Disciples of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, so much so that few could see her on normal days.
A few years back, she ran into Gu Changge in an underground cave during an expedition inside a Secret Realm of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace. Coincidentally, she encountered Gu Changge right when he was using his [Immortal Devouring Demonic Art] to devour the origin of a bunch of cultivators.
She was shocked by the incomprehensible encounter!
She never thought that Gu Changge, the brightest True Disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, would turn out to be an inheritor of such Devil Arts!
At that time, the two ended up fighting. Yin Mei wasn't weak, and she had quite a few life-saving powers and means. Unless he used the [Immortal Devouring Demonic Art], Gu Changge wouldn't have been able to defeat or kill her.
For that reason, Gu Changge used his ultimate trump card, and brought out his true cultivation base to send Yin Mei down the road of despair.
She wasn't willing to die, so she surrendered before Gu Changge. Obviously, Gu Changge didn't trust her, so he used a Heart's Demon together with a Demonic [Great Dao Treasured Bottle] to bind her.
The Heart's Demon would attack her once every six months, so she would need an antidote from him to suppress it, or it would gnaw at her heart and devour it until it killed her.
As for the [Great Dao Treasured Bottle]? It was naturally an extra layer of protection for him.
Gu Changge didn't have any more Heart's Demons. They needed a lot of materials to refine, and the process to create them was also complicated beyond reason.
After thinking about it for a while, Gu Changge decided to let Lin Qiuhan refine some for him. Of course, he would need to be the one to do the most important part of the process as it involved the use of his Devil Arts.
"How is the collection going?"
Gu Changge's mind finally came out of its trip down memory lane, and he asked with a mutter after letting go of the tail in his hand. The feeling of playing with the tail reminded him of the feeling of playing with a cat in his previous life.
Of course, he was the only one who dared to treat someone from the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Family's tail as a cat he could play with. If someone else touched their tail, they would definitely have their hands chopped off!
"Report to Master, I have collected a lot of geniuses with special physiques over the last half a year. I have already confirmed that there's nothing to worry about their identity or background. Right now, all of them are imprisoned in the dungeon."
"In addition, I have also excavated and stolen the ancient corpses of powerhouses belonging to various Races. Their essence is still preserved, so they can also help Master!"
Yin Mei replied after hearing his words, and didn't dare speak more than necessary. She understood Gu Changge's terror more than others, so she feared him even more than others.
Moreover, she also understood well that the only reason Gu Changge kept her around was the large business industry of her Nine-Tailed Celestial Immortal Family that was spread throughout the Upper Realm.
Not only could she help him get all sorts of news and information, but she could also help him gather cultivation resources.
That's right, they were merely cultivation resources!
All those geniuses with various physiques were nothing more than nourishment for Gu Changge that he absorbed using his [Immortal Devouring Demonic Art].
There were innumerable creatures in the Upper Realm, so there was no lack of geniuses with special physiques and talents!
Yin Mei contributed greatly to Gu Changge's current cultivation base of Half-Step Heavenly God Realm; she could be regarded as his closest confidant.
Still, she didn't truly belong to him as she had merely surrendered out of fear to keep her own life.
"Good job."
Gu Changge praised her. Afterwards, he went down to the dungeon that was right below the hall they were sitting in.
With all the resources he gathered for him over the past half a year, it won't take him long to break through to the Heavenly God Realm!
...
[In the depths of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace.]
A lonely mountain that was thousands of feet tall floated in the Void. Immortal flowers and divine beasts were scattered all over the mountain, giving it a peaceful and aloof appearance.
An old man with an amiable face and Immortal-like visage seemed to be fishing for something as he saw at the peak of the mountain. The old man's eyes showed a deep expression, as if they reflected the eternal Heaven itself.
This old man was the Great Elder of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, an ancient behemoth who had lived through countless eras!
Beside him stood a girl dressed in blue who watched him with a confused and curious expression. She could see clouds fly under them, and wondered what the Great Elder was trying to catch with his fishing line.
"Great Elder, what are you trying to catch?"
Gu Xian'er finally couldn't hold herself back and asked.
She had finally joined the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, and the Great Elder indeed intended to take her as his disciple. It's just that she still needed to do something first.
"Obviously, I am fishing for a person."
The Great responded cheerfully.
Gu Xian'er couldn't help but curl her lips at his response. She was already used to such riddle-like words from him.
"Since you came here, you must want to defeat your brother and get back what he took away from you, right?"
The Great Elder suddenly asked. The look in his eyes turned even deeper, and it was as if he could see through anything and everything.
"I already have a new bone, so I don't need to take anything back."
Gu Xian'er turned silent for a moment after hearing his words, and then said, "But I will certainly avenge myself, and get justice for all the pain he put me and everyone through."
"Good, you sure are ambitious even though you are so young! You deserve to be the disciple fancied by that old monster."
The Great Elder's smile showed no change, and he continued, "Gu Changge is too devilish; I felt his demonic nature on the day I met him for the first time! I am sure he wanted to use your Dao Bone to hide his own demonic nature. After all, even the Ancient Immortal Gu Family wouldn't want a devil in their midst."
"No matter what happens, we can't make him the heir of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace."
"Xian'er, I can accept you as my disciple, but you must first prove that you can surpass Gu Changge."
Gu Xian'er's fists tightened as she heard his words, and she asked, "Great Elder, how can I prove myself?"
"The Heavenly Dao Road! You simply need to break Gu Changge's record. Can you do it?"
The Great Elder asked with a smile.
Gu Xian'er was taken aback for a moment. She naturally knew about the Heavenly Dao Road of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace. It was said to be the most mysterious and difficult roads that one could walk upon in the Upper Realm.
For the Heavenly Geniuses who joined the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, just one more step on this Road could bring them great joy and pride. It represented their talent and future heights, and going far on the Heavenly Dao Road would be enough to make their name resound throughout the Upper Realm.
"I can do it!"
Gu Xian'er responded with a resolute expression.
The Great Elder smiled at her determined response, and said, "You sure are confident! Do you know that Gu Changge overpowered all of his peers back then, and set a new record in the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace that no one in the hundred thousand years before him could achieve?"
"Oh, someone got hooked!"
As he said that, the Great Elder pulled back his fishing line. The clouds and mist in front of him surged, and a golden dragon-like figure with a dazzling body and a dignified aura burst through the clouds.
"This one pays respects to the Great Elder!"
The golden dragon-like figure landed on the ground and turned into a mighty and brave youth in a golden armor. He was Chu Wuji, a True Disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace.