The Ancient Immortal Continent was very vast, its immortal mountains towered, melding together seamlessly to form the figure of a boundless dragon. It was as if they had truly entered a new realm altogether.
The atmosphere was filled with an ancient aura, making the place feel older than life itself.
Thick Immortal Mist floated between Heaven and Earth. In addition, small puddles of liquefied spiritual Qi could be seen littering the ground beneath like trash on an empty street.
For the Young Supremes of the Upper Realms, their first response after landing was to immediately group up with all of their disciples to avoid any mishaps or disputes. Being taken down one by one....was a situation that one should avoid at all costs.
In Ancient Immortal Continent, the enemies were not only the peers but also the natives living here.
No one dared make light of this matter and let their guard down.
Soon after the initial landings, Gu Changge also arrived with his group consisting of his personal followers and True Disciples from the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace. Their first destination? A lone valley.
The terrain was very flat, and a lake in the distance shimmered like emeralds, all made up of Qi.
"Master, where are we departing to?"
Among the followers, a large, Yaksha-looking being stomped out and asked Gu Changge.
"Towards the east."
Gu Changge pondered for a moment, before speaking a command.
He then glanced at Jin Zhou and the others behind him. To be frank, he didn't want to take these True Disciples with him. They were a hefty burden laid upon Gu Changge.
Of course, they were not weak, being Young Supremes themselves who had many followers of their own.
However, selfishness breeds dispute. If any opportunities arose, having so many self-centred bums around would make for quite the interesting shit-show. It'd be hard for them to keep quiet in the face of such fleeting opportunities. After all, everybody wants a slice of the pie in the end.
Unfortunately, Gu Changge himself is someone who loathes suffering any misfortune, so why should he waste his breathtaking action to prevent something that is bound to occur?
"Since Senior Brother Gu is going to the east, then I'll go to the west with everyone else. Afterwards, let us all find a way to meet in the middle area."
Jin Zhou and his followers weren't fools either. They were more likely to end up as free labour for Gu Changge than reap any real benefits while following him. Hence, they said their goodbyes and flew away.
Gu Changge's expression was indifferent; speaking now would be wasting his breath....
After all, this was precisely what he wanted.
Soon, only Yin Mei and the rest of Gu Changge's followers remained.
During this experience of the Ancient Immortal Continent, he did not let Yan Ji tag along, as it might end up exposing his relationship with her, which is not favourable at all.
Plus, with Yan Ji's cultivation base, she might not even be allowed inside.
The Ancient Immortal Continent....a special place where all the Young Supremes have to rely on themselves without the help or protection of any guardians or elders.
A perfect place for a slaughter~
For Gu Changge, a delectable day of 'hunting' seemed to inch ever closer.
As long as he formed an interest in any Young Supreme, they should forget about escaping. Being killed, devoured or put under the control of the Dao Bottle, these were their only options.
Obviously, acting subtly and staying hidden was a must.
When discovered, he'd simply fling the black pot directly onto Ye Ling's head.
"Let's go."
As Gu Changge spoke, he led everyone away to the east.
By his estimations, the people from Vermillion Bird Clan were exactly in this direction.
"Master, you asked me to find a suitable chance to approach Ye Ling. However, it seems that Ye Ling had sneaked in here. He might take the initiative to find me instead." Yin Mei shadowed Gu Changge, having her own thoughts about the matter.
Even their followers didn't understand her relationship with Gu Changge, so hiding it from Ye Ling and even tricking him was a piece of cake.
They had now been walking for half a day as Gu Change lamented his lacklustre fortune. Ten thousand miles and not a single native has been found! It made him wonder whether he had unintentionally stepped into some barren forbidden territory.
However, many opportunities still existed. He managed to locate many mystical herbs that had long vanished from the outside world. Their lifespan was wondrously long and their medicinal fragrance was abundant.
Although Gu Changge looked down upon these insignificant supplements, his followers were more than happy to collect and share them.
"This will not do...."
"The Ancient Immortal Continent exceeds my expectations. Perhaps I should have questioned the Great Elder for some general information regarding the geology here."
Gu Changge frowned.
Then, his majestic and vast spiritual sense swept down from the horizon like a surging wave.
There were no other cultivators here anyways. The risk of exposing the secret of his powerful Primordial Spirit wasn't worth mentioning anyway.
Gu Changge soon sensed Vermillion Bird Clan's aura, a little further ahead, at least a few thousand miles away.
However, a bit closer to where they were, the sound of battle came and a brilliant light pierced the sky.
One after another, the divine runes dazzled, shining across all directions. The warring parties were quite strong....they were at the Conferred King Realm at the very least.
Within Gu Changge's spiritual sense perception, he captured the image of a Young Supreme from Upper Realm attempting to capture a shimmering starlit Sword Grass.
It looked as magnificent as the constellations above. The silk-like web lines on the grass seemed to form the hot-blooded veins of battling stars, drowning out the night sky in their fury.
Strands of thrumming sword aura hung above the resting place of this tiny blade of grass, a strange scene appeared in the eyes of everyone.
The unnamed Young Supreme's opponent: a violent beast that was about to enter the True God Realm. The two fought each other furiously, inseparably, both wanting to fight till their last breath.
"Master, it seems someone is fighting in that direction."
Gu Changge stood expressionless on the mountain, a follower behind him asked with a puzzled face, "Are we going to take a look?"
"There's no need to intervene in such a situation."
Gu Changge waved his hand and said lightly.
Naturally, he was too lazy to care about squabbling children fighting for mere grass. The sole reason he even bothered with this Vermillion Bird Clan was to create an opportunity for Yin Mei.
As long as Yin Mei was not too far from him, the Dao Bottle Seal would act as a compass, revealing her location.
So what will happen if she was put right next to Ye Ling to keep track of him?
'If I just do that, then it would become easier to squeeze this leek dry.'
Yin Mei also realized Gu Changge's plan, the light in her eyes dancing slightly as she spoke, "Senior Brother Gu, we will part ways here."
She brought along her own followers too. This act she put up on the surface was done precisely to show them. Revealing the slightest flaw at this crucial moment would be detrimental, and it might even cause her death.
"Alright, Junior Sister Yin Mei. Please pay attention to your own safety."
Gu Changge nodded slowly.
Following that, he watched Yin Mei leave, seeing her rush pointedly towards the aftershocks of the battle ahead. She played it off as if she wished to intervene...
Gu Changge nodded with satisfaction, unable to stay disinterested.
Wasn't Ye Ling very fond of Yin Mei?
Now she had been sent, packaged neatly, for him specifically to create a "damsel in distress" scenario.
Would the 'hero' Ye Ling truly not appear?
Yin Mei went to snatch the sword grass at this time, deliberately showing a disadvantage. After a while, when Ye Ling should've begun to feel the fluctuations of the battle, Gu Changge believed that there was no way he'd miss a golden opportunity like this to act cool and try to save the damsel in distress.
'What a bland and repetitive routine. These Favoured Sons are so simple and predictable.'
Today's scene: teaching how to lure the 'love-struck' fools. Ye Ling would be so 'grateful' to him once he finds out the truth, though he'd be six feet under by then anyways.
Gu Changge didn't stop to witness this rescue scene and promptly left.
After all, there were still many schemes to consider.
The Ancient Immortal Continent proved to be immensely vast, but Gu Changge had his eyes dead set on one specific thing. The natives and their hiding spot. These primitive creatures held no appeal to him, but the temptation to find their Ancestral Graves was simply irresistible.
'Immortal Corpses'...Gu Changge daydreamed about obtaining them constantly and incessantly. Even if no Immortal Corpses are found, he'd make do with some Emperor Corpses as consolation.
That said, Gu Changge hoped these native ancestors weren't like the ancestors in the Gu Family, happy to just bury themselves beneath the ground when bored or throw themselves into coffins for amusement.
'Finding amusement in something like this....they are crazy and deprived people....'
....
Just when Gu Changge started looking for the natives in the Ancient Immortal Continent.
Gu Xian'er was happily skipping around, as she found countless treasures and benefits. The big red bird on her shoulder was not merely for show and possessed a treasure-seeking talent.
As long as there are treasures in sight, even if hidden deep within a mountain, nothing could escape the bird's all-seeing treasure eye. Afterwards, Gu Xian'er grubby paws which she had honed from looting all those Young Geniuses in the past, would pry it from the dead or living without fail.
The idiotically grinning pillager turned into a shimmering rainbow to move ahead, meeting many Conferred King Realm beasts ahead, though she took care of them with ease.
During this period of practice, her strength had grown exponentially, so it was not unreasonable.
However, Gu Xian'er soon met the disciples from other forces.
"These people should not belong to Immeasurable Heaven and their aura doesn't seem like the human race. They smell fishy…Eww."
Gu Xian'er recognized their divine methods and techniques, though the clothes on their back still belonged to the contemporary era.
Their leader, a young man surrounded by stars, is a Conferred King. He looked in stark contrast with the rest of his peers, incomparably powerful.
The rest were in or beneath the Conferred Lord Realm, with younger disciples in the Saint Realm.
"Little girl, where are you from? Did you come in here alone?" The young leader looked frivolous, his bright blue hair flowing as he stared at Gu Xian'er while asking.
At the same time, his followers surrounded the young lass.
It was a rhetorical question. After all, in Immortal Road, who cares what forces are behind you.
The fog that shrouded the Immortal Road covered up all secrets, and even the Old Experts in those top families would find nothing if their granddaughters or grandsons died in this place.
"It's not safe out here alone. Why don't you come with us? We'll take care of you. Haha." The young man stared at her without restraint, eyes flashing with a lustful gaze.
Gu Xian'er frowned, she was feeling very uncomfortable because of this young man's expression.
Another scumbag, who was greedy for her body.
"Die."
She didn't show any mercy towards these perverts. Her face froze over, and a plain white jade fist slammed out, its shadow filling the sky and covering everyone. Gu Xian'er's body was slender and thin, but her physical strength astounded all who witnessed it.
She rarely used her physical strength nowadays, preferring to use swords. However, when it comes to killing people, there was no need to be long-winded about it.
Boom!
With just a single punch, the group of cultivators in front were blasted away, with many of them collapsing directly, turned into a blood mist.
"You. . ." The leader scumbag's expression changed.
Unfortunately, Gu Xian'er didn't give him a chance to react at all. Her figure turned into a lingering afterimage and disappeared from the spot. Suddenly, an ancient treasure with brilliant runes like a divine sword engraved with wisdom fell straight down onto his head!
She had been in a bad mood ever since her confrontation with that asshole, Gu Changge, but this group of people had truly angered her to no end.
Soon, the blood mist drifted away. Everyone had died.
"You were the one courting death."
Gu Xian'er patted her dress, her little face was indifferent. She took away all their spatial rings out of habit and then turned into a rainbow to leave.
In the process of venturing out from Peach Village in the Land of Abandoned Immortals and heading to the Inner Territory, she had encountered many similar situations.
Killing people and stealing goods is all too familiar to her.
It just so happened that she kept being teased and bullied by Gu Changge within the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace, making people mistake her as a mere silly lass when she is everything but that.
Another group arrived shortly after Gu Xian'er's departure.
The leading woman wore a colourful feather gown ocean-blue coloured hair. Glinting silver scales covered her forehead like a royal marking.
Her temperament was high above the clouds, looking down on all, but upon seeing the blood mist scattered here, her eyes grew extremely cold as her face contorted in anger, "I have always been the one killing others, and it was never the other way around!"
"Who is it? Who dares to kill my little brother!"
"Seventh Princess, there are beasts here who have witnessed everything that happened at that time, we can simply search their souls to find out."
Among her followers, someone noticed the trace of beasts not far away and said.
Hearing this, the blue-haired woman acted immediately.
Her powers were immense! In one fell swoop, she grabbed the beasts directly by the throat and ignored their indignant roars, forcefully searching their souls without hesitation.
"How preposterous. The killer is a simple little lass in the blue dress."
'You truly are useless, brother. Doesn't matter....'
"I'll make her pay the due price! How cruel, I didn't expect that my brother would be brutally murdered just because I was one step late!"
The blue-haired woman's eyes glinted terrifyingly cold, like ice burning, full of spitting anger.
She stared at the sight in front of her, trembling with fury.
In the beast's mental image, her younger brother only asked a few words from beginning to end but did not do anything. Yet the little lass ruthlessly killed everyone involved!
"My brother possesses many life-saving artifacts. Nonetheless, he still died at the hands of such a little girl. Her identity is surely not simple!"
"That being said, my Sea King Palace arrived here from hundreds of millions of miles away, crossing many star fields, so how can we suffer silently! Send out the orders! I will personally hunt down the killer."
The ocean storm does not abate. The woman's command rang loud and clear.
Hearing this, her followers were even more frightened.
The Sea King Palace's wrath would cause a major earthquake inside the Immortal Road.
Comparable to Immeasurable Heaven that resided in the inner region of Upper Realm, was the Endless Sea Clan of the Infinite Sea, ruled over by the Sea King Palace.
Even Immortal forces and Supreme Dao Lineages had to give them face. Still waters runs deep[1], this saying was made for the Sea King Palace, whose shadow covered every inch of water in the vast Upper Realm.
[1: people who are quiet are often very powerful.]
Moreover, the Sea King Palace possessed many subordinate Sea Clans, many of which have close links to the Thousand Immortal Races. To snub one was to snub all of them.
[Editor's Note: Remember how White Tiger Clan and Vermillion Bird Clan are connected to numerous Immortal Races? They are the same.]
The Sea King Palace was definitely a force that gave many Dao Sects headaches.
The band of followers all paled in unison.
That lass had somehow offended Sea King Palace's Seventh Princess.
Although her younger brother was someone from her mother's clan, and could not be counted as royalty....as long as the blood of the Royal Family flows in his veins, then he is a member of the Sea King Palace.
Now that he died brutally here, how could the seventh princess not be angry?
A sensational catastrophe pertaining to this matter will certainly occur.
Even if there is a supreme lineage backing that girl, it would not matter.
In the Immortal Ancient Road, life and death are ephemeral and fleeting, a sentiment that is tacitly accepted by the various Dao Lineages.
The Seventh Princess, her strength reigning invincible within her Clan, actually met with such a setback the moment she decided to venture out?
She must kill the perpetrator to salvage her lost dignity!
The news soon spread out among the younger generation partaking in the trip inside Immortal Road through various channels, causing huge waves and sparking an outcry.
A little girl killed the younger brother of Sea King Palace's Seventh Princess. So, the seventh princess threatened to hunt the girl in order to avenge her younger brother.
A great stir started messing up the volatile pot that is the Immortal Road.
Sea King Palace's members were not to be trifled with. If one could avoid offending them, then that would be best. If one couldn't avoid it, then they should still try to.
Yet, the younger brother of a princess has actually been murdered.
Many cultivators felt sympathetic towards the girl in the blue dress, and at the same time, they were curious about what her identity was.
After all, the people of the Sea King Palace were not easy to kill.
.....
In a mist-shrouded valley, a youthful man covered in mist murmured to himself, "Girl in blue clothes? Could she be that Fairy Young Supreme, Gu Changge's cousin?"
Wang Wushuang, the descendant of the Ancient Immortal Wang family. He had travelled deep into the fog alone; no one knew how he managed to obtain this snippet of information.
"Interesting, if those from the Sea King's Palace meet Gu Changge, then there will surely be a show. It's also possible that I can take advantage of it, fishing in muddied water as the snipe and clam quarrel.
[Translator's Note: Here I mixed two Chinese proverbs. (1) Fishing in muddied water, meaning to take advantage of a hectic situation. (2) When the snipe and clam quarrel, the fisherman benefits. This means to let two sides fight in order to reap the final rewards.]
After he finished speaking, golden runes appeared on his body as he went straight into the dense fog.
In the other direction, within a mountain range, a chilling gold light flashed.
A large bird spread its gilded wings and soared through the air.
Its whole body shone like a precious mineral as it killed a fierce beast in the True God Realm, finally tearing it right down the middle, before letting its dead corpse fall to the ground.
"Gu Changge is said to have some conflicts with that Fairy Young Supreme cousin of his. If the rumours surrounding the lass are true, I don't know if he will intervene or not."
"The Sea King's Palace is not very amiable towards those who offend them...."
The frightening golden bird landed and turned into a broad-shouldered man. Peng Fei, the Young Supreme heir of the Great Golden-Winged Peng clan.
He frowned slightly, unable to help to mutter to himself.
A similar scenario was happening on the edge of the Ancient Immortal Continent.
Many of the young generations had gathered here. Some earlier than others, and some later than most. Nonetheless, they were all equally powerful Young Supremes in their own right. It is just that the territory of their forces was further away from the Immeasurable Heaven, taking longer to arrive.
During the period when the Immortal Road opened, some people also encountered the natives here, resulting in conflicts and killings.
However, for the natives living here, this is also an experience for their younger generation, and such opportunities are hard to find.
.....
"Are these all natives?"
On a low-lying plateau, a looming, unknown plant swaggered and shook. Its sheer size made it comparable to a living golden grassland.
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow and asked his question.
In front of him, a group of creatures whose appearance and apparel differed from that of the outside world knelt on the ground in terror.
Their legs snapped. The disgusting, wet, crunching punctuated by creeping bloodstains. One by one the bones broke and splintered. The native people were simply unable to bear Gu Changge's horrifying pressure.
Hell, a few of them got blown to bits on the spot just by his breath alone, facing immediate destruction without reprieve. Perhaps they were the lucky ones.
Gu Changge and his group had faced an attack by members of the aboriginal people while passing through the area; they even killed some of the followers in the scuffle.
"Where do you live?" Gu Changge asked using his divine sense.
Kneeling before him was a dark man in a beast-skin robe. He seemed quite young; his strength being at the mid-level of the Conferred King Realm.
But now that his soul is on the verge of dissipating, the lively barbarian became so meek, unable to raise his head against the oppressor.
Underneath Gu Changge's aura, even dragons would have to submit.
Behind him, the young men and women dressed in extraordinary and exquisite clothes were equally terrified, their souls were trembling. Although they were positively living treasure troves with the amount of life-protecting artifacts hidden on their body, The young man in front of them was not much older than them and had made them faint and see god for a moment.
How could he be so terrifying, even more terrifying than a Young Emperor?
"Why don't you tell me where the natives' gathering place is? I might let you live."
Gu Changge knew that the natives understood spiritual sense, so he just asked casually, lifting the dark man up with one hand like a weak and helpless chicken.
"Master, there is news from outside that Miss Xian'er seems to have offended the people of the Sea King Palace and has formed a blood feud with them."
"However, I cannot confirm or deny this information."
At this time, Gu Changge's Yaksha-like follower kneeled over and reported to Gu Changge.
With the means to inquire about news from all over the world, the uproar among the younger generation had naturally reached his ears.
"Sea King Palace?"
Gu Changge frowned, pondered, and then lazily said, "No worries, she won't die."
'A Favoured Daughter of Heaven falling to such measly enemies? This Sea King Palace is only here to give Gu Xian'er more experience points. Of course, with her current ability, she may have to suffer a little.'
Gu Changge didn't intend to be her nanny either.
'That lass is arrogant and places no one within her eyes, but as the Favoured Daughter of Heaven, she can naturally turn a bad situation into an opportunity and flip disasters into benefits.'
'Calculation is an element, of course. Still....' Gu Changge was convinced that nothing too misfortunate would occur to Gu Xian'er.
'I might also be able to take advantage of this situation once my business here is completed.'
'After all, Gu Xian'er had been stewing for quite a while after I played that bitter trick. It was about time I pad her a visit.'
'Sea King Palace? What plaything is that?'
'Is my exclusive teasing bag something they can bully at will?'
"Lead the way if you wish to live."
Gu Changge's wandering mind returned. He looked at the group of natives with a flat expression.
These people still had a role to play in leading the way. Gu Changge didn't bother searching the dark man's soul directly, since his soul might just explode from the impact.
The natives in Immortal Road were a mixture of various ancient races, their strength was much stronger than the same races in the outside world.
Gu Changge also felt this....
But he didn't care.
As he is now, Gu Changge would not fear even the existence of a Sacred Realm cultivator, much less the small fries in the current younger generation.
"We'll lead the way, Sir."
The lead native yelped, quickly replying. The terror that arose when he faced Gu Changge was incomparable to anything he'd ever felt before. This kind of strength was comparable with the clan elders in their tribe.
How frightening.
None of their previous attacks had reached Gu Changge. He only needed a finger and all of their moves were then blocked and swiftly annihilated.
Why would such a monstrous man wanted to visit their gathering place was a wonder. After all, it lies in the depths of the Immortal Road far from the outer area.
Many strong beings resided there.
Soon, after leaving the area, they travelled to the east.
Along the way, Gu Changge saw many magnificent buildings. Unfortunately, the river of time had left them decrepit and abandoned. Among them, rose several stone carvings, depicting Sacred Realm Perceptions. . . their brilliance soaring into the sky, filling the world with Immortal Intent.
In these places, the fight of Young Geniuses from the Upper Realm and the native people increased, triggering slaughters and pillaging abound.
Gu Changge glanced at the rocks briefly but lost interest in the end.
The natives guarded the secrets of the Ancient Immortal Continent, and the Fairy Spirit nurtured within it till this very day. Before he even entered the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace, Gu Changge had already calculated the matter of his arrival here.
When the Fairy Spirit is born, the entire Ancient Immortal Road would become turbulent, and even those Old Experts living in their coffins will awaken and come hither.
The time of reckoning approaches...