Yue Mingkong, seated upon the throne, quietly closed the submitted report.
After returning from the Ancient Immortal Continent, her cultivation had improved by leaps and bounds. She received many benefits, especially from Gu Changge, which was something she couldn't have imagined happening before.
A drop of rainbow-coloured True Dragon Blood and several wisps of the Fairy Spirit, she had not even begun to fully absorb. These resources could be considered the two most precious opportunities in the Ancient Immortal Continent. Moreover, they were both very suitable for her.
Even that group of Ancient Freaks who were currently engaged in a life and death struggle inside the Ancient Immortal Continent would be jealous, let alone the rest of the younger generation.
"Dismissed." Yue Mingkong waved her jade-like arm.
Now possessing the full majesty of a female Emperor, she controlled the life and death of the hundreds of millions of people under her, a terrifying and captivating notion.
Her cold phoenix eyes were enough to make the masses tremble.
With just this one action, the ministers of the Supreme Immortal Dynasty below her dripped with cold sweat. None of them dared to even breathe loudly.
"Understood, Empress."
After receiving the order, everyone in the hall retreated, leaving behind only a few of Yue Mingkong's trusted female officials.
"Have the rumours been verified?" Yue Mingkong coldly asked. Yet underneath her calm expression, she hid a bubbling hint of emotion only she herself knew about.
"Reporting to the Empress, the rumours are true. The Young Master Changge personally dug out the bone with his own hands in front of the Sea King Palace and all the Daoist Sects present..." The female official replied.
"Young Master Changge also said that he would annihilate the entire clan of whoever tries to take advantage of Miss Xian'er in the future."
She couldn't help but tremble as she recounted the scene.
Those simple words heralded the arrival of a bloody storm.
"That man truly said as such? What exactly are you thinking, Changge... I just can't understand you..."
Yue Mingkong waved her hand, dismissing all the female officials as well.
She sat there for a while, unmoving as she closed her eyes and murmured.
From her previous life memories, she would know that Gu Xian'er's life ended in tragedy.
Before her regression, the Gu Changge she knew had never once talked about returning the bones or confessing the matters that had happened back then. He had simply acted to chase down and slaughter Gu Xian'er using any means necessary from the very beginning.
And even the clansmen who had brought up Gu Xian'er were killed by Gu Changge's various means and methods.
Yue Mingkong had thus been trying to change Gu Xian'er's ending ever since her regression, wanting to help provide Gu Xian'er with an extra opportunity to survive when she inevitably encountered Gu Changge.
However, contrary to her experience, the Gu Xian'er that Yue Mingkong first met up with did not seem to actually have much hatred for Gu Changge at all.
She was surprised, to say the least.
After a bit of investigation, she found that Gu Changge was the one who took the initiative to bring back Gu Xian'er's clansmen. Moreover, he had even released those detained elders of her family line and reinstated their positions.
It was rational. In Yue Mingkong's opinion, it was the best decision he could have made.
In fact, this was precisely what she'd hoped to achieve with her regression, to persuade Gu Changge to let Gu Xian'er go. Lest he ends up on the road to betrayal and separation again.
However, it would seem that this life's Gu Changge didn't need her intervention. Instead, he took the initiative to ease his relationship with Gu Xian'er, all of his own volition!
At that moment, Yue Mingkong began to suspect whether Gu Changge was also a regressor. However, his actions were proof that he wasn't. Unlike her, he didn't seem to have any insight into the future.
Unless… Gu Changge was merely pretending to be a fool, hiding it from everyone.
But considering Gu Changge's strength at the time, it was clear that he absolutely did not need to hide or shy away from anyone.
Having the already all-mighty Gu Changge be a regressor on top of his powerful talents and abilities? Now that would truly be a most desperate situation for all of the Upper Realm.
'I'm probably just overthinking it.'
Yue Mingkong had been puzzled to the extreme after that incident.
She discovered that the Gu Changge of the present was still the same Gu Changge she knew in her past life, but although there was no change in his personality, she had noticed a slight human touch in his actions and attitude.
It wasn't much; it was merely a sliver of humanity that anyone could possess.
Yet for Gu Changge, this was already a massive change!
Due to her being stuck in her old memories, Yue Mingkong couldn't bring herself to believe it. She thought that this was just Gu Changge's deliberate plot to confuse and make her question herself.
That said, this event completely exceeded her expectations.
It was because of these memories that she had built up preconceived notions and ultimately wound up misunderstanding Gu Changge in this life, always feeling that he had wicked goals or bad intentions in mind.
[PR/N: We were this close to actually seeing Changge struggle, but I suppose we all saw this coming…]
And it was precisely because of these memories that the originally recovering relationship between them had now abruptly dropped to a freezing point.
If she didn't have a preconceived notion about Gu Changge's nature...
Would she still have spoken those words to him in the Baiheng Mountains?
Yue Mingkong also understood that her present status was all due to her memories.
If she had not regressed, she would have kept on being that simple and kind fourth princess, not even having the qualifications to enter Gu Changge's sight.
Controlling the entire Supreme Immortal Dynasty would have been a pipe dream.
"Changge should be feeling very disappointed in me... who has always been suspicious of the kindness and truth he showed."
Yue Mingkong sighed deeply. The act of Gu Changge digging out the Dao Bone and returning it to his sister, thereby revealing his secret to the world, had completely slapped her in the face. There was no room for further debate.
All her previous suspicions about Gu Changge were overturned.
Her indifference hid numerous complex emotions, tangling into a ball of silk.
Regret. Guilt. Loss...
Gu Changge had even told her his biggest secret, outright telling her that he was the Forbidden Demonic Arts' Inheritor. He trusted her.
Wasn't all this enough?
"Gu Changge was never one to speak of his emotions. If one wanted to know what he feels, one could only tell it from his behaviour..."
Yue Mingkong's thoughts and emotions were a tangled mess of joy and sorrow mixed with a bucketful of vinegar.
To know that Gu Changge had a place for her in his heart, she was happy.
She knew this for a fact. Otherwise, instead of giving her a priceless wisps of Fairy Spirit when they parted, he should've instead come up with ways to deal with her.
A man who was stubborn and unwilling to express his true intentions. A man as indifferent as him would not easily reveal his emotions.
But her sourness and worry came from the fact that her position in his heart was too small, something that could disappear at any time after her actions in the Baiheng Mountains.
"I'm so foolish. To realize just now that he does care about me..." Yue Mingkong's heart filled with a little warmth as she thought of this.
These words she said to Yin Mei that day…
"To block is worse than to go with the flow."
Since she could not stop Gu Changge's conquest and dominion, why not join him and help him rule over heaven and earth as a regressor?
Who knows if she might manage to change the future tragedy by doing so?
"Even if you are enemies with Heaven in the end, I will stand by your side."
"Who told my heart to be so stupid... to give itself to you, to give my everything to you."
Yue Mingkong muttered softly. She made up her mind.
Her face was calm and deep, because at this moment, she had decided.
In truth, she didn't care much about her own fate.
On the day she regressed, the na?ve girl then had secretly vowed to change the fate of her friends and relatives in her previous life, saving them no matter what.
Yet now, it seemed that her oath was useless.
Gu Changge's actions had thoroughly shown her that he would not repeat the mistakes he'd made in her previous life. Her mission and goals were unnecessary.
The tragedies Yue Mingkong experienced and felt would be no more here.
As for her own hatred against the Gu Changge of her previous life, Yue Mingkong could only choose to accept it in silence, hiding it deep in her heart.
She had endured much worse. This was nothing to her.
'According to my past life, the general trend hasn't changed.'
'First was the birth of the Fairy Spirit within the Ancient Immortal Continent, followed by the arrival of the older generation. Unfortunately, they found nothing, as the Fairy Spirit had been taken away by Gu Changge beforehand.'
'After that, the Sea King Palace dispatched their Sea Clan's elites, looking to seek revenge on Xian'er. This lead to Xian'er's ancestor becoming enraged, killing countless members of the Sea Clan and pushing them back towards the Sea King Palace's territory.'
'No one fully understands how the battle went. Nevertheless, the Sea King Palace entered a state of seclusion and sealed itself for 100,000 years, prohibiting many of their Sea Clans from leaving the Infinite Sea area for even half a step.'
'The sudden affairs in the Ancient Immortal Continent seem to have something to do with Gu Changge, but the information I acquired was too vague to make a meaningful guess. I only know that the True Dragon Clan was the one leading the resistance, and that it was eventually suppressed by the Great Elder...'
Yue Mingkong sorted out the situation in her mind.
In the battle at the Sea King Palace, it seemed like one of Gu Xian'er's reclusive masters had been disturbed. This master was most likely the source of the jet-black sword Qi that struck down at the enemy from an inestimable distance.
The terrifying auras of these two supreme existences swept through the entire sea, quelling the Sea King Palace's murderous momentum at last.
And everyone understood that even without Gu Changge, Gu Xian'er's unparalleled identity would ensure her safety, preventing the occurrence of any further life and death incidents.
Of course, these innocuous actions would not have affected the final direction of things.
The Sea King Palace was ancient and had a long history of domination over the Infinite Sea for many years, but it did not dare go to war with the Ancient Immortal Gu Family.
Thus, Yue Mingkong had never worried about Gu Xian'er being threatened by them.
Gu Xian'er's most dangerous enemy was and always will be Gu Changge.
She would be fine as long as Gu Changge harboured no thoughts of dealing with her.
'Once the matter at hand is finished, I will have to visit that lass, Xian'er. There are still some matters she must know about.'
Yue Mingkong no longer intended to think like before, always fretting and wondering about Gu Changge's possible plans and motives all day long.
[PR/N: A terrible choice, really.]
She'd always suspected him.
However, it was simply too tiring to constantly speculate on Gu Changge's unpredictable actions.
She was tired. Burdened with so much hatred and pressure, she was exhausted.
Even if Gu Changge had other goals in mind, she had no will to care anymore.
It didn't matter. She had planned and planned and planned, but it was simply impossible to stop Gu Changge, so why bother trying so hard?
The world was in motion. Its subtleties were ever changing. But the general trajectory of it would not shift nearly as much. If Gu Changge killed her the way he did in the previous life, she wouldn't care.
If he killed her, then so be it. Gu Changge was the only person who could do so anyways.
To know that the cold and indifferent Gu Changge actually had a place in his heart was for her already enough to satisfy her for this life.
'Days of endless gloom may soon come to the world again. All the Daoist Sects will send supreme figures to construct a True Immortal Library, all in their efforts to cultivate the one True Immortal who will rule over this era.'
'At that time, many emperors, ancient princes, primeval abominations, and even young kings who surpassed their peers, will appear...'
[ED/N: These names may change in future.]
Yue Mingkong began to recall a distant memory.
For Gu Changge, this would be the ultimate training ground, full of countless resources to devour and smelt his Black Dao Bottle with. A buffet of flesh and blood.
As for the younger generation, this would herald the start of a star-studded golden age, but it would also bring about the beginning of an all-consuming nightmare.
Who knew just how many Young Supremes had secretly suffered by Gu Changge's poisonous hands in her past life, brought down before they could ever reach their peak.
What 'Ancient Emperor' and 'Ancient Princes'? In Gu Changge's eyes, they were only fit to be scrumptious meals. To be either rich nutrients or richer nutrients.
[ED/N: Yes, you read that right.]
Outside was the All-Devouring Sky, while inside lurked a savage Forbidden Demonic Arts' Inheritor... the world would never truly have its fill of peace.
As the name suggests, the All-Devouring Sky was a plain with an infinite area—much like the Immeasurable Heaven—and was said to contain multiple ancient universes.
Yet its true terror laid in its engulfing and devouring properties. A horrifying degree of greed and hunger, it could consume small worlds and plains, and even day and night if it wished.
A living world with self-awareness, one that could swallow the sky to grow itself.
At the very beginning, no one even noticed when the All-Devouring Sky appeared.
Nor its innate ability to devour the world.
For many Daoist sects and beast races, the All-Devouring Sky was the most terrifying thing they had ever encountered.
It belonged to no race, no faction. It had no life to threaten, no consciousness to plead to. It was simply a world that constantly evolved and expanded on instinct.
A natural force that could devour and bury everything under the ashes of time.
'When the All-Devouring Sky appears, and many ancestors come out...'
Yue Mingkong vaguely remembered this matter. It was not something she could go embroil herself in at that time, so she only knew snippets of information regarding what happened.
Gu Changge planned to conquer the All-Devouring Sky. However, she didn't know whether he succeeded or not, nor did she know how he had arranged and schemed it.
The All-Devouring Sky was a disaster involving the entire Upper Realm. Its arrival meant the appearance of many ancestors, working together to save all beings in the world from imminent destruction.
After all, the All-Devouring Sky was something that would swallow up and bury many Daoist Sects whenever it descended, causing them to disappear into it forever.
In this world, apart from the True Immortals, who would dare say that they could destroy the universe or resolve the crisis that the All-Devouring Sky presented? Even the Daoist Sects that once gave birth to immortals would feel helpless.
The only one who could possess such means was the Human Ancestor.
The immortal ancestor of humanity who has been traveling through the Cycle of Samsara.
The one who all forces and races seek out every time the darkness nears, as the All-Devouring Sky looms once more over the horizon.
It was an identity detached from the mud of the worldly realm, an existence that even the most venerable of ancients must treat with respect.