Very soon, what happened in Supreme Stygian Holy Land was spread to the entire Eastern Barren. Not only did the holy lands, empires, and other forces that once threatened Supreme Stygian Holy Land give up their siege, but they also grew timid and reverent as they paid Gu Changge a visit in the Palace of Supreme Stygian Holy Land. The news left many cultivators in Eastern Barren stupefied and in disbelief.
At the same time, pieces of footage, including the current events at the Supreme Stygian Gates, were broadcasted on photographic stones in various lands. Thereupon, almost every force in Eastern Barren got to know the existence of the young master that came from the Beyond.
Meanwhile, countless cultivators were dumbfounded when they were informed that the legendary Beyond actually existed. Such groundbreaking news eventually got out of Eastern Barren to other vast lands, causing enormous turmoil.
"Eastern Barren have become so unpredictable lately!"
"Right. To think that a young being descended from the mythical Beyond…"
"As per tradition, ascending is already so difficult, so descending is virtually impossible. After all, these things are truly out of this world."
"Heh, no wonder those aggressive Sects ultimately turned into tamed puppies. And here I thought they'd destroy Supreme Stygian Holy Land right away."
"Still, it's surprising how fortunate Supreme Stygian Holy Land was for them to have the young master on their side."
"However, amidst all of this, the Sect Disciple of Supreme Stygian Holy Land by the name Ye Chen seems to have gained his share of fame as well." Numerous cultivators chortled in the tavern.
"Haha, don't I know about that!" Another cultivator replied, laughing.
"It was said that, due to jealousy for the fact that the young master stole the heart of the Most Graceful Damsel of Eastern Barren so easily, that Ye Chen lad thoughtlessly challenged the young master. Nonetheless, the young master suppressed the Sect Disciple with just a gaze, and he immediately fell to the ground, unable to move a finger."
"Tsk, tsk… This young lad doesn't know his place, does he? He must still think he's worth the Most Graceful Damsel of Eastern Barren's time." The cultivators in the tavern guffawed and they drank as they were having their post-dinner chatter.
Even cultivators in other ancient cities, taverns, and buildings of all sorts could be heard discussing the matter. There were more than billions of cultivators in Eastern Barren, and each ancient city could hold tens of millions of them. Within just one day, such sensational news had caused a great stir among the people of Eastern Barren.
Meanwhile, in one of those ancient cities, a man with a yellowish face was seen scurrying. After hearing the discussions around him, he was visibly offended as he clenched his fists tightly. With that, he pressed on his chest where it excruciatingly hurt him as coldness and vengeance flashed across his eyes, mumbling, "Su Qingge, how sly of you to betray me… Gu Changge, I'll make sure to repay the humiliation by a hundredfold!"
That man was undoubtedly Ye Chen in disguise. As of now, he no longer had a place to dwell in Eastern Barren after every Sect in Eastern Barren had forsaken him under Gu Changge's command. As such, Ye Chen dared no longer to show his own face in the open.
At that moment, Ye Chen wished to take the ancient city's teleportation to travel to the Middle State. Compared to Eastern Barren, the Middle State was more mystical, and given its concentrated mountains, it had remarkably more Sects, holy lands, and enchanted mountains that had stood for a long time. Thus, no matter how influential Gu Changge was, there was no way he could affect the entire Middle State. Besides, there were innumerable factions in the Middle State that had connections with the Beyond as their ancestors once ascended to the Beyond.
Ye Chen's plan was impeccable. Given his potent talents, his power could tremendously grow once he was accepted by those factions. [Gu Changge is only this rampant because he came from the Beyond. By the time I, too, have established a connection with the Beyond, I wonder what he could do to me. Su Qingge, Gu Changge, I'll make sure the two of you regret this!]
Thinking of that, Ye Chen gradually calmed down as he let out a cold scoff. "Master…"
Nevertheless, what continued to baffle and worry him was that after the incident in Supreme Stygian, his Master no longer spoke to him except for the times where she would lend a hand when he was in danger. Feeling restless, he gripped his fists. [Does Master wish to leave me too?] Ye Chen was disconcerted.
…
In a flash, half a month had passed.
"The Third Prince of the Bactria Empire from Middle State sent an invitation to the rulers of various lands to a conference."
In the palace, Gu Changge revealed a scowl when he saw the gold-plated invitation letter presented to him by Su Qingge, after which he was obviously uninterested. [Rulers of various lands? Pfft, I could annihilate these rulers just by lifting a finger, and that's nowhere as fun as toying with Su Qingge.]
"The emperor of the Bactria Empire is said to have ascended to the beyond, and thus possessed immeasurable power. Besides, the Third Prince was born with immense talents, and it was said that his birth sent a sonic wave miles away," Su Changge explained to Gu Changge as she peeled a grape with her delicate hands before putting it into his mouth.
"The Bactria Empire? Middle State, is it? Right, perhaps it's time for a new map," Gu Changge casually stated as he chewed the grape. After pondering for a while, he sprung up from his seat. [It has indeed been dull recently. It sure feels weird living without my favorite crop Ye Chen. Plus, if I'm not mistaken, he should be close to the Middle State by now.]
"The rulers of every holy land, empire, and clan of Eastern Barren will be taking off in three days. Are you joining them, Prince Gu?" Su Qingge quizzed.
After a moment of contemplation, Gu Changge nodded as he remembered something. [Ming Lao's clan must be in the Middle State of this world. Thirty thousand years ago, Ming Lao had broken through the skies and ascended into the Beyond.]