In the years following the battle, because the two sides had mobilized massive amounts of natural energy to fight, the climate of the entire Central Plains changed drastically.
Dou Qi energy and space-time fields became quite unstable, and it was only about ten years later that things began to gradually return to their usual state.
During these ten years, the weather in the Central Plains was extremely abnormal, making life miserable for the common people living here and for most ordinary cultivators.
Meanwhile, the eight ancient clans retreated into their own small dimensions after the battle, closing their doors to guests and rarely interacting even with each other unless there was a significant event.
At this time, within the Gu Clan’s space, a small courtyard with flying rafters and painted pillars sat elegantly by a beautiful small lake.
This place was located deep in the mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist, sparsely populated, and had no direct path leading to it.
The small courtyard was clearly designed with meticulous care; not only were there various carvings of dragons and phoenixes that were exquisite and sophisticated, but all the wood used was the extremely rare ten-thousand-year-old golden-thread nanmu.
This wood, once processed, would reveal faint golden patterns from its grain and emit a unique scent that enveloped the entire building, aiding cultivators in refining and absorbing the world’s spiritual energy faster.
Scattered around the courtyard were various rare medicinal herbs and flowers; if an alchemist were lucky enough to see these rarities today, they would likely try to snatch them on the spot.
A fine drizzle fell from the sky, trickling down the glazed tiles of the lakeside corridor on one side of the courtyard.
The rain was not heavy; the water falling into the lake and the rippling lake water, combined with the faint sunlight reflecting off the surrounding greenery, shrouded the entire courtyard in a layer of pale green haze, making it seem even more distant and quiet.
At the end of the corridor was an exquisite small pavilion, so delicate that it contained only four stone stools and one stone table.
On the dark gray Chenbi stone table, a cup of fragrant tea was slowly steaming.
This tea was clearly no ordinary item; even if someone were standing far away at the other end of the corridor, they would be able to smell the faint tea fragrance that refreshed the mind—a scent that was long-lasting and dense yet lacked any aggressiveness, certainly an absolute masterpiece among teas.
In the sound of the fine dripping rain, a fair hand, so white it almost seemed to glow, extended three delicate fingers to gently pinch the cup of fragrant tea on the stone table.
The fragrant arm curved slightly as it brought the cup to her lips, and she took a gentle sip.
The tea liquid rippled, and the tender tea fragrance immediately swirled and drifted throughout the small pavilion.
What kind of beauty was this?
Leaning half-way against the stone table, dressed in a white veil, her slender jade hand rested gently on the table, supporting her perfect head.
Seen from the side, the girl’s fine nose and slightly upturned lips formed a beautiful angle; her starry eyes were misty, and her long eyelashes hung low.
Such a jade-like person, yet her small, pretty face carried a look of profound melancholy.
Her other jade hand, holding the fragrant tea in a “three dragons guarding the tripod” posture, was suspended in mid-air, her pinky finger playfully tilted.
Through the thin white veil, one could faintly see the girl’s extraordinary body; her waist was slender enough to be held in one hand, and her long jade legs were tucked beneath her with perfect curves, her small lotus feet in white soft boots with toes pointed slightly toward the ground.
The beauty in the misty rain looked like a celestial being stepped out of a painting; she wasn’t seen clearly, her entire person seemingly dissolving into the sparse curtain of rain, glowing with a faint white light, as she quietly and serenely enjoyed the afternoon mountain scenery.
This beauty, who looked like a goddess as she appreciated the rain and tasted tea, was none other than the most beloved little princess of the current Gu Clan, the pearl in the palm of the previous clan leader Gu Yuan, and the dream goddess of all Gu Clan youths—Xiao Xun’er.
Since the sealing of the two Emperors, the then-clan leader Gu Yuan had returned from the great battle and passed away several months later in the late autumn due to heavy injuries.
A few years later, as a new generation of young cultivators from the Gu Clan grew up and went through secluded cultivation, they reached the realm of Dou Sheng (Dou Saint) one after another.
The current head of the Gu Clan was Gu Qingyang, who had been appointed by Gu Yuan on his deathbed.
Meanwhile, the only surviving Supreme Elder of the Gu Clan from the great battle, Gu Dao, realized after the two Emperors rose that there was no longer any Source Qi in the world and knew he would never have the chance to step into the Dou Emperor realm in this life.
After Gu Yuan’s passing and arranging all trivial matters, he left the Gu territory gracefully to begin traveling far and wide.
Several young Dou Saints who had risen—Gu Hua, Gu Xing, Gu Zhen, and Gu Yao—formed the new generation of the Gu Clan Elders Council, maintaining the stability and unity of the entire Gu Realm.
Similar to the Gu Clan, among the eight ancient clans—excluding the Yao, Ling, and Shi clans that had been wiped out by the Soul Clan and excluding the Xiao clan—the remaining four clans suffered heavy casualties and great loss of vitality in the final battle.
Ninety percent of the elders and supreme elders within each clan had died in battle, and they could only rely on the rising new generation of young cultivators to barely sustain the ancient races.
The pain brought by the battle was continuous and far-reaching, and among the most tragic was the Gu Clan’s holy daughter, Xun’er.
First, she experienced her lover being sealed, and then her father passed away.
Throughout the battle, the Gu Clan had contributed the most but also suffered the greatest losses; over ten supreme elders and active elders had fallen.
Although the surviving members of the Soul Clan were less than one-tenth after the sealing of Soul Emperor, and the Gu Clan no longer faced external threats, the grief brought by the loss of her closest kin and tribesmen was incomparable.
At this time, Xun’er was already at the level of a 9-star Dou Saint, possessing the Golden Emperor Incinerating Heavenly Flame, numerous Heaven-tier Dou techniques, and a seven-color clan tattoo; with all these halos, she was already an existence standing at the pinnacle of the Dou Qi continent.
However, since losing her closest and most beloved after the battle, Xun’er had cried her eyes dry.
Her father’s death was a devastating blow to the inner heart of this Gu Clan holy daughter; from then on, she moved away from the family and opened up a courtyard for herself in a deep mountain lake at the very edge of the Gu Realm.
After setting up strict restrictions, she sealed her heart and withdrew from the world, staying far away from the red dust of mortal life.
“In a world without you, my heart is too lazy to beat.” With the advancement of the two Emperors, all Dou Saints became aware of the secret to stepping into the Dou Emperor realm in a mystical sense; they knew it, yet they were in despair.
After all, when there is no more Source Qi in the world, achieving the rank of Dou Emperor is hopeless in this life.
Most Dou Saints, after several years of wandering, also saw the truth clearly and began to indulge in pleasure, no longer obsessed with cultivation.
Most young cultivators and ignorant commoners did not know all these details; they still actively cultivated, working hard to heal the wounds brought to the entire world by the great battle.