The events at the Taixuan Holy Land sent shockwaves through the entire Eastern Wilderness.
The coalition army—a force powerful enough to crush nations—had marched with killing intent, only to end up kneeling in the Great Hall, respectfully paying homage to a single young man.
When this news broke, countless cultivators dropped their jaws in disbelief.
At the same time, memory stones spread images far and wide, including scenes from outside the Taixuan Holy Land’s mountain gate. Soon, almost every power knew of the Young Lord from the Upper Realm.
The world was shaken. So the legends were true. The Upper Realm really existed.
“The Eastern Wilderness is changing!”
“A young man has actually descended from the legendary Upper Realm!”
“People have always said ascending is exceedingly difficult, and descending even more impossible. It completely defies the heavens!”
“Hehe, no wonder those aggressive sects ended up acting that way. I thought the Taixuan Holy Land would be destroyed that day. Who knew they had found such a powerful backer?”
In taverns and tea houses across the land, gossip flowed like wine.
“Have you heard about that disciple, Ye Chen?” someone laughed. “He got famous too!”
“Hahaha! I heard! Jealous that the Young Lord won the heart of the Number One Beauty, he tried to challenge him! The result? The Young Lord suppressed him with a single glance! Forced him to kneel like a dog!”
“Tsk, tsk. A toad lusting after swan meat. Did he really think he was worthy?”
Cultivators discussed the incident in ancient cities, taverns, and pavilions everywhere. The Eastern Wilderness held countless cultivators; a single ancient city could accommodate ten million of them. Such sensational news caused unimaginable waves almost from the first day.
…
In a remote ancient city, a man with a sallow, sickly complexion hurried through the streets.
Hearing the mockery around him, his face twisted in ugly rage. His fists clenched until his knuckles cracked. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
He touched his chest, where a lingering, tearing pain remained, his eyes flashing with cold hatred.
“Su Qingge… you treacherous woman…”
“Gu Changge… today’s humiliation will be repaid a hundredfold!”
This man was, of course, Ye Chen in disguise.
The Eastern Wilderness had become a cage for him. With a single word from Gu Changge, every sect treated him like a plague. He didn’t dare show his true face.
He intended to use the great teleportation array in this ancient city to travel to the Central State.
Compared with the Eastern Wilderness, the Central State was vaster and more mysterious, its dragon veins converging amid numerous sects, holy lands, and sacred mountains with ancient legacies.
Even if Gu Changge holds absolute sway here, can his influence reach the entire Central State?
There are families there with ancestors who ascended to the Upper Realm. Once I join them and display my talent, I will have my own backing!
Ye Chen’s plan was solid. He would rise again. He would make them all regret it.
“Master…”
Yet something worried and puzzled him. Since the incident at the Taixuan Holy Land, his beautiful master had barely spoken, only stepping in to save him when he encountered danger.
Ye Chen clenched his fists tighter.
Is she going to betray me too?
In the blink of an eye, half a month passed.
“An invitation from the Third Prince of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty in the Central State?”
In the hall, Gu Changge raised an eyebrow as he looked at the gilded invitation Su Qingge handed him. A casual glance was enough for him to lose interest.
“A gathering of ‘Young Geniuses’ to discuss the Dao?”
He sneered. The so-called geniuses of the Lower Realm? He could crush them all with a single finger. It was a waste of time. He’d rather stay here and tease Su Qingge.
“An earlier emperor of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty is said to have ascended to the Upper Realm, and its foundation is unfathomable. The Third Prince is also immensely talented: on the day he was born, the sound of the Dao rang out for three thousand li,” Su Qingge explained, peeling a spirit-crystal grape with her slender white fingers and bringing it to Gu Changge’s mouth.
“Great Xia? Central State?”
Gu Changge chewed the grape thoughtfully.
“You’re right. It is time to change maps.”
He stood up, stretching his limbs.
Life had been too leisurely lately. He wasn’t used to going this long without harvesting a leek.
If his calculations were correct, his little treasure-hunting mouse, Ye Chen, should have scurried to the Central State by now.
“In three days, the young talents of the Eastern Wilderness will depart together for the event. Does the Young Lord wish to join them?” Su Qingge asked.
Gu Changge pondered for a moment, then nodded.
He suddenly recalled a detail from his memories.
Elder Ming—his Dao Protector—originally hailed from the Central State of this world. Thirty thousand years ago, he had shattered the void and ascended.