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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
The Star Territory outside Queen Luna Residence teetered as streaks of gold descended.
The Immortal Kings from the Central Immortal Domain arrived with their descendants in tow. They rushed over as quickly as they could with King Luo showing the most haste. He could not stay calm as he did not wish to be made the scapegoat.
Even when they had arrived, his emotions remained high. He sorely wished to find the one who set him up.
Naturally, the others from the Central Immortal Domain felt the same. They did not want to be made the scapegoat either.
Someone wanted to drag them down to make it seem like the Central Immortal Domain stood against Gu Changge.
“The Immortal Kings from the Central Immortal Domain seek an audience with you, sir.”
Streaks of golden came to a stop outside Queen Luna Residence. After arriving, the Immortal Kings dared not enter without permission. They stood outside and called out their greetings respectfully.
As soon as they spoke, the guests inside the Immortal Bamboo Forest quietened down. Everyone fell silent and turned to Gu Changge. No one responded to the greeting.
The Withered Yin Immortal King, the Mysterious Ancient Immortal King, and the others set their cups down and looked outwards.
Gu Changge remained at his seat and drank his wine without speaking.
None of the guests dared to talk. The complete silence made the Immortal Kings outside Queen Luna Residence feel tense and solemn.
The Mysterious Ancient Immortal King, the Proud Immortal King, and the others had heard the news from Queen Lunar and knew what transpired at the border of the Southern Immortal Domain.
The Immortal Kings from the Central Immortal Domain claimed that they ran into a strange fog when they were making their way which trapped them there. They could not get through.
Nevertheless, the truth could not be determined based on their words alone. Furthermore, Gu Changge had not spoken yet. No one knew what he was thinking, so none dared to speak.
“Carry on, everyone,” Gu Changge said casually as his gaze swept over the guests.
Then, with a wave of his sleeve, it felt as if the entire place would disappear.
The Immortal Kings outside Queen Luna Residence felt the ground shaking beneath their feet, and at the very next moment, they reappeared inside Queen Luna Residence.
Immediately, they spotted Gu Changge who was sitting up front. Startled at first, they quickly schooled their expressions into one of respect.
They only had seen a hazy silhouette of Gu Changge from the memories of that True Immortal back at the border of the Southern Immortal Domain, so they did not know what he actually looked like.
Upon seeing him now, they were completely stunned. They did not expect him to be this young.
“What…” Wang Zijin, who trailed a little behind the Immortal Kings, was also frozen in disbelief. She was rooted to the spot like a statue and could hardly believe her eyes. Her shock overwhelmed her.
[How could this be? Why would he be here? Hang on… Is he… the one that everyone fears? The one who caused the Immortal Domains to be in a state of panic and terror?] Wang Zijin could not believe what she was seeing. It all felt too surreal to her.
When she was back in the Upper Realm, she did think that Gu Changge was a cunning man who was not as kind and easygoing as she seemed on the surface. She believed he had a lot of secrets.
That being said, she never thought this would be his true identity. She would not have connected the two if she had not seen him for herself.
At the time, she was always curious to find out about the secrets Gu Changge kept. She even set her sights on him multiple times while they were at the Immortal Academy.
At the time, Gu Changge seemed completely uninterested in her. Instead, he showed an interest in Jiang Chuchu, the other Saintess of Mortal Palace.
Gu Changge was a very special person to Wang Zijin. He seemed to be shrouded in a mist that hid countless secrets. Even she could not deny being attracted to him. Otherwise, considering her personality, she would not have taken the initiative to approach him.
Naturally, after what happened in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, her understanding of Gu Changge changed a lot.
He was a ruthless and dangerous man. Even though he seemed modest and easygoing on the surface, in reality, he was a heartless man who viewed everyone else as pawns or mere ants.
He could slaughter everyone in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains without showing even a flicker of emotion.
And yet, that was the very side of Gu Changge which made him unforgettable to Wang Zijin. Even when the Immortal King of the Wang Family was about to take her away from the Upper Realm, she considered informing Gu Changge about it.
Alas, it had come too suddenly. Even her Family members did not know about it, let alone others.
Wang Zijin regretted it ever since.
The Immortal Domain and the Upper Realm were completely cut off. They were too far apart. It was as if they were on two ends of existence. Even Immortal Kings had an incredibly difficult time venturing over to the Upper Realm. They would be suppressed by the World Principles and the World’s Will.
At the time, Wang Zijin knew that it was unlikely she would ever get to see Gu Changge again. So, she never thought she would see him now, at such an unexpected location, during such an unexpected time. Not when he was appearing here in an entirely different manner.
After snapping out of these thoughts, Wang Zijin’s expression grew a little complicated. She wanted to go over and acknowledge him, but though her mouth parted slightly, in the end, she kept quiet and stayed where she was.
Knowing her personality, she would not have been this hesitant in the past, but things were not the same now.
Gu Changge was right there, but was he still the same person he was in the past? How many years had it been since they last saw each other?
It had been more than a century. She did not know if time flowed the same way in the Immortal Domain and the Upper Realm.
Wang Zijin recalled the jade pendant she sought from Gu Changge. It represented the favour he owed her.
Gu Changge promised that he could fulfil a request of hers, as long as it did not go overboard.
She kept that jade pendant as if it were a precious treasure and continued to safeguard it even to this day.
Right now, she simply stood in silence and watched as King Luo, the two Immortal Kings from the Wang Family, and all the other Immortal Kings from the Central Immortal Domain paid their respects. They were deeply fearful as they did their best to explain what happened.
Several of them immediately made Heaven Dao Oaths to swear that the incident had nothing to do with them.
King Luo did the same too. Dropping all shreds of his authority as an Immortal King, he explained what had happened during the journey. He was worried that Gu Changge would misunderstand him.
All the Immortal Kings of the Central Immortal Domain could be considered the most formidable beings in the Immortal Domain now. Any one of them could destroy an ancient world or universe by themselves. They were immensely powerful. Yet, these Immortal Kings were deeply afraid of a single young man.
Gu Changge remained in his seat drinking his wine. He did not look at the crowd from the Central Immortal Domain.
“You say it was not your doing, but why should I believe you? Do you think you can clear your names just by saying a few words and making a Heaven Dao Oath?” he remarked casually.
He knew that these Immortal Kings did not have the audacity to do such a thing. They still had their descendants and the entire Central Immortal Domain to consider. Do they not do such a thing unless they had a death wish and wanted their Families and the entire Central Immortal Domain to go down with them.
Nevertheless, Gu Changge responded in this manner anyway. He wanted to strike fear in their hearts and get them to unearth the ones behind the earlier attack.
“We did not do it, sir. At the time, we were all held up by the sudden sea of fog. We only found out what happened when we reached the Southern Immortal Domain. We have no intention of offending you, sir,” one of the veteran Immortal Kings from the Central Immortal Domain declared fearfully.
The other Immortal Kings of the Central Immortal Domain were also terrified. They could not figure out what Gu Changge was thinking.
Ever since they became Immortal Kings, they had never felt as uneasy as they did now. It was as if their destiny had been decided and they were simply awaiting their punishment.
The other Immortal Kings in attendance such as the Proud Immortal King, the Mysterious Ancient Immortal King, and the Blood Owl Immortal King did not say anything. They maintained their distance from those of the Central Immortal Domain to avoid getting involved.
The present situation made the hearts of King Luo and the others grow heavier. They were worried about something bad ensuing.
“How can I believe you?” Gu Changge asked nonchalantly.
His gaze fell on King Luo, which was like a beam of Immortal Light breaking through the primordial chaos.
King Luo’s expression changed as he paled and stumbled backwards. He was sweating profusely. It felt as if Gu Changge’s words were meant specifically for him.
At this moment, King Luo’s resentment of the one who framed him intensified. He wanted nothing more than to slice them up into a million pieces. That was the only way to assuage his fury and hatred.
“I am willing to find the culprit and prove my innocence, sir,” King Luo declared through gritted teeth.
Gu Changge’s gaze terrified him deeply.
Gu Changge smiled faintly and asked, “What if you fail to do so?”
Sweat beaded across King Luo’s forehead. He did not know how to answer that question. After all, it was the sudden appearance of a secret Force that seemed to have multiple Immortal Kings among their ranks.
In fact, even Gu Changge found the task to be incredibly challenging.
“How’s about this? If you don’t find the culprit, I’ll kill you instead. After all, I wouldn’t know if calling themselves ‘King Luo’ was merely part of your act,” Gu Changge added with a faint smile without giving King Luo a chance to speak.
The other Immortal Kings from the Central Immortal Domain were sweating too. They sensed a terrifying murderous intent just now.
It had not been a joke. It seemed like he truly wanted to kill them.
King Luo felt that the strongest. He immediately clenched his jaw and said, “Rest assured, sir. I will definitely find the culprit.”
In the eyes of others, he was the high and mighty Immortal King, but right now, he was no different from a humble and ordinary cultivator.
The other Immortal Kings felt their hearts shudder. They too felt the same way.
“Could it be related to the Immortal Palace of yore?” One of the Immortal Kings could not resist suggesting.
Judging by the tattered banner and the Immortal Destroyer Arrows, it was very likely that the attackers were related to the Immortal Palace.
Even if they were not the descendants of the Immortal Palace, they would have most likely inherited its legacy.
Still, what difference did it make? Even when the Immortal Palace was at its peak, it had been destroyed by the being in front of them here today. Even if there were remnants of the Immortal Palace in existence, what could they do? They could not change anything.
The possibility of what the Immortal King said being true dawned on many others.
The Immortal Palace was the greatest Force in all of existence within the Immortal Domain. Even though countless epochs had passed since the Forbidden Epoch, this fact had not changed. Even throughout time, many smaller Forces had been able to survive in some lesser form, what not the Immortal Palace.
In that case, why would there be no trace of a Force as powerful as the Immortal Palace back then?
Over the years, the Immortal Kings had been looking for the ruins and caves that the Immortal Palace left behind, but they barely found any clues.
King Luo finally thought of this as well, and his expression became uncertain. It made sense if it had truly been the remnants of the Immortal Palace who attacked. After all, he once destroyed a palace complex left behind by the Immortal Palace. He also humiliated them and made comments about them showing signs of decay even during their peak.
Gu Changge did not dwell on the subject. He set his cup down and looked at the Immortal Kings before him before saying simply, “In less than a hundred years, living beings from the Sea of Boundless Expanse will cross over to this world.”
“Living beings from the Sea of Boundless Expanse? Could it be the strange scene that appeared a few days ago?”
Upon hearing his words, the Immortal Kings were thunderstruck. They knew full well what the Sea of Boundless Expanse was. Any being who could cross the Sea of Boundless Expanse undoubtedly was of a greater cultivation level than them. They could even surpass the Immortal Emperors.
“Only a hundred years?” The Mysterious Ancient Immortal King was stunned to the core. Although he was an expert in the Dao of Divination, he could not deduce anything related to the Sea of Boundless Expanse.
He felt uneasy. It seemed like a bad omen.
“According to the ancient records, beings like that are known as the Huntsmen or the Hunters. They are akin to a tribe from the Age of Savages. They only care about the Principles of the Forest in the darkness, hunting through the darkness of the Sea of Boundless Expanse in search of True Worlds.”
“A True World without the protection of its True Spirit loses its cover. Its aura is exposed in the Sea of Boundless Expanse, acting like a lighthouse that draws in the Hunters.”
Another veteran Immortal King spoke up with a heavy heart at the mention of this subject.
They were scared of Gu Changge, worried that he might destroy the Immortal Domain, and afraid of a repeat of the past.
However, judging by the situation now, Gu Changge did not seem inclined to do so. Otherwise, he would not be saying this to them.
“What will happen when the Hunters arrive?” Another Immortal King could not help but ask. They never considered this matter before.
That being said, the grave looks on the Immortal Kings’ faces showed that they did understand the severity of the situation.
“When the time comes, the entire Mountains and Oceans True World will be sacrificed,” the veteran Immortal King who spoke earlier answered.
Gu Changge smiled faintly and explained, “Once they arrive, they will sacrifice this world, bringing it over the True World they’re from to let it devour this one. All the living beings and everything in this world, be it past, present or future, be it universes or barren wastelands, will be offered as a sacrifice. That naturally includes you and your Families.”
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