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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
“It’s Elder Sister Xianer! Elder Sister Xianer is back!”
Peach Village wasn’t big, so the children playing in the village quickly saw the approaching duo—Gu Changge and Gu Xianer. They gleefully cheered as they ran towards Gu Xianer to welcome her.
Although Gu Changge had only visited the village a few times, he was no stranger to them. On his last visit, he gave them several toys and spirit fruits that helped with their cultivation, so they were very fond of the Immortal-like young man.
“Little Hua, Little Hu, you’ve grown taller!” Arriving at Peach Village, Gu Xianer switched her emotionless look into a joyous one as she greeted the children.
A few other villagers came over, surprisedly greeting Gu Xianer. As it had been a long time since Gu Xianer last returned to Peach Village, every one of them missed her dearly.
“It seems Xianer still remembers to come back to pay us a visit!” The old folks surrounded Gu Changge and Gu Xianer with warm smiles, their ambiguous gazes scanning their guests. As such, Gu Xianer, somewhat embarrassed, shot the old folks a glance.
“Honoured to meet you, Young Master Gu.” Nonetheless, they were aware of Gu Changge’s identity, so they dared not to be impolite and greeted him with a slight bow.
“Please drop the courtesy. You’re all Xianer’s closest people.” Seemingly unbothered, Gu Changge responded with a faint smile.
Very soon, Gu Xianer’s Masters appeared from the village. As ever, they looked mysteriously unpredictable. Each with some kind of disability, each carrying different scars.
In fact, at such a level, formidable cultivators could effortlessly heal themselves with their blood unless their severe injuries had damaged their Sources, leading to unrecoverable injuries that forbid their limbs from regrowing. However, it was due to their respective pasts that Gu Xianer’s Masters were unwilling to heal their broken limbs or condition.
“Grand Master, Second Master, and Third Master… I’ve come back to see you.” Gu Xianer obediently bowed to each of her Masters, feigning not the slightest coldness she showed Gu Changge.
“Xianer, your cultivation has grown remarkably.”
“You must have encountered numerous opportunities lately.”
With faces of admiration, Gu Xianer’s Masters thoroughly observed and were assured and satisfied that she never lazed in her cultivation.
As for Gu Changge, in their eyes, he had reached an unseeable, unpredictable, fearsome level.
Back when Gu Changge first came to Peach Village, his cultivation level was merely at the Sacred Emperor Realm. Out of their expectation, it only took him a few years to reach the top of the world, and even True Daoists were now no match for him.
As such, they were amazed. Despite having seen countless young prodigies, they had never seen anyone growing at Gu Changge’s shockingly monstrous speed.
“Greetings, Seniors” Gu Changge said naturally, greeting Gu Xianer’s Masters with clasped hands before seriously observing the village. Compared to the last time he came, he could now clearly detect the strength of Gu Xianer’s Masters, who were apparently True Daoists.
Among them, the village head, Gu Xianer’s Grand Master, was the strongest, and he was certainly on par with Yan Luo, the Fourth Palace Lord, who now went by the name Ah Er.
Besides, he also shared the same seniority as the Grand Elder of Skyward Schloss. If it weren’t for the limitations of the Upper Realm, he definitely could have taken the final step.
The Immortal and Formidable Forces in the outside world must never have expected that such a frightening village was hiding within the Land of Abandoned Celestials, let alone the blooming, mysterious peach tree by the village entrance.
“Master… Master…”
Right at that moment, from within Peach Village, a little girl wearing a layered floral top dashed over in surprise. Her features were painterly delicate, her skin snowy, and she wore a double ponytail. Her inky, crystalline eyes carried obedience wrapped in her adorableness.
Indubitably, she was the disciple Gu Changge accepted in the Lower Realm, Yao Yao.
Ever since Gu Changge brought her to the Upper Realm, he left her under the villager’s care without tending to her anymore.
Of course, the main reason he accepted her was that she and Tao Yao, who was by the village entrance, were of the same origin. Resembling sisters, they lived in Peach Village together, and Yao Yao couldn’t be happier and more at peace about it.
Seeing the little girl, who showed no sign of growth compared to the past, running over, Gu Changge revealed a tender look. He then crouched down and gently caressed her head, asking, “Yao Yao, I never had the time to come see you. You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“Of course not! I am not mad at you, Master! I’ve missed you every day, but I understand that you’re a busy person, so you didn’t have the time to come see me. But I love living in Peach Village. The uncles and aunties here are nice to me, and my sister is here with me too! Every day is a happy day!” The little girl seemed as obedient and mature as ever, carrying an adorable beaming smile as she spoke.
“I’m glad you like it here. Well, see what I’ve brought for you.” Gu Changge warmly smiled, his hand shone as he spoke. At once, toys, ornaments, and various delicious treats and spirit fruits that were only available in the mortal world popped up.
Peering at those items, Yao Yao’s eyes instantly sparkled as she grinned ear to ear. “Thank you, Master!”
As she had no interest in cultivation and a carefree life was all she wanted, Gu Changge did not give her anything related to cultivation.
With that, Yao Yao recounted to Gu Changge the joyful life she had lived in Peach Village for the past years as she shared Gu Changge’s gifts with the other kids in the village.
Gu Changge could see that the little girl indeed enjoying her life in Peach Village, and everyone was nice to her.
During her stay, Tao Yao even brought her on a trip back to her old home—the Lower Realm—and found the old woman who adopted her back then.
Sadly, the old woman had no intentions of coming to the Upper Realm. Back then, her entire family was murdered by her enemies, and after she avenged them, she committed herself to guarding her close ones’ grave.
Thanks to Gu Changge’s and Gu Xianer’s arrival, Peach Village grew incomparably merry. The old folks and aunts treated their guests with the most precious wines. The Land of Abandoned Celestials might be barren, but it was in no way scarce in terms of food.
Although Gu Changge and Gu Xianer were used to feasting on exquisite delicacies comprising divine dishes, they got to experience the unique tastes of the foods prepared in the ‘Peach Village’ way.
At the entrance of the village, the peach tree swayed, its petals sparkling and enchanting. It would let down traces of celestial ribbons when the gentle breeze blew by.
As night fell, the bonfire flickered faintly. Even Gu Xian’er had too much to drink and displayed her charming, playful side. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her flawless, snow-white arms as she tore at the meat of ferocious beasts. She looked nothing like her usual aloof self in front of others.
As if her big eyes glistened with rippling moisture, reflecting the flames of the bonfire and also the face of Gu Changge, she seemed to be staring blankly at him. As though she was contemplating something, there was an unconcealable blush on her face.
“Gu Changge, don’t you dare bully me again…” she mumbled as if she was groaning.
Hearing that, the surrounding villagers immediately chortled aloud. Even Gu Xianer’s Masters joined in on the laughter.
As Gu Xianer had experienced an abysmal childhood, they loved her very dearly.
Therefore, when Gu Changge first came to Peach Village with her, they were all worried, and they couldn’t help but wonder if she was threatened by Gu Changge. After all, he took her Dao Bone away when they were both children and almost killed her. Despite that, Gu Xianer didn’t seem bothered by the incident. Instead, she grew even closer to him.
Followingly, Tao Yao informed the villagers that Gu Changge possessed the Innate Demonic Heart, so he wasn’t totally in control of the actions he had committed during his childhood. Yet, they remained anxious and defensive against Gu Changge.
“You’re drunk, aren’t you?” Seeing how Gu Xianer leaned against him, Gu Changge speechlessly shook his head.
“You’re the drunk one!” Gu Xianer glared at him, seemingly dissatisfied by Gu Changge’s scornful look.
Then, as Gu Changge let out a sigh, he pulled out a clean handkerchief and gently wiped off the grease at the corner of her lips.
“I warn you, Gu Changge! Do not bully me again!” Gu Xianer squinted her eyes and whined before finding a comfortable position to lean against Gu Changge.
“It depends on whether you get on my nerves.” Gu Changge chuckled.
Nonetheless, Gu Xianer ignored him and quickly let out a soft, steady breathing sound while still grasping a greasy thigh of a beast in her hand. Without a care in mind, she clutched Gu Changge’s sleeve and smeared the grease on her hand on it.
Upon that sight, the residents of Peach Village instantly grew terrified.
Although they had never ventured into the outside world, during their hunts, they would occasionally bump into wandering cultivators and obtain certain information about the outside world from them. Thus, they understood that Gu Changge’s intimidating presence left even True Daoists shivering in restlessness. Despite that, Gu Xianer was so rampant towards him, yet Gu Changge behaved as if he was already used to such behaviour from her, casually sipping on his wine.
As the night sky gradually darkened, the moonlight stunningly glowed, accentuating the harmony within Peach Village. As the bonfire faded away, the villagers returned to their respective homes.
While Gu Xianer was in deep sleep, the aunties carried her to the resting spot. After she returned to Peach Village, she felt extremely at ease without having to shoulder any worries and burdens, and she could finally get some decent rest.
“Are you going to ignore your guest?” Instead of resting, Gu Changge picked up his wine glass and the wine jug before slowly walking towards the village entrance.
Ignoring the strange gazes of Gu Xianer’s Masters, he then sat down on a boulder. He appeared to be talking to himself, but he was actually speaking to Tao Yao.
*Whoosh!* Under the caress of the gentle breeze, leaves danced in the air, emitting wave-like sounds. The peach tree seemed especially crystalline, every petal of its flowers harboured Chaos Qi.
With that, fog began to surge, engulfing the region, hindering the vision of the old folks of Peach Village.
Tactfully, they withdrew their gazes and turned away.
As the guardian of Peach Village, Tao Yao possessed immeasurable cultivation. Something that the villagers could never glimpse upon. Normally, even the village head treated Tao Yao with the utmost respect.
Accordingly, a stunning slender figure ambiguously emerged from the peach tree, as if surrounded by thousands of divine enlightened empires. It was vague and sacred, yet filled with some sort of demonic aura.
“It’s been a while. How are you doing?” Tao Yao came into appearance with illuminating radiance shimmering on her dark hair, her glassy eyes fixed on Gu Changge with a hint of complicatedness.
For some reason, Gu Changge felt an odd sensation within her words. Her courteous greeting instantly invoked numerous pictures that flashed across in his mind like lightning and flames. More precisely, those were not flashes of pictures, but a figure. After all, she was no human, but a Demoness.
Holding her knees, she sat on the boundless plain with a withered peach tree behind her. She was born with grace, her dark hair, like a mirror, shone brightly. As she stared at the distant scenery, her eyes clearly reflected the skies and mountains, but her expression was of loneliness, as if she was waiting for someone.
Gu Changge knew that the figure belonged to Tao Yao, who was right in front of him. Being Chan Honyi’s rare friend, she was once invited by Chan Honyi to the mountain where the Demon Lord resided and was planted beside a boulder.
Before the Forbidden Epoch, in order to defend Chan Honyi against a blow from the Demon Lord, Tao Yao was gravely injured and almost got herself killed. Eventually, through fate, she became the guardian of Peach Village.
Compared to the last time she met Gu Changge, she now remembered more from the past, though Yao Yao might have played a huge role in this. Nevertheless, unlike Chan Honyi, she was not as hostile towards the Demon Lord.
“Are you not going to see your old friend?” Gu Changge leisurely filled his wine glass and drank from it.
Looking at Gu Changge with a perturbed gaze, Tao Yao understood that the ‘old friend’ he mentioned was referring to Chan Honyi, who escaped from Demon-Burying Abyss.
Even at this moment, she couldn’t fathom Gu Changge’s identity, wondering whether he was the reincarnation of the Demon Lord or something else. Besides, if he was indeed the Demon Lord, it was baffling how the Demon Lord that conquered the world and buried the entire Epoch in darkness would eventually reincarnate.
As a matter of fact, back when she was merely a feeble demon plant, the Demon Lord was already standing at the top of the entire world, possessing fathomless, with indescribable cultivation. Even after she became an Immortal and spent a long time in this realm, she felt as insignificant before the Demon Lord as ever.
Truthfully, the Demon Lord could slaughter Chan Honyi without breaking a sweat, and given her strength, there was no way she could have withstood a blow from the Demon Lord.
[How many more secrets is he hiding?] Tao Yao wanted to ask Gu Changge about everything, but she couldn’t figure out which identity he was talking to her now.
In fact, her being able to reach such a level was all thanks to the Demon Lord’s guidance in the past. Otherwise, she, merely an ordinary demon without any exceptional Talents. She would never have gotten this far, let alone reach the Immortal Realm.
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Good question. Is Gu Changge actually the reincarnation of the Demon Lord? As far as I’m aware there’s at least two versions of Gu Changge, three if you include the original timeline/Upper Realm (Upper Realm Gu). Not to mention the system. Maybe there’s a real third Gu Changge? I mean, I’ve seen similar plots before in novels, as in avatars or a consciousness of a supreme being broken off from the original. Maybe this Gu Changge is a split off consciousness.