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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
A trace of confusion, which even Gu Changge himself found incredulous, appeared in his eyes. Nevertheless, the change only took place for a brief moment. The look in his eyes soon returned to normal.
He lowered his head to look at Qingyi, who was leaning against him, and reached out his hand to gently stroke her hair.
Both of them remained silent, seeming to be enjoying the rare moment of peace.
“It would seem that things in the Upper Realm and the Immortal Domain have settled down. In that case, I can be a little more relieved.”
All of a sudden, Qingyi pursed her lips and smiled. Despite her dignified and beautiful appearance, her smile was so wide that her eyes curved into Crescent Moons. She seemed to be feeling happy from the bottom of her heart. The fatigue and exhaustion that originally showed on her face vanished at this moment. Not even the slightest trace remained behind.
Gu Changge nodded slightly and smiled. “Things in the Immortal Domain and the Upper Realm have certainly been rather peaceful over the past hundred years. As for the Other Domain, I have temporarily eliminated the factors of unrest there. Nevertheless, it will take some time before the Mountains and Oceans True World become completely unified once more.”
“Besides that, there seem to be Hunters outside the Boundless Expanse who have noticed this place. They will probably come to the Mountains and Oceans True World in the near future. Based on the Mountains and Oceans True World’s current strength and foundation, it will not be easy to repel them.”
“Thank you for your hard work.” Qingyi nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the information. She said, “After losing my protection, it is expected that the location of the Mountains and Oceans True World will eventually be revealed in the Boundless Expanse. I’ve made many plans over the years. The powerhouses who previously died in the Great War Against Heaven have also successfully reincarnated, so it will not take long for them to return from their reincarnation… But, when that time comes, you…”
At this point, she suddenly seemed regretful and hesitant.
Understanding her conflict, he broke into a faint smile. “It’s fine. Those misunderstandings will be resolved one day. As you know, I’m not bothered by what people think.”
He could feel her arms tightening around his waist at this moment. She seemed to have increased the strength of her grip.
“I’m sorry for making you bear the infamy and accusations for so long. Not only did I force you to reincarnate with me, but you also had to bear the endless curses and misunderstandings… Even your disciple has turned against you… What more the others? In the eyes of the world today, you are an absolute Demon who not only brought disaster to the world but also acted as the source of all destruction… But, I’m the only person who knows that you are quietly enduring everything. Nobody will ever understand you.”
Her eyes were filled with sorrow, guilt, and pain.
However, she truly did not know how else she could have saved the living creatures of the Mountains and Oceans True World or reliably protected them during the Second Great Purge if she had not chosen this particular course of action. Her only option was to wrong the only man she loved, and abandon her little Family for the sake of the greater good. As the True Spirit of the Mountains and Oceans True World, she did not have any other choice.
Hearing that, he smiled warmly and reached out to hug her. “You don’t need to apologise to me. It has nothing to do with you. Besides, wasn’t I the one who suggested this method in the first place? Don’t feel guilty either. Doing that will not only make you feel bad but make me uncomfortable too.”
His words made her hug him tightly, not knowing what else to say to him.
The First Great Purge was also known as the First Great War Against Heaven. During that battle, Gu Changge had made an unexpected appearance and rescued Qingyi from the hands of a Quasi-Dao Realm ancient cultivator who had survived his Second Immortal Decay.
For Qingyi who had just taken her first step into the Realm of Absolute Detachment and whose cultivation was not stable at the time, it was impossible for her to fend off the peerless Quasi-Dao Realm Master who had survived two Decay Tribulations.
In other words, Gu Changge had appeared out of nowhere and easily defeated the being who was considered a catastrophic existence in the eyes of the Mountains and Oceans True World.
To the Mountains and Oceans True World, the Quasi-Dao Realm was a distant and unreachable cultivation realm.
At the time, Qingyi was the only person who could put up a measure of resistance. It was all thanks to the blessings of Fortuity and the Force of the World she received as the True Spirit of the Mountains and Oceans True World. The other strongest of the Mountains and Oceans True World was powerless against their enemy.
For a new-born True World like the Mountains and Oceans True World, the Great Purge was tantamount to a world-destroying catastrophe. Not to mention that there were even more terrifying Forces behind the Quasi-Dao Realm Master.
To put it bluntly, the Mountains and Oceans True World would have vanished from existence if Gu Changge had not appeared during the First Great Purge. Like many other new-born True Worlds, it would have been lost in the river of time and buried in the ruins of chaos.
The Immortal Palace and the Immortal Domain that came later would not have existed either…
“It is entirely thanks to you that the Mountains and Oceans True World is what it is today…” Qingyi murmured softly.
Only a person who had experienced everything first-hand could understand what actually happened back then.
“That’s all in the past now. What you currently need to consider is how you plan on facing the imminent Third Great Purge… Just like the Decay Tribulations, each Great Purge is a hardship to overcome. Moreover, the difficulty of each subsequent Great Purge is far more terrifying than the previous Great Purges,” Gu Changge replied with a shake of his head.
For a cultivator, the disaster they needed to overcome was known as the Decay Tribulation. The Decay Tribulation could be divided like the Immortal Decays, from the First Decay to the Ninth Decay.
On the other hand, the disasters that a True World had to overcome were the Great Purges as its Tribulation. Even after escaping the First Great Purge, there would be a Second Great Purge and a Third Great Purge…
It was actually similar to the continuous process of nurturing a Gu creature where stronger cultivators and True Worlds would be produced through repeated Decay Tribulations and Great Purges. In the end, the harvest would finally take place during the final Great Purge. However, there was no precedent of a True World surviving all nine Great Purges in the course of history, much less becoming a Sole True World. Such things were just hearsay.
By becoming a Sole True World, the True World would transcend the mundane and become unaffected by the Great Purges. Only then would the True World obtain true and everlasting freedom. It was for that reason many True Worlds conspired against each other. They were aiming to devour other True Worlds so that they could become a Sole True World.
“The Third Great Purge is probably coming soon…” A look of worry appeared in Qingyi’s eyes when she heard those words.
The Mountains and Oceans True World had yet to recover from the aftermath of the previous Great Purge, and she herself was in the middle of recovery right now. Be that as it may, the Third Great Purge was already around the corner.
Such a sense of terror and oppression was truly suffocating.
For that reason, she even considered using her own Source to nurture the Tree of Epoch Sapling as part of the preparations for the Third Great Purge. Even if the Mountains and Oceans True World was completely destroyed, she would have the means to protect her people and allow them to reincarnate. Unfortunately, the process was extremely long and gruelling.
Gu Changge calmly replied, “The Third Great Purge is indeed approaching soon. If we don’t make the necessary preparations in advance, the Mountains and Oceans True World might actually be obliterated this time.”
Her gaze dimmed. In the face of an absolute disparity in strength, any form of strategy or preparation would seem weak and feeble in comparison.
Attempting to ward off the Third Great Purge with the strength of the current Mountains and Oceans True World was undoubtedly a fool’s dream.
The current Mountains and Oceans True World did not have a single cultivator who had stepped into the Path of Transcendence, so its strength had yet to return to its original state before the First Great Purge. However, the Third Great Purge was bound to be far more terrifying than the First Great Purge.
“Honestly, there’s no need for you to worry too much about this issue.” He continued in his usual calm manner, “Countless ancient worlds disappear from the vast universe every single day. These phenomena are simply part of the Law of Cycles. It is impossible to escape the situation unless an unexpected variable is born. But, it is extremely difficult for an unexpected variable to be born as well. Even the Ancient True Worlds may not be able to produce one after numerous years. As a newly-born True World, the Mountains and Oceans True World is very lucky to have survived the Second Great Purge.”
His words were frank and realistic. In his opinion, the fall of the Mountains and Oceans True World was an inevitable fact. He would never have spoken such words in the past, but his emotions had been triggered for some reason today. He did not want her to put in so much effort for nothing. Besides, he originally planned to abandon the Mountains and Oceans True World anyway.
What did the life and death of the living beings matter to him once the value of the Mountains and Oceans True World had been exhausted? In his eyes, the Mountains and Oceans True World was not very different from the ancient worlds that perished throughout the vast universe every single day.
He could easily protect the people around him. Even if the final Great Purge came, he would have no trouble protecting them. Hence, he believed that it was unnecessary for her to spend so much energy on such a useless endeavour. Naturally, he knew that his approach was very selfish. It was equivalent to ignoring her feelings…
“But, I can’t just ignore those living in the Mountains and Oceans True World… I am its True Spirit.” Qingyi understood the meaning behind his words. Nevertheless, she shook her head with determination.
Gu Changge did not speak further. Everything he wanted to say had been said. Besides, the reason he came to visit her at the Land of Reincarnation was related to another matter.
She was certainly creating a Land of Reincarnation, but her efforts did not affect the entire world. Take Luo Yanxi, who came from outside the palace, for example. Her rebirth and reincarnation were completely unrelated to Qingyi.
In other words, there were others pulling the strings from the background in an attempt to bring back the unmatched powerhouses who previously perished in battle. As for the identity of that mastermind, guesses were there but not certainties.
“Since you are already here to visit me, then why don’t you help heal my wounds…” A faint smile suddenly appeared on Qingyi’s face. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Gu Changge. At the same time, a faint blush crept across her fair and flawless face.
Gu Changge was taken aback for a moment and reflexively answered before he understood the meaning behind her words.
“You’ve injured your Source. It will take a long time for you to recover.”
He realised what she meant and chuckled softly.
Afterwards, the bedsheets fluttered softly. Celestial Mist permeated the air, filling the palace with an ambiguous atmosphere.
A few days later, Gu Changge departed from the palace without bringing Xiao Bai along with him.
Qingyi had also regained consciousness. Although she had yet to recover completely, the condition of her wounds had improved considerably compared to before. She no longer needed to enter the unconscious state to focus on her recovery. However, she had no plans to leave the Lake of Reincarnation just yet.
Gu Changge initially wanted her to make an appearance to lure the remnants of the former Immortal Palace out of hiding. After further thought, he realised that it did not matter to him whether or not those remnants appeared.
As for the Great Purge that the Mountains and Oceans True World was about to face, he decided to take action after mulling over the issue for some time. It was the perfect opportunity for him to proceed with the reorganisation of the Heavenslayers Alliance, just as he previously considered.
During the Great War Against Heaven, such an organisation had been necessary for him to raise the banner against the Heaven and muster the mighty forces of the world in one place. The current Mountains and Oceans True World was just the right material to become the predecessor of the Heavenslayers Alliance.
Luo Yanxi and Queen Lunar waited for Gu Changge outside the Lake of Reincarnation. They did not dare to remain in the Tree of Epoch’s canopy for long.
Gu Changge did not mention a single word regarding Qingyi.
Fortunately, the two women were very tactful and did not raise any questions. They could tell that Gu Changge and the former Grand Palace Master of the Immortal Palace shared a secret past that was unknown to others. It was possible that there was a reason why the Immortal Palace was destroyed in the past.
After they returned to the Immortal Domain, Gu Changge instructed Queen Lunar to gather the rest of the Immortal Kings to form a garrison outside the Boundless Battlefield. At the same time, he wanted them to make an announcement across every part of the Immortal Domain.
The Immortal Domain was going to suffer a catastrophe within the next hundred years that could wipe out everybody in the world. The Hunters from the Boundless Fallen Ocean would journey through the distance and arrive in the Mountains and Oceans True World. Their horrifying strength far exceeded the imagination, and they would sacrifice everything. When that happened, even the Immortal Kings would not be spared.
The information circulated by the major Immortal King Families immediately caused an uproar throughout the Immortal Domain and spread fear to all. That was because a hundred years was neither short nor long. For the powerful cultivators, that period would pass in the blink of an eye.
The information soon spread to the rest of the worlds like wildfire. Even the Upper Realm would not be spared from the disaster. All the Forces and cultivators sank into a mire of shock and anxiety. After all, it was information spread by the Immortal Kings themselves. How could the information be false?
Although some people doubted the authenticity of the information, the strange phenomenon that once appeared to mark the end of the world many years ago had been seen by countless in the Immortal Domain.
At the time, the world itself seemed to have gone dull. Everything had been transformed into a foam-like substance. Furthermore, the Boundless Fallen Ocean swept forward and surged violently at the edge of the endlessly distance. Vague traces of ancient battleships could be seen reflected across the sky, and a terrifying Demonic figure that remained unchanged since ancient times stood among them.
Several Ancient True Immortals, who had a deep understanding of ancient history and once deliberately researched the Boundless Fallen Ocean, also stood forward to affirm the truth. That phenomenon was an indication of a catastrophe, and similar phenomena had appeared in many universes.
Many could not help but shiver in fear and horror. The Immortal Domain had finally turned peaceful, yet they were about to suffer another catastrophe. Not to mention, even the peerless Immortal Kings would not be spared from the disaster. What would happen to the ordinary cultivators?
If the information was true, then the ordinary cultivators would be reduced to ashes in an instant. They would not even have the right to be sacrificed!
This information plunged the universes in the Immortal Domain into a chaotic and fearful atmosphere. Was such a prosperous era going to end so quickly? They simply could not resign themselves to their fate.
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