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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
It was not a particularly long process. The journey took several decades, during which Gu Changge travelled the wilderness and passed through ancient cities as a mortal. He did not show the slightest hint of his cultivation. Even his companions who travelled with him had treated him as a genuine mortal.
During his travels, he witnessed with his own eyes the slaughter and chaos, the disputes over wealth and treasure, and the senseless massacres among the cultivators. He also observed the rapid decline of ancient dynasties, which eventually disappeared from the world and became lost in the torrents of history.
In addition, he observed numerous deaths and separations among the mortals. He not only witnessed the birth of new life but also death from old age. It was only natural for his understanding of emotions to deepen considerably.
Afterwards, he travelled the universes and appeared in countless ancient worlds. He even went to the Demon World and left his footprints there once more.
Unfortunately, Demon Empress Xi Yao was no longer in the Demon World. All she left behind was a Dharma Body, just in case to suppress the situation when chaos struck the Demon World.
Meanwhile, she had gone to the starry skies outside the territory in search of a opportunity to breakthrough. She had stepped into the Path of Nirvana several years ago and advanced into the Nirvana Realm while somewhere deep in another universe. Be that as it may, she did not choose to return to the Demon World but continued her journey in an attempt to reach even greater heights.
In today’s world, the cultivation of a True Daoist could be said to be grossly inadequate. As the Empress of the Demonic Beings, Xi Yao, was well aware of this fact. As the ruler of the Demon World, even with her ambiguous relationship with Gu Changge, it was difficult for her to make the public submit to her without absolute strength. After all, even the Immortal Kings had to hide carefully because they were unable to withstand the coming storm.
Many Ancient Demons from the Ancient Epoch had emerged in the Demon World recently. They lived extremely long lives, and their strength was absolutely horrifying.
In addition, the Demonic Court, which originally unified the territories in the Demon World, was showing signs of falling apart. The Demon Ancestors had dominated their respective sides, refusing to compromise with each other. It was only because they were scared of the close relationship between the Demon Empress and Gu Changge that they did not dare to directly attack the Demonic Court. Otherwise, they would have taken action and devoured the Demonic Court a long time ago.
For these reasons, it could be seen that the situation in the Demon World was extremely turbulent. Wars had broken out in the places that were originally peaceful, causing the Demon Race to suffer and live in dire straits once more.
Gu Changge stayed in the Demon World for some time but did not visit the Demonic Court or visit Xi Yao to reminisce about the past. As usual, he chose to observe everything with the perspective of a traveller. He was always impartial, refusing to favour either side.
After several years, he quietly departed without anybody knowing that he had been there and resumed his journey to other places. He went to the Heavenly Tide Realm, passed through the Boundary Marker Sea, and finally appeared at the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.
The Sky Deer City was as majestic as before, and the ancient runes carved into the walls flowed with terrifying power. Thanks to the coming and going of cultivators from every walk of life, the city was very lively. There was no lack of shouting and hawking along the ancient streets.
Compared with the rest of the worlds, this place could be regarded as a Holy Land. There were no wars or disputes, and the order was well-maintained. At the very least, that was how things seemed at the moment.
On the other hand, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains that was previously divided by the Forces of the Upper Realm had since been abandoned in succession. Each territory had gained a new Master. In a way, it could be said that the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had been reborn.
In the past, Gu Changge had obtained the Tree of Epoch from this place. He was also the first person to invade the Sky Deer City and step foot into the territory of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, but he did not return there again afterwards. Even though he was back, he did not feel particularly sentimental. He only felt a slight sense of amazement, thinking that time had quickly flown by.
The Sky Deer Goddess did not notice his arrival. Now that he had returned to his original state as a complete mortal, even cultivators with impressive backgrounds and cultivation would not be able to perceive his presence. Therefore, she was startled when he abruptly appeared beside her. It took quite some time for her to recover from her shock.
She, who was now a True Immortal, could be regarded as an overlord in a sense. Hence, for somebody to appear beside her without warning, the other party’s cultivation must be beyond imagination. Those were the first thoughts that passed through her mind, and then she reflexively attacked him. Needless to say, with her cultivation, it was impossible for her to harm him.
Gu Changge had been struck by an unexpected sense of mischief and decided to scare her on a whim after he reminisced about the past they shared.
Once she realised that the visitor was Gu Changge, she breathed a sigh of relief and shot a furious glare at him.
There were no deep feelings of affection between them.
At the very beginning, the Sky Deer Goddess had departed from the Sky Deer City and attempted to stop Gu Changge with the intention of perishing with him.
The Upper Realm’s colossal army stationed along the Boundary Marker Sea’s shore at the time stretched out into the boundless horizon, and the number of powerhouses among them was practically uncountable. If the army were to breach Sky Deer City, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains would be powerless to repel the enemy. Such a situation would undoubtedly be a horrific catastrophe for both the Sky Deer City and the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains behind it.
Therefore, the Sky Deer Goddess planned to eliminate the greatest potential danger, Gu Changge, outside the Boundary Marker Sea to protect the Sky Deer City left behind by her Master. It was a pity that she had underestimated Gu Changge’s strength and skills. Not only did she fail to injure Gu Changge, but she was captured and tainted by Demonic Nature instead. The incident nearly caused her to become possessed. After the incident, the woman who was once as pure as a Buddha Lotus became slightly sinister and evil.
As for what happened afterwards, the two of them travelled to the Nine Great Mountains together. Many incidents occurred during their journey.
The Sky Deer Goddess successfully exterminated her Senior Sister, who previously turned traitor and went into hiding for many years, thanks to Gu Changge’s help and eventually took on the identity of Gu Changge’s Wife. However, all the cultivators and living creatures in the Sky Deer City and the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains believed that she had betrayed them.
For the sake of survival, she did not hesitate to submit to Gu Changge and even willingly became his Wife. Although she was faced with countless slander and insults, she did not take them to heart. She continued to act as she pleased and ignored the opinions of outsiders.
Gu Changge clearly remembered these events. It was also thanks to the Sky Deer Goddess’ existence that the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains was ultimately preserved. Having said that, there was no actual affection between them. Their relationship could at most be described as one of dependence.
There was no particular reason as to why Gu Changge came to Sky Deer City. He was simply roaming the starry skies of the universes he visited. Sky Deer City just happened to be along the way. Thinking that he might as well visit this place again, he decided to drop by for a brief visit.
During his visit, the Sky Deer Goddess told him about the changes in the Boundary Marker Sea. Many strange phenomena had occurred there recently. Parts of the originally turbulent Boundary Marker Sea had also gone dry, exposing the cracked seabed below. She naturally dispatched some men to investigate the situation, but they were obstructed by an invisible force that prevented them from approaching those sites. For that reason, she did not know what had happened in the depths of the Boundary Marker Sea.
Gu Changge was not interested in these affairs. He had long known that there was an ancient battlefield of the Great War Against Heaven that took place on the Boundary Marker Sea. The original Heavenslayers Army had perished on that battlefield, and the ancient battlefield ended up in this place for some unknown reason.
The Boundary Marker Sea came from the same source as the Boundless Fallen Ocean, but there was an obvious difference in quality between them. It could be said that the Boundary Marker Sea actually held the seawater from the Boundless Fallen Ocean, which had evolved over countless years. That was why many cultivators were curious about the origins of the churning and floating fragmented ancient worlds.
Why else did the True Daoists and even the True Immortals have such difficulty crossing over them? They basically formed a natural barrier around the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains
These matters were not a secret to the current Gu Changge, so he told the Sky Deer Goddess not to worry about them. Even if the ancient cultivators from the Ancient Epoch came out from the depths of the Boundary Marker Sea, they could not act rashly.
After staying in the Sky Deer City for several years, Gu Changge departed for his journey again. He had seen many things in the world throughout his journey, including life, old age, illness, death, sorrow, anger, obsession, and hatred. Be that as it may, he believed that his insights were far from enough.
By witnessing these phenomena as a bystander, he could not experience them for himself. Thus, his understanding seemed to be lacking somehow. The truth was like mist in the clouds, separated by a gap that was as vast as the mountains and the sea. It was impossible for him to attain the truth, let alone come close to the truth.
He heaved a small sigh in his heart, realising that he could not truly comprehend these emotions like a true mortal. After all, he was only observing the life of an ordinary person from another perspective. His behaviour was not actually very different from the Heavenly Dao. When it came to his innate nature, he was completely different from a mortal.
“If I only behave like a mortal, then I won’t be able to complete and perfect my Humanity. In this aspect, it is no different from standing at a high spot and watching over the people below as though I am observing ants…”
Gu Changge frowned slightly, thinking that he should change both his outlook and his approach. If the situation persisted, then he could only observe the truth as though looking at flowers through a layer of mist. He could only catch a vague and blurry glimpse of the truth.
At this rate, he might have to abandon his current identity and cultivation to truly become a mortal. Needless to say, he was not actually abandoning everything. He merely wanted to fully become an ordinary mortal during this period. It was similar to completely forgetting his origins and everything else on a fundamental level.
This method could be considered an excellent method to thoroughly sever the issues he experienced previously. For that reason, he spent the next few years sealing most of his memories himself. He soon forgot his past as a cultivator. Even his cultivation was utterly forgotten.
This time around, he could finally experience various emotions like an ordinary person. He could get sick and suffer from pain. He also developed emotions such as hatred for evil, pity for the weak, sympathy toward tragic events, and delight at the sunny weather…
Gu Changge himself felt as though he could actually live like an ordinary mortal. No… At this moment, he was a mortal in the genuine sense.
He had not tried reincarnation to comprehend these emotions but chose the option where he seemingly started a brand-new life instead. Hence, he could not traverse the starry skies or fly across the land like cultivators could.
Even if he was merely crossing a mountain, he would become fatigued and short of breath. He would also experience hunger, thirst, dizziness, weakness, and many other emotions that only ordinary mortals would feel. Moreover, he gradually began to age over time. He could no longer remain in his eternal prime or stand at the top of the world to look down on everything below. In fact, he had to avoid and flee from wild beasts while traversing the wilderness lest he became their food.
After becoming mortal, he could get sick, hungry, tired, and old… His memory also seemed to be getting worse. He began to forget things and showed symptoms of dementia. In fact, he had nearly forgotten his initial goal. For what reason did he become like this? Who was he? What was he trying to achieve? Why did he keep walking? Where was his destination?
In the end, he stopped walking. He felt so tired that he needed to find a safe place to stop. It was not to rest but to simply take a short break. Although he was extremely tired, he was not fatigued in the physical sense. The fatigue seemed to have accumulated for countless years and then erupted like a tidal wave at this moment to completely submerge him.
Green Mountain Village was the place where Gu Changge happened to stop. The village could not be considered large, with only several hundred households. Be that as it may, the village was surrounded by mountains and rivers. There were many paths that could connect to the nearest city, so caravans would pass through the village with various exquisite yet cheap goods every day. These caravans generally came from distant lands. Some of them even had powerful cultivators, who could fly through the skies, protecting them and guarding the peace in all directions.
“I must visit Blazing Sun Sect next year and beg the Celestial of Blazing Sun Sect to accept me as a disciple. Then, I will also become a Celestial who can fly in the sky…”
Inside a slightly dilapidated brick house was a dark-skinned young boy dressed in patched clothing. He clenched his fists tightly and declared with a determined look in his eyes.
“The Blazing Sun Sect only accepts children with a cultivation bone. You foolish child, what are you thinking? Sit down and concentrate on eating! Do you think you can become a Celestial just because you want to? Countless Young Masters from wealthy Families can’t even get in despite squeezing themselves dry…”
A middle-aged man with an honest face, who was sitting next to the young boy, reached out his chopsticks and rapped the young boy’s head. He playfully scolded the young boy with a smile on his face.
Likewise, a woman sitting next to them shook her head with a helpless smile.
This was a simple yet harmonious Family of three. They were also the ones who were temporarily taking care of Gu Changge.
Gu Changge had walked to Green Mountain Village with the intention of resting there for some time.
The middle-aged man’s name was Wang Erniu. It was a simple name indeed.
At the time, Wang Erniu was returning from the market with his Son, Wang Xiaoniu, when they coincidentally encountered Gu Changge resting on top of a boulder. Gu Changge had been dusty from travel. Even his clothes seemed rather worn and shabby. Nevertheless, he gave Wang Erniu an unforgettable impression just by sitting there. It was a strange feeling. Even the old man living in the nearest city did not have such magnificent bearing.
Unable to help himself, Wang Erniu went forward to greet Gu Changge. It so happened that Gu Changge was feeling thirsty, so he asked for a bowl of water in return.
Being a warm and simple man, Wang Erniu invited Gu Changge back to his home and asked his Wife to prepare dinner for them. He even slaughtered the old hen that he had been raising for years. Gu Changge had initially planned to leave after he finished drinking the bowl of water, but Wang Erniu was being so hospitable that he could not refuse the goodwill.
“Why can’t I become a Celestial? Isn’t the lady on the western side of the village a Celestial? It has been so many years, and I’ve never seen her grow old. She is always so beautiful. I don’t care. I am going to become a Celestial and marry a Celestial Elder Sister when I’m older.”
Although Wang Xiaoniu was scolded by his Father earlier, he continued to shout that he was going to marry a Celestial Elder Sister when he grew up. Without a doubt, he felt another sharp rap on his head as soon as the words left his mouth.
Wang Erniu’s expression turned serious, and his demeanour became stern. He said, “You little rascal, don’t talk nonsense. Lady Su is an absolute Saint! Throughout these years, she not only provided free medical treatment to the villagers but also taught the children how to read and write. If you dare to say such things again, I’m going to spank you hard!”
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