Chapter 427: You Dummy; Tao Yao'S Probing

As a terrifying black sword ray struck the War Immortal, his decaying body blew up instantly, turning into dust, dead for good this time.

Though he was a True Daoist during his peak and was, in fact, powerful and had been in pursuit of the Immortal Realm for a long time, he was now but a furry, immobile, green corpse. He had no way of escaping once Gu Changge found him.

"You killed him just like that!?" Gu Xianer exclaimed in bafflement. She had thought her cousin would at least ask the War Immortal some questions and squeeze every bit of value out of him first, but who'd have thought he would take him out without a word!

It was a far cry from the profit-seeking Gu Changge she knew well of.

"Am I supposed to wait until he restores to his peak and comes at me instead?" Gu Changge glanced at Gu Xianer like she was an idiot as he put the Solar Heavenly Blade away.

The current War Immortal wasn't worth much at all. Apart from being 'walking' experience points, Gu Changge honestly couldn't find a good reason to keep him alive.

"Don't you dare look at me like that!" Gu Xianer gritted her teeth, believing Gu Changge saw her as nothing but a fool..

But Gu Changge had no time to bicker with her right now. He launched another attack, and a massive palm that concealed the sky struck the stagnant Elder, killing him before he could finally scrutinise the bronze palace in peace.

If it hadn't been for the War Immortal, he certainly wouldn't have been able to find a place like this.

"A fantastic Sanctuary of Resurrection. There's no place better than this one." He nodded with satisfaction, especially when he sensed the many Sources gathering here. In fact, the corpses here might even come back alive.

The thick spiritual energy here was the perfect place for him to set up some traps so as to conceal others' energy and aura.

"Why would you need a Sanctuary of Resurrection?" Gu Xianer, too, sized the place up, wondering if her cousin intended to resurrect someone.

"Just in case. So that I will have a way of returning if I die a sudden death one day," Gu Changge made a random excuse after checking her. He naturally wouldn't tell her about the demoness in red.

"You? Die all of a sudden?" Gu Xianer was stupefied, but very quickly, Gu Changge's yet-to-deal-with demonic heart came to mind, and she believed he was making preparations for it.

She turned glum. [What will he do if it relapses? Will he choose to gouge out my Celestial Bone? Or would he go as far as to gouge out his own heart?]

[No... I already have the answer at this point. Back at the Nirvana Pool, he would have rather severed his own arm than hurt me again...] Suddenly sadness overcame her. Beneath Gu Changge's glamorous appearance hid a life-threatening danger.

"If that day ever comes, you can go ahead and take my Celestial Bone. I can still live without it—" Gu Xianer fixed her gaze determinedly at her cousin, wanting him to know she was there for him. However, before she could even finish her words, Gu Changge whacked her on the head, making her cry out in pain. "What was that for?!"

"Dummy. What in the world do you keep in that little head of yours?" He shook his head. But, of course, he knew just what his dear cousin was thinking. After all, she had always been quite the imaginative one.

"It's called having your best interest at heart!" Gu Xianer glared with displeasure. "You condescending bastard have never been willing to humble yourself. Will it kill you to appreciate other people's kind wishes for once!?"

Gu Changge sighed in response, then cupped her face only to knead it as he pleased, causing her to glare daggers at him.

"Go it then you dummy." He smiled and let go of her.

"Hey..." She had already braced herself for his cynicism. However, his reaction still caught her off guard, leaving her dumbfounded for a moment. But very quickly, she came to herself and snorted. "You're the dummy. You better not overthink it. I just don't want to owe you. Shen Xian'er's issue this time would have been problematic without you."

After all, Li Xiu wasn't some nobody. He was essentially the renown War Immortal.

Despite belonging to a branch of the Gu Family, Shen Xian'er's last name wasn't Gu, and she had never gone to the Upper Realm nor paid homage to the Gu Family Ancestors. Hence, the Gu Family wouldn't involve themselves with her.

...

Afterwards, Gu Changge set the place up and personally carved out many mysterious runes meticulously like never before. After all, he had other plans for this place. It was going to be used against the demoness in red, who would soon emerge from the Demon-burying Abyss. Hence, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes here, or his plan might fail and cause him even greater trouble later.

The bronze palace looked to be constructed from some unknown ancient era. Many strange arts depictions were carved into the walls around, one notably of ancient beings kneeling and bowing to an icon.

Gu Changge made various runes in all directions through his glowing fingers, and the runes twinkled on the walls like stars in the starry sky. At the same time, the grand runes merged into Principle, securing all sides of the bronze palace.

[The Resurrection effect here could use some work... That way, it wouldn't appear off.] Gu Changge transformed his Qi into a tool and personally dug a pool out in the depths of the palace, then set up various barriers to collect the life sources nearby.

*Buzz!* A dazzling glow shone from within the pool, filling up with rich life essence.

In fact, for his finishing touch, he carved out runes around the outside of the Space Rift and even used many concealing treasures to prevent the aura of this location from leaking out before feeling at ease.

[Hope she won't find out, but let's hope that moment never comes.] Gu Changge gazed thoughtfully ahead as many thoughts flashed across his head. After believing the place was entirely within his control, he finally moved to leave.

"Took you quite some time to set up the place..." Gu Xianer commented with surprise when she finally saw Gu Changge after waiting for him outside the Space Rift for a long time.

However, the man nodded with no intention of explaining and said, "Let's go."

Followingly, everyone transformed into divine rainbows, broke through the space, and left.

War had broken out at the Boundary Marker Sea, and all forces involved had sent their best men over to cross over to the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. However, they could feel the terrifying fluctuations of energy even when they were travelling from far away.

It came from a Nirvana Grade Artifact. Since there were no beings in the Immortal Realm that had yet to have emerged, those in the Nirvana Realm were basically the Upper Realm's strongest.

In fact, many True Daoists had joined the battle as vanguards to open up a path for the others.

Of course, those at the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were no pushovers. An unimaginable determination to defend the Upper Realm's invasion broke out amongst them, and everyone had united as one.

However, both sides were basically evenly matched, so many cultivators continued to fall one after another near the Boundary Marker Sea, and one would even be able to hear booming battle cries and smell the stench of blood from afar.

It was an extensive battle that involved nearly all forces of the Upper Realm. Even the Immortal Gu Family had dispatched ten million of soldiers to the Boundary Marker Sea. However, Gu Changge did not intend to join the ride.

He would definitely join the battle at the Boundary Marker Sea, but just not now.

During his travel away from the Space Rift, he opened the Heavenly Treasure Chest that had dropped after killing the War Immortal, and a golden ray flashed before revealing a small, mystical golden cauldron that floated mid-air.

[The Golden Fortuity Cauldron. It is formed from merging the Fortuity of all beings. So, I can use this to collect Fortuity... This is pretty good. Now, I've gained another way of collecting Fortuity.] Gu Changge was pretty pleased after reading its description, believing that if he placed the Golden Fortuity Cauldron in an Immortal Sect or Family, he could steal some of their Fortuity without alarming anyone.

[This thing is even better than the World Tree seedling I've got!]

Not only that, the Fortuity he had gotten from killing the War Immortal was enough for him to redeem a few Absolute Detachment Bones, allowing his powers to advance even further.

While Gu Changge led the group away from the battlefield, many could find ancient battleships traversing the sky and many mounts charging towards the battlefield.

Many Upper Realm young prodigies had joined the battle. In fact, they were even more battle-fueled after realising only lower-level cultivators could cross the Boundary Marker Sea without much danger. Thus, wanting to make a name for themselves in this battle, they were eager to rush over. After all, the fastest would be able to kill more from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains.

"Are we heading to Peach Village now?" Gu Xianer asked mid-journey. It had nearly been a year since she last returned to Peach Village. Though a year was nothing to a cultivator, she still missed her Masters residing in Peach Village.

Since she grew up in the village, her attachment to it was naturally far deeper than Gu Family Residence.

"Yeah, let's go there. There's no point for you in joining the battle against the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains right now." Gu Changge nodded. Besides, he had something he wanted to verify with Tao Yao, so he would have to head to Peach Village sooner or later.

He then used his absolute ability to open up a Space Tunnel. A terrifying space rune appeared, ripping the void in front apart.

Thus, their path was opened and they began to pass through it. Given Gu Changge's current powers, travelling in the void was a piece of cake. If anything, he could cross tens of thousands of kilometres in the blink of an eye.

While they travelled, they could see slivers of dazzling glows past them. There were even Mist of Chaos that existed within the void, a phenomenon that one could rarely find in everyday life.

The vast Upper Realm consisted of the Inner and Outer Domains, and the Peach Village they were heading towards was the Land of Abandoned Celestials, located in the Outer Domain. Thus, it was worlds away from the Boundary Marker Sea.

"I bet not even a Sacred Emperor Realm Master is your match, huh?" Gu Xianer muttered with shock as she noticed the void ahead twisted continuously.

With him at the front, the path ahead seems to have become blurry because his immensely powerful physic would cause the space that came in contact with him to crumble. Not even an expert in the Sacred Emperor Realm could achieve such an effect.

Thus, Gu Xianer believed her cousin's true powers were now far beyond that of the Sacred Emperor Realm. [Just how in the world does he cultivate?!]

"Sacred Emperor Realm?" Gu Changge smiled but said nothing. He even need not fear a genuine True Daoist, given his current powers. However, such news would be far too terrifying for the world.

Besides, even though someone was the scapegoat for his Successor of Demonic Arts identity, someone would get suspicious eventually. After all, his speed of advancement was far too shocking and unbelievable. [Then again, even the other Successor of Demonic Arts would not advance this quickly. I fear it is already beyond what is conceivable.]

[Still, it seems like Su Qingge has been having a hard time lately. Word is that she's being chased everywhere.] The man smiled thoughtfully when he recalled some news he had received recently.

Two weeks later, the void blurred again, and the rift disappeared. Gu Changge led the group out of it to appear on the peak of a tall mountain range where abundant plants and trees grew. A bleak and vast ancient forest enveloped in mist could be seen from afar, and for one to find the mysterious Peach Village, one would have to cross it.

"The Land of Abandoned Celestials, I'm back!" Homesickness arose within Gu Xianer as she looked at the extremely familiar view.

She used to traverse the Land of Abandoned Celestials with her big red bird in search of various treasures, and she would constantly encounter life-threatening dangers, especially powerful beasts, which she would fight to gain experience.

Joyous, she stood on tiptoes and looked ahead.

As she brought Gu Changge with her the last time she came back, many of her Seniors there teased her about bringing her beloved back to her maiden home. Naturally, it left her abashed with exasperation for a long time.

And now, she has returned with Gu Changge by her side again. Who knew just what they would say this time!?

"You guys wait here," Gu Changge instructed his men behind him, then took Gu Xianer to Peach Village.

They crossed the ancient forest in no time and found the mystical peach tree rooted in front of the village from afar.

It was a relatively small village surrounded by a fence with medicinal herbs and other produces planted around it. Breathtaking light broke through as white fog pervaded, giving off a calming effect. Meanwhile, wisps of spiritual energy emerged all around, nourishing the place.

Divine beasts roared as birds soared while the elderly played with children at the village entrance. It looked like a peaceful, serene paradise.

Faint divinity seems to shroud the luscious peach tree, in which every leaf contained mysterious energy. It looked ancient, and no one knew how long it had been here. Though it never bloomed, it contained astonishing transcendental purity.

A sweet, adorable little girl in cotton clothing with luscious hair sat at the stones at the village entrance, swinging her legs as she glanced out the village every now and then, seemingly looking for someone.

Suddenly, she froze after catching someone approaching the village. She rubbed her eyes, thinking she had only been imagining things, but it was really none other than Gu Changge, her Master whom she had missed so much.

"Master!" she squealed with delight as she staggered to him, having nothing but his figure in her eyes.

"Xianer's back. No wonder the magpies were singing at the village entrance this morning."

"And she's brought her beloved home again. That girl is finally willing to come back after leaving for a year."

The other villagers, too, have noticed Gu Changge and Gu Xianer, and many of them welcome them with great pleasure.

Just like that, Peach Village became lively, and many Seniors came out to size the Gu cousins up. In fact, a few women scrutinised Gu Xianer's belly, only to sigh one after another, baffling the young woman. But very quickly, she understood what was up, and her fair small face turned crimson. She glared daggers at Gu Changge, blaming him for making her mortified and misunderstood by these ladies.

However, Gu Changge didn't catch her glare at all as he was squatting down and holding Yao Yao's hand, asking about her well-being with a gentler gaze.

The little girl was still reeling with delight as she related her life in Peach Village to him. She loved the serene life here, and not only did she have a sister figure like Tao Yao, but the other villagers also treated her like family. She didn't need to worry about anything at all here. However, she would still miss him every now and then.

Gu Changge smiled and ruffled her hair. "Glad that you like it here. I'll visit you whenever I can."

While speaking, he pulled out the knick-knacks he had gotten for her from the world of mortals. He had thought of her when he bought some for Gu Qingyi, so he picked out a few items during his shopping spree.

Looking at it now, the little girl had no interest in cultivation but loved knick-knacks like these. As sweet and sensible as she was, she was still just a child after all.

"Thank you, Master. I love it here. The children will play with me, and the animals here behave too." Yao Yao beamed with delight as her Master, whom she had missed so much, had finally come to see her.

Gu Changge, too, was relieved after knowing she was doing very well here. After all, it would save him some trouble if she liked it here.

"Xianer, I've been where you're at..." Meanwhile, a middle-aged woman brought Gu Xianer aside and nagged.

The poor girl's face was crimson with mortification, and she could feel her ears burning. [What are you people thinking!? He's my cousin!]

Nonetheless, the few women disregarded her excuse, for they believed, given the young woman's personality, she and Gu Changge were certainly more than just friends; especially when she kept bringing Gu Changge back to Peach Village.

Hence, the young woman felt helpless as her explanations would always be in vain. In the end, she could only glare daggers at Gu Changge and throw all the blame onto him.

Peach Village was exceptionally lively that day, for not only had Gu Xianer returned with Gu Changge once more, but they had also brought gifts for everyone that could extend their lives and strengthen their bodies like heavenly herbs and pills.

As much as she was ordinarily stingy and money-loving, she was very generous towards her fellow Peach Villagers. It wouldn't be surprising if she had even given them everything in her possession.

Finally, Gu Xianer's Masters showed up and were pleased after inspecting her cultivation level. Though she was still far off from Gu Changge, she was already far more powerful than her other peers.

After all, to them, Gu Changge was a monster that couldn't be judged using normal standards. Even now, they couldn't make out the extent of Gu Changge's true abilities, and it shocked them with incredulity.

[It has only been a little over a year since we last saw this bloke; how can he advance so much in this short time!?]

That said, it had to do with the young man's secrets, so they didn't ask anything despite their curiosity.

The villagers naturally cooked up a scrumptious feast to welcome the Gu cousins' return. Though it was nothing compared to the Gu Family's banquet, it was still something.

Everyone feasted and drank, and a few Seniors very naturally socialised with Gu Changge like they had known him for a long time, disregarding his identity and asking him about his relationship with Gu Xianer.

Gu Changge answered flawlessly, relieving Gu Xianer, who had been boring into him. Naturally, she was worried that he might say something to embarrass her. However, dejection began creeping up on her for some reason when she knew Gu Changge hadn't implied anything in his answers.

As the feast came to a close, everyone retired, and Gu Xianer, too, returned to her old room.

On the other hand, the villagers had prepared a room for Gu Changge, but the young man went to the peach tree outside of the village instead of retiring.

He took a leisurely sip of the liquor he had taken out from the feast before sitting by the tree.

Meanwhile, speckles of gentle, silver moonlight reflected in the lake, looking mesmerising.

The massive, luscious, ancient peach tree, in which every leaf contained mysterious grooves and resembled works of art, looked even more ancient under the moonlight. It looked even more glorious and mysterious when the leaves rustled and swayed against the breeze.

Gu Changge stayed silent the whole time, drinking by the tree with a dull gaze, seemingly pondering.

Soon, mist arose from the ground and instantly shrouded the area.

"You're pretty bold to do this in front of me..." An angelic voice rang out, and a slender figure emerged from the peach tree the very next second. Although her face had been obscured, she had a peerless sense to her, and though her eyes were as gentle as the autumn water, they looked as though they could see through the universe.

Tao Yao showed herself and sized Gu Changge up with great interest, wanting to see through him like she did the first time she met him.

However, the young man continued to drink and only looked up at her after hearing her voice. "Are you thinking of drinking, Senior?" He smiled.

"I'm never one to drink, and I don't like the taste." Tao Yao shook her head.

"Too bad. Such a wonderful liquor, yet you turn down your chance to taste it." The young man smiled.

Tao Yao said nothing but only glued her gaze to him for some time before saying, "Some memories came to me when I was sorting out Yao Yao's Dao Wounds..."

"Hmm? What is it? I'm curious," Gu Changge said with surprise as his heart skipped a beat.

Since Tao Yao and Yao Yao didn't merge as one, then by right, she shouldn't remember everything.

He wasn't sure if what he saw when he first met Tao Yao were from his past memories or if she had deliberately shown them to him. But either way, it was without a doubt that Tao Yao and Lao Shi of the Immortal Academy were old friends. Then, the demoness in red, Tao Yao, and Lao Shi were clearly of the same generation, and they were closely related to his Demon Lord identity.

Gu Changge never believed he was actually the Demon Lord from the memories. However, he had to be. Too many things had been destined from the very beginning, including his connection to Tao Yao, Lao Shi, and Chan Honyi, the demoness in red. [Is Tao Yao suspecting something now that she's telling me this?]

"I remember having a friend who loved to dress in red. She said she had to do her best to cultivate and not disappoint her Master, then marry him when she grew up..." Tao Yao recounted as she stared at Gu Changge, seemingly telling him the story but also seemingly telling it to herself. "She saved me from the jaws of a demonic beast back when I was still just a peach tree with a weak spirituality and consciousness. I was basically akin to a normal peach tree at that time, one that knew nothing except for life and death... It was after knowing her that I realised what a friend was. Too bad it was all in the past, and it looks like I'm the only one who still remembers after countless years had passed, left forgotten in the forbidden era."

"Then, she brought me to her Master, and it was then I made another friend. It was a rock. I never thought that a simple rock and an empty peach tree, despite having some spirituality and consciousness at that time and were pretty much lifeless, could one day walk on the path of cultivation like other demonic beings. Her Master was very strict with her but treated us exceptionally well and didn't despise us despite our origins. He taught me how to read and write. I asked him to give me a name, but he said a name is a very important thing... So he taught me the word 'Yao'..."

Her voice was calm, angelic-like. However, it sounded exceptionally forlorn.

"Do I happen to know this friend of yours, Senior?" Gu Changge put the liquor down with a deadpan face as images of the past flashed across his eyes.

He saw a beautiful demon with long, shiny black hair sitting, hugging her knees, in a vast field with a dead peach tree behind her.

As she looked into the distance, her eyes reflected the sky and mountains clearly. However, her gaze was exceptionally lonely, like she was waiting for someone.

"I don't know," Tao Yao answered vaguely as she shook her head.

She then scrutinised Gu Changge. Seeing that he didn't lift his head up, she sighed under her breath and no longer behaved as casually as she initially had been.

"You've come to Peach Village this time for me, haven't you?" she asked.

He nodded. "How much do you know about the Demon-Burying Abyss?"

After a split-second stump, she asked in bafflement, "You want to go to the Demon-Burying Abyss?"

"Just asking," the young man replied impassively. "Something came to me, so I got curious. I thought you'd know a thing or two when you've been alive for a long time."

"I don't know much about the place. If you really want to know, you can just check it out yourself, no?" A chuckle escaped Tao Yao. Unlike the previous angelic voice, this chuckle had a hint of indescribable demonic tinge to it, and as her words came to an end, her voice suddenly turned to nihility. She disappeared, having returned to the peach tree, and nothing came of it again.

Gu Changge didn't make much of it either, and he left a little while later.

Judging from this, he could tell the situation wasn't in his favour. He had come to Tao Yao only to find out about her stance toward him, and judging from that, he could naturally make out some of her thoughts as well as if she had doubts about his identity.

Lao Shi was greatly shocked on their first encounter, believing he was very much alike to someone, and this time, Tao Yao changed her moves and began reminiscing about the past. If that wasn't probing, he didn't know what was.

Hence, it was evident now that the demoness in red would immediately recognise him.