Chapter 454: The Shock Of The Eight Wastelands And Ten Domains, Meet Up In The Camp
Above the border of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, an old yet powerful mirror, crystal clear and shimmered brightly, had awakened. The essence of the universe flowed endlessly towards it.
Black clouds rolled across the sky as the stars up high began to shake, ready to crack from the immense amount of energy exuding from the mirror. It no longer resembled a mirror but rather, looked like a giant continent which could drop down at any time. Beams of blinding light wove around it and formed hills about to fall from the sky.
Cultivators, regardless how strong, felt astounded by it. The Mirror of Heaven and Earth was a precious treasure belonging to the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and would only be awakened during a momentous event. Even though their side had battled the Upper Realm for nearly half a year, it had never been brought out since activating it took a terrifying amount of energy. The resources burned away each time were hard to estimate since a lot of spiritual energy from many stars was consumed.
The current activation of the Mirror of Heaven and Earth had been a unanimous decision by the ancient forces in the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains after hearing that Gu Changge had suddenly arrived in their territory, right where the Spirit Gourd Master and the Ancestor of Supreme Cave Heaven had fought and died. It didn't take a lengthy discussion for them to agree on using it to destroy and lay him to rest there. After all, it would resolve many of their woes if he got eliminated here..
Although there were people from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains there, including young prodigies who were the best in their force and had great potential, Gu Changge's death far exceeded their worth. They had to do everything they could, since Gu Changge was a greater threat than even the other experts in the other realm. Plus, he was said to only be in his early twenties! Such a genius could be considered peerless in history. If he continued to develop, he would definitely be a grave threat to them.
As soon as the news came out, the rest of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains became shocked. This was also the first time many of their own had witnessed the awakening of the Mirror of Heaven and Earth. It was a grand and majestic sight where countless moons and stars seemed to gather together and fall towards one direction. Even a True Daoist might not have hope of surviving the energy it would unleash.
The Blood Dragon Clan, Lu Family, Huo Family, and other ancient forces were naturally angered by this. They wanted to stop this but had no idea how to do so. After all, their forces had hoped to retrieve the precious Immortal-Killing Gourd from inside that place.
Thankfully, the power of the Mirror had dissipated in time and did not hurtle downwards, which saved the lives of the young prodigies there. Since Gu Changge had already left by tearing a hole in space, striking would only be a waste of resources and also cause unnecessary harm.
The news elicited shockwaves across the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, which only intensified when many were told that the Immortal-Killing Gourd which had been left there, got stolen by Gu Changge.
Lin Wu's actions infuriated many. They saw him as selfish since he had lost the Gourd solely because of romantic love. Gu Changge possessing such a treasure would only multiply his strength. Since he was already unrivalled, who could balance him out?
As for the kidnapping of the precious Lady Lu Luo of the Lu Family, many young prodigies were angered by this. However, no one dared to go rescue her. Regardless of the fact that its shore was populated by the Upper Realm Army camps, who was confident enough to find and rescue her from Gu Changge's clutches? There was no way to resolve this.
,,,
Within a small remote town not far away from the shore of the Border Marker Sea, fluctuations of energy came from the void as a tear appeared. From it, a group of people led by Gu Changge emerged.
"Apologies for troubling you, Young Master Changge."
"Thank you for saving me."
They were people who belonging to different forces of the Upper Realm. They looked fearful and quickly expressed their gratitude. They had thought they would be dead there and then when they felt the frightening energy from the Mirror of Heaven and Earth. If not for Gu Changge's actions, they would all have died there. So, they were deeply grateful to him.
Even Song Yunfei felt conflicted about this. The claim of Supreme Cave Heaven colluding with the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains could no longer be changed even though was most likely untrue. After all, anyone smart enough would know what to say. Would they be willing to offend someone over a force whose Sect Master and Elders had already been killed? Or, would they try to maintain a good relationship with him? There was no need to ponder over this.
"It was an easy task. There's no need to be so courteous." Gu Changge smiled, waving a hand.
"The Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains didn't even care about their young prodigies when they attempted to kill you." Gu Yingshuang stared at him and smiled. "You definitely have incited a lot of hatred from them."
Many agreed with her, since even the Mirror had been used. This showed how determined the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains were to eliminate him.
"They lost the Immortal-Killing Gourd this time, so they would be even more infuriated. It would also strike a blow to their spirits." One member of the group eyed Lu Luo, who looked pale and desperate.
They didn't know why Gu Changge had captured her, but his purposes shouldn't be questioned by them.
"Once the Border Marker Sea dries up, those from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains will retreat into Sky Deer City. They may hold on for a bit longer if they work with the Nine Great Mountains and the Aether Abyss." Gu Changge shook his head, glancing at Lu Luo before saying, "We can meet up with our respective force for now, since we haven't reached the beginning of the final battle. That's perfect."
Everyone transformed into divine rainbows and left the long deserted town for the Upper Realm army camps. During the journey, Gu Changge projected Dao Runes in order to consume the Immortal-Killing Gourd, which gradually rubbed off great amounts of its repelling force. As an innate attacking weapon, it could consume murderous Qi and meld it into an Immortal-Killing Blade. Such power was terrifying and unrivalled.
The effects it produced would also change depending on who wielded it. If Gu Changge used it, he might not be able to slay a Nirvana Realm being with a single strike, but seriously wounding his opponent wasn't an issue. If he were to refine the blade with the Primordial True Feather he got from the Crimson Cloud Demon Overlord of the Demon World, its power would increase by several folds.
As for the Supreme Dao Diagram, it was an artifact that could both attack and defend. Its offensive capabilities far exceed many Nirvana Grade artifacts while its defensive abilities were comparable to that of the Tower of World Domination.
Gu Changge carefully counted his recent gains. Besides the Fortuity as well as the Spacetime Stone and Mirror of Wonders which came from the Heavenly Gift Treasure Chest—all acquired after killing Fortuitous Ones, the greatest treasures he had found were the Immortal-Killing Gourd and the Supreme Dao Diagram. These two were a level stronger than many other nurtured Nirvana-grade artifacts since they had innate Dao patterns and aura.
He could sense that their current grade wasn't their limit as well. For example, the Solar Heavenly Blade, Primordial True Feather had been formed via nurturing. It would be hard for them to improve drastically unless they overcame their innate state or were re-forged.
Even the Seven Tools of World Domination had mostly been products via nurture. It was just that the method of making them was so unique that their power far exceeded many Nirvana grade artifacts. However, their true strength was still inferior to Nirvana-grade weapons since grade and strength did not equal each other.
Among them, the Tower and Sword of World Domination were said to be unique since the Tower had been used to suppress everything, even the energy of the Immortal Palace. If its grade wasn't sufficiently high, it could never do so. Meanwhile, the Sword of World Domination basically represents the killing power of the Immortal Palace. It could draw energy from heaven and even rouse the Great Dao. It could even manipulate the four elements above the Nine Heavens, and so on.
Tall waves that reached the sky crashed continuously against the shore of the Border Marker Sea, making rumbling noises which shook the world.
Majestic ancient battleships as big as continents hovered in the sky, surrounded by fog. Further away, stars glittered in the sky. Palaces and pavilions were built on every ship at different levels, while mountains and hills stood amongst them. They didn't resemble ships at all but instead ancient continents.
Many Immortal Forces and Formidable Forces had set up camp here. Even though their strongest experts could not cross the sea, the military force present should not be underestimated. Their numbers alone were great enough to be considered infinite, and their ships blocked out the sky like dark clouds.
The news of Gu Changge's appearance had spread quickly. Many cultivators now knew that he was here and had stolen a precious treasure from the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. The awakening of the Mirror of Heaven and Earth had also been due to him.
Upon Gu Changge arrival, several powerful and terrifying divine senses swept towards his group to ascertain their identities. They were in enemy territory after all, so there might be spies mixed in. Thus, they had to be careful. After verifying his identity, several divine rainbows and golden runes flew out from the various battleships and stretched out towards him before landing. These were the leaders of the different forces.
"Greetings, Young Master Changge." An elderly man with salt-and-pepper hair arrived first. He was an Ancestor of the Ancient Ye Family who had reached the Quasi-Nirvana Realm. He paid great attention to Gu Changge since he knew his cultivation level had already reached a respectable stage. Everyone else behind the elderly man came from Sky Emperor Mountain, Mortal Palace, or other forces. All of them had ancient auras such that no original Sect could even hope to compete against them.
The forces from Buddhist Mountain were also camping here but have yet to show up. In Immortal City, many monks had died at the hand of the Demoness while Gu Changge had survived and quietly made his way here, which caused an uproar. Members of Buddhist Mountain could not stand this and felt that the deaths of their monks were definitely connected to him.
While they wanted to meet him and clarify the details of the event, they guessed that he wouldn't say much and decided not to waste their energy. Besides, the whereabouts of the Demoness had become a mystery and no one knew if she was dead or alive.
"Why have you suddenly come?" Everyone seemed concerned about this question.
"After tearing apart space with a mysterious treasure and fleeing, I was struck by the palm of the Demoness and fainted. When I woke up, I had already arrived here. I don't know what happened inside during that time." Gu Changge's expression didn't change as he shook his head almost wistfully. "I only heard about the terrible aftermath recently. I didn't expect that the others couldn't escape."
He sighed and the others fell silent without asking further questions. They couldn't really overly state their doubts, since the truth of his explanation was difficult to judge. But since they were all beings who had lived for a long time, they would never trust his claim so easily.
He then discussed what had happened inside the Void Space with the others, making no mention of Supreme Cave Heaven. While everyone was curious about the Immortal-Killing Gourd, they tactfully did not ask about it. They didn't have the strength nor the courage to steal it from him after all.
After bidding farewell to everyone, he transformed into a divine rainbow and headed towards where the Immortal Gu Family had set up their camp. Naturally, he brought along his hostage, Lu Luo. Gu Yingshuang had also separated from him after arriving and he did not plan on talking to her.
Lu Luo had been desperate initially, but seeing that he ignored her and treated her as if she was invisible made her eventually calm down. She was going to die anyway so there was nothing to fear.
The terrifying and overwhelming scene in front of her made her shiver and sent chills all over, to her very core. She could see the power of the Upper Realm. Nearly every force had been able to effortlessly send out military forces with millions of people. She even wondered if the Upper Realm forces could send out armies with billions of soldiers in the final battle. This was unimaginable. If not for the Upper Realm forces battling separately, by now, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains would have already been conquered by them.
"Do you think that beloved of yours will come to your rescue after half a month?" Gu Changge sudden words interrupted her train of thought.
She had let go of her fear and was much calmer now, replying neutrally, "I believe Lin Wu will come and save me, but I don't want him to endanger himself."
He smiled. "What a touching couple. It's a pity—"
"It's a pity what?" Her gaze was as calm as a pool of water.
"It's a pity that he will die for you here. Do you really think he can save you?" Gu Changge said carelessly. "I guess you don't want him to die too."
There was a ripple of emotion within her eyes since she truly did not want Lin Wu to die for her since it wasn't worth it. If her cultivation hadn't been sealed by Gu Changge, she would have committed suicide.
"What do you mean?" She looked towards him.
"If you don't want him to die, then be good and obey me. Not only will I let you live unharmed but him as well." Gu Changge smiled. Without any further explanation, he ordered someone to take her to her cell in the dungeon.
"You—" Lu Luo was slightly terrified since she had a faint idea of what Gu Changge intended to do. A chill spread through her body.
After she was taken away, Gu Changge dismissed everyone and prepared to enter his Inner World to observe Chan Hongyi's development. Before he could open it though, he could already sense some hostility emerging from within.
He frowned. [Seriously? Is it so hard to control her when it has only been less than a month?]