Gu Xian’er’s actions shocked everyone, and a moment of silence ensued before the surroundings boiled. Everyone stared at her and tried their best to make sense of what she did. After all, she gave up on such a great opportunity to gain immense fame in the world!
The eyes of countless disciples turned red in envy, and their breathing hastened.
How many could reach the eighteenth step?
Why didn’t she continue forward?
Anxiety clawed at their hearts in Gu Xian’er’s stead. Were they in her place, they would take that final step no matter what it cost them. After all, it was the only chance for one to surpass Gu Changge, and receive the praise and admiration of millions of people.
Even the Elders couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh. They couldn’t understand why Gu Xian’er gave up on such a great opportunity, and intentionally tied her record with Gu Changge’s.
In their opinion, Gu Xian’er’s identity from today would be completely different from before, and her acceptance as the Great Elder’s disciple was a forgone conclusion.
Alas! She had missed the opportunity to surpass Gu Changge, and won’t have another such chance.
Even the Great Elder, who was watching everything from far away, couldn’t help but be puzzled at the result in front of him. He had watched the battle between Gu Changge and Chu Wuji, and the result of their exchange came as a complete surprise to him; he never thought that Gu Changge would be able to crush Chu Wuji without breaking a sweat.
Gu Changge was definitely the best talent among the innumerable ones he had seen over countless years. From now on, he couldn’t depend on Chu Wuji and the others to keep the position of Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace’s heir from him, so he had decided to put his hopes on Gu Xian’er.
Even if she couldn’t break Gu Changge’s record, he had already decided to accept her as his disciple. But what puzzled the Great Elder was Gu Xian’er’s choice to give up midway, even though she could clearly go another step forward.
Was there something between Gu Xian’er and Gu Changge that he wasn’t aware of?
Or did she have some other considerations?
Gu Xian’er slowly walked down the Heavenly Dao Road. Her visage looked Heavenly, and her figure dressed in blue appeared lithe and slender.
Every step she took was firm, and she showed a calm expression.
She had no regret or feelings of unwillingness on not breaking Gu Changge’s record; she merely shook her head when she watched the expressions on the faces of everyone around her.
She could already tell that the reason Gu Changge felt so confident in her was because he simply didn’t care about his record. If Gu Changge stepped on the Heavenly Dao Road now, he would definitely be able to climb much higher than before.
Although talent was destined, and many spent their lives without much attainments, Gu Changge was different. How else could he receive so many titles and praises right from his birth?
Not only did Gu Changge possess her Dao Bone, but he also had his own Innate Talent as well! As for what it was? No one could tell.
So, what could she prove even if she broke her record?
Was there a need for her to prove that she was more talented than Gu Changge of that year?
There was no such need.
“Xian’er, why did you stop? Elder Brother believes you could have taken a few more steps.”
Although Gu Changge already knew the reasoning behind her actions, he still shook his head with regret when he saw Gu Xian’er walk down the Heavenly Dao Road. It was as if he truly felt regret over Gu Xian’er not going beyond the eighteenth step, and truly believed that she could go a few more steps without a hurdle.
Gu Xian’er only glanced at Gu Changge once, and didn’t bother answering him.
She wanted to stop him from calling her Xian’er this, Xian’er that, but when she thought about going through with the act, she felt uncomfortable for some reason.
He was obviously her greatest enemy whose bones she wished to grind, and whose flesh she craved to devour, and whose blood she desired to drink, but she couldn’t help but feel helpless in front of him…he was always appearing in front of her, and deliberately pissing her off.
Her masters were shameless, true, but they were nothing compared to Gu Changge. Sure enough, the wise words of the ancients weren’t wrong: ‘only the truly shameless ones can be invincible in the world!’
There was no end to Gu Changge’s shamelessness.
If she could beat Gu Changge, then she would have definitely ignored everything right now and smacked him down until he turned into meat paste.
“I don’t care about what you think!”
Gu Xian’er spat out and moved her head away.
“I don’t want to care about you either, but you disappointed me! I expected so much from you, yet that’s the best you could do in return?”
The smile on Gu Changge’s face disappeared as he heard her words, and he responded with a mocking tone.
“Gu Changge, don’t think you can bully me however and whenever you please…”
Gu Xian’er could no longer keep her calm after she heard his words, and finally exploded. She was like a cat whose tail someone stepped on as she glared daggers at Gu Changge.
Just what nonsense was he spewing?
Although she knew that Gu Changge said those words to mess with her head, she couldn’t take them.
Others could say that, but he couldn’t!
It’s as if she wasn’t even allowed to fail his expectations, and had to do exactly what he said.
If that wasn’t enough, then his words also seemed to be full of mockery, as if telling her: ‘you wanna take revenge with that kind of worthless ability? Dream on!’
Gu Xian’er had a strong ego, so she definitely couldn’t allow Gu Changge to say that.
“Why can’t I think that? Do you really think you have any chance of stopping me?”
Gu Changge’s face full of mockery showed no change. He was bullying her, and he was enjoying it.
Gu Xian’er’s livid face almost exploded from rage.
No one could have thought that just a few words from Gu Changge would be enough to enrage her to this degree. She desired to take out the Treasure Knife bestowed upon her by her master to chop Gu Changge into mashed meat.
Various thoughts went through the minds of the surrounding Elders and Disciples as they watched the scene in front of them. It was clear to them that Gu Xian’er held a deep grudge against Gu Changge, but Gu Changge still cared for her.
His words clearly showed that he regretted the fact that Gu Xian’er didn’t break the record he set back then.
As for why Gu Xian’er didn’t continue forward? It must be because of Gu Changge! She took him into consideration, and chose to stop.
The two were truly a harmonious and loving pair of siblings, and many of the surrounding disciples felt envious of their relationship.
Soon, the details of the entire event spread throughout the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace and its surroundings, causing a great sensation. It shocked many!
In particular, the fact that Gu Xian’er could reach the eighteenth step sent a violent wave through the world as various forces started to investigate her origins in secret.
Finally, they came to know that she was indeed from the Ancient Immortal Gu Family, and seemed to be involved in some massive controversy inside the Family. As for what the controversy was? They couldn’t find the details.
It wasn’t hard for an Ancient Immortal Family to suppress information. After all, they had stood tall through multiple epochs, so how could they not even have such a minor ability?
For a time, Gu Xian’er’s name became famous across various Heritages, and even reached the ears of innumerable Heavenly Geniuses.
As for Gu Changge’s act of utterly crushing Chu Wuji, another Young Supreme and True Disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace? That also shocked countless existences, and they felt that Gu Changge was even more unfathomable than before.
As far as his peers were concerned, Gu Changge’s uncontested strength put even more pressure on them. Many Young Geniuses and Heirs of various Heritages considered Gu Changge to be their nemesis, and didn’t dare to underestimate him.
The Descendents of Immortal Dynasties, Sects, Ancient Families, and Races felt a lot of pressure and sought opportunities to raise their strength. Some also entered Secluded Cultivation in hopes of achieving a breakthrough.
……
[Ancient Immortal Ye Family, Mysterious Azure Heaven.]
On a divine island shrouded in hazy brilliance and overflowing Spiritual Qi, a beautiful girl dressed in a purple skirt sat inside a palace and listened to all sorts of news about the outside world.
The expression on her face changed constantly. Sometimes, she would show bewilderment, other times, she would appear to be in a daze.
“My Lady, are you still down because of Ye Chen’s matter? A few months have already passed, so you should let it go already.”
A middle-aged beauty with a worried expression stood beside the girl, and tried to persuade her.
The two of them were none other than Ye Liuli and Aunt Xue, who had already returned to the Ancient Immortal Ye Family from the Lower Realm. After they separated from Gu Changge in the Ancient Heavenly Secret Realm, they stayed in the Lower Realm for a while more, and had only returned to the Upper Realm recently.
Ye Liuli’s state over the past few months worried Aunt Xue. Sometimes, Ye Liuli would be in a daze, and sometimes, she would stand in a trance, as if she had lost her mind. When Aunt Xue asked her about her condition, she said that she was alright and whatnot, so Aunt Xue guessed that her condition was related to Ye Chen’s death.
Her Lady was probably heartbroken, and couldn’t bring herself to accept the truth.
Ye Liuli suddenly returned to her senses after listening to Aunt Xue’s words — she was taken aback — and couldn’t help but say with some feelings of disbelief, “Aunt Xue, what are you talking about? Ye Chen was just an ant, so how can his death affect me? Why would I be down because of him?” [aye! Damn, boi got slaughtered and forgotten.]
Aunt Xue was stunned as she heard her response, and wondered if her Lady was so heartbroken that she even forgot about Ye Chen?
But that was also good.
Forgetting someone like that was for the best. After all, her Lady almost offended Young Master Gu for that Ye Chen. She had recently heard a lot of rumors about Gu Changge, and couldn’t help but feel some terror. Even if that Ye Chen didn’t die down in the Lower Realm, he would have pissed his pants after somehow Ascending to the Upper Realm and learning of Gu Changge’s true might.
Aunt Xue couldn’t help but show joy at this realization.
“My Lady, you are correct! Ye Chen was just an ant, so why would you care about someone like him?”
Ye Liuli responded to her with a nod, and then her expression turned serene once more. At the same time, she muttered to herself in her heart, ‘Why do I care so much about information related to Gu Changge recently? Also, why do I keep calling him Master unconsciously?’
Ye Liuli had a feeling that she had forgotten something important, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t recall what it was.
Right then, a voice sounded from outside the palace, and a valiant youth dressed in a golden armor walked in. He seemed to be shrouded in the divine brilliance of the sun, and even his hair reflected off a bright light. He was just like a young Emperor with a strong vitality and incomparable aura and might.
“Little Liuli, what were you thinking about with such attention? You didn’t even notice my arrival.”
The youth said with a smile, giving a refreshing feeling to whoever would hear his words.
“Elder Brother? What are you doing here? Have you gotten any recent news about Gu Changge, the Young master of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family?”
Ye Liuli smiled when she saw the person who had arrived, and then asked the question in her heart. The youth in front of her was her Elder Brother, Ye Langtian, who was also the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Ye Family.
Although he hadn’t shown his might in the outside world, countless legends regarding him still floated around.
He was known as a Reincarnation of an Ancient Emperor, and it was said that he was one of the few people who could compete with Gu Changge, the Young Master of Ancient Immortal Gu Family.
A certain glint flashed through Ye Langtian’s eyes as he heard his sister’s question, and then he said, “Little Sister, why do you keep on mentioning Gu Changge again and again? I seem to have heard that he went down to the Lower Realm to look for something, so you must have come across him there, right?”
“Don’t tell me you are missing him now?”
It wasn’t hard for him to reach this conclusion. What’s more? He had heard some details from Aunt Xue.