196: Zhang Lingxi goes down the mountain

Gu Changge didn't answer directly. He simply flicked his sleeve.

Instantly, the clouds before them converged and swirled, rapidly forming a clear image—

It was the scene of Xiao Ruobai holding a war halberd, Fang Hanyu with his aura restrained, and Wang Xiaopang, pale-faced but with bright, roguish eyes, being protected as they sped through the vast mountains.

Ling Xi's cool eyes watched the image, slightly startled.

"Is that Senior Brother? Why has he changed his appearance again?"

Then, she remembered Zizhu Peak's usual style of conduct: when traveling outside, one should not cause trouble for the Sect.

More disguises, more options.

A flicker of understanding passed through her eyes, and she couldn't help but smile inwardly.

Not far behind them, several extremely subtle yet decaying and terrifying streams of light pursued relentlessly, like maggots clinging to bone!

Those auras were ancient, gloomy, carrying a desperate madness for extending Lifespan, and their intensity... was clearly far beyond that of an ordinary King Realm!

Ling Xi's pupils constricted slightly.

She instantly understood what her Revered Master meant by "small trouble."

This was not a contest among peers at all; instead, they were being targeted by a group of old monsters who had lived for an unknown amount of time and whose Lifespan was nearing its end!

"But why are they being pursued so relentlessly?"

"They believe your Senior Brother has clues to the undying divine medicine!"

"undying divine medicine? So that's it."

The surprise in Ling Xi's eyes quickly faded, replaced by a deep calm. "They are old antiques who have smelled blood and are unwilling to dissolve into the Dao."

Gu Changge dispersed the cloud image, his tone still calm: "Go, go down the mountain for some experience. Although the Tower of the Prodigy is good, there's also a need for balance. A real life-and-death struggle might be more beneficial for the tempering of your Dao Body's power."

As he spoke, he casually raised his hand and flicked a finger.

Three formless, intangible streams of light, yet containing an ineffable Dao Rhyme, instantly merged into Ling Xi's body.

One transformed into an extremely subtle Chaos mark, sinking into the deepest part of her Sea of Consciousness at her brow, as stable as Mount Buzhou.

One became a warm current, integrating into the core of the Dantian's devouring vortex, brimming with infinite vitality.

The last one entwined itself around her Origin Dao Body, ethereal and unfathomable.

Ling Xi couldn't even fully perceive the specific form and power level of these three marks. She only felt an unprecedented sense of absolute security instantly enveloping her, as if it could isolate all laws and transcend the mortal world.

She only vaguely felt that the level of that protective power was so high that... perhaps even a Great Emperor arriving in person might not be able to easily shake it!

Revered Master's methods once again exceeded her imagination.

"Revered Master, this..." Ling Xi's heart trembled as she looked at Gu Changge.

Gu Changge, however, merely waved his hand indifferently, as if he had only done a trivial little thing: "Go, use your judgment in all matters, and prioritize self-preservation."

Before he finished speaking, and without him making any visible movement, Ling Xi felt a slight distortion in the space around her. The scene before her instantly blurred, and an ineffable sense of spatiotemporal displacement came over her, accompanied by a slight dizziness.

When she steadied herself and looked closely, she found that she was no longer at the Peak of Zizhu Peak, but in the sky above a strange, desolate mountain range.

Below were continuous brown hills, and in the distance, she could vaguely see the faint traces left by the three, Xiao Ruobai, and further behind, the few subtle auras relentlessly pursuing them.

"Revered Master's methods are truly unfathomable."

Ling Xi quickly concealed her aura and hid herself in the clouds. Recalling the "ordinary" appearances of her two Senior Brothers in the previous image, her thoughts stirred.

"Since my Senior Brothers have changed their identities, it would seem abrupt if I went in my current form."

She circulated her Cultivation Technique, and her bones made faint clicking sounds as her figure became slightly more petite.

Her exquisite face seemed to be veiled, becoming delicate and charming. Although it didn't lose its Spiritual Qi, it was far from as stunningly beautiful as her original appearance, which made people dare not look directly at her.

Her moon-white Daoist robe also transformed into ordinary green female cultivator attire, and her cultivation aura was perfectly suppressed by her to the Early Stage Core Formation Realm, making her look like a female Disciple from a medium-sized School with decent Aptitude, experiencing her first time down the mountain for training.

After doing all this, Ling Xi condensed a water mirror in the air and looked at her completely unfamiliar self in the mirror. An unprecedented sense of novelty quietly arose in her heart.

Disguise... changing her appearance... For Ling Xi, the Female Emperor of her previous life, this was an experience she had almost never had.

In her previous life, she dominated the universe, relying on absolute strength, sweeping everything before her. When had she ever needed to conceal her whereabouts or change her identity?

She was always the focal point, the object of others' awe or admiration. When had she ever, like now, blended herself into the vast crowd?

This feeling was quite strange; an ineffable sense of ease and a hint of secret excitement spread within her heart.

Without further delay, she moved, transforming into an inconspicuous green stream of light, and chased forward.

At the Peak of Zizhu Peak.

Gu Changge stood still, his gaze still fixed on Ling Xi, who had gone far, and Xiao Ruobai and the others further ahead.

The Void Realm beside him rippled slightly, and a figure dressed in black, with an aura as restrained as a deep abyss, quietly appeared. It was the Lord of Annihilation.

He had now withdrawn all his Emperor's might, looking like a taciturn Inner Elder.

The Lord of Annihilation looked in the direction where Ling Xi had disappeared, a hint of imperceptible solemnity flashing in his eyes. He bowed slightly and respectfully said to Gu Changge: "Your Holiness, the three Young Lords' journey involves a great deal. Should I secretly follow and protect them, just in case?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Changge did not answer immediately, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the Void Realm.

After a moment, he nodded slightly: "Very well. What you said is not without reason."

Although he was confident that with the preparations he had made, even a Great Emperor in person would not be able to harm his Disciples in the slightest, it was better to be safe than sorry.

These three Disciples were his precious treasures; it was better to be cautious.

"You may follow in secret," Gu Changge instructed.

"Unless absolutely necessary, in a desperate situation of life and death, you are not to intervene. Let them handle it themselves. This experience is also a rare opportunity for them."

"Your subordinate understands!" The Lord of Annihilation nodded solemnly. "Unless the three Young Lords encounter a calamity that they truly cannot resist and that threatens their demise, your subordinate will absolutely not intervene. I will only serve as the last line of defense."

"Go," Gu Changge waved his hand.

The Lord of Annihilation bowed again, and his figure faded silently as if merging into the shadows.

Gu Changge withdrew his gaze, his Divine Sense like an invisible net, sweeping across the entire chessboard once more.

Ahead, Xiao Ruobai and Fang Hanyu were speeding, protecting Wang Xiaopang, with old monsters in pursuit behind them.

A little later, Ling Xi, having changed her identity and feeling a sense of novelty, was quietly following.

Further back, Shi Wanshan was concealing his aura, like a part of the earth, closely following.

High above the distant sky, Xiao Hei seemingly circled leisurely, but the terrifying power slumbering within him, capable of instantly overturning mountains and rivers, had already locked onto everything below. Once power exceeding the norm appeared, it would descend in its most violent form.

In the Void Realm, the Lord of Annihilation, who had returned to his Peak, was secretly guarding the Dao.

And within the bodies of Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, and Ling Xi, there were absolute life-saving trump cards personally planted by him, which even a Great Emperor would be helpless against.

Secure!

This lineup... to serve as Protectors for three young Disciples' "experience," was probably unique throughout history.

Three chapters!

Thank you all for the gifts; they are a powerful motivation for me to write...