288: Return to the Great World of Xuanhuang

“The first layer of warning is complete, but it is still insufficient.”

Gu Changge was meticulous, knowing well the adage of not putting all his eggs in one basket.

With a seemingly casual flick of his sleeve, Void Realm runes, flowing with spatial ripples, silently shot out, precisely embedding themselves into the cores of the nine natural Void Realm whirlpools in the surrounding Chaos, where the turbulence was greatest and the Laws were most intertwined and twisted.

These were places that ordinary Immortals and Gods avoided, where Divine Sense struggled to penetrate—perfect locations for concealment.

As the runes settled, they were like stones sinking into the ocean, merging completely with the violent Void Realm currents.

Should a powerful enemy attempt to tear open space and arrive directly, the resulting spatial tide would inevitably trigger these hidden markers first.

Next, he pressed his hands down in the air, and Formation Dao Laws surged forth from his body.

“Myriad Manifestation Mirage, appear!”

In an instant, light and shadow distorted around the periphery of the entire Bronze Immortal Palace, and an extremely realistic illusion slowly emerged.

The Spiritual Vein inside the palace continued to operate as usual.

Streams of energy seemed to continuously draw the Origin of distant worlds.

Even the illusory remnants of the energy lines previously severed by Gu Changge were simulated, making everything appear normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

This illusion Formation not only simulated its form but also its essence.

Even the faint Dao Rhyme unique to the predatory Formation—a blend of greed and decay—was imitated with astonishing realism!

Unless one approached within a thousand miles and carefully observed with Immortal Eyes, it would be extremely difficult to discover that this was merely a carefully woven deception.

This move was solely to buy time and mislead the enemy's initial assessment.

Finally, his gaze, sharp as lightning, locked onto the deepest, most inconspicuous crack in the core of the abandoned Formation Plate.

He brought his fingers together like a sword, forcing out a wisp of mark, thin as a hair, yet condensed with his own Origin Immortal Soul and the true essence of the Formation Dao—the Karma Soul Chasing Seal.

This seal was nearly nonexistent, involving no energy, only binding Karma.

He carefully injected this wisp of mark into the depths of the crack, binding it completely to the Formation Plate's last remaining trace of spiritual vitality.

“That's done...”

Having finished all this, Gu Changge slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, meticulously scanning every arrangement with his Divine Thought, like the most demanding craftsman inspecting his work.

After confirming repeatedly that everything was flawless—even he would struggle to detect these arrangements without fully activating his Formation Dao cultivation—a hint of satisfaction finally appeared on his tense face.

He took a deep breath, circulating his magic power, thoroughly erasing all traces of his presence remaining in the area, including even the subtle Law disturbances generated by setting up the Formations, as if no one had ever been there.

Having done all this, his Divine Thought attempted to approach one of the relatively nearby world barriers, which glowed with a righteous and peaceful light, but he felt a powerful repulsive force.

That was the Origin Will unique to that world, different from the Xuanhuang Great World, resisting the prying of outsiders.

"World barriers are indeed mysterious.

Without special secret techniques or strength sufficient to ignore the barrier, crossing worlds is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

Thinking of this, a familiar figure couldn't help but appear in his mind—his Master, Daoist Zizhu.

Back then, Master relied on a Chaos Realm Crystal to leave this world, and he didn't know where he went.

“Master, back then, only had Saint Realm cultivation.

I wonder what the path ahead was like for him?”

A trace of reminiscence and complexity flashed in Gu Changge's eyes.

A strong impulse surged in his heart.

With his current True Immortal Perfection cultivation, perhaps he could initially resist Chaos erosion.

Should he also embark on the journey to search for his Master's traces?

However, this thought was forcefully suppressed as soon as it arose.

His gaze swept over the spot where the Sky-Patrolling Immortal Emissary had just been annihilated, and his eyes regained clarity and calmness.

“No.

Now is not the time.”

“I just killed the overseer sent here by the mastermind.

Their forces will absolutely not let this go; they will certainly send others to investigate, perhaps even attracting a stronger existence.

The Xuanhuang Great World is just showing signs of recovery, its Foundation is unstable.

If I leave now, this world will be in grave danger.”

“At the very least, I must wait until the turmoil here subsides and the Xuanhuang World has gained the initial strength to protect itself before I can leave with peace of mind.”

Gu Changge sighed softly, burying that desire for exploration deep within his heart.

His gaze once again turned toward the depths of the boundless Chaos, and a more distant, harder-to-reach thought quietly emerged.

“Xuanhuang, and these other worlds... they all exist within this Sea of Chaos.”

“Then is the world where I lived in my previous life also a world within this boundless Chaos, just like the Xuanhuang World?

Is it simply unimaginably far from here?”

This thought made him feel a sense of inexplicable melancholy and insignificance.

Chaos is boundless, worlds are like dust.

What does an individual's destiny amount to within it?

But it was precisely this insignificance that ignited a stronger desire for exploration and the determination to reach the absolute peak deep within his heart.

“One day, when I reach the peak of the Great Dao, I will definitely travel across these Chaos Heavens, see the scenery of the myriad worlds, and find the way home.”

His thoughts collected, and Gu Changge no longer lingered.

Although this place was vast, it was fraught with danger and not a place to stay long.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he gathered the remaining Immortal Dao Origin, the Emissary's remnants, and the treasures left inside the Bronze Immortal Palace.

With a flash of his figure, he silently merged into the barrier of the Xuanhuang Great World, disappearing like a drop of ink dissolving in water.

The Chaos Void Realm returned to dead silence.

Gu Changge took a step, and his figure had quietly returned inside the Xuanhuang Great World.

At this moment, Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai were anxiously waiting.

The moment his figure solidified, the restless Xiao Hei suddenly raised his head, and Xiao Bai's huge Dragon eyes instantly focused on him.

“Master! / Venerable One!”

The two spoke in unison, their voices filled with relieved surprise and lingering worry.

They could sense that Gu Changge's aura was stable, even deeper and more unfathomable than when he left.

Their hanging hearts dropped significantly, but they were still eager to know what had happened outside.

Xiao Bai lowered his huge Dragon head, moving closer, his voice solemn: “Venerable One, how is the situation outside?

Has that existence been resolved?”

Gu Changge's gaze swept over them, taking in Xiao Hei's curiosity and Xiao Bai's concern.

His expression was calm, showing neither the exhaustion of battle nor the joy of victory, but rather a deep solemnity after grasping the overall situation.

“Mm,” he nodded slightly, “but the root of the disaster has not been removed.

Great trouble will still descend in the future.”

His gaze became sharp, piercing through the world barrier, seeing the boundless Chaos and potential crisis beyond.

“I killed that fiend, destroyed his Formation, and severed his Formation.

This act is no different from poking a hornet's nest.”

Gu Changge's voice was low and calm, yet carried the oppressive feeling of an impending storm.

“The forces behind him will definitely not let this go.

Next time, it probably won't be a lone wolf, but a much trickier existence.”