542: Ling Xi's Past

They had originally thought that this white-robed Senior might be a peerless powerhouse the Great Emperor had met outside, a friend who had come to help.

They never expected that he was actually her Revered Master!

In their hearts, Great Emperor Ling Xi was already at the Peak of the path of cultivation, a legendary figure of myth.

For her to honor him as Revered Master, his strength and Origin must have completely exceeded the boundaries of their imagination!

Recalling the supreme methods from before—Words Follow the Law, the erasure of a Void Immortal, and the restoration of the Emperor's Origin—everything seemed to have an explanation.

Only a person of such caliber was worthy of being the Revered Master of a Great Emperor!

Ye Lingxiao immediately bowed again, his attitude even more respectful than before, even carrying the devotion of a Disciple facing a Grandmaster.

"Junior Ye Lingxiao greets Senior Gu!"

The three Quasi-Emperors also hurriedly bowed again, their voices trembling from the extreme shock: "Greetings, Senior Gu!"

Gu Changge's gaze swept over them calmly, and he merely nodded slightly in response.

Then, his gaze turned toward the three Quasi-Emperors, and he waved his hand casually.

Three streaks of pale gold light entered their bodies, and their injuries healed instantly. Their depleted Origin was replenished, and their aura returned to its Peak.

The three were overjoyed: "Thank you, Senior, for the grace of remaking us!"

Gu Changge nodded slightly.

At this time, Ling Xi's gaze finally moved away from the reborn Ye Lingxiao and slowly swept across the tragic battlefield.

Her gaze fell upon several Quasi-Emperor corpses in the distance, lying in pools of blood with mangled bodies and shattered Emperor Weapons.

She walked over slowly, crouched down, and her fingertips lightly brushed over the already cold Battle Armor on one of the corpses.

The faintly discernible ancient patterns on the armor evoked her long-buried memories.

The cold sensation from her fingertips formed a cruel contrast with the burning memories of war in her mind.

That man surnamed Chu, who once met stars head-on with his Physical Body and roared like thunder on the battlefield, a God of Slaughter.

His halberd had once torn through the Void Realm, but now both man and halberd were broken in two, lying quietly in a pool of blood.

Ling Xi still remembered that when she had punched him into the space-time turbulence back then, what burned in his eyes was not fear, but the wildness of meeting a worthy opponent.

He was one of the few opponents she had recognized.

On the other side, the broken compass fragments scattered beside a corpse belonged to that man surnamed Han.

The one most skilled in plotting, treacherous and unpredictable, who had once led three of her great generals into a desperate situation—that insidious fellow.

He had spent his whole life calculating, but in the end, he died on this native land in the most direct and tragic way.

These were all her former subordinates, brothers, and even rivals... Once upon a time, they had either fought across the lands for her or stood against her. That period of time was vivid in her mind, filled with grievances, debts, and the joys of revenge.

And now, regardless of whether they were friend or foe in the past, they had all shed their last drop of blood to protect this shared world.

Cold tears slid silently down Ling Xi's cheeks.

These tears were for the departed old friends and for this irreversible sacrifice.

The joy of reunion and the sorrow of loss intertwined at this moment, so heavy it almost suffocated her.

Ye Lingxiao and the three Quasi-Emperors silently walked behind her, looking at those familiar comrades. Their eyes turned red again, and the atmosphere became heavy and solemn.

"Their sacrifice will not be in vain."

Ling Xi stood up, her voice returning to calmness, yet carrying a categorical determination.

"I will surely step into the Immortal Realm and personally slay the person behind this to comfort their souls in heaven."

Hearing this, Ye Lingxiao and the three Quasi-Emperors all burst with intense hatred and the light of agreement.

Her gaze swept over those mangled Emperor corpses, the sorrow in her eyes turning into firm action.

"Little Leaf, first collect the remains of our brothers and bring them back to the Imperial Court.

They shed their last drop of blood for our world and deserve to be revered for ten thousand generations. They must not be left exposed here."

"Yes!" Ye Lingxiao responded solemnly, his voice pained and firm.

He and the three Quasi-Emperors immediately stepped forward, beginning to collect the remains of their comrades with gentle and solemn movements.

They carefully pieced together the mangled bodies, brushed away the bloodstains, and found the shattered weapon fragments one by one, placing them with their owners.

Every movement was filled with silent respect and mourning.

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, and the others also stepped forward silently to assist in clearing the battlefield, their expressions solemn.

At this moment, it had nothing to do with cultivation level; there was only supreme respect for the protectors.

Soon, their bodies were temporarily placed in coffins made of pure spirit jade.

Though simple, it represented a heavy sentiment. A solemn atmosphere permeated the Imperial Pass.

As things were mostly handled, a trace of hard-to-conceal doubt surfaced in their hearts again.

From the moment Ling Xi appeared until now, they had vaguely sensed something was wrong.

The Great Emperor has returned, but why has her cultivation fallen?

The Ling Xi before them had a profound aura and extraordinary Dao Rhyme, certainly possessing the demeanor of a Great Emperor, but her cultivation Realm clearly remained at the Quasi-Emperor Realm!

Moreover, although the aura of her life Origin was of the same source as the Heaven-Devouring Dao Emperor in their memories, there seemed to be a trace of inexplicable difference.

It was as if they were trees grown from the same root but had experienced different storms.

The situation was critical before, so they had no time to think carefully. Now that the crisis was temporarily resolved, this doubt could no longer be suppressed.

Ye Lingxiao looked at Ling Xi, hesitated for a moment, and then softly asked the question in all the old subordinates' hearts:

"Great Emperor, your cultivation and your aura... could it be that you suffered an extremely severe Dao injury that has not yet healed?"

Ling Xi met their concerned and confused gazes, shook her head gently, and a trace of icy chill flashed deep in her eyes.

"It is not a Dao injury."

Her voice was low, yet carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"When I broke through the world barrier back then, I did not enter the Immortal Realm smoothly.

When I was about to succeed, I was instantly locked onto by an extremely terrifying Law of the Immortal Realm, killed on the spot, and my body and soul were obliterated."

"What?!"

Ye Lingxiao and the other three were struck as if by lightning, their whole bodies shaking violently!

The Great Emperor had actually fallen back then?! She was killed by an existence from the Immortal Realm?!

This news shocked and angered them even more than Ling Xi's drop in cultivation!

Ling Xi did not describe that desperate scene in detail, but the icy killing intent that flashed through her clear eyes explained everything.

She paused and continued:

"Perhaps because my obsession had not faded, a wisp of my True Spirit remained and was able to be reincarnated, waking up in another Great World.

It was Revered Master who found me, led me onto the path of Dao, and protected me all the way until now. My current cultivation was also re-cultivated after Reincarnation."

The truth was out!

Stormy waves surged in the hearts of Ye Lingxiao and the other three. There was heartache and fear for what Ling Xi had gone through, and even more soaring rage toward the mastermind behind the scenes.

But in the end, all emotions turned into deeper gratitude and awe for Gu Changge!

So that's how it was! The Great Emperor had actually experienced such a shocking change as falling and being reincarnated!

And Senior Gu had not only saved them but was also the guide and Dao Protector of the Great Emperor after her Reincarnation!

This kindness and virtue were indeed, as Ye Lingxiao said, difficult to repay in ten thousand lifetimes!

"The Immortal Realm... this matter will definitely not end like this!"

Ye Lingxiao clenched his fists, his voice low but firm.

The three Quasi-Emperors also nodded heavily, sharing a common enemy.