869: Chapter 870 Departure

Gu Changge did not dwell on sentimental thoughts.

He raised his hand, gathering a speck of glimmering light at his fingertip, and tapped it gently into the Void Realm.

Buzz—

A gentle Dao Rhyme rippled outward like waves, brushing past every light cocoon.

Under the nourishment of the Dao Rhyme, the sealing runes on the surface of the light cocoons slowly melted away, dispersing into the Void Realm like specks of starlight.

Within the light cocoons, the eyelashes of those sleeping figures fluttered gently.

The first to awaken was a youth who looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old.

He slowly opened his eyes, a look of waking confusion in his gaze. Seeing the unfamiliar Void Realm before him and Gu Changge standing with his hands behind his back, he was stunned.

"Who... Who are you? Where is this?"

Behind him, more light cocoons cracked open one after another, and young figures tumbled out of them.

Some looked around in confusion, while others warily scanned their surroundings.

"Where is this?"

"Wasn't I sealed? What happened?"

"Where is Senior Purple Bamboo? Where is Senior Purple Bamboo?"

Some recalled their memories from before they fell asleep—the invasion of the Black Abyss, the shattering of the Immortal Domain, Taoist Purple Bamboo sealing them...

Those memories, dusty and sealed for millions of years, surged in like a tide, instantly turning their faces pale.

"The Immortal Domain... What happened to the Immortal Domain?"

Someone asked this question with a trembling voice.

Gu Changge did not answer.

He glanced at them, and upon confirming that everyone had awakened, he wasted no more time and waved his hand.

A gentle spatial force enveloped all the newly awakened prodigies, pushing them like a giant invisible hand and sending them all into a newly opened rift.

The other end of the rift connected to the Immortal Domain.

Before those prodigies could react, their vision blurred, and they were pushed out of the Secret Realm by an irresistible force.

Some cried out in alarm, while others tried to struggle, only to find themselves as insignificant as ants before this power, completely unable to resist.

"Wait—"

"What are you doing—"

Before their voices could fade, they had already passed through the rift, disappearing into the Chaos.

The remnant of the Immortal Domain.

In the sky above a certain desolate valley, the Void Realm suddenly cracked open, revealing a rift.

Hundreds of figures tumbled out like dumplings falling into a pot, crashing haphazardly into the valley and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Some fell flat on their backs, some managed to steady themselves in mid-air, and others were covered in dirt, coughing as they scrambled up from the ground.

"Where... Where is this?"

Someone looked around, staring at this world that was both familiar and strange, their pupils shrinking.

"This is the Immortal Domain! This is the aura of the Immortal Domain!"

Some recognized this world, and their eyes instantly turned red.

Although the Immortal Domain was already ruined, and the Immortal Qi of heaven and earth was much thinner than in their memories...

...that sense of familiarity originating from the depths of their Souls instantly made them certain—this was their home.

Some could not wait to release their Divine Sense, attempting to locate the direction of their orthodoxies.

Others fell silent because they realized that they could no longer sense any familiar aura from the areas they once knew.

Millions of years had passed, and some orthodoxies had been completely annihilated, leaving behind not even a ruin.

Though some orthodoxies still existed, they had long since relocated elsewhere, changed beyond recognition.

Still others discovered to their pleasant surprise that their orthodoxies were actually still around, and seemingly even more prosperous than before, causing them to weep with joy on the spot.

For a time, in the valley, some cried, some laughed, some looked around in a daze, and some knelt to kiss the ground beneath their feet.

The appearance of these prodigies also quickly drew the attention of various forces in the remnant of the Immortal Domain.

Sweeps of Divine Sense swept in from all directions, probing the origins of these unfamiliar visitors.

Soon, some ancient Immortal Emperor-level forces recognized the faces of certain prodigies and cried out in shock.

The news spread rapidly: those ancient prodigies who had slept for millions of years had actually awakened on the very same day!

Some were extremely excited and hurriedly sent people to welcome them, while others looked grave and began to re-evaluate the balance of power among the various factions.

Meanwhile, the native prodigies of the Immortal Domain felt immense pressure.

But Gu Changge no longer cared about any of this.

He withdrew his hand, the rift slowly closed, and the Undying Secret Realm returned to silence once more.

He turned and took a step forward, his figure vanishing from the sky above the desolate mountain, returning to Zizhu Peak.

Standing in the bamboo courtyard, he spread out his Divine Thought and gathered everyone.

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, Ling Xi, Wang Xiaopang, Mo Yu, Ji Qingyi, Dong Li, Wang Zhan, Xiaohei, Xiaobai, Laohuang, Yue Liuli, and Jimie—thirteen people in total—gathered together, their eyes falling upon him.

Gu Changge's gaze swept across their faces one by one as he spoke slowly:

"The location for the Heaven Realm has been decided, and I plan to set off in the coming days.

This journey is fraught with unknown dangers, and we may face enemies far more powerful than any we encountered in the Xuanhuang World.

I will not force anyone. If someone wishes to stay behind, I will not blame them."

No one spoke.

Xiao Ruobai held his halberd, his expression calm, while Fang Hanyu gripped his longsword tightly, his Sword Intent soaring to the heavens.

Ling Xi's gaze was firm, without the slightest hesitation...

Gu Changge looked at them, the corner of his mouth curving upward in an almost imperceptible smile.

He said no more, only nodding.

"Then we shall all go. We set off in three days. Use these three days to settle your personal matters."

Three days later, early morning.

Everything was ready.

The people of Zizhu Peak gathered on Zizhu Peak, thirteen figures standing silently in the morning breeze, no one speaking.

Xuan Yangzi, the Five Ancestors of the Azure Profound Sect, and the peak masters of the various peaks had also arrived early to see off the travelers.

Xuan Yangzi looked at Gu Changge, fell silent for a moment, and ultimately said no more, only cupping his hands. "Take care."

Gu Changge nodded, but he did not set off immediately.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the land beneath his feet—Zizhu Peak.

He had laid out the Spiritual Veins here inch by inch, carved the Formations one by one, and every spiritual bamboo on the peak bore his aura.

This was the place where he had stayed since entering this world; it was his root in the Xuanhuang World.

Leaving this place to go to the Heaven Realm, he ultimately felt a trace of reluctance.

He fell silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his hand, making a grasping motion with his fingers—

Boom!

The entire Zizhu Peak shook violently!

Using supreme power, he uprooted the very foundation of the mountain. The mountains, rivers, bamboo groves, pavilions, waterfalls, and springs all shrank, turning into a stream of light that flowed into his sleeve.

In its place, only a massive crater remained, along with dust slowly settling in the air.

He patted his sleeves and said flatly, "This way, there's no need to feel reluctant to leave."

In the distance, several Old Ancestors of the Azure Profound Sect stared dumbfounded in the direction where Zizhu Peak had vanished, unable to speak for a long time.

Having done all this, Gu Changge finally raised his eyes, his gaze piercing through layers of clouds to look deep into the vault of heaven.

There lay the world barrier of the Xuanhuang World.

He raised his hand, slicing his fingers like a blade through the Void Realm before him, silently tearing open a hundred-zhang-long rift.

Standing before the rift with his hands behind his back, Gu Changge calmly uttered two words:

"Let's go."

He took a step into the rift, his figure vanishing into the Chaos.

Behind him, the thirteen figures did not hesitate, following him in single file.

The rift slowly closed behind them, and the aura of Chaos dissipated.

Only a massive crater remained, along with Xuan Yangzi and the others silently watching them go.

The chaotic currents tumbled and surged. Clad in white, Gu Changge walked at the front with calm, leisurely steps.

The thirteen figures followed closely behind him, none of them making a sound, their auras completely restrained.

Xiao Ruobai, Fang Hanyu, and the others had long shed the dust of the Lower Realm, their Immortal Emperor Dao Rhyme deeply restrained inside. Any one of them standing forth would be a supreme figure capable of suppressing an entire Immortal Realm.

Yet, traveling through the Chaos Void at this moment, an indescribable awe still arose in their hearts.

Ascending all the way, the levels of the realms rose layer by layer.

After traveling for an unknown amount of time, a vast and boundless, hazy heavenly light suddenly came into everyone's view.

The Heaven Realm! Revealed at last!