Chapter 122 Bai Wangshu

Upon hearing this, Ye Wentian turned around and stared blankly at the hunched figure beside him.

"Are you saying... Senior Gu?"

Prime Minister Turtle took a deep breath. "This old slave believes that the Master will definitely not abandon us."

Ye Wentian listened, then turned his head to look at the Disciples collapsed in the ruins behind him.

"What if..." He gritted his teeth. "What if he doesn't come back?"

Gods from the Upper Realm had descended, and the Ten Thousand Races had gathered.

With such a lineup, let alone saving a few ants from the Lower Realm, even the Emperor-Lineage Immortal Sects of the Upper Realm would be crushed in an instant.

Even if Senior Gu possessed heaven-defying abilities, how could he possibly challenge the gods and buddhas across the sky just for a discarded realm like the Original Realm?

Prime Minister Turtle fell silent.

The wind howled between the two.

Three breaths of time passed.

"Then he simply won't have come back." Prime Minister Turtle let go of his cane. "Thunder and rain are all the Emperor's grace. If the Master returns, this old slave will continue to be that old servant who leads the horse and holds the stirrups; if the Master does not return, this old slave's life was picked up anyway. Ending it here today can be considered repaying the Karma of the Northern Dragon Palace."

"..."

Ye Wentian was speechless.

He looked at the old turtle's profile, gave a bitter laugh, and closed his eyes.

Since even this old monster who had lived for tens of thousands of years had calmly accepted death, what was there for him, the Sect Master of a dilapidated Lower Realm Sect, to be unable to let go of?

At this moment.

In the sky beyond the Original Realm, stars were densely packed, covering the sea of stars outside the realm.

After receiving news that the Dragon Clan had suffered a setback and the Original Realm had been exposed, the various major powers of the Ten Thousand Races descended one after another like sharks scenting blood.

Everyone wanted a piece of the pie or to grab some benefits from this former ancient wasteland.

Boom—

At this time,

the Nine-Tailed White Fox Clan of the Demon God Domain descended, accompanied by the pressure of a God Lord.

A traveling palace hovered outside the Original Realm, pulled by tens of thousands of pure-blooded starry sky behemoths.

A handsome, almost unnervingly beautiful man stood at the front of the palace.

Behind him, nine illusory fox tails swayed in the sea of stars; every time a tail swept past, it left Law-based cracks in the void.

God Lord Realm.

Behind him, five Immortal Emperor powerhouses, draped in fox furs, stood solemnly like statues.

The moment he appeared,

this God Lord of the Nine-Tailed White Fox Clan swept his Divine Sense across the nearby Star Domain in an instant.

"What a lively scene."

The Fox God Lord narrowed his eyes. "I thought only my Demon God Domain was interested in this wasteland. I didn't expect you all to arrive even faster than I did."

His gaze swept across.

There were a total of five God Lord-level existences who had descended.

Besides the one from the Nine-Tailed White Fox Clan, there were three from ancient, powerful tribes among the Ten Thousand Races, and one from the Demon Race.

On the outermost perimeter,

there were nearly a hundred Immortal Emperor-level powerhouses standing suspended in the air.

Such a lineup was enough to flatten any medium-sized tribe among the Ten Thousand Races in an instant.

As for the Human Race...

The Fox God Lord turned his gaze toward a patch of void on the easternmost edge.

It appeared empty on the surface, but within the perception of the God Lord Realm, there were several figures lurking in the shadows.

"The Human Race indeed hasn't directly intervened."

The Fox God Lord chuckled inwardly. "However... to be watching near their Star Domain, it seems those fellows from the Divine Court are quite shrewd."

After a brief silence, the standoff in the sea of stars was broken.

"Fox Sovereign, your greed is a bit too unsightly."

A powerhouse from the Ten Thousand Races took a step forward and spoke coldly, "The moment your Nine-Tailed White Fox Clan arrived, your Divine Sense locked onto the realm's core. Could it be you want to keep it all for yourself and refine it directly?"

"Well said."

Another Immortal Emperor powerhouse echoed, "The Original Realm is a masterless object. Since everyone is here, we should all have a share. If your fox clan wants to forcibly refine it, it would be quite unfair."

The powerhouses of the other races all agreed, and one after another, their auras locked onto that traveling palace.

"Unfair?"

The Fox God Lord laughed, covering his mouth as if he had heard a joke. "The world of cultivation has always been about the survival of the fittest. My strength is the rule here. If you are not satisfied, feel free to come up and try."

"You."

Just then, a cold snort came from within the devilish clouds of the Star Domain.

"Fox, you are being far too arrogant."

The Demon God Lord snorted coldly. "This Original Realm was the battleground of our Demon God Emperor back then. How can it be considered the private property of you fur-clad and horned beasts?"

"If you want to refine it, my Demon Race will be the first to disagree."

As soon as these words were spoken,

the atmosphere in the sea of stars suddenly dropped to freezing point.

The Fox God Lord's eyes turned cold. "Don't use your Demon God Emperor to pressure me. If he truly wanted it, he would have refined it long ago.

Regardless, today, I am definitely refining this realm."

The various factions each had their own ulterior motives, and no one was willing to yield even half a step.

For the sake of an excuse to act and the distribution of interests, they began bickering and probing each other in the outer sea of stars.

While the various forces were bickering outside the Original Realm,

in a Star Domain tunnel an unknown number of millions of light-years away,

Gu Heng and the others were already on their way back to the Original Realm.

At the very front, the little tower was spinning rapidly, with Chaotic Primordial Qi swirling around it.

With every rotation, its cutting power carved a path through the Star Domain barriers ahead.

The heaven-reaching tower led the way, its speed reaching the absolute limit.

Inside the tunnel,

the several Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors following behind Gu Heng were chatting idly.

"Oh boy, we're finally going back."

Star Immortal Emperor rubbed his hands together, frequently peeking toward the front of the tunnel. "Just thinking about returning to the Immortal Domain and seeing those little brats of my Su Clan makes this old man's heart race with excitement."

"Give it a rest, Old Man Su. With your Su Clan, it's likely been wiped out by your enemies long ago." Li Tiantu carried his blood-colored greatsword, throwing cold water on him, which made the surrounding Devil Emperors roar with laughter.

"Nonsense! My Su Clan has a deep foundation; how could it be so easily wiped out?" Star Immortal Emperor retorted with a flushed face.

Seeing him like this, the other Immortal Emperors and Devil Emperors also showed looks of nostalgia. Following the Master to handle such a major matter, the feeling of returning home in glory indeed made their hearts swell.

Amidst everyone's clamor, Gu Heng was unusually quiet.

He stood within the chaotic halo cast by the heaven-reaching tower. His gaze was not fixed on the road ahead; instead, his eyes were lowered, and he was glancing at a certain spot in the void as if deep in thought.

Jiang Wanyin walked barefoot through the void. She seemed to sense the concern on her Master's brow, and after a moment's hesitation, she stepped forward quickly.

"Master."

Jiang Wanyin spoke softly, "You seem to have something on your mind? Are you worried about the changes in the Original Realm?"

Gu Heng heard her voice, turned his head to look at Jiang Wanyin's face, and shook his head.

"It's not the Original Realm." Gu Heng held his hands behind his back. "I just suddenly remembered something and have been feeling very puzzled."

"Puzzled?"

Jiang Wanyin was taken aback.

Gu Heng nodded, his gaze passing over Jiang Wanyin to look at the heaven-reaching tower clearing the way ahead.

"Look at this tower." Gu Heng pointed at the divine object radiating pressure. "Why is it that I've refined the heaven-reaching tower for so long, yet that Human Empress of yours hasn't made a move against me?"

As soon as this question was asked, the previously boisterous Star Immortal Emperor and the others instantly fell silent, all pricking up their ears.

Jiang Wanyin's expression stiffened upon hearing this question.

She opened her mouth as if to explain something, but the words died in her throat, leaving her looking hesitant.

"This..."

Jiang Wanyin lowered her head, avoiding Gu Heng's gaze.

Di Shitian, standing nearby, also leaned in, a hint of curiosity flashing in his dark red demonic pupils.

"To be honest, this Emperor... is also quite curious."

Seeing Jiang Wanyin's secretive manner, Gu Heng did not continue to press her.

"Forget it, since it's hard to say, I'll ask something else." He shook his head. "By the way, what is the name of your Her Majesty the Empress?"

Jiang Wanyin breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her expression remained strange.

She looked up and softly uttered a single word,

"Bai..."

"Wangshu," Di Shitian interjected from the side before Jiang Wanyin could finish. "Her name is Bai Wangshu. A few dozen epochs ago, this name resounded throughout the Three Thousand Great Worlds."

"Surnamed Bai?"

Gu Heng murmured the name, a trace of doubt appearing in his eyes.

Then, he seemed to remember something.

He was holding something between his fingers.

It was a wooden hairpin.

The very wooden hairpin that Lin Qingyue had personally handed to him when she left Longyuan Hall.

"Wangshu..."

Gu Heng silently repeated those two words in his heart. "If I remember correctly, in that ancient mythological System, Wangshu seemed to be the name of the Moon Charioteer who drove for the Moon Goddess."

Moon Charioteer, Moon Goddess...

Lin Qingyue.

Gu Heng's gaze fixed on the wooden hairpin.

Qingyue, Wangshu—both carried the imagery of the cold, clear moon. Moreover, Lin Qingyue's hesitant expression when she left, and her identity that she had always hidden...

While Gu Heng was deep in thought, Jiang Wanyin's gaze also fell upon the wooden hairpin in his hand.

The moment she saw the hairpin clearly, a look of surprise appeared on Jiang Wanyin's normally calm face.

"To think..." Jiang Wanyin took a deep breath. "She actually gave this hairpin to you."

Gu Heng looked up, twirled the hairpin between his fingers, and asked, "Is there something special about this hairpin?"

Jiang Wanyin shook her head, her tone returning to calm.

"Of course there's nothing special about it," Jiang Wanyin said softly. "It's just an ordinary wooden hairpin. Whether in terms of material or craftsmanship, it wouldn't even count as a mortal weapon in the Lower Realm."

"However..."

Jiang Wanyin's tone shifted. "Contained within it is a trace of Qingyue's Origin aura. This is her most core Origin. With this wooden hairpin, you can tell whether she is alive or dead from the state of the hairpin itself."

Entrusting one's most core Origin to another person.

In the cultivation world, this meant revealing one's deepest secrets to the other party.

After listening, Gu Heng nodded.

"I see."

He didn't ask further and put the wooden hairpin back into the System space, storing it properly.

Just then.

Boom—

A tremor came from the Star Domain ahead.

The rapidly receding afterimages of the Star Domain began to slow down, and a familiar aura approached everyone through the crack torn open by the heaven-reaching tower.

Gu Heng snapped back to reality and muttered,

"We're almost there."

...

At this time,

in the Star Domain near the Original Realm.

The disputes and bickering between the various forces of the Ten Thousand Races had reached a fever pitch.

"You Demon Race brute, stop spouting nonsense here."

The nine fox tails behind the Fox God Lord danced. "Since this Original Realm has become a wasteland, it is a masterless object. I must refine it today and bring back my clan's Bloodline. Whoever dares to stop me will be starting an all-out war with my Demon God Domain."

"If you want war, then war it is! Do you think I'm afraid of you?"

The Demon God Lord roared, his Devilish Qi transforming into countless demonic dragons.

The other three God Lords were not to be outdone, each erupting with their own auras and locking onto one another.

For a moment,

the entire Star Domain was turned upside down by the collision of these five God Lord-level pressures.

The Immortal Emperors standing on the outskirts retreated with pale faces, fearing they would be caught in the aftershocks.

In this tense moment,

a flash of cunning passed through the Fox God Lord's eyes.

While he confronted the Demon God Lord on the surface, secretly, his Divine Sense was already sweeping across the land of the Original Realm.

"Found it."

A cold smile curled the Fox God Lord's lips.

In the remote Northern Province of the Original Realm, he captured a faint trace of the Nine-Tailed White Fox Bloodline's aura.

With a slight thought from the Fox God Lord,

"Swish."

A pillar of Divine Sense light pierced deep into the earth of the Northern Province.

The next moment,

the pillar of Divine Sense light contracted, pulling a small shadow out of the Original Realm and back into the Star Domain.

"Hum—"

Ripples appeared in the void,

and the Little White Fox, dragging a fluffy tail, appeared out of thin air in the Fox God Lord's palm.

The Little White Fox curled into a ball, and a faint whimper sounded.

"Excellent."

Feeling the pure Bloodline inside the Little White Fox, the Fox God Lord looked up and laughed loudly, ignoring the stunned gazes of the surrounding God Lords.

"Hahaha! The Bloodline is in hand!"

The Fox God Lord tucked the Little White Fox into his sleeve. Then, his nine fox tails unfurled in the sea of stars, and his Peak God Lord Realm aura completely erupted.

"Now, all that's left is to refine this Original Realm."

He turned his head and scanned the other four God Lords. "Today, I want both the realm and the person. If you are not satisfied, feel free to come at me together."

"Arrogant!"

"You're courting death!"

The Demon God Lord and the other three God Lords were furious.

This fox was actually so cunning. If they let him refine the Original Realm as well, wouldn't their trip have been in vain?

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant,

five God Lord pressures collided in the sea of stars outside the Original Realm.

Crack... crack...

The land of the Original Realm trembled.

The realm barrier was like a walnut placed between five hydraulic presses, about to give way.

The Fox God Lord looked down at the realm on the brink of collapse below.

"Hmm?"

He frowned slightly, discovering that under this level of pressure, there were still numerous ants struggling to survive in the ruins.

"What an eyesore."

A flash of disgust appeared in the Fox God Lord's eyes; the struggling of these ants felt a bit noisy to him.

He snorted coldly,

randomly separating a wisp of his will, intending to annihilate the living beings on these ruins for some peace and quiet.

"Die."

With a single thought,

his destructive will followed the cracks in the realm and descended upon the ruins across the Five Great Provinces.

Below.

Ye Wentian, Prime Minister Turtle, and the remaining Disciples behind them had completely lost the ability to resist under this pressure.

"Bang!"

The broken sword in Ye Wentian's hand shattered, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

Cracks split open across Prime Minister Turtle's shell.

The will of destruction was like an invisible divine mountain pressing down on their heads.

Despair welled up in their hearts.

There would be no miracle.

Under the erasure of a God Lord Realm's will, they didn't even have the qualification to self-destruct.

"Is this... the end?"

Ye Wentian gave a tragic laugh.

He glanced at the old turtle beside him, who was also pressed to the ground, and gave up his struggle.

He closed his eyes,

waiting for the darkness to descend.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

...

Death did not arrive.

The destructive will pressing down on their heads had vanished.

Outside the heavens, the pressure from the clash of the five God Lords also dissipated at this moment like a receding tide.

The surrounding air suddenly became still.

The wind stopped howling.

Ye Wentian was stunned.

He opened his bloodshot eyes and looked up toward the sky.

Prime Minister Turtle also raised his neck, a trace of wild joy flashing in his cloudy eyes.

The sky had split open.

But it wasn't the sky of the Original Realm.

It was...

the Star Domain outside the Original Realm.

"Thump—"

The sound of a tremor

resounded throughout the entire sea of stars of the Ten Thousand Races.

Countless swirling galaxies receded frantically like a tide.

The starry night curtain was instantly split in two.

A rift pierced through the galaxy.

The Fox God Lord was frozen.

The Demon God Lord was frozen.

The hundred or so Immortal Emperors, as well as all the powerhouses hidden in the shadows, were all paralyzed, their scalps tingling as they stared at that abyss.

"This... what is this..."

The Fox God Lord's face was deathly pale, and the nine tails behind him hung limply.

No one answered him.

Because, in the very next instant after the galaxy was torn apart,

an extremely calm voice came from the rift in the galactic abyss.

"Old Turtle."

"I'm back."