Chapter 1272
Chapter 1272: Why is he still alive after the destruction of the Immortal Palace and the burial of ancient history?
The city of no return resembled more of an island adrift on the ocean than a traditional city. It lacked a prominent structure but floated effortlessly.
Streams of light emanated from different spots, revealing the radiant sun in the Floating Realm in the distance. Its golden glow shifted with the pa.s.sing day and night.
Gu Changge, King Luo, and their companions entered the city, making their way toward the central area. A chuckle broke the silence, causing Gui Lao and the leading elders to tense up. Cold sweat formed on their backs, and an unsettling chill gripped their extremities.
They had debated whether to bring Gu Changge and the others into the city of no return, contemplating its destruction if displeased. Gu Changge’s words left them at a loss, unable to decipher his thoughts and intentions.
They felt like they were walking on the edge of an abyss, fearing a misstep that could lead to their demise. They imagined being shattered into pieces with no trace left.
City residents observed them cautiously, creating an eerie silence along the long street. Children were wide eyed with fear, and had their mouths firmly covered by the adults.
“Seems like you’ve planned to settle here for generations with even a school in place,” Gu Changge remarked casually, ignoring the varied reactions. His gaze swept over them individually.
Ancient buildings stood in a row, reminiscent of the taboo era that preceded the Ancient Immortal era. Original paG.o.das emitted a subtle glow, with inexplicable Buddha rhymes circulating.
Monasteries and temples stood tall in the distance. The haze transformed into a majestic phantom of spiritual energy, shrouding those areas. Although it should have been a place for cultivation and practice, the residents now gathered with pale, uneasy faces.
These inhabitants had called this place home for countless epochs, evident in their anxious expressions.
Their gazes bore into him as if confronting an invader. Gu Changge shook his head subtly, a.s.suring them he had no intention of ruining the place; otherwise, he wouldn’t have personally arrived.
“In truth, Demon Lord, we’ve lived here for generations since the Forbidden Era, never leaving the Floating Realm,” explained Gui Lao, leading the way with a hint of respect. He avoided mentioning his residence after the Immortal Palace’s destruction, fearing ambiguity in his words.
Before any real hostility surfaced from Gu Changge, they aimed for a peaceful negotiation, willing to answer all questions. Surprised by Gu Changge’s unexpected att.i.tude, the other elders prepared for the worst. No one desired death.
Gu Changge, refraining from further inquiries, followed them into the depths of the city of no return. Before entering, he sensed a boundless aura. In the central city, this aura intensified.
It seems there might be a pa.s.sage here, connecting Beyond the Boundless Sea. Perhaps there’s a link from Beyond the Boundless to the Immortal Domain.
Gu Changge mused, his eyes reflecting a peculiar color. He recalled Absolute Heavenly Extinction from his time in the Upper Realm.
The origin of Absolute Heavenly Extinction is traced back to a strange substance from the original world, capable of corrupting everything. Ancient ancestors of Absolute Heavenly Extinction accidentally fell into a rift in time and s.p.a.ce, landing on the periphery of the original world.
There, they gained immortal life but endured eternal, unresolved pain. After their bodies collapsed, they were rebuilt in the ancient well.
In the eyes of the world, the Absolute Heavenly Extinction’s aura was considered the most toxic, capable of corrupting any existence. Even those who had achieved the status of Immortal King found themselves helpless against the Absolute Heavenly mist, unable to address the issue fundamentally. This brought to mind the reincarnated Human Ancestor from the Upper Realm.
Could the disaster of Absolute Heavenly Extinction be averted by relying on the strength of a genuine immortal? They likely held many peculiarities and secrets within.
However, the secrets concealed by the Human Ancestor held no significance for Gu Changge. Even the reincarnation seal left by the Human Ancestor did not affect him now.
Soon, in the center of the city of no return, Gu Changge encountered the person he sought. Unfortunately, it wasn’t someone connected to Qing Yi.
“This old man has seen Demon Lord,” greeted the frail old city lord of No Return City, supported by someone as he struggled to sit up. His voice was feeble, unable to open his eyes, and his spiritual energy had dwindled to the extreme, barely clinging to life.
This elderly figure originated from the Forbidden Era. Once servants of the Ancient Immortal Star-Lord, they had faithfully followed the Immortal Palace. Undoubtedly, the old city lord of No Return City possessed the most extended lifespan Gu Changge could find in the current Immortal Domain.
Gu Changge aimed to locate survivors of the Immortal Palace who were not interested in settling their skirmishes outside the Moon Palace. From his perspective, such matters were akin to observing ants beneath his feet—insignificant and not worth the effort to crush.
Besides the old city lord, Cen Shuang tightly clenched the spear in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the strain.
Cen Shuang concealed her hatred as much as possible, dreading that her emotions might overwhelm her, leading her to act against Gu Changge and potentially bring down the entire City of No Return. Despite her lack of understanding about why Gu Changge refrained from continuing the attack after breaching the city’s barrier, she opted for caution over expectations.
Elders like Granny Yao and Gui Lao stood nearby, patiently awaiting Gu Changge’s words. King Luo, Immortal King Xue Xiao, and others positioned themselves respectfully behind Gu Changge, appearing like loyal followers.
Gu Changge, with a faint smile, remarked, “It seems that if I arrived a little later, you might not have made it.” He keenly observed the old city lord’s condition, noting the depletion of blood in his body.
At the Immortal King level, one should possess robust blood energy capable of shattering the universe. Yet, the old city lord was genuinely exhausted, his body nearing its end and challenging to save.
“I don’t have much time left. With the Floating Realm on the verge of collapse, I can’t rest easy,” replied the old city lord weakly, wearing a wry smile.
Having encountered Gu Changge in the past, the old city lord had only observed from a distance as he followed his master, the Ancient Immortal Star-Lord. Even the master showed great reserve and respect in Gu Changge’s presence, treating him like a senior.
Surprisingly, Gu Changge remembered the inconspicuous old servant beside the Ancient Immortal Star-Lord. This sparked the old city lord’s astonishment. He never expected Gu Changge to recall him.
Reflecting on the past, the old city lord wondered about the sudden betrayal between Gu Changge and the Immortal Palace. The Immortal Palace, once on friendly terms, eventually led to darkness engulfing the entire immortal domain, remaining silent for numerous eras and disconnected from later generations.
The old city lord pondered the mysteries of their falling out for countless years, yet he never managed to unravel the truth.
Gu Changge offered a light smile without further words. His gaze shifted to Cen Shuang with an inexplicable meaning, and he smiled, “Is this the daughter of your master from back then? I recall she was quite the wild little girl at the time, and now she’s grown so quickly.”
Hearing this, the old city lord smiled, reminiscing about Cen Shuang’s past as a notorious, untamed little girl in the Immortal Palace. Among Star Lord’s descendants, none matched her in mischief.
Time had pa.s.sed so extensively that even the old city lord’s memories became vague, but Gu Changge’s words triggered a sudden recall, making those memories more explicit. The unexpected remembrance of both himself and Miss Cen Shuang surprised him.
Cen Shuang, caught off guard by Gu Changge’s sudden revelation and sentimental tone, gripped her spear so tightly that it crackled. Her eyes reddened, and her silver teeth nearly ground together.
In her youth, she was pretty straightforward, albeit somewhat brutal, yet her nature was not evil. She would often question her father about why he greatly respected Gu Changge.
As the head of the Star Kings and a renowned expert in the Immortal Palace, her father commanded immense respect. Only a handful of Palace Masters could rival him, and an attempt by an immortal emperor to challenge him had been effortlessly suppressed, leaving a lasting impression on Cen Shuang.
Admiring her father, she couldn’t fathom why he held such profound respect for someone called Demon Lord. Recalling her father’s response, she remembered the undisguised admiration and respect in his eyes.
He also mentioned that this was the invincible existence he had pursued all his life, the one who had once saved the real world of mountains and seas. Due to his presence, no other real worlds dared to invade.
Back then, there was no t.i.tle like the Immortal Domain; the entire world was collectively known as the World of Mountains and Seas. Cen Shuang, in her ignorance, didn’t fully comprehend these words. All she knew was that the Demon Lord was a much, much stronger ent.i.ty than her father.
Later, the Immortal Palace collapsed in a single day, the vast palace crumbling and exploding under a golden palm. This palm traversed the sky, seemingly endless and boundless, rendering the entire world insignificant. The universe erupted, chaos overflowed, and no creature could stand against it.
The palace lord of the Immortal Palace attempted to intercept the palm, but it disintegrated mid-air, transforming into a blood mist that filled the sky and scattered from the depths of the shattered universe. Lands crumbled, the universe fractured, stars turned to dust, the immortal palace was obliterated, and darkness enveloped the world.
Terrified, Cen Shuang sought refuge in the mansion of the Ancient Immortal Star-Lord, oblivious to the unfolding catastrophe. Endless flames descended from the sky, consuming everything. People screamed in horror, attempting to escape, yet in the terrifying scene, they were like ants, shocked to death by the aftermath.
Cen Shuang’s childhood companion, a maid, was knocked down by the flames, screaming, and reduced to black ashes— an indelible image etched in her memory.
The once magnificent mansion of the Ancient Immortal Star-Lord crumbled instantly, leaving only ashes and ruins. She witnessed the world plunge into darkness, engulfed in endless blood and fire.
Later, she glimpsed her father again, leading numerous immortal soldiers from the Immortal Palace, roaring and charging toward the end of the darkness, intending to confront the figure standing there. However, before reaching the figure, Cen Shuang saw him glance indifferently, eyes like eternal ice devoid of emotion.
A demonic halberd swept across, and her once invincible father exploded, turning into a blood mist, mirroring the fate of the palace masters who had rushed past earlier.
Her father, once seemingly unbeatable, who had subdued the Immortal Emperor with a single hand, met this tragic end.
The one who fired the fatal shot was the Demon Lord, whom her father had revered and respected all along. Cen Shuang fell into a coma, and when she eventually awoke, countless epochs had pa.s.sed. The past, now buried in the river of time, became a dark era no one dared to mention.
This was a new era, albeit a peculiar one. After recovering for hundreds of millions of years, it seemed like she was entering a new life. However, the memories in her mind insisted that those scenes were not hallucinations but actual events.
The colossal Demon Lord had obliterated the heavens with a single hand, annihilated the Immortal Palace and killed her father. The palace she had called home since childhood had transformed into a mere legend, with no trace left.
The outside world underwent a complete upheaval and transformation. What transpired during that time? No one knew. Even the heavens and the earth seemed to reject that era, rendering it a taboo no one dared to discuss. How could Cen Shuang not feel sorrow or hatred?
Determined to surpa.s.s her father and seek revenge for him and everyone in the Immortal Palace, Cen Shuang devoted hundreds of thousands of years to cultivation.
Then, one day, she received shocking news—the person who had destroyed the Immortal Palace was still alive, appearing in the outer Immortal Domain.
Cen Shuang was utterly stunned. On the day she received the news, she stood atop a mountain, lost in contemplation for an entire day. The Immortal Palace was long gone, ancient history buried, and everything turned taboo. So why did he persist?