A fragrant flower-blossoming scent circled the valley. The clear water and the emerald hills made for pleasant scenery that was pleasing to the eye. Once the Emperor Immortal dismissed the dark clouds that obscured his view, the entire valley was revealed, creating strong contrasts as compared to the barren land beyond the valley. By the river, there was a thatched cottage of green willow leaves. Wildflowers blossomed on the roof, creating a rustic charm.
The six worlds were completely chaotic - there were fights every day, even between the immortals. The chaos led to noisy and smoke-filled lands everywhere. The situation was so bad that a miasma of smog covered up the entire sky. Life began to wither, making the Celestial World a place of desolation. Nothing was able to grow on the infertile land.
The Emperor Immortal wanted to make the place look better, so he created flowers with his spiritual power. However, the flowers were artificial, so, although the view looked amazing from afar, the flowers looked synthetic from up close.
Therefore, the immortals had not seen such spectacular views of mountain scenes in a very long while. Even Qians.h.i.+ was surprised. Soon, someone emerged from the thatched cottage, and as soon as Qians.h.i.+ saw who the person was, he felt his jaw involuntarily dropping.
A woman gracefully walked emerged from the cottage with her hair flowing naturally, gently caressing her emerald green dress. Her exquisite features matched the ethereal gracefulness in every step that she took, made for an unforgettable countenance for all of them.
Her grace was clearly a marvel from nature"s own hand. Her beauty took all of their breaths away. The women who witnessed the scene were ashamed of their appearances. Meanwhile, the men were all at a loss for words.
The woman locked her gaze at the Emperor Immortal and said, "Guan Shao, it has been a while."
Guan Shao was the name of the current Emperor Immortal in Gu Xijiu"s dream. Slowly, he knelt and bowed before her. "My Divine Lord, you have been gone for tens of thousands of years. Your return will finally bless the six worlds."
As soon as the Emperor Immortal knelt, every other immortal quickly followed.
Gu Xijiu had been in a dormant state for far too long. Thousands of years had gone by in her absence. She could no longer keep up with the dramatic changes that had taken over the world by storm.
She took a look at the immortals behind the Emperor Immortal and shook her head. They were all so young, so she did not recognize any of their faces.
Qians.h.i.+ was among the crowd. Although he was small, his presence could not be easily dismissed. His outstanding aura made him the center of attention. He was always the spotlight in a crowd.
He thought that he deserved the same amount of attention from Gu Xijiu, but that did not happen. She did not even look his way.
She had a short talk with the Emperor Immortal before asking him to leave with his men, as she needed to be alone in peace.
The Emperor Immortal cordially invited her to the Celestial Kingdom for the abundance of spiritual power there would help her cultivation. He even offered to build a residence so that she could have a place to stay.
Gu Xijiu looked away and said nothing. It was a problematic time, so no matter where she chose to go, her presence would certainly stir up the crowd. Hence, she chose to stay away and observe the conflict for afar for the time being.
The Emperor Immortal did not force her into accepting his kind offer. "I shall not bother you anymore about moving away, my Divine Lord. However, it is still inconvenient for you to stay here alone. Would you like me to appoint two young servants for you?"
Gu Xijiu thought that it was a troublesome suggestion and declined it. However, a boy suddenly interrupted, "Why do you need a servant boy when I can be the Divine Lord"s disciple? I shall stay by her side and help her with her needs."
Qians.h.i.+ was the most outstanding candidate among the crowd. He looked at Gu Xijiu with eyes full of hope and continued, "My Divine Lord, I am a rare talent that is very hard to come by. For a while now, I have been looking for someone to be my master. Fate has brought us here today. I a.s.sume that you are going to take me, right?"