I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 866 Are we a family?
When the news reached the Nine Realms Divine Continent, the human race was overjoyed. Compared to the glimmer of hope that had appeared before, the gloom that had shrouded the Nine Realms Divine Continent for millions of years was now truly beginning to dissipate.

The three demon lord avatars were all killed, and countless mid- to high-level demons were wiped out. This was incredibly good news for the Nine Realms Divine Continent.

The Great Hao Dynasty sent copies of this battle report to all regions, and the soldiers in the important border towns who received the news couldn't help but show long-lost smiles.

The land of Yujing.

Emperor Xuan Haoji of the Great Hao Dynasty and Li Yanshen of the Tian Shu Prefecture were both in the Imperial Study.

Xuan Haoji slowly said, "So, this Gu Yuanqing really has a... immortal behind him?"

Li Yanshen sat up straight and nodded slightly: "Judging from the scene, it is indeed so. Your Majesty has also fought with the Demon Lord and knows their strength. In particular, according to Elder Qin of the Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, that monstrous Demon Lord obtained the true demon energy and his strength almost reached the peak. However, in that person's hands, he had no chance to fight back. Even if he is not a true immortal, he has mastered the power of an immortal."

Xuan Haoji's eyes shone brightly.

Immortal power has long been extinct in the Nine Realms Divine Continent. The only known power above the level of Void Immortal is sealed under the Immaculate Zen Forest, but that is demonic, not immortal.

Therefore, when the Wugou Chanlin Temple was in trouble, both the Taishang Wangqing Sect and the already heavily defended Jiuyu Shenzhou sent experts to provide assistance.

Xuan Haoji was somewhat unable to calm down. If he were to rely on the power of the Divine Dynasty, he would undoubtedly be the number one human, standing at the peak of the Void Immortal realm. However, there was no way to take another step forward.

Although there were speculations before, it is now almost certain that this news would be difficult for any Void Immortal cultivator to remain calm about.

He slowly stood up, walked to the window, put his hands behind his back, and looked into the distance. After a long while, he said, "Do you think he will come to the Nine Realms Divine Continent again?"

Li Yan hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "I am not sure, but judging from past events, Gu Yuanqing came to this realm to hunt down Heavenly Demons for alchemy. Perhaps he will come again in the future."

Xuan Haoji said in a deep voice, "Send orders to all domains: if he reappears, report immediately!"

"My lord, I obey the order!"

……

In contrast to the atmosphere among the human race, the major demon lords within the Demon Abyss were solemn and serious.

The three demonic thoughts gathered in the void, and their expressions were all grim.

Xuan You and the Seven Emotions Demon Lord were alright; their clones were killed, but many Heavenly Demons returned, so at least they knew what had happened.

However, the Demon Lord, having entered the Zen Forest's most precious treasure, could hardly know how his clone had perished. But from this series of events and the complete severance of contact with his clone, he knew that something must have happened to his clone.

Xuan You coldly said, "I said before that I would wait until this Gu fellow's lifespan was exhausted before doing anything else. Now look what's happened, all three of us have suffered great losses. Giant monster, the blame for this is yours, what else do you have to say?"

"Enough, Xuan You! The seal on the Immaculate Zen Forest has malfunctioned, and the aura of a true demon has appeared in the world. Wasn't it you who spread the news? Now you want to blame me?" the giant roared, his demonic energy surging.

The Demon Lord of the Mysterious Netherworld said, "My original intention was to take advantage of the danger of the Zen Forest's seal to lure out the experts of the Nine Domains Divine Continent and then break the Nine Domains Divine Continent's formation. But you went and broke into the Zen Sect alone, trying to seize the power of the True Demon. If it weren't for that, how could things have come to this?"

The giant demon snorted coldly and said, "Xuanyou, stop with your hypocrisy. You probably want to use our power to restrain the human race and seize the power of the True Demon, right? Otherwise, why would you bring your Heavenly Demon army to the Zen Forest? What? Did you come here to save me out of kindness? We've lived for millions of years, who doesn't know what anyone is thinking?"

The Seven Emotions Demon Lord sighed softly: "Alright, things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more. We should think about how our strength has plummeted. Although we live in the Demon Abyss, unless the human race decides to fight to the death, we are not in danger of losing our lives. However, we cannot launch a demonic calamity to harvest the human race. Let alone recover our strength, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to even maintain our current strength."

After the words were spoken, all fell silent.

This is the key to their gathering. The Heavenly Demons harvest humans every ten thousand years to maintain their power, or even to accumulate power to see if they can advance further.

At present, the harvest is no longer possible. Humanity has this opportunity to catch its breath and will inevitably grow stronger day by day, while their strength has been greatly damaged and cannot be recovered. If this continues, the balance of power between humanity and the demons will be reversed.

After a long while, the Demon Lord of the Dark Netherworld said, "This matter requires careful consideration and should not be rushed."

"Deliberate planning? Hmph! Xuan You, if you don't have a practical solution, summoning us together for empty talk is just a waste of your demonic energy! Since the only option now is to retreat and cower, what's the point of discussing anything? It's a complete waste of time! If you have a good plan, then come find me!"

The giant monster let out a sneer, and the demonic shadow vanished without a trace.

In the Abyss of Evil, within the Bronze Palace.

The Demon Lord suddenly shouted, "Come and see me!"

A moment later, a strange bird flew over; it was the Nine-Headed Demon Owl of the Chaotic Undying Realm, but at this moment, five of its nine heads had their eyes closed.

It landed in the palace, tried to shrink its body, and prostrated itself on the ground: "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"I remember you once found a human domain?" the Giant Demon Lord said, looking down at the crowd.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed the case. There are many humans in that realm. Although there are no Void Immortals, there are quite a few Undying Chaos Cultivators," the Nine-Headed Demon Owl said tremblingly.

The Demon Lord's eyes gleamed with excitement: "Do you still remember the path you took in the past?"

The Nine-Headed Demon Owl nodded hurriedly: "I remember, I remember. If my lord is going, I am willing to be the vanguard."

The Demon Lord laughed loudly: "Good, if you have done a good job in guiding us, I will reward you with a wisp of your original demonic thought to help you restore your demonic body and give you a chance to condense your original demonic seed."

"Thank you, my lord!" The nine-headed owl was overjoyed.

……

Gu Yuanqing sat cross-legged in the North Spring Cave.

The phantom of the celestial world appeared above his head, and the imprints of various Dao principles shone brightly.

To outsiders, these lights would appear to be intertwined in the void, indistinguishable from one another; but in Gu Yuanqing's mind, these lights were woven together in an orderly fashion.

Originating from the imprint of the Dao, they transformed into countless tiny streams, crisscrossing and spreading throughout the world of heaven and man.

These tiny rivers of the Great Dao bear some resemblance to the rivers of the Great Dao in the Spirit Realm.

As Gu Yuanqing's thoughts stirred, the illusory image of the Celestial World expanded, crossing the Northern Spring Cave and entering the Spirit Realm.

His thoughts simultaneously sensed the great Dao and the long river of the external world and the Dao of the human world within himself.

Let the two interact and blend together, using their own thoughts as a bridge, and feel the subtle changes within.

He didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly, Gu Yuanqing's mind trembled slightly as a rhythm originating from the depths of the Dao imprint came through.

He clearly sensed that the great rivers and paths in his own celestial world seemed to have been suddenly infused with boundless vitality and rhythm.

A wonderful and real connection was born.

It was as if his own celestial world had merged with the entire spirit world, and the streams of light from his own Dao imprints had become part of the great Dao of the spirit world.

In an instant, a profound realm descended.

The unity of man and nature, or more accurately, a deeper level of the unity of man and nature.

At this moment, Gu Yuanqing felt that the boundary between himself and the outside world was becoming blurred.

His breath seemed to transform into the spiritual tides of heaven and earth, his heartbeat resonated with the pulse of the earth, he could feel the resilience of grass breaking through the soil, experience the ancient silence of mountains and rocks, and listen to the jubilation of the sea...

It was no longer a cultivator using magic to manipulate the power of heaven and earth, but rather his own Great Dao harmoniously merging into the network of Great Daos of this world, inseparable and resonating in unison. At this moment, he felt that although his control over this spiritual realm was not as great as his control over the Northern Spring Cave Heaven, as long as his thoughts led him, the Dao would follow, and everything would be perfectly natural!
This kind of contact, without the aid of external objects and relying entirely on one's own strength, is a completely different feeling, and it is even more mesmerizing.

Just like a dream, no matter how realistic, can never compare to being there in person.

He didn't know how much time had passed before he finally woke up from this intoxicating feeling.

Entering a realm that exists within yet transcends the mundane, one earnestly compares the subtle differences between one's own way and the way of heaven and earth.

It constantly adjusts its own great river of principles based on the principles of heaven and earth.

……

And he sat there for seven years.

Gu Yuanqing let out a long breath and looked inward. He saw that the Dao Source Seed seemed to have grown much stronger and its aura was even more mysterious.

Her fair skin and jade-like bones were even more perfect, and the Great Dao accompanied her with every breath.

The gains of these seven years seem to surpass those of the previous decades, as if I have already reached the mid-stage of the Void Immortal realm.

Of course, without the previous accumulation, there would be no achievements today.

His battles with the three peak-level Void Immortal Demon Lords yielded even greater gains for him.

In particular, the Demon Lord of the Dark Netherworld is proficient in all kinds of Great Dao. When Gu Yuanqing clashed with him in a battle of domains, it was a direct clash of their respective understandings of the Great Dao.

However, he did not get up, but instead frowned slightly.

"No, something still feels off. Is it because the spirit realm itself is flawed, or is it that my own cultivation level is still insufficient?"

He then entered the Guanshan Yuwu realm, allowing himself to become completely one with the Beiquan Cave Heaven, resonating with its power.

After a long pause, he shook his head and chuckled, "Never mind, now is not the time to delve into it. Let's wait until my path is perfected before looking into its essence."

He stood up, stretched his limbs, and looked around the courtyard. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his lips.

With a thought, he appeared silently in the courtyard.

Li Miaoxuan was seen rolling up her sleeves, holding a simple celadon watering can, and bending slightly over as she carefully watered the flowers and plants in the yard. On the stone table beside her were several flower branches that had obviously been pruned, emitting a faint fragrance.

Gu Yuanqing smiled slightly and walked over.

It wasn't until he got close that Li Miaoxuan seemed to notice him and looked up.

"You've emerged from quarantine?" She straightened up and gently placed the showerhead on a small stone stool beside her.

"Hmm!" Gu Yuanqing approached and naturally reached out to pick up a tiny flower petal that had fallen from her hair. "Seeing how carefully you take care of yourself makes me, the owner, seem a bit lazy."

Li Miaoxuan tilted her head slightly and smiled, "I have nothing else to do anyway. In my spare time from cultivation, moving around and watching these flowers and plants grow and bloom makes me feel calmer."

Gu Yuanqing looked her over and smiled, "Compared to what I've gained from sitting here for seven years, I think your aura is already quite refined and introspective. You're probably just one step away from becoming a Void Immortal, aren't you? It seems that watering flowers and weeding are also wonderful methods of cultivation."

Li Miaoxuan shook her head: "It's not that fast. We're still a bit short of the peak and need more time to mature. Moreover, we don't know when we'll be able to take that final step."

Gu Yuanqing said, "No rush! Just like you take care of these flowers and plants, watering them every day and taking good care of them, they will bloom in the right season. Cultivation is the same. Calm your mind and understand, go with the flow, and what is meant to come will come."

"Ok!"

Li Miaoxuan gently brushed back a few stray strands of hair and tucked them behind her ears.

This touch of feminine grace stirred something within Gu Yuanqing.

Li Miaoxuan suddenly looked up at Gu Yuanqing's eyes, and Gu Yuanqing unconsciously looked away.

Li Miaoxuan suddenly smiled sweetly.

Gu Yuanqing coughed and changed the subject, asking, "Seven years of seclusion, it didn't interfere with anything you were doing, did it?"

Li Miaoxuan replied, "No, not yet."

"That's good!" Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "How about I ask Cheng Yi if he's free? If he is, we can bring him back so the family can have a reunion."

"A family?" Li Miaoxuan smiled.

Gu Yuanqing stared at Li Miaoxuan and said, "What? Am I wrong?"

Li Miaoxuan said, "Just now I heard someone calling themselves the host. I was wondering if it was inappropriate to stay in someone else's house every day?"

Gu Yuanqing was both amused and exasperated: "Alright, I misspoke."

Li Miaoxuan covered her mouth and smiled: "Fine, I'll let you off this time."

……

Half a day later, Li Chengyi finally had some free time, and Gu Yuanqing used the Heavenly Fishing Technique to bring him back.

Seeing that his expression was a bit off, Gu Yuanqing asked, "What happened?"

Li Chengyi said, "Recently, there seems to be an increase in the number of Heavenly Demons in the outer battlefield. A few days ago, it seemed that the aura of the Chaotic Undying Demon appeared."

"Another Undying Demon of Chaos?" Gu Yuanqing asked, somewhat surprised.

Li Chengyi nodded and said, "Moreover, it is said that there is more than one, and the entire extraterritorial battlefield has become tense again."

Li Miaoxuan turned to look at Gu Yuanqing and said, "It seems I have to go and take a look too."

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "There's no rush. If it's just a chaotic, immortal demon, it won't be able to stir up any trouble."

“That’s true,” Li Miaoxuan said.

Li Chengyi hesitated for a moment and said, "I'm afraid I can't stay here any longer. After all, I still have duties to perform, and my sudden disappearance would arouse suspicion."

Gu Yuanqing and Li Miaoxuan exchanged a glance and nodded: "Alright, I'll take you back, but be careful and don't overexert yourself."

Li Miaoxuan stepped forward and gently straightened her son's clothes: "Take care of yourself. If you encounter a formidable enemy that is truly difficult to deal with, send a message immediately."

"Your son will remember your teachings, Father and Mother." Li Chengyi bowed respectfully.

Gu Yuanqing waved his hand, sending his son, who had only recently returned, away. Then he looked at Li Miaoxuan and asked, "And what about you?"

Li Miaoxuan said, "I originally wanted to get together with Cheng Yi, but since he has something to do and can't stay long, I'll go back and take a look. After all, as a Daoist disciple, I should fulfill my responsibilities. If a great demon really attacks, it's a good opportunity to test my skills again."

(End of this chapter)