I became an immortal in the mountains

Chapter 958 Abandoned Child
Wei Wuji remained calm, looking down at Zhou Wei and saying, "Who gave you the audacity to speak to me like that?"

Zhou Wei gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Does His Majesty intend to kill me? Then so be it. Since there is no hope, what difference does it make whether I live or die?"

Wei Wuji said indifferently, "They are officials of the Great Wei Dynasty, who were once supported by the people. Gu Yuanqing slaughtered my people and destroyed my cities. Since they volunteered to attack, what reason do I have to stop them? As for you, since you knew the outcome beforehand, why didn't you stop them? Now you come to question me. What is your reason?"

Commander Zhou said, "Now it's them, so will the old minister be next?"

Wei Wuji said, "Since you are not afraid of death, why bother with these things?"

Zhou Wei said, "I have lived in a daze for millions of years, but I don't want to die without knowing why."

Wei Wuji burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

Zhou Wei frowned slightly.

“What he means!” Wei Wuji suddenly stopped laughing and said calmly.

Zhou Wei's pupils contracted: "Why?"

“Perhaps…we are not as important to him as he used to think,” Wei Wuji said.

Zhou Wei said with a hint of sarcasm, "Hasn't His Majesty always identified himself as him?"

Wei Wuji said, "What's the use of saying all this?"

After a moment of silence, Zhou Wei said, "Isn't Your Majesty afraid that he will find out if you say such things here?"

Wei Wuji said, "We are all his clones, and we also have the power of the Mirror of Rebirth within us. How do you know that he doesn't know what we are thinking?"

Zhou Wei felt a jolt in his heart, and suddenly felt a strange fear and chill.

The thought that all one's thoughts, struggles, and supposedly secret ideas are laid bare before another person, even if that person is the original self, is still somewhat hard to accept.

He suddenly understood why Wei Wuji said that they and others weren't that important.

The true self differentiates into multiple bodies and evolves through reincarnation, which is the purpose of deducing and comprehending the path to rebirth.

I always thought that he had taken back his clone and merged his memories to gain these insights, but if he saw everything all along, then why would he need to take it back?
To him, they were nothing more than divine thoughts that had been severed, and they were also mixed with the thoughts of the Demon Lord.

If we could eliminate the demonic threat and take it back, that would be the best outcome;
If it can't be taken back, it's not a big deal.

Perhaps millions of years have passed, and the original being's soul has long since reached a point where they are no longer needed!

For hundreds of years, Zhou Wei had wanted to get rid of his original self, but today, when he heard that he might not be needed at all, he felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Even his eyes had a faint red glow.

Wei Wuji suddenly smiled: "I'm going to open the Heavenly Prison."

Zhou Wei suddenly looked up.

“Since this ancient realm is already in chaos, there’s no point in continuing to suppress them. Let’s just make the world even more chaotic.” A hint of madness flashed in Wei Wuji’s eyes.

……

Gu Yuanqing stood in mid-air, his Void-Piercing Heavenly Eye scanning left and right.

Even now, things are still somewhat unexpected.

The Great Wei Dynasty truly only sent these people; they had no backup plans whatsoever!

He frowned. Did Wei Wuji really send them here to their deaths?

This, however, made him somewhat suspicious and uncertain.

In the northern part of the city.

The main body was also taken aback. He had prepared for a great battle, but he did not expect it to end so anticlimactically.

"This is... a divine artifact of rules?" Li Miaoxuan asked from the side.

Gu Yuanqing nodded slightly, handed over the Demon-Suppressing Mace, and said with a smile, "It should be that it was taken from the generals of the Great Wei Divine Dynasty, but I don't know its name. I know quite a lot about high-level rule artifacts, but there are many low-level rule artifacts, so it's hard to know them all."

Li Miaoxuan took it, probed it with her divine sense, sensed it for a moment, and said, "The power in this mace is extremely yang and strong, containing an extremely pure way to dispel evil and suppress demons. Why not call it the Demon-Suppressing Mace?"

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "The name is quite fitting. This mace is quite powerful, but it seems to have been weakened considerably after entering the Northern Spring Realm."

Li Miaoxuan said, "This is normal. High-level rule artifacts form their own world and radiate their power to the world; mid-level rule artifacts contain great power and complement the world; while low-level rule artifacts, although they carry the Great Dao, rely on the world to nourish themselves. In this Northern Spring Realm, the connection between them and the world has been severed, so their power has naturally decreased sharply."

Gu Yuanqing said, "Speaking of which, these lower-level rule artifacts do have some similarities to Dao artifacts."

Li Miaoxuan said, "It is much stronger than a Dao artifact, and should be similar to a Celestial artifact. However, its quality seems to be even better than that of an ordinary Celestial artifact."

Gu Yuanqing smiled and said, "According to the records in the ancient divine sect's classics, top-tier and upper-level rule artifacts were all born before heaven and earth, and are all creation objects. Mid-tier rule artifacts are all things that came with ancient gods and demons. Lower-tier artifacts are forged by top gods and demons using rare objects that carry the great Dao of heaven and earth. They are indeed incomparable to Dao artifacts."

This artifact does have many aspects worth studying, which may benefit both of our cultivation.

If the refinement is successful, it should be quite useful in this vast world.

The two chatted for a while about this magical artifact with its rules.

Li Miaoxuan then inquired about the situation in the Ancient Realm.

Gu Yuanqing briefly explained the previous situation.

"Intentionally courting death?" Li Miaoxuan frowned slightly. "Could it be that the power brought back has hidden dangers?"

Gu Yuanqing couldn't help but have some doubts. He closed his eyes and once again used the Mountain Observation Technique to observe every change in this world.

He is the Lord of the Northern Spring Realm, with absolute control over the world. With just a thought, all changes will be revealed in detail, and he will be able to detect the slightest discord.

After a long while, he opened his eyes, shook his head and said, "I haven't found anything. However, even if there is a problem, it won't cause any trouble in the Northern Spring Realm."

Li Miaoxuan smiled and said, "As long as you know it, that's fine."

Gu Yuanqing nodded.

Li Miaoxuan then asked, "What are your plans in the ancient realm?"

Gu Yuanqing laughed and said, "How can I refuse a gift that's been delivered to my door? Then I'll see how much Wei Wuji wants to give me!"

...In the ancient realm, Gu Yuanqing's clone did not linger for long before continuing forward.

As the Venerable One himself said, how can one refuse something offered to one's door? Regardless of how things change afterward, one should first secure the benefits.

Moreover, according to the previous plan, we should use our own strength to force Wei Wuji, or rather, the great cultivator behind Wei Wuji, to come out and negotiate!

Only when there is mutual respect and consideration can true stability be achieved!

One city after another fell to Gu Yuanqing.

Meanwhile, people within the Linglong Realm gradually noticed the changes in the Ancient Realm.

Even though everyone knows there are dangers in the ancient realm, there are still opportunities within it, and many people sneak in.

In particular, the members of the Primordial Holy Sect were like those who were trying to draw the aura of the Demon Lord into the Ancient Realm, without any scruples whatsoever.

There are also large sects like the Illusionary Spirit Sect and the Three Yang Sect. Although they occupy their own territory and rely on restrictions for protection, people still occasionally enter the Ancient Realm.

With such a massive commotion caused by Gu Yuanqing, nearly a thousand cities have already been destroyed. How could anyone who entered not have noticed?

The news spread rapidly throughout the Linglong Realm, causing another huge uproar.

The people of the ancient realm are impossible to kill, and they will revive on the night of the full moon. In addition, once they are killed, they will be tainted with the power of the Demon Lord. Logically speaking, no one should dare to provoke them lightly.

But now so many cities have been reduced to ruins, how can this not be shocking!
First, several major realms experienced large-scale demonic disasters, and before things had fully stabilized, this sudden discovery has left many realms in a state of trepidation.

Is there a problem with the Ancient Realm itself, or... did Gu Yuanqing take action?
Many sects rushed to the Qian Yuan Realm to inquire.

It was only at this time that Emperor Qianyuan learned of this momentous event.

Li Chengyi went to the main peak to ask for instructions and received a reply from Gu Yuanqing. Only then did he send out a message to reassure the various sects in the Linglong Realm.

It is said that the last demonic calamity in the Linglong Realm angered my father, which led him to enter the Ancient Realm to hold him accountable and start a war with the Great Wei Dynasty.

When this news reached the various realms, it caused an uproar, and all sorts of discussions arose.

"So it was Master Gu who made the move!" An old cultivator with white hair stroked his beard, his eyes full of amazement. "But then again, no other cultivator could have done such a thing."

"He actually managed to break the curse of immortality among the people of the Ancient Realm. What kind of power does he possess?" A middle-aged cultivator beside him exclaimed. "For millions of years, countless people have tried to seek opportunities in the Ancient Realm, but those people from the Great Wei Divine Dynasty are impossible to kill or exterminate. In fact, no one dares to provoke them. But in the hands of Lord Gu, it's as easy as cutting melons and vegetables."

“Indeed,” another person chimed in. “I’ve heard that many cities have been reduced to ruins, and this time they are truly dead, never to be resurrected. Such methods are simply unheard of.”

……

"I knew it! Immortal Gu wouldn't stand idly by." A young cultivator spoke with a hint of smugness. He was a follower of the Qian Yuan Divine Palace and idolized Gu Yuanqing. "When the demonic calamities broke out in the major realms last time, I guessed that Immortal Gu would settle accounts with the Ancient Realm sooner or later. You all said that the Ancient Realm was untouchable and that the Great Wei Divine Dynasty had a deep foundation. But look at them now! With Immortal Gu's intervention, they were powerless to resist."

Believers from the Qian Yuan Temple nearby smiled and nodded in agreement: "With Immortal Gu's cultivation, if he really wanted to deal with the Ancient Realm, why wait until today? It's just that the Ancient Realm brought this upon themselves by daring to infiltrate the Demon Lord's power into the Linglong Realm, which angered him."

"And the Primordial Holy Sect doesn't dare to show its face at all now, for fear of provoking Immortal Gu. I heard that the people of the Primordial Holy Sect were all wiped out in the last few realms where the demonic calamity occurred!"

"I've heard about this too. It's said that Immortal Gu even created special cultivation techniques for these realms to suppress demonic thoughts, which restored the entire realm to normal. He truly has done immeasurable good deeds!"

Someone else said, "What do you think? If Immortal Gu can wipe out the Ancient Realm, wouldn't everyone be able to freely enter the Ancient Realm again in the future?"

Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, and a hint of eagerness flashed in the eyes of many people.

The Ancient Realm has always been a place of opportunity for the Linglong Realm, with Dao Souls from the Boundless River, Divine Soul Elixirs from the Misty Forest, Divine Weapons from the Valley of Ten Thousand Soldiers, and so on.

Since the incident in the ancient realm, many cultivators seem to have slowed down their cultivation progress.

However, there are also dissenting voices.

Some question whether the ancient beings, though now killed, might be resurrected again on the night of the next full moon.

After all, the people of the ancient world have existed since ancient times, and it's still hard to believe that they were suddenly and completely killed!

Some people questioned whether Gu Yuanqing's city-by-city massacre, with its hundreds of millions of inhabitants, was truly outrageous. They argued that even though those people were neither alive nor dead, they were still sentient beings, and that Gu Yuanqing's actions were excessive.

As soon as these words spread, someone immediately mocked, "You're really a saint. The people from the Ancient Realm have stirred up such chaos in the Linglong Realm, and so many people have lost their lives. And you still speak up for them? Could it be that you're a member of the Primordial Holy Sect?"

Meanwhile, the members of the Primordial Holy Cult, who were truly hiding in the shadows, had an excited glint in their eyes.

"The power of the Holy Venerable is awakening. The Great Wei Divine Dynasty is suppressing the Holy Venerable's soul. Perhaps the Holy Venerable will descend when the Great Wei Divine Dynasty is destroyed."

"I've heard that Gu Yuanqing is also refining the power of the Saint Venerable, could it be...?"

"Don't worry. How could he possibly refine the power of the Holy Venerable? Those powers contain the Holy Venerable's will, and they will turn against him sooner or later. When that time comes, the Holy Venerable will use him to escape his predicament, and he will only be doing the work for the Holy Venerable."

……

There were many different opinions, but none of them affected Gu Yuanqing.

One city after another was reduced to ruins in his hands, and the Yin energy transformed from the dead people of the Great Wei was all hooked back to the Northern Spring Realm by the Heavenly Fishing.

The evolution of the Northern Spring Realm seems to be accelerating every day, and the refined spiritual energy flowing into the realm acts like a catalyst.

The spiritual energy becomes increasingly pure, imbued with Daoist essence. Especially atop the main peak, one can feel an improvement in cultivation and Daoist practice with just one breath.

Under such circumstances, Li Miaoxuan had already made up for the cultivation she lost due to her pregnancy with Gu Huai'an, and returned to the peak of the Void Immortal realm.

However, she still did not intend to ascend immediately. Besides still having a deep attachment to this world, she also hoped to do something for the Qian Yuan Realm and for Gu Yuanqing before undergoing the tribulation and ascending.

With a formidable enemy at her side, and things could change at any moment, although she felt that her cultivation and strength were slightly inferior to Gu Yuanqing's, who else in this world could help Gu Yuanqing besides her?

She left to seek the Dao back then, and now she doesn't want to leave any regrets in her heart because of her pursuit of the Dao, nor does she want to leave Gu Yuanqing to fight alone.

Aside from keeping a small amount of his attention focused on dealing with the changes in his ancient realm clone, Gu Yuanqing's main body devoted most of his energy to the Demon-Suppressing Mace in his hand.

This was the first time he had obtained a divine artifact containing rules, and the Dao contained within it was extremely profound.

Unlike other divine artifacts of the rules, this artifact does not have hidden dangers. While comprehending it, he also continuously refined it with his own Dao, permeating it with his own aura, and trying to imprint his divine soul mark on it.

Originally, with his strength and realm as a Void Immortal, it would be extremely difficult for him to truly refine a rule-based divine artifact. The difference in their levels meant that his divine soul would be destroyed by the artifact's own power as soon as it touched its power.

People like Situ Xuan could only barely activate the power of the divine artifacts, and were far from truly unleashing their power; otherwise, Gu Yuanqing would not have found it so easy to deal with.

However, in this Northern Spring Realm, the external world's blessing on the Demon-Suppressing Mace is isolated, the power of the artifact itself is greatly reduced, and the world also has a suppressive effect on the artifact, which adds a bit of possibility to refining this artifact!

(End of this chapter)