My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

Ten years later.

In the central region of the Western Continent, lies the vast ocean.

This sea area is the largest in the central region of the Western Continent.

A thin layer of mist often covers the sea, and sunlight shines through the mist, turning the entire sea area into a pale gold color.

The sea breeze is gentle, carrying a salty, damp scent, rustling the vegetation on the scattered islands on the sea.

Quiet and peaceful.

Sudden--

boom!

The entire Cangming Sea suddenly trembled.

The tremors originated from deep within the ocean.

It was as if something that had been dormant for millions of years had awakened at this moment.

On the sea, the calm surface of the water was instantly torn apart.

The shockwave caused fishing boats and cultivators on the sea to lose their balance, resulting in the entire sea churning and creating towering waves several meters high.

The waves crashed against the island's rocks, creating a deafening sound.

Then, a whirlpool appeared in the center of the sea.

The whirlpool was initially small, only a few feet in diameter.

But it is expanding, expanding at an astonishing rate.

The seawater spun wildly, and at the center of the whirlpool was a bottomless darkness.

Immediately afterwards, a palace slowly rose from the depths of the vortex.

The palace was constructed entirely of a dark blue jade, which gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the sunlight.

The palace was enormous, and its walls were covered with intricate patterns. These patterns were not ordinary decorations, but ancient formations.

Layer upon layer, interlocking, exuding a chilling aura.

The palace is surrounded by nine huge stone pillars.

Lifelike dragon statues coil around the stone pillars, their heads facing outwards and their eyes wide open, as if guarding this palace that has been sleeping for thousands of years.

The moment the palace appeared, a powerful aura swept across the entire Cangming Sea.

The aura was ancient, vast, and domineering, carrying a majestic air of looking down upon the world, as if announcing its return to the entire world.

A beam of light shot up from the top of the palace and into the sky.

The beam of light was several meters thick, golden in color, and dazzling, illuminating the sky for hundreds of miles around as if it were daytime.

As the beam of light reached its highest point, it suddenly exploded—

Golden light patterns spread outwards like ripples, one circle, two circles, three circles... Wherever the light patterns reached, the clouds in the sky were torn apart, revealing a clear blue sky.

The light patterns continued to spread, crossing the coastline of the Cangming Sea and the mountains and rivers of Xizhou.

Countless cultivators looked up at the sky, watching the golden light streak sweep across the horizon, their hearts filled with awe.

Those old monsters who had been in seclusion for many years opened their eyes and turned their gazes to the west, their eyes filled with astonishment and doubt.

Those ancient powers that have stood for thousands of years sounded the alarm, summoned their people, and discussed countermeasures.

The entire Nine Heavens Realm was shaken by this palace that rose from the seabed.

The Immortal Emperor's Secret Realm.

These four words simultaneously surfaced in the minds of countless cultivators.

......

The Demon Realm, the Heavenly Demon Sect.

early morning.

Gu Changyuan opened his eyes.

He was greeted by two exquisite faces, staring intently at him.

The two sisters, Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue, lay on either side of him, their hands supporting their cheeks, their eyes filled with smiles.

Upon seeing their master awaken, the two women spoke simultaneously, their voices clear and melodious:

"Good morning, Master."

Gu Changyuan straightened up and casually replied:

"morning."

Since what happened between Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue in the outer city, and the incident involving Luo Qingchen and Tu Shan Youyao, the girls have become much bolder than before.

After repeatedly testing the limits of Gu Changyuan's tolerance, they became increasingly unscrupulous, thinking every now and then about sleeping with Gu Changyuan and sticking to his side.

Gu Changyuan was initially at a loss.

But as more and more disciples made requests—not just Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue, but also Ye Qingxue, Bai Ling'er, and Yue Lingxi—they started to join in the fun.

They all looked at him with expectant eyes, as if it would be a terrible sin for him not to agree.

Looking into their eyes, Gu Changyuan felt a pang of pity.

In the end, he chose to agree.

It's just sleeping, nothing else.

Moreover, these girls really just wanted to be closer to him.

Gu Changyuan, realizing he had been at the Heavenly Demon Sect for some time, greeted Mo Yingluo and Mo Yingyue before returning to the Heavenly Sacred Land.

The holy site has changed a lot in ten years.

Halfway up the mountain, five brand-new pavilions rise from the ground, standing side by side with the Falling Star Pavilion. They are the strongholds of the five families: Zhuge, Shangguan, Dugu, Xuanyuan, and Gongsun.

The pavilions vary in style, but all are grand and magnificent, blending seamlessly with the overall appearance of the sacred site.

The city of Tianren at the foot of the mountain has more than doubled in size compared to ten years ago, and the streets are bustling with people.

All three factions are developing steadily.

Nothing major happened during these ten years; life was quite peaceful.

Gu Changyuan took a deep breath of the fresh air at the mountaintop and scanned his surroundings.

Then, he saw the ancient tree.

The ancient tree atop Tianyuan Mountain, whose age is unknown, has lush foliage and a canopy that can cover the ground.

A small figure sat on a thick tree branch.

Gu Xing'er.

She sat on a tree branch, her legs dangling and swaying gently, gazing into the distance, lost in thought.

Gu Changyuan flashed to her side and sat down on a tree branch next to her.

"Little girl, what are you thinking about?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet morning.

Gu Xing'er was startled by the sudden sound and her shoulders twitched.

The next moment, she recognized whose voice it was, and her shrugged shoulders relaxed as she turned her head, her eyes filled with a hint of resentment:

"Brother, could you please not appear next to me so suddenly? It's scary."

Gu Changyuan smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"As an assassin, I'm very disappointed that I can't even react to an emergency."

Gu Xing'er said indignantly, "This is a sacred place! Who stays on guard like this at home?"

She paused, then added:

"If we were outside, my first reaction would be to flee and then probe the situation from the shadows."

"Is that so?" Gu Changyuan's smile remained unchanged. "Then it seems I misunderstood Xiaoxing'er."

It's been ten years.

Gu Xing'er still hasn't grown taller.

It seems like her height has been frozen at this point and has never changed since.

However, as time went on, Gu Xing'er stopped caring too much about her height.

Instead of focusing on the assassin role that Gu Changyuan had assigned her, she devoted herself to studying the assassin's way that Gu Changyuan had defined for her.

His movements became increasingly swift, and his concealment techniques became increasingly sophisticated.

"Oh, right," Gu Changyuan snapped out of his thoughts, "you still haven't answered me. What were you thinking about just now?"

"I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just spacing out."

Gu Xing'er's eyes flickered for a moment, and she quickly responded, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She would never admit that she was staring blankly at the sea of ​​clouds because she hadn't seen her brother in a long time and was wondering when he would return.