Gu Qinghe was completely shocked. The mysterious blonde woman in front of him mentioned something about the Heavenly Emperor Palace.

Before entering Gu Qinghe’s body, Yun Tian had held the title of Yun Tiansheng, the Heavenly Emperor.

He had comprehended millions of techniques, mastered countless formations and arrays, and even studied and developed Dao concepts.

His defeat against the Cultivator Alliance had forced him to use a divine artifact, causing him to regress into the past and arrive in Gu Qinghe’s body.

As far as he remembered, he had never seen this blonde woman before.

Even if he had, he was certain she had not been important.

Could it be... she knows about me because she can see the primordial soul inside my body?

Gu Qinghe lowered his hand, stopping her from examining him further.

The blonde woman smiled and withdrew the qi light from her hand.

"There are many possibilities for someone to possess that kind of spiritual qi. It could come from an artifact, or from a bloodline," she said, returning to the pool and sitting gracefully.

Gu Qinghe remained silent for a moment, carefully observing her. "Is... that a bad thing?"

The blonde woman shook her head. She said it was actually a good thing, because the fifth mountain was the Golden Mountain.

She had no intention of explaining anything further about the trials at the peak, but she would at least tell him what he needed to know.

"With your level of spiritual qi, I believe you have nothing to worry about," she said.

She’s too mysterious. I should keep moving up the mountain.

"Junior thanks Senior Daoist for the guidance," Gu Qinghe said.

The woman turned slightly and casually raised her hand, signaling for him to continue climbing.

Just as Gu Qinghe walked farther away, the woman extended her hand and summoned a fairy from the water.

"I’ve greeted many cultivators, but he’s the only one who caught my attention," she said.

"Perhaps... he is the man destined to help you form the Dao of Natural Balance, Saint Xiao Yue," replied the water fairy as she floated above the pool.

The blonde woman, Xiao Yue, smiled softly and nodded. She had waited for hundreds of years, trapped within this Closed Dimensional Realm.

If Gu Qinghe truly possessed the highest level of golden spiritual qi, then he was the best candidate for her.

"Take my place, Yi Chan. I need to observe him more closely later," Saint Yue said. Yi Chan sighed and nodded.

Using natural qi, Saint Yue left the waterfall pool and headed toward a massive altar at the peak of the Thousand Suns Hill.

That was a crucial place where two interconnected outcomes would be decided.

Gu Qinghe did not feel tired. His body had been well tempered, even without using spiritual qi.

He lifted his head and looked ahead, observing the dense forest with thick foliage.

The yellow fairies continued to follow him, as if they were inseparable from him.

For three hours, Saint Yue moved from tree to tree, her eyes fixed on Gu Qinghe.

It was easy to track him, as the yellow fairies constantly surrounded him.

Gu Qinghe’s instincts told him someone was following him.

He quickly turned around. Saint Yue raised her hand and activated a camouflage technique, blending into the tree trunk.

"There’s no spiritual qi here. My awareness is getting sharper... and more exhausting."

At the edge of the forest, Gu Qinghe arrived and saw that instead of a white palace, there was a vast stone altar ahead.

Tall trees surrounded the area, and at the center stood a banyan tree that had existed for hundreds of years.

"Brother?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Gu Qinghe’s attention shifted when a woman called out to him.

His eyes widened in surprise. Gu Qingyin was here, cultivating at the altar.

When she saw him, she immediately stopped and walked toward him.

Gu Qinghe narrowed his eyes and stepped back when she tried to embrace him.

Gu Qingyin looked confused, her innocent expression showing shock at being avoided.

"Don’t get too close, Qingyin," Gu Qinghe said.

"What do you mean?"

Gu Qinghe took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. His cold gaze fixed forward.

"I... don’t intend to maintain any relationship with you, even if you are my sister," he said.

"Why?" Gu Qingyin asked.

Hearing her questions only made Gu Qinghe’s anger burn even stronger.

His fists clenched tightly. Now that his cultivation level was equal to hers, it would be difficult to determine a winner if they fought.

"Mother was afflicted with the Ice Meridian Curse."

"I... already know about that."

"Did you come here to cure her too? To bring back a pill that can break the curse, Brother Qinghe?" Gu Qingyin asked.

"HAHAHA!" Gu Qinghe burst into loud laughter, startling Qingyin and the cultivators from the Tianzun Sect.

One man stepped forward, standing in front of Qingyin to protect her.

His cultivation level was the same as Qingyin and Qinghe.

"Cure her? Let me explain everything so your foolish mind can understand!"

"I went to the Yin-Yang Sect to investigate the curse. I endured suffering in a winter region filled with dominant yin. I even had to kill Lin Ruyu, the one responsible for the Ice Meridian Curse."

"And you think a pill can remove it? HAHAHA!"

"I thought you had grown stronger in Tianzun, Qingyin. But clearly, you haven’t," Gu Qinghe said coldly.

Gu Qingyin fell silent, lowering her head as she clenched her hands tightly. The man in front of her glared at Gu Qinghe and shouted.

"That is not the proper way to advise Junior Qingyin!"

"SILENCE!"

Gu Qinghe released the essence of his primordial soul from his forehead and struck the man.

The man failed to dodge. Pain surged through his body as he collapsed to his knees, coughing blood.

"A Golden Core... injuring the soul of someone at the same level? How is that possible?!" the other cultivators exclaimed.

Gu Qingyin saw her senior injured and glared at Gu Qinghe.

"Stop it, Brother! What are you doing?!" she shouted.

"Listen to me, Qingyin."

"Our mother, Wang Yunxi, has been returned to the Wang Clan. Gu Zhen clearly has no intention of taking care of her anymore, even if she recovers," Gu Qinghe said.

He stepped forward, his footsteps carrying heavy qi pressure.

"I’ll ask you one thing."

"Do you choose Mother... or the Gu Clan?"