A pillar of golden light appeared on the altar of the seventh peak without warning or expectation.

Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and stepped forward, creating a small qi explosion that startled everyone present.

Not long after, the pillar of golden light disappeared on its own. Gu Qinghe stood atop the altar floor of the seventh peak, staring ahead.

There were three cultivators with their fairies beside them. However, Gu Qingyin was nowhere among them.

"You all?"

"Where is Gu Qingyin?" Gu Qinghe asked.

The three cultivators looked at one another, their expressions ugly and confused. One of them stepped toward Gu Qinghe.

"Are you Senior Gu Qinghe?" one of the men asked as he cupped his fists and lowered his head respectfully.

Gu Qinghe fell silent for a moment before nodding.

That immediately made them understand what had happened and why the man had asked about Gu Qingyin.

"So the news about the golden pillar of light ten years ago was true. Senior became the chosen one among thousands of cultivators," the man answered.

Ten years?

Gu Qinghe briefly glanced toward Saint Yue. The two of them remembered clearly that they had only spent one year inside the Immortal Dragon Palace.

If what the man said was true, then time inside the Immortal Dragon Palace flowed differently from time on Shangguan Star.

"Then who survived from ten years ago?" Gu Qinghe asked.

"There were only three survivors, and one of them was Gu Qingyin."

"She is now the Grand Elder of the Tianzun Sect," the man answered.

A lot has happened while I was away. I need to check on them immediately.

Gu Qinghe nodded and thanked them. He flew toward the altar of the seventh mountain valley and activated the mechanism for transportation.

A pillar of light shone brightly and transported Gu Qinghe from the seventh peak back to the altar on the first mountain.

Bright light flashed on the altar of the first mountain, instantly shocking the other cultivators there.

Gu Qinghe opened his eyes and saw that he had returned to the Northern Mountains, free from the Closed Realm Dimension.

"Let’s go—"

"I didn’t expect to meet you again, boy."

Gu Qinghe’s steps stopped when he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

He turned around and saw the old man from the Northern Mountains approaching.

"Mid Nascent Soul. A good achievement," the old man praised.

Gu Qinghe turned toward him, cupped his fists, and lowered his head respectfully.

"Senior?"

"I can see immortal power within your body. It seems you’ve already been appointed as an envoy, boy," the old man replied.

Gu Qinghe was shocked and did not know how to answer. However, what the old man said was true.

He had already become an Envoy of the Immortal Dragon Palace.

"Relax. I didn’t come here to capture you," the old man added.

The old man stretched out his hand and grabbed Saint Yue. Her body was pulled toward him, unable to resist.

"I’ll trade Saint Yue for this artifact. What do you think?" the old man asked.

The artifact in his hand was the Heavenly Golden Energy Sword, a powerful artifact that could help him greatly.

However, Gu Qinghe showed no interest at all.

"No. I’m taking Saint Yue with me," Gu Qinghe answered.

"Hahaha!" the old man laughed before slowly nodding in agreement.

"Very well. I won’t stop you anymore," the old man said.

Saint Yue flew back toward Gu Qinghe and remained by the man’s side.

She still stared at the old man with annoyance. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Be careful, boy. Your current status makes you an easy target for anyone," the old man warned.

In an instant, he disappeared from before Gu Qinghe. Gu Qinghe did not care.

He had already gone through countless life-threatening situations. He was confident he could bear the status of Envoy of the Immortal Dragon Palace.

He turned and saw Saint Yue still wearing her beautiful and luxurious dress.

Gu Qinghe raised his hand and pressed golden qi light against Saint Yue’s forehead.

Her clothes began changing into something simpler without hiding her natural beauty. Her hands looked elegant, pale, and slender.

"That’s better," Gu Qinghe said.

"Let’s go, Yue."

Saint Yue agreed. She flew high into the sky and drifted away from the city, heading back toward the kingdom’s center.

Ten years might not seem long, as if they had passed in the blink of an eye.

However, ten years was still enough time for many things to happen, whether good or bad for him.

Occasionally, he glanced toward Saint Yue flying beside him.

The qi aura radiating from her had become much stronger, but he still needed to stay cautious because the natural qi on Shangguan Star was quite limited.

The two of them flew quickly through the sky and clouds, leaving trails of qi in the heavens that became a spectacle for other cultivators.

Gu Qinghe’s destination was simple: Feng Ye Sect. He needed to confirm the condition of Feng Qing, the Sect Master of Feng Ye.

He arrived in the forest region near the sect. His movements suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened.

The condition of Feng Ye Sect was completely destroyed, leaving behind only dust.

Buildings had turned black from fire, while the gardens and plants had all burned away.

Nothing remained except the ruins of Feng Ye Sect. Gu Qinghe stood there in confusion and shock.

"What happened here?"

Saint Yue landed gracefully on the ground and picked up a handful of dusty soil, activating her natural qi.

Gu Qinghe turned and watched what Saint Yue was doing.

The woman immediately dropped the soil in her hand as her eyes opened wide.

"I saw... many sects surrounding Feng Ye."

"They attacked together and destroyed the formation."

"When that happened, destruction became unavoidable."

"Did... anyone survive?" Gu Qinghe asked.

"Forgive me, but no one did."

Gu Qinghe clenched his fists, releasing powerful qi energy that exploded outward and spread across the entire area.

He had failed. He had failed to save Feng Ye Sect and prevent Feng Qing’s death.

His goal changed. He needed to know who was responsible for destroying Feng Ye Sect. Gu Qinghe would not stop until the culprits were caught.

"We need to find information about the cause behind Feng Ye Sect’s destruction."

The closest city to Feng Ye Sect was Hongsu City, where the Wang Clan resided.

Perhaps when Gu Qinghe arrived there, Wang Yunxi could explain the reason behind Feng Ye Sect’s destruction.

That was because Gu Qinghe felt the destruction of Feng Ye Sect was unusual.

There was another plan hidden behind their destruction, one that might be horrifying to imagine.

Gu Qinghe had to be careful.

"Where are we going?" Saint Yue asked.

"Hongsu City!"