Swirling mists.
The tower was so tall, it pierced right through the clouds. A man and woman, seemingly head over heels for each other, sat on the terrace.
“That little girl of the Xiao Family….” A casually handsome man laughed and shook his head.
The woman beside him smiled too. “If she said it, she said it. It doesn’t count as breaking the rules, and besides, the Emperor Star can be considered a member of our Gu Family.”
“You say that, but it’s not like you didn’t see the kid’s expression. When he comes tomorrow, since he knows our cultivation boundary, he’s bound to be more reserved.”
“Surely you don’t think that if she didn’t say anything, he’d be unreserved? This is the Gu Family!”
Yes, this was the Gu Family!
The name alone, brief as it was, struck terror into the hearts of valiant figures throughout the land. Even the three Realm Emperors would restrain themselves when they visited.
This was the despotism of the Gu Family: all of creation trembled before them.
“True enough.” The casually handsome man nodded, waved his right hand, and dispersed the clouds gathering around them. He put his arm around the woman’s shoulder and sat down, then tenderly poured two cups of tea and offered her one.
“Do you think he’ll agree to change his surname to Gu?”
“Why ask that all of a sudden?” The woman raised her glass to her lips and took a sip. “Are you thinking of that uninvited guest who showed up a few days ago?”
“You could say that!”
“No way! Surely you don’t believe what he said?”
“I got the feeling that he wasn’t the type to tell lies, and father seemed very interested in what he had to say. He thought that white-robed man meant every word he said.”
“Then you want to…”
“Tomorrow, I want to test it!” The handsome man’s eyes flashed with stern light, his gaze boring into the woman, as if seeking out her support and approval.
She chuckled, then set down her tea cup. She placed her hand over his. “I support you!”
…..
….
….
Morning the next day.
Looking around, fall had already begun. The winds were clear, but they carried a hint of a chill.
After talking things over with Lan Tu and agreeing to visit the Gu Family, Ye Zichen kept his promise. He, Lan Tu, and Gu Luolin set out early the next day. Xiao Yumei and several other Upheaval Alliance Administrators saw them off.
“Alliance Head Ye, do you still need a little more time?” Lan Tu walked at the head of the pack, a smile on his lips. He had a pitch-black longsword strapped to his back, making him seem like a knight errant.
Ye Zichen had already delegated everything that needed delegating, so he smiled at Xiao Yumei and the others. Then, without any unnecessary words, he walked right up to Lan Tu.
When he got there, Lan Tu’s longsword cut out an elaborate spiritual array. The Gu Family didn’t dwell within the Upper Three Realms; the whole clan lived within a separate dimension.
If you wanted to visit the Gu Family, you had to go through a spatial transfer array like this one.
“Alliance Head Ye, we’re leaving.” Lan Tu chuckled, and as Ye Zichen nodded, the spiritual array on the ground burst with dazzling blue light.
The instant the blue light appeared, it locked up the space within a hundred square meters. All those within its range, including Xiao Yumei and the other administrators, could no longer use their divine senses.
Countless surging, turbulent winds rose up around the array, and the surrounding plants and trees bent. The blue light was so bright that Xiao Yumei and the others couldn’t look directly at it.
However, neither the violent gusts nor the piercing light had any actual attack power.
As the powerful winds receded, the blue light faded along with it.
When they were next able to look at the location of the array, Lan Tu, Gu Luolin, and Ye Zichen had disappeared from view. But that wasn’t all; they left no spatial ripples behind, and no one could sense just where they’d disappeared to.
“The Gu Family’s methods sure live up to their reputation.” Xiao Hu couldn’t help but sigh.
Gu Luolin was like the pearl of her family; the alliance’s administrators all knew that. Lan Tu had come here to bring her back home, and Ye Zichen was going with them. Everyone present knew that full well.
“They really do!” The administrators muttered amongst themselves. All of them had visited the Gu Family before, too.
You couldn’t possibly understand just how powerful the Gu Family really was without seeing it for yourself.
Just now, when Lan Tu outlined that array and locked the surrounding space, he’d left them unable to use their spiritual power to observe the process.
But now, as the spatial lock receded, they couldn’t sense any spatial fluctuations that might have otherwise alerted them to the Gu Family’s location.
They feared that not even the grandmasters of the Supreme Hall could have achieved such a feat.
“Don’t just stand around sighing. We all already knew the Gu Family was strong. The Alliance Head has left, and the alliance has numerous matters we need to attend to. Let’s hurry back and get back to work. Xiao Yan, Xiao Hu…. You two go find Yin Shang and Gou Yuzhan. There’s something I need to discuss with you all.”
Verdant mountains and clear waters. The sound of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
As the spiritual array carried him off, Ye Zichen didn’t enter the Time Corridor. By the time he came to his senses, he found himself beside a clear stream.
It was a brook so clear, he could see the bottom. Clean stones lined the riverbed. From time to time, he saw fish darting between the gaps.
Trees grew by the banks, the willows’ leaves reaching the ground. Gentle winds blew past, rustling the leaves.
Birds nested in the branches, their song continuous.
A gentle fragrance wafted over…
When Ye Zichen looked towards its source, he saw a seemingly endless patch of flowers.
A huge array of colors, all of them fresh and vibrant, grew within the flower patch. He could even see countless butterflies flying to and fro, beating their wings and fluttering like dancers.
None of the beasts were yao.
From the fish of the stream to the birds in the trees, or the butterflies flying around the flower patch.
All of them were ordinary organisms. It was just like the Modern Realm, where animals were just animals.
Never mind the Upper Three Realms: even in the lower planes, animals were either yao or vicious beasts. Even those that hadn’t or couldn’t take on human form had yao energy.
But this place just seemed so pure, and the organisms had no spiritual energy at all. It was utterly shocking!
“Alliance Head Ye?” Lan Tu gently patted Ye Zichen on the shoulder.
“Bodyguard Lan Tu.” Ye Zichen turned around, then coughed. “It seems I can’t quite sense any yao energy from the beasts dwelling here.”
“That’s because this is a miniature world our clan head and former clan head created,” Lan Tu explained with a laugh, and his eyes filled with undisguisable respect and awe. “The former clan head wanted us to experience the life of mortals during our leisure time, so he created this miniature world. None of the living things here possess spiritual power, and visitors cannot use their spiritual power either.”
Creating a separate world?
Ye Zichen was visibly shaken. He instinctively tried to circulate his spiritual power, only to discover that it simply wasn’t possible here. He couldn’t even call upon the power of the stars.
The Gu Family!
This was the Gu Family! But could a half-step transcendent really accomplish all this?
