Chapter 1689. Yin Mei’s heart knot, the Dao seed she had prepared early on

Yin Mei was wearing a light pink long dress, her dark hair flowing like a waterfall, falling neatly to her waist. Her fair, jade-like face was filled with joy and excitement, and the fluffy fox tail she was holding only made her delicate skin shine with an alluring luster, like the finest fairy fat jade.

She ran happily to the palace, her bright eyes fixed on Gu Changge. In her clear, sparkling gaze, there was a strong sense of longing and affection, as if the lake water in her eyes was about to overflow.

Gu Changge smiled slightly, stretched out his hand, and pulled her into his arms. Yin Mei also closed her eyes gently, leaning against him, savoring this rare moment of warmth. He didn’t speak, just feeling the soft, jade-like warmth in his arms, and some indescribable emotions arose in his heart.

“Young Master, you finally deigned to come back?”

Then, Yin Mei opened her bright eyes, reached out, and touched the side of Gu Changge’s face. Her lips, as red as flower petals, parted slightly, and she said with a hint of small grievance, “I came back once before, but you were all in closed-door cultivation. I didn’t disturb you, just took a look and left.”

Gu Changge smiled and gently stroked her dark hair. “I see.”

Yin Mei gave a soft “Hmm” and knew that Gu Changge had always had her in his heart. For her, that was enough. She then comfortably leaned against his chest, wrapped her arms around his neck, and began to softly talk about the developments and changes of the Fatian Alliance and the Daochang True Realm over the years.

Before leaving the Daochang True Realm, Gu Changge had entrusted everything to her. Naturally, she wouldn’t disappoint him.

“Let’s talk about those things later, I want to know how you’ve been these years?” Gu Changge, hearing her words, shook his head with a smile, stopping her.

Yin Mei was slightly surprised, her bright eyes widening a bit.

“What’s wrong? You’re so surprised? Have things been bad these years?”

Gu Changge wasn’t surprised by her reaction. He smiled knowingly and asked, “How?”

Yin Mei shook her head, then nodded, saying with a hint of slight grievance, “Without you by my side, every day has been bad, every day. I miss you every day.”

Although she and Gu Changge were already married, she still liked to call him “Young Master.” She preferred this term over “husband” because it felt like calling him “Young Master” made him belong only to her.

“Young Master, you never cared about us before. You suddenly asked today, and naturally, I’m surprised,” Yin Mei murmured while leaning against his chest.

Gu Changge smiled helplessly, knowing her grievance, and he also knew he was in the wrong. He rarely paid attention to these things, even when it came to those close to him. He seldom asked about their matters, let alone taking the initiative to care for them.

“Don’t be angry, Young Master. I was just casually saying that. I wasn’t complaining. I know you have important things to do and can’t always take care of everything…”

Seeing Gu Changge fall silent, Yin Mei quickly explained, worried that he would be angry and think she was inconsiderate, not understanding his difficulties.

Seeing Yin Mei’s flustered and panicked expression, Gu Changge couldn’t help but smile. He reached out and held her soft hand gently, speaking in a calm voice, “You don’t need to be so cautious around me. Haven’t we already gotten married?”

“How can we still be so distant after marriage?”

Upon hearing this, Yin Mei’s bright eyes widened slightly as she looked at Gu Changge, her expression gradually turning to one of grievance. “But… but I really worry that one day, Young Master, you’ll no longer want me, that when I’m no longer of use, I’ll be discarded like an old rag.”

“I’ve always wanted to help you, whether it was before or now, that hasn’t changed. But more and more, I feel powerless and weak, unable to keep up with your pace. No matter how hard I try to catch up, I can never see you.”

“Recently, I’ve been having the same nightmare repeatedly. I dream of back when we were on the Xian Gu Continent. My identity was exposed by Ye Ling, and he wanted to kill me. But you just watched from the side, cold and indifferent. No matter how much I called out to you, you didn’t move, didn’t come to save me.”

“It was just a dream. Ye Ling is already dead, and I’ve always been by your side.” Gu Changge spoke gently, though he didn’t understand why Yin Mei would have such a nightmare. It had been so many years since then, but she still remembered it so clearly.

Back then, he hadn’t rushed to save Yin Mei when she was in danger, almost on the verge of self-destruction. It was only when she was in a critical state that he appeared. He hadn’t trusted her at the time and wanted to see how she would react under pressure. He wanted to test if she would expose his identity as the one pulling the strings behind the scenes.

However, upon reflection, this incident seemed to have revealed Yin Mei’s inner struggles. The reason she had such nightmares was probably because of her own fear and insecurity. And her fear stemmed from her lack of strength.

Her talent wasn’t in cultivation, and she had never been particularly interested in it.

“Ye Ling is dead, but I don’t know if there will be another Ye Ling, or even a third… The truth is, I feel useless now, with no value to help you anymore. I’m just a burden, bringing you trouble instead.”

Yin Mei’s bright, jewel-like eyes gradually dimmed. She didn’t know what to do anymore.

In the past few years, the Fatian Alliance had developed steadily, and she didn’t have to keep watch over things, so she spent more of her time on cultivation, something she had never cared for much before.

She knew that her talent was no match for the others. No matter how hard she tried, she would always fall behind.

So she worked harder than ever before.

Above the Immortal Path, there were even more distant Dao realms, and only by reaching the Dao realm would she be qualified to look up to Gu Changge.

Right now, she is barely compared to someone with the strength of an Immortal King. Her own realm was still lacking a little to reach the Immortal King level.

The levels beyond that—Pseudo Immortal Emperor, Immortal Emperor, and the distant Dao realm—felt like insurmountable pressure. Every time she thought about them, she felt suffocated.

She should have accepted her fate by now. Her talent and aptitude had been determined from the start. Even though the Divine Kingdom had countless resources for her cultivation, with vast luck for her to squander, it couldn’t change her future achievements.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry about any of this. You don’t need to think about it at all. I no longer need you to bring me any benefits or value.”

Gu Changge gently shook his head, his tone calm, “Just having you by my side is enough for me. One day, when I look back, I will no longer be alone in the path of the divine. As for anything else, it doesn’t matter to me.”

As he spoke, he reached out with a finger and gently touched Yin Mei’s forehead.

Yin Mei was so deeply touched by his words, but suddenly, she saw a faint, ancient light dot in the depths of her empty consciousness. It radiated with an aura of vast and ancient energy, like a seed nurturing the profound mysteries of the world.

“What is this?”Her beautiful eyes widened in surprise as she felt the terrifying, surging power within the seed, as if it could take root at the edge of chaos at any moment, evolving into an ancient divine tree that could absorb and expel the Five Elements and the energy of the Dao.

At the same time, her cultivation also began to change and fill as the seed emerged. She could even clearly hear the sound of the long-stagnant bottleneck in her cultivation breaking apart.

Boom!

In the depths of the divine kingdom, a terrifying dark cloud suddenly rolled in, flashing with lightning, as tribulation clouds began to accumulate, preparing to converge and surge forward.

“My Immortal King tribulation…”

Yin Mei became even more startled and was about to rise to face the tribulation. However, with a single word, “Retreat,” from Gu Changge, the tribulation clouds immediately dissipated, and the sky returned to its clarity. Thin streams of fresh air and fragments of the heavenly Dao quickly poured into Yin Mei’s body.

Her skin became even more translucent, emitting a faint, snow lotus-like fragrance. At that moment, she could even feel the seed taking root and sprouting within her, the entire process unfolding in her body.

“This is the Dao realm seed of the True Realm,” Gu Changge explained simply, “You can think of it as the seed of the Dao realm. Originally, my plan was for it to take root and sprout when you all reached the end of the Immortal Path, when you were about to touch the threshold of the Dao realm. That was when you would have the ability to nurture it…”

“But because I’ve now forged the World Sphere, it is continuously condensing the various nutrients and resources needed for the Dao realm seed to grow.”

“In the divine kingdom, the Dao realm seed is growing stronger with each passing moment, and your cultivation realm will also become stronger thanks to its nurturing.”

Gu Changge gave a simple explanation of the Dao realm seed’s mysterious nature. As for the origin of the World Sphere, he didn’t mention it, as it involved many complex matters that were unnecessary to explain.

Yin Mei stood there, slightly stunned. Though she didn’t fully understand, she realized that the Dao realm seed was a shortcut that Gu Changge had prepared for them. He had anticipated this day and made preparations long ago.

This was a path that countless cultivators and beings longed for, suddenly laid out before them. Anyone would probably feel dazed and unsure of how to proceed. Moreover, although Gu Changge made it sound simple, Yin Mei knew that refining the Dao realm seed and the World Sphere could not have been easy.

There was no such thing as an easy path to the heavens. It was certain that a price had to be paid for this.

Yin Mei was still a bit stunned, unable to react. At this moment, many figures had arrived outside the hall.

“Ah, it seems we’re still a step behind.”

A playful, light laugh echoed as Wang Zijing stepped forward with a brisk pace, wearing a silver-patterned, white robe with a fluffy snow-white fur collar, holding a folding fan in her hand, dressed like a noble young master.

Behind her, many cultivators and beings also arrived. Among them were Gu Changge’s ancestors, the Wine Sword Immortal, Ming, and many others. These were all high-ranking figures from the early days of the Fatian Alliance in the Daochang True Realm, and even now, they held positions of great importance in the Fatian Alliance.

“Greetings, Lord Alliance Master.”

The Wine Sword Immortal, Ming, Ao Di, and others all bowed respectfully, their gazes towards Gu Changge filled with reverence.

Gu Changge nodded slightly, and Yin Mei, at the right moment, left his arms and stood to the side.

“It seems all of you have made considerable progress in your cultivation over the years.”Gu Changge’s gaze slowly swept over everyone in the room, passing over the ancestors of the Gu family, Ming, and others. Then, he looked at the rest of the people, including some who had once harbored hatred toward him, such as Cen Shuang from Wuguicheng. There were also ancient, forgotten clans from the Immortal Palace era, such as the Sea Tribe led by the Immortal King Ao Di, and other beings who had drifted here from other realms.

Naturally, there were also a few Immortal Kings from the former Immortal Domain: Moon King, Luo King, and a female pseudo-Immortal Emperor who had once appeared at the edge of the Realm Sea battlefields, accompanying Gu Changge on his journey.

However, after establishing the Fatian Alliance and jointly resisting the invading forces, all the factions gradually let go of their previous grudges and began to live in peace, thriving together.

The existence of the Fatian Alliance had, in some ways, restrained and balanced the various factions, making it so that no one dared to disturb the peace of the Daochang True Realm now.

Even if there had been past enmity, they had to set aside their grudges and follow the rules of the Fatian Alliance, abiding by its regulations.

This situation was undoubtedly beneficial for the development of the Daochang True Realm. Every year, many powerful beings were born, and the luck of various factions had grown stronger. It was common to see talented and proud younger generations emerging.

In the hall, more and more leaders, saints, and sect masters from various factions arrived after hearing the news. Among them were some of Gu Changge’s contemporaries.

Facing Gu Changge’s return to the Daochang True Realm, everyone’s emotions were complicated—respect, fear, awe, reverence, fervor, and dread—almost every kind of emotion could be felt.

No matter how much Gu Changge had helped the Daochang True Realm by leading the Fatian Alliance in the fight against external enemies, his infamous reputation still lingered. He could not wash away the name of the Demon Lord, nor could he erase the memories of his previous apocalyptic actions, the destruction of the Immortal Palace, or his manipulation and slaughter of countless beings in the Upper Realm.

For Gu Changge, they had respect and admiration, but also fear and trepidation.

“It’s been many years, and you still fear me just as before?” Gu Changge smiled faintly as he looked around at everyone in the hall, then waved his hand, signaling them to leave.

He had no interest in staying among them, and their presence was just an inconvenience.

Only the Gu family ancestors, Ming, and a few others with Dao realm cultivation were kept behind by Gu Changge. He could share information about the Immortal Spirit Civilization and the Xiyuan Civilization with them, as they had the cultivation level necessary to understand such matters.

The Gu family ancestors had actually heard about the external matters and were well-informed. Unlike Ming and the Wine Sword Immortal, who were native beings of the Daochang True Realm, the Gu family ancestors’ perspectives were naturally different, and their vision wasn’t limited to just the local realm.

Ming and the Wine Sword Immortal longed for the vastness of the external world and its boundless possibilities. However, they both understood their own strength. In the Daochang True Realm, they could claim to be invincible, but once they left and entered the vast unknown, they might struggle to even protect themselves.

Thus, they hesitated for a moment before deciding to remain in the Daochang True Realm.

The Daochang True Realm today was not necessarily inferior to other civilizations in the vast expanse. However, the Gu family ancestors had no interest in the vastness beyond. They only wanted to remain in the Daochang True Realm, unwilling to leave unless an apocalyptic catastrophe arose.

Gu Changge naturally didn’t try to persuade them to leave. He had already made his point, knowing that the Gu family ancestors would stay in the Daochang True Realm without any surprise.

That evening, with Yin Mei’s curiosity and Wang Zijing’s constant cajoling, Gu Changge, despite his headache, casually picked a few interesting stories from his experiences in the vast expanse to tell them as stories.

Neither Yin Mei nor Wang Zijing had encountered the vast expanse before, so they were filled with curiosity. Wang Zijing was especially eager, repeatedly saying that she had known Gu Changge had gone to explore the great map. Yin Mei was completely confused by these words.

It felt to her like she and Wang Zijing were from different worlds. Wang Zijing’s words often left her puzzled, requiring a moment to comprehend their meaning.

Gu Changge was used to it by now.

Wang Zijing, after all, was a unique individual. In front of others, she might act dignified, gentle, and elegant, but in front of him, she was like a playful little deer running wild in the forest, her thought process sometimes leaving him behind.

Although Wang Zijing had spent a lot of time on her cultivation over the years, she still loved to wander around. Despite that, her cultivation had not fallen behind. She was now at the level of a pseudo-Immortal Emperor.

She herself estimated that, if she was lucky and encountered some extraordinary opportunities, she might save millions of years and break through to become an Immortal Emperor much earlier than expected.

Such talent and luck would have made Yin Mei extremely envious in the past. However, now, no matter how extraordinary her opportunities might be, they paled in comparison to the Dao realm seed that Gu Changge had created for them.

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