Ling Qiuhan actually didn't want to delve too deeply into Gu Changge's origins. In his opinion, having such a disciple in the Imperial Immortal Palace was undoubtedly a blessing for the sect.
Although Gu Changge's background was not simple, from the current situation, it was clear that he bore no malice toward the Imperial Immortal Palace. Moreover, this was deep within the Imperial Immortal Palace, where powerful figures gathered, and the sect's foundation was concentrated here. Even if Gu Changge wanted to do something, Ling Qiuhan didn't believe he could cause any significant trouble.
When Gu Changge returned to the immortal island where the disciples of the Xianyun Dao field were temporarily staying, he unexpectedly saw Jing Xiao. She was still wearing a pink floral dress, her black hair fluttering in the wind, her skin as white as jade, both beautiful and aloof. In her hand, she held a jade Dao sword, as if she had been waiting for him here for some time.
Jing Xiao also noticed Gu Changge, a faint smile appearing on her face as she approached him. However, her expression carried a hint of shyness, as if she felt a bit embarrassed about waiting for Gu Changge here. She had come to see Gu Changge a few times during this period, but each time she learned that he was in seclusion, so she left without disturbing him. Today, when she arrived, she was told that Gu Changge had been summoned by the Palace Master. After thinking about it, she decided to wait here.
"Senior Brother Gu," Jing Xiao took the initiative to speak. Since the day she had told Gu Changge about her background and her grievances with Ling Yuxian, she hadn't had much chance to be alone with him.
Although only a few days had passed, for her, it felt like an eternity, and she felt somewhat uneasy. When she tried to meditate and cultivate, she couldn't calm her mind.
Jing Xiao didn't know what was going on. Whenever she closed her eyes to cultivate, scenes of her conversations with Gu Changge would always surface in her mind.
"Junior Sister Jing Xiao, why are you here?" Gu Changge asked with a warm, spring-like smile.
Jing Xiao didn't beat around the bush and directly said that she was waiting for Gu Changge. She had missed him over the past few days and had some doubts about her cultivation that she wished to seek his advice on.
Gu Changge didn't refuse. He then took her for a walk around the area, as usual, discussing cultivation insights and other matters. Jing Xiao was also curious about why Gu Changge had been summoned by the Palace Master, so she later directly asked about it. Gu Changge thought for a moment and didn't hide the truth, saying that it was actually Ling Yuxian who had sought him out, not the Palace Master.
"Ling Yuxian? Why would she look for Senior Brother Gu?"
Jing Xiao was stunned, recalling the way Ling Yuxian had occasionally glanced at Gu Changge during the council hall meeting. She felt an inexplicable discomfort in her heart.
Although the female disciples of the Xianyun Dao field often surrounded Gu Changge, chattering like birds, she didn't mind. She believed that those female disciples were just daydreaming. Someone as mysterious, low-key, and unfathomably powerful as Senior Brother Gu would never be interested in them.
But Ling Yuxian was different. She was about the same age as Jing Xiao, but her cultivation, talent, and beauty all surpassed hers. And Senior Brother Gu, whether in terms of talent, appearance, or demeanor, was unparalleled. Although Jing Xiao felt that, based on her understanding of Ling Yuxian, she wouldn't have ulterior motives like other ordinary female disciples, she still felt a sense of discomfort in her heart.
Her expression didn't change, and she asked nonchalantly, "I wonder why Ling Yuxian sought out Senior Brother Gu?"
Gu Changge smiled and said in a tone that suggested he wasn't entirely sure, "Probably because she's curious about my identity and strength."
"Curious about Senior Brother Gu?"
Jing Xiao's eyebrows twitched slightly.
She found this explanation somewhat strange, but she didn't press further.
After learning about the Ancestor's impending return, the elders of the Imperial Immortal Palace had begun preparing for the matter.
Ling Qiuhan issued one order after another, mobilizing all the forces the Imperial Immortal Palace could gather.
He also brought out many of the sect's foundational treasures, as he had learned from Ling Yuxian that the place where the Ancestor was trapped was quite unique and would require a significant amount of manpower and resources.
However, up until now, Ling Yuxian still hadn't revealed where the Ancestor was trapped.
This meant that Ling Qiuhan and the others could only patiently prepare and wait.
In a cave dwelling filled with immortal mist, radiant light, and the surging aura of the Great Dao, Ling Yuxian sat cross-legged on a jade bed, her five centers facing upward. Her eyes were closed, but her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she was in pain.
At the center of her brow, a fist-sized, fluctuating light flickered, illuminating her cheekbones with a crystal clear and radiant glow. Within this fluctuating light, fragments of the Great Dao seemed to intertwine.
Each fragment of the Great Dao shimmered with faint memory traces, constantly piecing together and reorganizing. At the same time, a vague and indistinct figure could be seen sitting cross-legged, surrounded by an immortal aura, exuding a majesty that transcended all worlds—as if it were the progenitor of all immortals.
"Sister, I will definitely help you escape."
After a long time, the fluctuating light finally dissipated, and Ling Yuxian opened her eyes.
She murmured to herself, her eyes complex at first but then becoming exceptionally sharp and profound.
The founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace was none other than her sister—to be precise, the two of them. This was something Ling Yuxian had only learned after absorbing some of the recovered memory fragments.
Previously, she hadn't known what the relationship was between the founder of the Imperial Immortal Palace and herself, or why she could sense the founder's presence and knew that she was trapped somewhere, needing her help.
Now, she had a vague understanding of the cause and effect of these events. She had a twin sister, and the two of them shared a near-soul connection.
Although they were twins, they were like one person.
They were connected in mind and spirit, and no matter how far apart they were, they could always clearly sense each other's thoughts and existence.
It was precisely because of this that Ling Yuxian knew her sister was still trapped.
During the final battle against the Lord of the Black Calamity's source, she had been severely injured, nearly dying.
In the end, it was her sister who paid a great price to protect her true spirit, preventing her from dispersing and having her soul utterly destroyed.
At that time, she had been nearly struck by a beam of light that completely pierced through her primordial spirit. The residual impact of that attack had even evaporated the Great Dao. If it had been anyone else of the same level, they would have perished instantly.
Thanks to her unique constitution and unending life force, she had managed to withstand that blow.
The strength of the Lord of the Black Calamity's was so immense that it reached the heavens and spanned the earth—utterly unfathomable. Even a casual strike from such an existence was far beyond what any cultivator in this world could withstand.
Although Ling Yuxian had survived, her cultivation and Dao path were almost completely crippled.
Later, relying on her shattered true spirit and with her sister's help, she managed to reconstruct her body. She then used reincarnation to seal herself within a Dao Source, waiting for the day she could cultivate anew and return to her peak.
Her sister, in order to help her recover her strength as quickly as possible, took great risks to seize a civilization treasure known as the Gate of Eternal Life.
Facing a siege from numerous powerful enemies, her sister was unable to prevail and could only flee with the Gate of Eternal Life into the depths of time and space.
While severely injured, her sister attempted to refine and control the Gate of Eternal Life but was schemed against by the artifact spirit.
To avoid being devoured by the artifact spirit, her sister had no choice but to adopt a mutually destructive method, sealing both herself and the artifact spirit within the Gate of Eternal Life.
The only way for Ling Yuxian to save her trapped sister was to break open the Gate of Eternal Life and undo the seal within.