360: Chapter 3: Eight Hundred Years Late 360: Chapter 3: Eight Hundred Years Late “If I were you, I wouldn’t go in.”
A voice came through, and Gu Wen turned around to see Wu Kong standing behind him in red clothes and bare feet.
He had always been watching Gu Wen, both to prevent Jianmu from attacking by surprise and out of curiosity about what was so special about this Little Saint who had existed for eight hundred years.
If he could understand even a bit of it, perhaps he could greatly increase his own cultivation level.
As for the legacy left by Yu Hua and so on, Wu Kong felt there was no need to point it out because the event had happened and could not be undone.
Having lived so many years and with the Human Race active for tens of thousands of years, Wu Kong had long understood human emotions and desires far better than most, even clearer than most people.
As long as one lived long enough, in some sense, he was omniscient.
“A common saying goes, ‘out of sight, out of mind.’ Initially, if you had quietly left, I wouldn’t have needed to appear.”
Gu Wen smiled and said, “Senior is concerned, but things that we cannot see still exist.
Just like when I was imprisoned in the Immortal Land, could I also pretend that the Cultivation World didn’t exist?”
Wu Kong shook his head and said, “It’s not so, young friend.
You still had a sliver of chance back then, but now she probably has only half of that.”
Gu Wen’s eyes flickered slightly as he stepped aside and said, “Please, Senior, come in and elaborate slowly.”
The two entered the room, taking ten steps across the courtyard and three steps to the front door.
Upon opening the door, the room was well-furnished, with screens embroidered with green mountains and white cranes, a redwood cloud-pattern table with a half-drunken cup of tea, a yellowed cloud-pattern paper, and a book of Qi Cultivation Skill.
Gu Wen looked towards the emptier space, where scenes transmitted by the Immortal Sword in times past began to emerge.
They sat down, and Gu Wen poured tea for Wu Kong, who tugged at the corner of his mouth and said, “This tea is eight hundred years old; even an array can’t preserve it.”
Opening the teacup and peeking inside, the tea leaves had turned into a black, mushy mess.
Nevertheless, as an Immortal, Wu Kong still drank a sip without any hesitation, and then he began to tell Gu Wen the cause and consequences of recent events.
“Back when you were imprisoned by Jianmu, Qingcang successfully escaped, which was good news for us and gave hope to others in removing Jianmu.
Thus, after getting Qingcang Fellow Daoist’s consent, I started to contact others.
Many Daoists responded, and seven agreed to battle using their magic.”
Gu Wen said, “It seems Jianmu wasn’t very popular.”
“The path to becoming a Saint is like this, the whole world’s force creating one Saint.
I remember when Jianmu was rooted into the earth, everything outside of Jianmu was barren.
He had offended more than just the Human Race, but Qingcang is currently the only one powerful enough to threaten Jianmu.”
Wu Kong briefly explained, then turned back to the main topic.
“We originally planned to exploit Jianmu’s moment of weakness to inflict heavy damage, but then your master went to the underworld and came back missing an arm, equally weakened.
Afterwards, the great war between humans and demons erupted, many things happened during that period which I can’t explain fully.
The final result was your master killing a Devil Ancestor, but also suffering serious injuries herself.”
Saying this, Wu Kong stroked his abdomen, the slightly protruding scars still visible.
“Qingcang was truly worthy of the stature of a Saint, being able to slay a Devil Ancestor in that situation.”
“Master, how is her injury?”
“She won’t die, nor is her life in danger.
But you should see her yourself for specific details, those are private matters I shouldn’t know.”
Gu Wen remained silent for a moment, then asked, “What about her?
Why didn’t you stop her?”
“Heh, if we had stopped them, would you still be able to come out?”
Wu Kong retorted and then answered himself, “It was Qingcang who asked me not to interfere.
If you hadn’t come out eventually, it would have been her loss of both disciple and strength.
Now that you are out, she has played a part in this achievement.”
He poured another cup of eight-hundred-year-old tea, grimacing from the bitterness.
Wu Kong then poured Gu Wen a cup as well, pushing it towards him to signal him to drink.
Gu Wen swallowed in one gulp, the bitterness not even making his calm expression waver.
He asked, “Then what?”
“She spent her lifespan going back and forth to the Immortal Land, Qingcang sealed her physical body with ten thousand years of Xuanbing and sent her divine soul to the underworld.”
Wu Kong observed the silent and unmoving Gu Wen, not seeing any sign of faltering emotions in him, which didn’t necessarily mean he wasn’t sad, but at least his state of mind was stable.
“It’s no different from being dead.
Once someone nearing death enters the underworld, they can never come out again unless you can persuade the Lord to release her.
Obviously, that’s impossible.
The Saint’s Technique doesn’t allow contradictions; a Saint becomes such after exhausting an Immortal’s lifespan.
No matter how much they struggle, they must die—let alone a mortal.”
Gu Wen remained speechless, listening quietly as Wu Kong spoke further words of consolation.
Wu Kong felt that retrieving a dying person’s divine soul from the underworld was almost impossible, and who knew how long it would take for Gu Wen to become a Saint.
According to the Fox Fairy, staying in Wu Wang City for too long could also lead to death.
These he didn’t share with Gu Wen, to avoid making him agitated.
“The workings of fate are mysterious, initially she led you onto the path, and now she assists you in your journey.
Reviving an exceptional Immortal and creating a Little Saint, her merits are already fulfilled.”
Wu Kong stood and left, closing the door behind him, shadow covering him.
Silence brought endless memories, and Gu Wen began uncontrollably paying attention to his surroundings, his gaze sweeping across every object in the room, all impeccably maintained.
Only he was worn, his Daoist robe having been worn for eight hundred years, and the stubble on his face existed for the same duration.
The yellowed paper on the table caught his sight, Gu Wen picked it up and unfolded it, and using the dim light inside, elegant characters entered his vision.
“Two Realms City is bustling, may you enjoy it.”
At that moment, thoughts surged like a tide, and from within the shadow, a water droplet fell, resembling the eaves of a house in Immortal Land that had long since disappeared.
Whenever it rained, the house would leak, and now it finally rained on him.
In fact, he did not shy from comfort, he simply believed there was better beyond the sky.
In fact, he did not fancy ragged clothes, he just desired the heavenly garments from beyond.
In fact, he did not relish sitting still, he merely wanted to glimpse the splendor beyond the heavens.
All the joy of breaking free, wandering the bustling streets of Two Realms City, got torn by past memories; that ever-present white figure crushed everything of the day.
It turned out, what he longed for was not the splendor beyond the skies, but the splendor where she had once been.
Gu Wen, as if awakening from a dream, could not help but smile, his eyes involuntarily filling with tears, forcing him to cover them with his hands, followed by his nose getting blocked, leaving him gasping for air.
“Sorry, I am eight hundred years late…”
The Jade Pendant in his chest transformed into a cat-sized ball, looking somewhat confused, endlessly licking Gu Wen’s cheeks.
One morning, the steward of the Yiwei Sect’s Immortal Boat rang the doorbell.
The gate opened, and Gu Wen stepped out, holding a Qi Cultivation Skill book, his presence radiating Qi Refinement Realm cultivation.
The steward obviously paused; just a week earlier he had been unable to detect Gu Wen’s aura, how had it now become Qi Refinement Realm?
“What happened?”
“A few days ago, I just had a breakthrough in Qi Refinement.”
“You only started Qi Refinement?”
During their conversation, Gu Wen’s aura gradually faded, returning to calm.
The steward was repeatedly taken aback and did not inquire further, merely assuming Gu Wen was mocking him.
“The Immortal Boat is ready to depart, when can you leave?”
“I can leave now.”
Gu Wen shouted towards the courtyard, “Cat, it’s time to go.”
Immediately, a deep black cat-shaped ball scurried out and climbed onto Gu Wen’s shoulder.
The steward took a closer look; it was a spirit beast resembling a raccoon with twin red marks on its chest, also in the Qi Refinement Realm.
“Your spirit beast looks quite fine, already possessing Qi Refinement Realm cultivation, who knows, it might reach the Golden Core Stage.”
“It can only cultivate up to Qi Refinement now.”
Gu Wen explained, although the steward, obviously at the Golden Core Stage, failed to grasp its meaning.
In the Inheritance Treasure Cave Heaven, the land expanded from ten to twenty miles, isolated in its Laws from the Heaven and Earth, forming an entity on its own, where one could cultivate up to the Qi Refinement Realm.
Gu Wen’s Qi Refinement Realm was due to his Law enabling people to reach that stage, rather than him being at that stage.
While Immortals needed to rebuild their foundation, the Little Saint did not.
—————–
An hour later, Gu Wen boarded the Immortal Boat, its length surpassing a kilometer, resembling an aircraft carrier.
This was only a medium-sized Immortal Boat, with large ones being at least ten kilometers long, and the pinnacle of flying vessels should be a mountain.
The Three Pure Mountain was once such, using an entire continental plate as its base, hovering above the Nine Heavens.
Ascending to the highest space, the Immortal Boat emitted a thin layer of light, enveloping everything like a bubble.
Buzz!
Gu Wen stood at the edge of the deck, watching the ripples in the void, perceiving the changes in the Heaven and Earth Laws.
As the vibration peaked, a massive black hole tore open in front of the Immortal Boat, plunging into darkness that enveloped everyone, and in the next breath, warm sunlight bathed them.
In the field of vision were the blue sky and white clouds, beneath were cloud-veiled mountaintops and dense forests.
“Fellow Daoists, we have arrived at Wenkui Continent, the next transfer is in three days, anyone wishing to disembark, please register to leave.”
As the Yiwei Sect disciple shouted, most of the people moved towards the exit.
Among the bustling crowd, Gu Wen heard a familiar term.
Tianxuan Conference.
Yu Hua had once told him that the Tianxuan Conference, held every hundred years, was the grandest of gatherings.
She had attended such gatherings, I should also go and see, coincidentally Lan Yongning is also in Wenkui Continent.
Gu Wen raised his hand and said, “Boatman, I too need to disembark.”
At this mundane title combined with Gu Wen’s coarse clothes, laughter immediately erupted around him.
They found it amusing, many claiming to be Daoists, ridiculing the impoverished, quite common, indeed many.