Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin In this instant, the Second Mountain Elder was in an abysmal state. His aura was weakening as he was carrying a spine-chilling wound that almost tore apart his entire body. Within the wound, there was a destructive force that was constantly chipping away at his lifeforce. Given that he was a True Daoist, his vitality was so vigorous that no words could describe it. After all, one drop of his blood could reanimate a body and even recreate a world. Alas, at this moment, his injury was so critical that he couldn’t recover from it. In fact, he had been witnessing Gu Changge’s evolution for the past fifteen days, and his feeling towards him drastically changed from shock to dread upon the realisation that even someone of his age could attain such terrifying powers. Watching as Gu Changge approached him, the Second Mountain Elder was clearly in fear, though he remained wordless. He wasn’t certain why Gu Changge slaughtered everyone else except him. Due to the disaster Nine Great Mountains encountered, almost all disciples died. Given that the other Mountain Elders, who were also True Daoists, were annihilated, there was no way the other disciples could have survived this invasion. At this point, the Second Mountain Elder could already foresee Nine Great Mountains’ obliteration, as well as how the buildings, mountains and islands they harboured were brought to ashen ruins. As such, he felt agonised and infuriated, but mostly remorseful for being extremely helpless. If only he had noticed Gu Changge’s ferocious ambition, he might have been able to turn things around. Were the Celestial Seal of Nine Mountains in his hands, Nine Great Mountains would have been turned into an unwavering fortress, which Gu Changge would find a hard time attempting to invade. With that in mind, the Second Mountain Elder was by no means pleasant towards the Sky Deer Goddess, who was behind Gu Changge. As a matter of fact, what baffled him the most was why the Sky Deer Goddess, who was in charge of protecting Sky Deer City, would tread so close with Gu Changge and would even side with him against Nine Great Mountains. If it weren’t for this, Nine Great Mountains wouldn’t have fallen for the ruse. “As the Sky Deer Goddess, you’re working with the people of the Upper Realm to attack Nine Great Mountains. Do you feel no shame?” The face of the Second Mountain Elder was filled with coldness and rage, so was his voice. Nonetheless, the Sky Deer Goddess disregarded his remark, as if she didn’t hear what he said. With a light smile, she then said to Gu Changge. “Young Master Gu, do you believe him now?” “You’d be so heartless for the sake of Sky Deer City, huh?” Simply chuckling, Gu Changge refrain from answering her question. “Since Master entrusted the city to me before he passed away, I’ll protect it no matter what the cost is.” Retaining her faint grin, the Sky Deer Goddess stared at Gu Changge, as though she was trying to catch the change in his facial expression. However, there wasn’t any significant change in his face, so she was unable to discern anything, which somewhat disappointed her. As ever, he was still an unpredictable man, whose mind was ever so enigmatic. Working with Gu Changge was a task of great risk, but she was left with no choice. Given that Gu Changge was capable of obliterating Nine Great Mountains, which was filled with numberless True Daoists, there was no way Sky Deer City could fend him off. “Your mind has been corrupted! If you intended to protect Sky Deer City, you would have worked with us to resist the invading forces from the Upper Realm instead of siding with them! Open your eyes, will you!?” Thanks to the Second Mountain Elder’s intellect, he instantaneously figured out the true story and furiously yelled. Thereupon, he grew even more enraged, crushed by his own incompetence. [Sky Deer Goddess has obviously joined their atrocious ranks! Working with the Upper Realm against Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains in order to protect Sky Deer City? How does that plan even make sense? With the greed of the Upper Realm, it is impossible for them to forgo Sky Deer City!] “What do you know?” In response, the Sky Deer Goddess furrowed her brows as a trace of iciness flashed across her eyes. “It’s bewildering how you think the Nine Great Mountains is capable of combating the Upper Realm Army. You’ve all been hiding timidly amid the clouds, not daring to show yourselves. You attempted to seal the mountains on the last invasion of the Upper Realm, not caring about the survival of Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and Sky Deer City. What gives you the right to judge me?” To be frank, she wouldn’t have resorted to this if she had any other choices, and her actions were nothing but a result of taking a desperate glimpse into a miniscule chance of survival. Hearing that, the Second Mountain Elder was visibly dazed. Indeed, he once intended to give up Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and Sky Deer City by sealing the mountains in order to secure stability and safety of the Nine Great Mountains, but before he could do so, he was unfortunately attacked by Gu Changge’s army. Yet, that was not the exact reason as to why the Sky Deer Goddess betrayed Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and Sky Deer City. [It seems even at this point, he has yet to realise that the Nine Great Mountains is now basically a ruined land, forgotten by the entire world. The Sky Deer Goddess, on the other hand, is much smarter than them.] Looking at the Second Mountain Elder’s expression, Gu Changge subconsciously shook his head as he revealed a remorseful expression. “As long as the disciples of Nine Great Mountains live on, its legacies shan’t vanish. There is not a chance that the Nine Great Mountains would be obliterated!” Upon those words, the Second Mountain Elder’s face turned into a grimace, but remembering Xiao Yang and Gu Wudi, whom he sent away at a crucial time, he felt somewhat relieved. “The Nine Great Mountains are the final embers of hope! As long as they are able to locate Supreme Mountain Elder, then the Nine Great Mountains shall have the chance to restore its existence in the world. Even if I die now, I won’t feel guilty towards my Ancestors.” “Oh, really? You’re still praying for your useless disciple, Xiao Yang? Even now, do you still not realise why I killed everyone except you?” Hearing that, Gu Changge let out a chuckle and he wasn’t even trying to hide the scorn in his tone. He knew what the Second Mountain Elder was thinking, but the latter actually thought that everything would be fine once he sent Xiao Yang away. Nevertheless, Gu Changge predicted everything the Second Mountain Elder would have considered, and used it against him. [What is he talking about?] Upon those words, the Second Mountain Elder’s face froze as those words felt peculiar. Once again, the familiar sensation of perturbation took over him. “As a remnant of the Family of Protectors, why do you think I have allowed him to leave?” Gu Changge blandly smiled, and in the depth of his eyes was unrelenting coldness. [What!? He let him go on purpose?] In that instant, the Second Mountain Elder couldn’t believe his ears. His face dramatically changed as he was thoroughly dumbstruck. [Gu Changge knew Xiao Yang’s identity all this time? But how? This matter is known by no one in the entirety of the Nine Great Mountains except for me!] “Was Gu Wudi your arrangement as well?” Eventually, he came to this possibility with a face filled with pessimism and regret, wondering why he would agree to Gu Wudi’s request of sending the latter and Xiao Yang away, only to be slapped by the hard truth that everything was pre-planned by Gu Changge. [The Family of Protectors…] Hearing that, the Sky Deer Goddess was taken aback, after which she intuitively looked at Gu Changge. If it weren’t for Gu Changge’s revelation, she wouldn’t have known that Xiao Yang was a remnant of the Family of Protectors. As the guardian of Sky Deer City, naturally, she was aware of the tragedy that happened to the Family of Protectors twenty years ago. Allegedly, it was said that the entire Family of Protectors was annihilated, involving the deaths of hundreds and only a handful managed to survive from it. Since the Protectors Branch had always consisted of a small number of people, the tragedy almost made them extinct. For the past twenty years, they were almost non-existent in Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains as not one member of this Family could be found. [Xiao Yang is a remnant of the Family of Protectors? But how did Gu Changge know that? Does the Purple Scripture in his possession have something to do with it?] Suddenly recalling the Purple Scripture Gu Changge conjured back then, she reckoned that Gu Changge deduced Xiao Yang’s identity by using that secret treasure. Besides, there was no telling what else the secret treasure could perceive, and she began wondering if Gu Changge had a hand in the misfortune that was inflicted upon the Family of Protectors. “Was the massacre of the Family of Protectors 20 years ago your doing”All of a sudden, the Second Mountain Elder shot Gu Changge a dead stare as blood surged in his eyes, seemingly savage. “Naturally, I have nothing to do with what had happened 20 years ago. But the family the behind me had a hand in it.” Gu Changge shook his head. He didn’t mind answering the question. And as he was speaking, in the distant sky, a gargantuan battleship was descending, covered in dense Celestial Mist that was stained by blood. It was as though it just arrived from another massacre. There were many frightening auras of the army on the battleship that resembled a demon’s silhouette which carried aggression that rose through the clouds. Undoubtedly, it was the army that besieged the Deep Cloud Graveyard. “Young Master, as you ordered, Nine Great Mountains have been completely destroyed, and every one of the survivors have been executed.” Possessing a tall, muscular body, a Sacred Emperor Realm expert in golden armour had turned into a divine rainbow and rushed towards where Gu Changge was and reverently reported. Hearing that, the Second Mountain Elder, who was still clinging to a sliver of hope, was devastated. “This is the Second Mountain Elder of Nine Great Mountains. Imprison him and keep a close eye on him.” Unsurprised, Gu Changge slightly nodded. Indubitably, words regarding Gu Changge’s destruction of Nine Great Mountains would speedily disperse, which would definitely leave a substantial impact on those of Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. After all, in their eyes, Nine Great Mountains was of an untouchable existence, It was infinitely superior to Sky Deer City. Therefore, at this moment, should the news of the ruination of Nine Great Mountains spread, all forces of Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains would be intimidated and fall into a state of immense panic. As for the forces of the Upper Realm, they would surely take the opportunity amid the chaos to send their army to the outside of Sky Deer City to attempt to break through the Aether Abyss. As Gu Changge had expected, news of the Nine Great Mountains’ obliteration would leave the whole Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains in turbulence. After all, the disturbance from the battle between the Mountain Elders and Gu Changge was so alarming and great that the universe, wherein Nine Great Mountains were based, was shattered, fragmented, and in ruins. There were fractured imprinted marks of Dao and its Principles as Chaos Qi engulfed the region from all directions. All those with insufficient cultivation level were too afraid to enter. Apart from the terrifying battle, the bits and pieces of artifacts and bones lying around also harboured horrifying disturbances, a slight touch of which could turn a living being into a pile of dust. And so, due to the havoc, the region was turned into a forbidden wasteland. As such, the Deep Cloud Graveyard, wherein lay the Nine Great Mountains, were destroyed, leaving many formidable cultivators to notice the existence of the legendary Nine Great Mountains. Alas, when they hurried over, all they could see was the aftermath of a traumatising war, whereby mountains collapsed, rivers were split apart, and a frightening rift was left all over the place, along with corpses and bones, ruins of wrecked palaces. The mysteriousness and extraordinariness of the Nine Great Mountains were nothing but gone. The Nine Great Mountains were completely wiped out. Instantly, the news swiftly scattered across every corner of Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains as though it was a terrifying earthquake. Upon the news, all were thoroughly dumbfounded and dismayed as their bodies were trembling. In their eyes, the Nine Great Mountains, Sky Deer City, and the Aether Abyss were the very shields of Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. Among them, the Nine Great Mountains was known to be the most extraordinary, mysterious and powerful. Yet, it was devastated without anyone noticing, and no living beings or cultivators were able to accept the news. At once, many grew dejected as the invasion of the Upper Realm this time would be the most terrorising and aggressive yet, and it was most likely that Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains would soon be under siege. As the news caused a great turbulence across Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, everyone was now frantic with anxiety. With that, forces began making guesses and inferences in an attempt to recreate what happened back in the Nine Great Mountains. They were curious about how they were destroyed and how many formidable cultivators the Upper Realm sent for the invasion. Judging by the disturbances that quaked the sky and earth back then, the number of True Daoists involved in that war was definitely a massive one. Nonetheless, Boundary Marker Sea had yet to dry up. So, how the True Daoists of the Upper Realm managed to infiltrate the Nine Great Mountains became a mystery, Naturally, any investigations, without no doubt, were to no avail, given that the disturbances were dreadfully chaotic and they even disrupted the World Principles, leaving nothing to be discerned. At that moment, the ringing of horns and the striking of drums thundered through the vast sky as Families and Sects of the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains hurriedly dispatched their armies to the Aether Abyss, which was outside Sky Deer City, sending the elites of their respective forces to retaliate against those send by the Upper realm. This time, the area of the war was remarkably wider than that of the last war, which took place at Boundary Marker Sea. To the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, it was the most dangerous and riskiest time of their lives as they acknowledged the severity of the situation. Since the Aether Abyss wouldn’t be able to fend of the Upper Realm Army, who would eventually find the correct path, the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains had decided to bring the war to the Upper Realm Army and take down their leading forces before the Boundary Marker Sea completely dries up. In the meantime, opposite the hazardous Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains, the countless forces from the Upper Realm that were stationed by Boundary Marker Sea were shocked by the news regarding Nine Great Mountain’s destruction, but they were soon enlivened by that. Given that the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains and the Nine Great Mountains were equivalent to a beast and its claws, and now that the claw was removed from the beast, it was, naturally, good news for the Upper Realm. Meanwhile, Gu Changge and the Immortal Gu Family, who were responsible for the destruction of Nine Great Mountains, broke through the peak of glory that had never been achieved. Prior to that, no one had expected that Gu Changge would take the opportunity to lead the Immortal Gu Family to the Nine Great Mountains and take the charge to crush them. As a matter of fact, the power of Nine Great Mountains was not to be taken lightly as hardly a handful of forces could rival them in terms of strength and number of True Daoists. Typically, the power of Immortal Forces was only a third of that of Nine Great Mountains. Yet, the Immortal Gu Family merely sent an army and was able to wipe out the Nine Great Mountains. Followingly, the disturbances caused were much more flabbergasting than that of Purple Mansion’s fall back then. Indeed, the might of the Immortal Gu Family remained ever so horrid. But of course, in this battle, forces could only estimate that the Immortal Gu Family must have sent a significant number of True Daoists. After all, from what they knew, Gu Changge alone wouldn’t be able to achieve a triumph of such magnitude. Although he was recognised to be a daunting man whose strength greatly exceeded that of his peers and was enough to drop the jaws of the older generation, there was no way he could have pulled this off alone. Accordingly, the forces of the Upper Realm, who were informed of the news, sent even more of their men across the Boundary Marker Sea in preparation for an all-out invasion. Thanks to the opportunity, influential figures of the younger generation, including the Phoenix Lady, the King with Six Crowns, and the Successors of Mortal Palace, were also on their hurried way with their affiliated forces to attack the Eight Wastelands and Ten Domains. At the same time, quite a number of incidents took place in the Upper Realm as countless unknown prodigies, including ancient monsters and the sealed descendants of Ancient Immortal Races, emerged in the world. Despite their glory and fame, they appeared rather dim compared to Gu Changge, as though they were born in the wrong era. At this moment, at the peak of Endless Sea that neighboured the infinite Lower Realms, the demoness in red appeared, gathering gangs of demons from all over the world to establish a Devil Mountain. Their presence was extremely overbearing, leaving all in dread.