On the tenth day after the Mosquito Daoist left, Long Wanyu’s group arrived in Borderless Heavenly Capital.
“Elder Sister!” Long Wanyu immediately launched herself at Long Wanqing.
Long Wanqing hugged Long Wanyu with tears in her eyes, showing a happy smile.
Not far away, the Unborn Man stood quietly in a corner, not coming forward to acknowledge his family. His two daughters being safe was sufficient. Nothing was more important than that.
Sima Changkong, Ao Shun, Long Aotian, and Long Sanqian stood in front of Gu Hai.
“Salutations, Hall Master!” Sima Changkong and Ao Shun bowed slightly to Gu Hai.
“Greetings, Hall Master Gu!” Long Sanqian also bowed slightly to Gu Hai.
“Humph!” Long Aotian still showed a defiant expression as he looked at Gu Hai. However, he refused to meet Gu Hai’s gaze.
Gu Hai did not care about Long Aotian’s attitude. Instead, he smiled and said, “Everyone, you have traveled a long way. Rest for a few days first. We will depart after that.”
“Yes!” Sima Changkong, Ao Shun, and Long Sanqian nodded, appearing to be in deep thought.
“Depart? To where?” Long Aotian felt slightly startled.
Naturally, the four did not know about the conversation between Gu Hai and Long Zhanguo. They only knew that they were assigned to Gu Hai, but they did not know for what. Sima Changkong, Ao Shun, and Long Sanqian wisely did not ask. However, the same could not be said of Long Aotian.
Gu Hai smiled faintly but did not explain.
“Everyone, this way, please!” Gu Qin said with a faint smile.
“Humph!” Long Aotian snorted coldly, appearing to be extremely uncomfortable.
“Hey! In the long time since I last saw Crown Prince Gu Qin, his cultivation has increased significantly!” Long Sanqian exclaimed with narrowed eyes.
“Oh?” Sima Changkong and Ao Shun took note of Gu Qin only now.
Gu Qin being one of Guan Qi’s nine inheritors was not a secret. Long Sanqian was also one of Guan Qi’s nine inheritors. Naturally, he paid attention to Gu Qin. When he last met Gu Qin, Gu Qin was still in the Innate Realm. Now, Gu Qin had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm. Furthermore, Gu Qin’s aura seemed to be at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, able to break through at any time.
Gu Qin smiled faintly but did not explain. “This way, please.”
Everyone nodded before following Gu Qin to rest.
Naturally, Long Wanqing and Long Wanyu had many things to talk about. The two went to the chambers to chat.
“Gu Hai, since you got these people from the Qian Nation to come here, are you leaving?” the Unborn Man asked out of curiosity.
Gu Hai nodded. “We have promised Long Zhanguo to make a trip to the Yan Heavenly Dynasty.”
“Oh?” The Unborn Man narrowed his eyes.
“We will depart in a few days. This trip to the Yan Heavenly Dynasty might not be very smooth, so I got a few people to help me,” Gu Hai said.
“You are going to the Yan Heavenly Dynasty as a Qian Nation envoy? Gu Hai, you have to be careful. The Yan Heavenly Dynasty’s Jiang Lianshan is a terrible person,” the Unborn Man said.
“Oh? How much do you know of Jiang Lianshan, the Yan Heavenly Emperor?” Gu Hai asked.
“Now, there are three heavenly dynasties in the world: the Qian Heavenly Dynasty, the Yan Heavenly Dynasty, and the Huang Heavenly Dynasty. You know that, right?”
“Yes.” Gu Hai nodded.
“Are you aware of the relationship between the Yan Nation and the Huang Nation?” the Unborn Man asked.
“I have heard a little about it but do not have comprehensive knowledge of it,” Gu Hai replied.
“The Yan Heavenly Dynasty’s Jiang Lianshan previously had five imperial lord subordinates, the Azure Emperor, the Black Emperor, the White Emperor, the Yellow Emperor, and the Scarlet Emperor. These five imperial lords waged war all over the world. While Jiang Lianshan was away, extending his lifespan, the Yellow Emperor established his own nation in the name of attacking the Nine Darkness Imperial Dynasty, starting the Huang Imperial Dynasty,” the Unborn Man explained.
“The Huang Heavenly Dynasty’s Ji Dihong?” Gu Hai raised his eyebrows.
“Yes. Ji Dihong destroyed the Nine Darkness Imperial Dynasty and gained boundless luck, advancing his nation to the Huang Heavenly Dynasty. By the time Jiang Lianshan returned from extending his lifespan, everything was already settled. Back then, countless Yan Nation officials and soldiers wanted to claim the Huang Nation, but Jiang Lianshan stopped them. This is still the same now,” the Unborn Man explained.
“Yanhuang? That is really familiar. Was the master of the Nine Darkness Imperial Dynasty called Chiyou?” A strange look flashed in Gu Hai’s eyes.
[TL Note: Here are Wikipedia entries on Yanhuang and Chiyou. As before, these are people or places that appeared in Earth’s Chinese mythology or history. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yanhuang and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiyou.]
“Yes, that’s right. He was called Chiyou. Back then, the Nine Darkness Imperial Dynasty was incredibly strong. Rather, it was the strongest imperial dynasty in the world. Just its capital was already as large as nine Yuan Imperial Dynasties. The Huang Imperial Emperor had a hard time fighting him. However, Ji Dihong eventually won. That’s right. Jiang Ba and Houqing participated in that intense war. Back then, Jiang Ba was the Yan Nation’s princess, and Chiyou sought out Houqing in the nether realm for assistance. They fought each other countless times during the war. In the later stages, Jiang Ba seemed to have realized Ji Dihong’s ambition and eventually turned into a hanba zombie. Later on, Houqing cursed himself, turning himself into a zombie too, becoming the ancestor of houqing zombies,” the Unborn Man explained.
“Jiang Lianshan?” Gu Hai showed an extremely grave look in his eyes.
How could a person who established a heavenly dynasty be ordinary? To be able to rank with Long Zhanguo, Jiang Lianshan and Ji Dihong would both be difficult people. Furthermore, this Jiang Lianshan was the most outrageous. One of his officials managed to become the master of a heavenly dynasty. How could Jiang Lianshan be any less incredible?
“The Yan Heavenly Emperor has Lifespan Dongfang, who sees you as an enemy. I’ll go with you,” the Unborn Man said.
Gu Hai shook his head. “You don’t have to go. Stay here.”
“Oh?”
“We intend to leave Wanqing here to defend Borderless Heavenly Capital as a deterrent. Naturally, Wanyu will accompany Wanqing; the two sisters just reunited and have a lot to talk about. We are not worried about ordinary people. However, we have made a powerful enemy, Houqing,” Gu Hai said.
Back in the nether realm, Gu Hai noticed Houqing’s hatred for him before he left.
This was different from the Azure Emperor. The Azure Emperor only targeted Gu Hai. Wherever Gu Hai went, the Azure Emperor’s hatred would follow. Houqing definitely would not know much about the land of the living. If Houqing did come to the land of the living, he would come to Borderless Heavenly Capital first. When that happened, Houqing would destroy Borderless Heavenly Capital and fight with Long Wanqing.
“Houqing?” the Unborn Man said.
“Yes. Right now, Wanqing possesses boundless power. However, she cannot fully control it. Although you are not a match for Houqing, you possess rich experience. You can help Wanqing control her strength. Even if you cannot defeat Houqing, you can at least keep them safe,” Gu Hai said.
The Unborn Man looked at Gu Hai and smiled bitterly. “You are even more concerned about them than me.”
Gu Hai looked at the Unborn Man. “There’s no need to feel anxious. The heart is made of flesh. They will acknowledge you someday.”
“I hope so!” The Unborn Man smiled bitterly.
“Oh, right. Take this jade talisman. I hope it will be helpful to you when you face Lifespan Dongfang.” The Unborn Man took out a black jade talisman.
Gu Hai accepted the jade talisman and nodded.
“You have to be careful of the Azure Emperor. Although he cannot last even one palm strike against Long Zhanguo, he is actually extremely strong. He is a late-stage Upper Heavenly Palace Realm expert. Ao Shun and the others are definitely not a match for him,” the Unborn Man said gravely.
“The Azure Emperor? I will be careful.” A cold glint flashed in Gu Hai’s eyes.
Five days later:
After Gu Hai made arrangements for the Han Nation’s administration, he boarded a flying ship with Sima Changkong, Ao Shun, Long Sanqian, Long Aotian, Ensnaring Performance, Mu Chenfeng, and some Elite Hall disciples.
“Husband, you have to be careful on your trip,” Long Wanqing said softly to Gu Hai in private.
“Don’t worry. Since when has anything happened to me?” Gu Hai smiled.
“Also, you will probably pass the Solar Divine Palace’s territory on your way to the Yan Heavenly Dynasty. If you can, bring Bing Ji back. She lived a bitter life. I have to thank her; she saved you,” Long Wanqing said seriously.
Gu Hai looked at Long Wanqing and hugged her tightly.
“Do be careful at home,” Gu Hai said gently.
“I will!” Long Wanqing nodded.
As Long Wanyu watched Gu Hai hug Long Wanqing, some envy flashed in her eyes.
After letting go of Long Wanqing, Gu Hai smiled at Long Wanyu. “Wanyu, do accompany your elder sister after I leave. Don’t make her angry.”
“Do I even need you to say it?” Long Wanyu pouted.
Gu Hai smiled as he boarded the flying ship.
“Respectfully sending off Your Majesty!” The officials bowed deferentially to Gu Hai.
“Let’s go!” Gu Hai shouted.
Whoosh!
The Elite Hall disciples controlled the flying ship, which quickly shot into the distance and soon disappeared over the horizon.
The spies from the various factions in the surroundings immediately left to report to their superiors when they saw Gu Hai’s flying ship depart.
In a valley far from Borderless Heavenly Capital:
The Mosquito Daoist narrowed his eyes slightly. “Leaving Borderless Heavenly Capital? Humph! It’s good that you are leaving. There will be a time when you let your guard down. The moment you do, watch me kill you! I have to take you down in order to get my Primal Essence Pearl back! Humph!”
Whoosh!
The Mosquito Daoist followed after Gu Hai’s flying ship.
On the flying ship:
“Your Majesty, we are already moving at our fastest speed!” Mu Chenfeng said incredibly respectfully.
Previously, Mu Chenfeng only addressed Gu Hai as Hall Master. That was because Mu Chenfeng’s heart still belonged to the Qian Heavenly Dynasty; he considered himself a Qian Nation citizen. After the baptism of the Asura Path Secret Realm, his heart now belonged to Gu Hai. Thus, he changed his address from Hall Master to Your Majesty.
The others did not take note of this address, but Sima Changkong did. He narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing the changes in Mu Chenfeng.
“The fastest? Let’s continue at this speed, then,” Gu Hai said.
“Yes!” Mu Chenfeng nodded.
“Humph! How long are we going to take to reach the Yan Heavenly Dynasty at this speed? Isn’t this just a waste of time?” Long Aotian soon complained.
The flying ship’s fastest speed merely matched that of a Lower Heavenly Palace Realm cultivator. However, if Ao Shun carried them, they would be significantly faster. Just like how they flew from Heavenly Court City to Borderless Heavenly Capital. Since Long Aotian found Gu Hai unacceptable, he would take all opportunities to nitpick.
Mu Chenfeng glared, about to burst out in anger.
“I am the Elite Hall Master, not you, so you obey me,” Gu Hai said indifferently.
Long Aotian glared. “So what if you are the hall master? If not for you using despicable means, how would I—the proud Marquis Aotian—end up in your Elite Hall?”
“If you are that capable, you are welcome to disobey the decree. What is the point of shouting at me?” Gu Hai retorted indifferently.
“You…” Long Aotian glared, still refusing to submit.
“If you want to go faster, it is possible. If you can listen to Ensnaring Performance sing ten songs, I will ask Ao Shun to carry us over,” Gu Hai said with a smile.
Ensnaring Performance immediately smiled, revealing pure-white teeth.
Long Aotian’s face sank. Although he had not personally heard Ensnaring Performance sing, the scene of the Ten Thousand Sages Convention remained fresh in his mind. Harsh on the ears?
“Humph! How terrible can it be? I don’t believe it!” Long Aotian glared.
Gu Hai immediately took out a flying ship and sent Ensnaring Performance away with Long Aotian on it.
Long Aotian returned thirty minutes later and no longer mentioned speeding up.
The flying ship slowly made its way to the Yan Heavenly Dynasty.
Chapters for July: 07 / 30
