"Young Master, the Gu family is already aware of your return to the East Continent. It’s just that some old geezers are still pretending to be confused, acting as if they have no clue. I suspect they won’t be able to keep up the act much longer..."
"Today’s welcoming banquet is a simple one, merely my personal invitation, nothing grand."
The helicopter ascended slowly through the curtain of snow.
The laughter of Luo Yu was solemnly interrupted by Gu Nanfeng’s voice.
Holding a wooden sword, Gu Nanfeng said earnestly, "Just call me as you did before, no need to address me as Young Master."
Fatty Luo was taken aback.
Eight years had passed.
Memories had become somewhat blurred... Now, the only thing that remained was the hazy image of Gu Nanfeng turning around with a smile and waving goodbye.
Eight years had flashed by in an instant, and by that time, they were already inseparable companions.
It’s just that Luo Yu came from a humble background.
He was the "lucky one" cultivated by the grace of the Gu family, selected for his one-in-a-thousand talent for command and specially summoned to the Judgement Institute. There, he trained alongside the future Family Head of the Gu family, Gu Nanfeng, in battle tactics, cultivation, and strategies... Back then, everyone around them referred to Gu Nanfeng respectfully as Young Master, but Luo Yu did not. He would always call him by his full name.
But who would have thought that after eight years apart,
upon their next meeting,
the other’s name would be hard to utter, wanting to find a "title"... after searching his mind and choosing from a thousand options, what came out spontaneously was still the term "Young Master."
Fatty Luo’s tongue seemed to freeze.
He said with a wry smile, "I’ll get used to it slowly... It’s not that I don’t want to be close to you, Young Master, but in recent years, after reporting missions behind the Great Commander, how dare I speak freely? Your great-uncle often mentions you, looking forward with all his heart to your return from the North Continent to take over as the Gu family’s Family Head. I guess the habit of calling you Young Master has stuck. You know I’m not one to use different titles behind people’s backs."
Upon hearing this, Gu Nanfeng didn’t say anything; he could only let it be.
He asked with a smile, "How is Great Uncle’s health?"
"How else but vigorous."
Fatty Luo said with a sense of emotion, "If you hadn’t come back, he might have dragged me to tour the North Continent Fortress... I heard that the fortress has been rather restless these past few days, and he seems quite interested..."
Gu Shen and Lu Nanjin exchanged glances, both holding their breath as they listened.
Their teacher had gone to the North Continent... because Senior Sister Luo had sent a "distress signal."
With Senior Sister Luo’s strength, it was likely that only an S-rank mission could pose a slight obstruction to her. Zhou Jiren had not spoken of the content on that strand of hair to anyone, not even to his two closest disciples...
He remained silent, not due to a lack of trust.
But rather, speaking of it would just complicate matters.
With the current strength of Gu Shen and Lu Nanjin... knowing would bring them no benefit.
Gu Nanfeng said with a smile.
Fatty Luo glanced at the two friends from the Judgement Institute behind him and said with a laugh, "It is said that outside the fortress, a new ’Wondrous Realm’ has been discovered... Apparently, they’ve unearthed some kind of incredible ’ancient seal.’ Many Transcendents have been trapped inside the Wondrous Realm. The specifics are still unknown, and various powers have just begun the search."
Gu Shen frowned slightly.
"It’s something akin to a Spiritual Domain... Extremely powerful sealed objects emit disorderly spiritual power, and in environments rich with Extraordinary Essence, this spiritual power will coalesce on its own and spread, eventually forming a ’Wondrous Realm,’" Chu Ling explained. "The common name people use is ’Wondrous Realm,’ but the scholarly faction of the Central Continent calls it a ’Disaster Realm.’ That’s because once you step into it, you’re almost certain not to encounter anything good."
"Similar to ’Dissolving Dream’?"
Gu Shen thought of Zhou Yu’s power, which was rated nearly at the S-rank level.
"Yes... The lethality of a nascent Wondrous Realm may not be comparable to that of a fully exerted, destructive Great Success ’Dissolving Dream.’ But after all, this is unowned power with no cost to its use. In other words, it could continuously grow for years or even decades."
Chu Ling continued, "Wondrous Realms are often found outside the North Continent Fortress... Regions that give birth to Wondrous Realms usually come with a multitude of Points of Orderly Disruption and other unknown Transcendent phenomena, typically forming an extremely large domain."
"That’s why it’s called a Disaster Realm; stepping into it certainly brings disaster."
"And the reason it’s called a Wondrous Realm is quite simple... A sealed object that can spontaneously coalesce and give birth to such a massive Spiritual Domain is definitely an S-rank sealed object," Chu Ling spoke calmly. "This is a top-tier marvel in the world."
Gu Shen narrowed his eyes and said, "So... Is Senior Sister trapped in the Wondrous Realm?"
"Very likely," Chu Ling paused, then continued, "Extremely likely. This news hasn’t spread yet; it seems to have been circulated through private channels..."
A guess formed in Gu Shen’s mind.
With Senior Sister Luo’s strength, apart from the Wondrous Realm, there was probably nothing else that could stop her.
Because she was trapped in the Wondrous Realm.
That’s why the connection with Deep Sea was severed... Similarly, not wanting to miss an opportunity, she used her sealed object’s unique properties to send a strand of hair to the fortress, entrusting it to Duke Zhuxue to deliver it to their teacher.
"I actually would like to see it myself,"
Fatty Luo clenched his fist, the sound of his metal hand clicking, and whispered with a laugh, "What does a Wondrous Realm look like?"
"I’ve once watched such a scene from a distance in the North Continent... Numerous Transcendents, one after the other, stepped into the Wondrous Realm searching for opportunities. Even Titled Transcendents entered, but unfortunately, it was all a delusion."