But Gu Lushen’s initiation of an "internal war" was not due to Gu Changzhi treating those people unsatisfactorily.
It was just because... Gu Changzhi treated them well, but not well enough.
What they received, was not comparable to what they were about to lose.
Since Gu Changzhi became the East Continent Divine Seat, the world’s structure and the Federation Government had undergone immense changes, and even describing these alterations over the decades as "earth-shattering" would not be an exaggeration.
The emergence of "Deep Sea".
Rapid technological breakthroughs.
The veil of mystery surrounding the Extraordinary Domain was slowly lifted.
In order to maintain the peace of the entire East Continent, Gu Changzhi personally created "The Three Institutes" as giant organizations to establish an absolutely fair platform for the Extraordinary order.
Everything Gu Changzhi did was to stabilize this world, yet at the same time... it was also diminishing the influence of the Gu family.
The privileges enjoyed by the Gu family were dwindling.
As "Divine Throne" clansmen.
They could have had more...
But due to the selflessness of the Divine Throne, those benefits were becoming fewer and fewer.
There was once such jest.
Some were born in the wilderness, while others were born in Changye.
Before Gu Changzhi became the Divine Seat, Changye was the sacred city countless Transcendents yearned for. The Snow Forbidden City had sealed artifacts, secret techniques, ancient family heritages—these mysterious lures attracted countless Transcendents.
With "Deep Sea" and The Three Institutes, Changye... is just Changye.
An ancient city rich in history.
Anyone can become famous here, as long as you have enough strength, you don’t have to have the surname Gu, nor do you have to be named White, Gong, Mu, or Li.
The reason the new faction could win was because those who joined wanted more... They wanted greater privileges in this world, and they would certainly join Gu Lushen’s vessel.
Gu Changzhi was a great Divine Seat, a selfless sun.
He would burn out himself.
Of course... he would also exhaust everything around him.
And those from the "old faction" who willingly followed the will of the Divine Seat would only become the embers after the sun had burned out.
Those people gathered by Gu Lushen were wise; they saw the future situation and understood the greatest dilemma facing the Gu family.
They wanted the light and warmth.
But didn’t want to burn.
So... let the Divine Seat die.
Qingzhong regained its tranquility once more.
Master Qianye stood beside Gu Shen, shoulder to shoulder with him.
This time, it was not an illusion but her true self.
Without the Tomb Guardians, those Array Patterns couldn’t operate on their own, and Extraordinary Essence began to seep out, as oppressive leaden clouds once again gathered above the skytop... Although the process was extremely slow.
Gu Shen stood atop the hillock, watching the myriad of leaden clouds surge toward him.
After years of accumulation, the disorderly essence of the entire East Continent had been deliberately collected and sent to Qingzhong; there was much more Extraordinary Essence here than on Divine Temple Mountain.
He thought silently to himself.
If one day the Qingzhong Formation collapses and the world is destroyed, would it look somewhat ?
"They all say... Qingzhong cannot be without a Tomb Guardian for even a single day."
Master Qianye’s voice was somewhat weary.
The recent conversation with Gu Lushen had clearly taken a toll on her mental strength.
Gu Shen knew that a significant part of this mental exhaustion came from the last "Divination"... Master Qianye forcibly delving into Gu Lushen’s past must have come at a considerable cost.
"But people will die eventually, and if the Tomb Guardian dies, can Qingzhong truly cease to exist?"
This sentence clearly carried a note of sorrow.
Seeing Gu Shen’s expression change,
"Don’t worry... I can still live for a very long time..."
Master Qianye quickly spoke up, murmuring in a voice only she could hear at the bottom of her heart, "How can I die while he is still alive?"
She looked back over her shoulder.
"I really wish these Array Patterns could operate on their own."
Master Qianye’s voice carried a tinge of emotion as she softly chuckled, "I’m not a Saint, but I am not cold-hearted either. Having quietly guarded this place for twenty years, I often think about what would happen if the time to depart truly comes. What will become of the Qingzhong Array Patterns here? Changye cannot be without Qingzhong, and if I leave, this cemetery will only fall into ruin."
Gu Shen fell silent for a moment.
He spoke earnestly, "I have already grasped eighty percent of the Qingzhong Array Patterns."
The meaning of his words was clear.
I can take over when the time comes.
There was a clear note of relief in Master Qianye’s eyes behind her mask, but she promptly shook her head and said, "In the days of cultivation at Qingzhong, I’ve seen you often stand atop this small mountain, gazing into the distance."
Gu Shen would immerse himself in cultivating the Array Patterns within Qingzhong, neglecting sleep and food, seated for an entire day at a time.
And when he was free, he indeed enjoyed looking into the distance.
Because... there were people out there whom he yearned for.
He was concerned for the girl deep beneath the Divine Temple Mountain Well.
"How can someone who longs for the distance be trapped in a place like Qingzhong?"
Master Qianye gently started, smiling and saying, "Qingzhong is a cemetery for the dead, a prison for the living. Only someone with a heart as dead as ashes like me belongs here... Once you’ve finished learning the ancient texts, there’s no need for you to come back here again."
Gu Shen cast down his eyes, smiling softly, and said, "Actually... I quite like it here."
In the rumors outside,
Gu Shen and the second successor to Divination Skill, that stunning woman, were said to be living a "carefree and happy" life together within Qingzhong.
When he stood looking far beyond the mountain, he would often think, how wonderful would it be if it were really like the rumor outside?
"Will that girl ever come to Qingzhong?"
Master Qianye looked into Gu Shen’s eyes.
She asked this question.
She had almost never divined Gu Shen’s fate... but out of curiosity, after agreeing to Gu Shen’s request to teach two disciples, she used Divination Skill to listen to the voices from outside.
The people of Changye Village could never imagine.
Even the Tomb Guardian herself was very curious about the news of that "stunning woman."
His smile was brilliant, "Of course... I will bring her to see you. She has always been very interested in your Divination Skill."
Master Qianye smiled too.
Standing on the peak where Gu Shen often gazed into the distance, she looked towards the horizon and softly said, "When the time comes, I’ll teach her Divination Skill."
(PS: 1. Continues to ask for monthly tickets~ 2. After looking at the book review section, I still want to say: The Changye segment of the story will be quite long, with an outline that runs into thousands of words. I’ve done my utmost to conceive it, and since I’ve already laid out the ending in advance, I’ve tried to be as detailed as possible when setting up the plot. If you lack patience, I recommend accumulating Chapters to read. I hope that readers can enjoy the process of following along with the updates. Let’s take our time and not rush too much~ Compared to Xu Cang’s delivering the sword to Heavenly Capital, this time I’ve thought things through a little more clearly and should not be swayed by comments from the review section... right?)