Volume 1, Chapter 163 – Sacred Lord Yaoguang

In the Central Province, within the Longteng Dynasty, there was a garden.

Exotic flowers and rare plants competed to bloom in radiant splendor, while a spiritual spring murmured softly.

Every plant and blade of grass here contained Dao Resonance. An ordinary cultivator need only take a single breath in this place to make a slight advance in cultivation.

At the center of the garden stood a pavilion. Seated across from each other on either side of a chessboard carved from ten-thousand-year warm jade were two people.

On the left sat the Sovereign Longteng, clad in a purple-gold dragon robe and exuding an imposing dignity.

On the right sat a woman dressed in a pale-white palace gown, her bearing gentle and tranquil.

She appeared to be no more than twenty years old. Her features were strikingly beautiful, and her brows and eyes held the clarity and serenity born of enduring ten thousand years of vicissitudes, like a secluded orchid blooming quietly in an empty valley.

Yet a careful observer would sense that although the aura surrounding her was as vast as the sea, it faintly carried the air of twilight.

She was one of the ten Immortal Ascension experts on the Canglan Continent, the Dao companion of the Sovereign Longteng, and also his former Master, Sacred Lord Yaoguang.

At that moment, she held the white pieces. With a light pinch of her fingers, she placed one soundlessly, matching the Sovereign Longteng move for move without yielding an inch.

“Ya’er, there’s new information from the Southern Region.”

The Sovereign Longteng placed a piece, his warm, mellow voice breaking the silence in the pavilion.

Sacred Lord Yaoguang looked up at him. A flicker of understanding passed through those eyes that seemed capable of seeing through all worldly affairs, but she showed little surprise.

“Qingxuan and Lingshuang, those two girls, have both gone to the Southern Region, haven’t they?”

Her voice was soft and melodious, like pearls falling onto a jade plate, carrying a soothing power.

“That’s right.”

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The Sovereign Longteng inclined his head slightly and gently pushed a jade slip containing a secret report to the side of the chessboard.

“Not only did they go, but it seems they’ve both settled there.”

Sacred Lord Yaoguang did not immediately look at the jade slip. She merely placed another piece, the faintest smile touching the corners of her lips.

“Those two… They’ve been fighting each other for thirty thousand years, and neither has ever been willing to yield.”

“Now someone named Gu Han has suddenly appeared in the Southern Region, and she happens to be a woman as well, revered as the Yaochi Empress…”

She paused and shook her head, her tone carrying the helplessness and indulgence of an elder watching younger people make a scene.

“With Qingxuan’s unwillingness to suffer even the slightest disadvantage, and Lingshuang’s stubborn, straightforward temper, it would be stranger if they didn’t run over to ‘take a look.’”

A trace of amusement flashed through the Sovereign Longteng’s eyes as well.

“According to our spies, on the very day Qingxuan arrived, she confronted Lingshuang outside the main hall of Yaochi Immortal Palace.”

“If the Yaochi Empress hadn’t stepped in to mediate, they probably would have started fighting again.”

“Now the Southern Region is in a state of unrest. Its people feel both honored and anxious, worried that the old grudge between them will erupt and implicate everyone around them.”

As Sacred Lord Yaoguang listened, the smile at the corners of her lips deepened slightly, though her eyes remained largely unperturbed, as if she had long since grown accustomed to such things.

“Let them make as much trouble as they like. Qingxuan may seem carefree, but she is meticulous at heart and understands propriety better than anyone.”

“Lingshuang is straightforward, but she isn’t a brainless hothead. With Gu Han between them, they won’t be able to stir up too much trouble.”

Her tone shifted, and her gaze settled on the Sovereign Longteng’s face as she asked gently, “You went out of your way to bring this up. You’re not merely telling me about the ‘commotion’ those two are making, are you?”

The Sovereign Longteng’s smile faded, and his expression grew solemn.

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With a wave of his hand, he set up a barrier to block all outside perception, ensuring that nothing spoken within the pavilion could possibly leak out. Only then did he slowly speak.

“I can’t see through Gu Han.”

An image surfaced in his mind of that day beneath the starry sky, when Gu Han had summoned the Donghuang Bell and effortlessly suppressed Lingshuang’s Soul-Burning strike.

“Her cultivation is definitely not limited to the early stage of Immortal Ascension.”

“That bell is of such a high rank that even my Dragon Soul Sword faintly sensed its pressure. It clearly isn’t an object from the Canglan Continent.”

“Yaochi Immortal Palace has existed for barely more than a year, yet she already has two elders at the ninth heaven of Tribulation Transcendence under her command, and every one of her disciples has a foundation so solid it’s frightening…”

The Sovereign Longteng’s voice lowered, carrying a rare gravity and curiosity.

“Most importantly, her origins. No matter how I investigate… she seems to have appeared out of thin air…”

Sacred Lord Yaoguang listened in silence, her fingers unconsciously stroking the warm, smooth chess piece.

When she heard the words “appeared out of thin air,” a ripple stirred in the depths of her eyes, which had been as calm as an ancient well.

“You mean…”

she said slowly,

“They may… not be people from this world?”

The Sovereign Longteng was silent for a moment before nodding.

“That’s right… That is also what I value most about her.”

He lifted his head and gazed toward the hazy sea of clouds outside the pavilion, his voice tinged with sorrow.

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“Ya’er, your lifespan…”

Sacred Lord Yaoguang’s body stiffened slightly, then returned to stillness. Only that gentle smile had faded somewhat.

“I’ve long since come to terms with life and death… It’s just…”

She looked at the Sovereign Longteng, her eyes filled with love and a trace of reluctance.

“It’s just that I can’t bear to leave you behind…”

The Sovereign Longteng clasped the hand she had placed on the chessboard, his heart aching.

He could clearly feel the vitality within his wife’s body slowly but irreversibly draining away.

The lifespan of an Immortal Ascension expert was one hundred thousand years. That was the absolute limit.

Without a breakthrough into a higher realm, even a mighty expert at Immortal Ascension would die and have their Dao extinguished when that limit arrived, returning to the embrace of heaven and earth.

His Dao companion had already lived for ninety-three thousand years.

Unless a miracle occurred, she had at most another six or seven thousand years before reaching the end of her life.

“So Gu Han may be a variable.”

The Sovereign Longteng’s voice was decisive, carrying the determination of an emperor.

“She possesses secrets we don’t understand, along with treasures and inheritances that surpass this world’s knowledge.”

“The Central Province gathering will bring together the Immortal Ascension experts of the Five Regions to explore the mystery of the path to immortality. She will be an indispensable part of it.”

“Qingxuan and Lingshuang may each have their own reasons for approaching her, but to a certain extent, they are also confirming her value.”

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Sacred Lord Yaoguang gently patted the back of the Sovereign Longteng’s hand with her other hand, her eyes full of understanding and reassurance.

“Do as you think best. It’s just…”

She frowned slightly, her tone carrying a note of warning.

“There must be a proper method for everything. Don’t make enemies for no reason.”

The Sovereign Longteng nodded solemnly.

“Don’t worry, Ya’er. I know where to draw the line.”

At this, Sacred Lord Yaoguang smiled faintly.

“Forget it. You can make the decisions regarding these matters.”

After a pause, she looked toward the chessboard again. Her tone regained its former gentleness and calm, though a faint note of hope lingered within it.

“I only hope she can truly bring us a glimmer of light.”

“My time is running short, but if I can witness the hope of the path to immortality reopening, even if it’s only a thread of hope, that will be enough.”

The Sovereign Longteng gripped her hand tightly, an utterly resolute light blazing in his eyes.

“It will. The path to immortality will surely open!”