Chapter 99: The Path Beyond Fate (1)

The threesome with the two empresses lasted a full day and night before it finally came to an end.

Instead of returning to cultivation after that, the three of them now lay in the bath, submerged in hot water. Each of the sisters leaned against one of Gu Yuan’s shoulders.

Ji Yue exhaled softly, feeling thoroughly satisfied. She could feel Gu Yuan’s hand massaging her breast, his fingers occasionally brushing against the faint teeth mark he’d left there earlier. She smiled faintly and allowed him to continue for a while before bringing up something more important.

"We plan to return to the secret realm. Would you like to come with us?"

She hadn’t invited him the previous time because she hadn’t been certain the place was safe. Now that she was confident there was no danger to him, she saw little reason for them to be separated again.

"Actually, I’d almost forgotten about that." Gu Yuan paused, then looked at her. "What exactly happened inside the secret realm? Why did you stay there for so long? And why are you going back now? Haven’t you retrieved the sealed treasure you were after?"

Once the subject had been brought up again, all the questions he’d been keeping to himself came pouring out.

"We found the treasure we were looking for, but it doesn’t seem we can make use of it anytime soon." Ji Yue explained with her usual gentle smile. "That aside, the secret realm belonged to an ancient Immortal Emperor. There are many other things inside that could prove useful to us."

She glanced at him before adding, "If you come with us, you’ll find the answers to all your questions yourself."

"So, would you like to join us?" she asked again.

Gu Yuan didn’t need much time to decide.

"Sure. Why not?"

Once his participation was settled, matters moved quickly. Before long he was following the twins downward through sections of the palace he had never seen before, until they finally reached the entrance to the secret realm.

So that’s why they relocated the residence of the previous Sect Master, he thought, as he stepped in with them.

The teleportation felt much like his previous trip to the Demonic Beast Garden. There was a brief distortion in his surroundings, and then the sensation passed.

When Gu Yuan emerged on the other side, he found himself standing motionless, staring at the sight before him.

He had thought the palace the twins had built was already grand, but compared to the ancient palace in front of him, it was hardly worth mentioning.

The ancient palace rose before him with an imposing presence, its sheer scale making it difficult to take in all at once. Was it the materials? Dark jade walls seemed to swallow the light, and pillars carved with dragons older than the continent held up roofs that vanished into the mist. The architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen, in this life or the last. Nothing he knew could be compared to it.

"Don’t worry. I’ll build an even grander palace for you," Ji Yue said when she noticed his stunned expression.

Gu Yuan chuckled and shook his head.

"It’s not like I’m trying to compete with an Immortal Emperor."

Together with the twins he finally stepped inside. The palace was just as grand within as it had appeared from the outside, and he couldn’t help being impressed by its scale. This time, however, he was prepared. He no longer stopped to stare at every extraordinary sight like a country bumpkin seeing the world for the first time.

Instead, he calmly followed the twins through the palace until they reached the chamber containing the Ascension Door.

The stele standing nearby barely registered in Gu Yuan’s eyes. All of his focus was locked onto the old door ahead.

No frame. No handle. At first glance, it looked less like a door and more like a slab of ancient wood left to rot in silence.

Yet the moment his eyes fell on it, he already knew it.

This was the Ascension Door.

And with that single glance, he felt himself drawn in.

Because for the first time since he had become aware of the Orb of Creation’s existence, he could feel it stirring within him.

"Oh? Did you sense how extraordinary this door is?" Ji Yue asked.

Her voice brought Gu Yuan back to his senses. He nodded, keeping his expression composed. "Yes. It’s clearly something extraordinary."

"Unfortunately, using it seems impossible for now." Ji Yue’s voice carried a trace of disappointment.

"It’s still sealed?"

"No. The seal was placed on the palace, not the door itself. The Ascension Door is simply beyond our capabilities."

She spoke quietly, and for a moment, Gu Yuan could sense her frustration at being unable to do anything about it.

He couldn’t help feeling surprised. The twins had once been Immortal Empresses, yet even they admitted they were powerless before this door.

Curious, Gu Yuan decided to appraise it.

[Ascension Door]

[Grade: Unknown]

[Description: An ancient treasure forged by ###. Currently damaged. Creation Qi can help repair it.]

Gu Yuan blinked. The description was disappointingly brief. It didn’t even identify the treasure’s grade, let alone reveal who had forged it.

Could this thing be a treasure of an even higher level than the Orb of Creation?

The thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t find it particularly convincing. The abilities granted by the Orb of Creation seemed to be affected by his own strength, after all. Rather than assuming the Orb was inferior to this door, Gu Yuan preferred to believe that he was simply too weak to bring out its full potential.

There was, however, a more pressing matter.

Currently damaged, and Creation Qi can help repair it.

The door certainly didn’t look damaged. Its ancient appearance aside, there were no obvious cracks or broken pieces that suggested it needed repairs. Yet the appraisal result said it was, and that Creation Qi could repair it.

The problem was that Gu Yuan had no idea where to obtain Creation Qi.

But where would he get that? From the Orb of Creation? It had never given him anything like that.

Still, there was no harm in trying.

Gu Yuan stepped forward, intending to see whether his Metal Qi mostly gathered through the Orb of Creation could have any effect on the door. He had used it to repair weapons under Deacon Zhao before, so although he didn’t expect much, it seemed worth a try.

The moment his hand touched the ancient surface, however, his body trembled.

Not because the door had attacked him, nor because anything had gone wrong.

It was the Orb of Creation again.

Gu Yuan could feel it clearly. He had just gained another ability!