Chapter 453: Gathering at the Gold and Silver Gate

"You said it yourself—he’s the *former* master."

Gu Jue said calmly, "If Yuan Xin were still here, perhaps it would be possible. But with Yuan Xin’s death, his connection to this world was severed. Now, he is just an Upper Realm Cultivator."

Lu Sangjiu was slightly disappointed, but mostly, she was happy.

’In any case, they’ve gone from a hopeless situation where everything depended on fate to one with a viable path forward. That’s a good thing.’

She smiled at Gu Jue and bowed formally in thanks. "Thank you for telling me all this!"

"I’ve decided... I’m going to ascend to the Upper Realm first!"

Gu Jue wasn’t surprised by her decision. He simply asked, "Aren’t you going to discuss it with him?"

Lu Sangjiu shook her head and grinned. "Of course not! While he’s still asleep, I have to act now and ask for forgiveness later!"

She was willing to risk her life for Xie Ningyuan, and of course, he would do the same for her.

’I don’t even have to think about it. I know that if Xie Ningyuan found out, he would never allow me to do this.’

They both always tried to shoulder the heavier burden to make things easier for the other.

Thinking this, Lu Sangjiu smiled and sat down cross-legged next to Gu Jue. "In that case, I’ll just have to shamelessly borrow some of your Spiritual Energy here!"

"If I manage to survive, I’ll do my best to snatch that Magic Treasure back from Ji Li. When I do, I’ll definitely find a way to repay you!"

Gu Jue said faintly, "There’s no need to repay me. I’m just... helping the previous Heavenly Dao protect her master one last time."

’Thinking of the former Heavenly Dao whom she had never met, Lu Sangjiu felt a surge of emotion. Her feelings for Xie Ningyuan must have run very deep, right?’

’It’s a pity she never got to see the day her master returned.’

Although Gu Jue had refused, Lu Sangjiu thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Gu, if I get the chance, I will help you find a way to escape this world’s shackles."

’As the Heavenly Dao of this small world, Gu Jue was destined to never leave. But... what if?’

Gu Jue clearly didn’t believe her, treating it as a mere pleasantry. He nodded and said, "Alright."

Gu Jue was never a talkative person to begin with. Before, because of his feelings for her, he would try to find topics to discuss with Lu Sangjiu.

But now... even with Lu Sangjiu, they simply looked at each other in silence.

With nothing to say, nothing was said.

Lu Sangjiu closed her eyes, sat in a meditative posture, and began her cultivation.

Meanwhile, Gu Jue continued to focus on undoing the seal on the World Origin.

And so, they each went about their own business peacefully. Time flowed by swiftly without them noticing.

When Lu Sangjiu’s cultivation reached the Late-stage Integration, on the verge of Tribulation Crossing, she stopped cultivating and opened her eyes to look at Gu Jue.

"Mr. Gu, I’m running out of Demon Essence Stones. Besides, I think it’s best to face the Heavenly Tribulation for the next stage in the outside world, so I don’t have to risk destroying this beautiful place twice."

Gu Jue grunted in acknowledgment. "I’ll send you out in a moment."

"This place is constantly drifting through the void. The next time you want to enter, you won’t be able to get in from where you did before."

"Go directly to Kunlun Peak. There’s a fixed entrance to this place there."

Lu Sangjiu nodded in understanding and cupped her fist to Gu Jue. "Farewell!"

During this session of closed-door cultivation, thanks to the World Origin, Lu Sangjiu had reached the verge of a breakthrough in just half a year.

’She wondered if Xie Ningyuan had woken up during the past six months.’

After being sent out by Gu Jue, Lu Sangjiu immediately took out her Communication Talisman to check the messages everyone had sent her.

There were many messages, sent one after another, with the most recent one from just yesterday.

Thankfully, however, none of the messages said that Xie Ningyuan had woken up.

’Lu Sangjiu didn’t want to lie to him, so it was best if he just kept sleeping. That way, there would be no face-to-face arguments, and no goodbyes.’

’Once she left this world and he woke up, everything would be set in stone. All he could do then is stare in helpless anger.’

’The only worry was... would he be so concerned for her safety that he’d deliberately neglect his own cultivation and Ascension?’

’HISSS... It seems I’ll have to make foolproof preparations after all.’

Aside from Xie Ningyuan, since the next time she entered that place she might ascend directly, she now had to say a proper goodbye to her friends.

She had said before that she wanted to thank them for helping her find the medicine, but she had been constantly on the move. She had managed to see a few of them here and there, but there were still several she hadn’t been able to meet.

’Who knew if they would ever see each other again? She had to say a proper farewell.’

So, Lu Sangjiu replied to everyone’s messages and arranged to meet with them all.

After several days of contacting everyone one by one, she finally managed to coordinate all their schedules, and they agreed to meet in a month in the town at the foot of the Gold and Silver Gate’s mountain.

Come to think of it, the Gold and Silver Gate’s Sword Seizing Conference was something of a starting point for Lu Sangjiu and her friends.

Now, several years had passed, and they were no longer the low-level disciples they once were. Returning to this old place brought a unique sense of nostalgia.

Lu Sangjiu was the first to arrive, and she stayed at the same inn as last time.

The waiters had all been replaced, but the Shopkeeper was still the same man.

However, Lu Sangjiu now wore the Thousand Faces of Life wherever she went, so the man didn’t recognize her.

Seeing Lu Sangjiu’s extraordinary aura, he thought about trying to swindle a few Spirit Stones out of her.

Unfortunately for him, Lu Sangjiu was no longer the naive girl who didn’t know what the people from the Gold and Silver Gate were like.

She didn’t get angry. She just said with a beaming smile, "Do you know who my senior sister is?"

The Shopkeeper froze. "Huh?"

Lu Sangjiu smiled. "The illegitimate daughter of the Seven Emotions Sect’s Sect Master. You still want to swindle Spirit Stones from me?"

Without waiting for his reaction, she turned and went upstairs to her room.

She left the Shopkeeper standing there stunned for a long moment. Then, a long-lost memory suddenly hit him, and he slapped his forehead. "It-it-it’s... it’s her!"

His excited reaction left the waiter beside him a bit dumbfounded. The waiter couldn’t help but ask, "...Who?"

Taking a deep breath, the Shopkeeper sighed wistfully. "She came here for the Sword Seizing Conference over ten years ago. She stayed right here in our inn."

"But now... SIGH. She’s become a figure so far beyond our reach!"

Lu Sangjiu herself might not have realized it, but in truth, she had long since become a new legend in the Cultivation World.

After all... going from Qi Cultivation to the verge of Tribulation Crossing in just over a decade? Not even devouring Immortal Pills would be that fast!

Not to mention her identity as the Demon Cultivator Gu Huang, single-handedly bringing about a truce between Immortals and Demons, and personally killing He Guang, the Tribulation Crossing Stage Cultivator who had wreaked havoc upon the Spirit Void Realm.

Each of these accomplishments was staggering to behold. In comparison, winning first place in the Sword Seizing Conference—the very feat that first made her famous—now seemed to pale in significance.

Lu Sangjiu settled into the inn. While waiting, she spent most of her time on the mountain, accompanying Xie Ningyuan.

Although he wasn’t awake, Lu Sangjiu still treasured the opportunity to see more of him.

After all, for all she knew, their next meeting might be a final farewell.

Five days later, her friends began to arrive one by one.

She no longer stayed by Xie Ningyuan’s side, instead spending the remaining time with her friends.