(P.S.: This chapter has been revised and proofread several times. If you'd like, please take a look again. Thank you, dear readers!)

"Now that the deaths of the three Celestial Dragons have reached the Heavenly Court, we must inform Dragon Heaven."

After a moment's thought, Gu Changqing decided to deliver the message himself, but he needed to consider the content carefully.

With a casual wave of his hand, magical power surged, and the illusionary realm was dispelled.

The colorful streams of light and the illusory bubbles were like specially treated invisible ink paintings. They joyfully left bold strokes in this world, but ultimately, due to the rules, they gradually faded until they disappeared completely, along with the creatures that died within them, as if they had never existed.

"That's a good way to destroy the evidence."

However, upon returning to the real world, there was a fleeting sense of unreality.

Gu Changqing rubbed his temples.

This feeling is like being torn apart, turned upside down, and lost in the successive ups and downs, feeling completely disoriented.

"Is this the Path of Illusions?"

It actually interfered with his senses.

Maybe……

Gu Changqing pondered for a moment, but quickly put it aside.

The most urgent task is still to deal with the Heavenly Court.

He took out a token from his storage ring. It was about the size of a palm and trapezoidal in shape. It was engraved with fine patterns, which looked like flowers, but upon closer inspection, they resembled irregular graffiti.

This is a communication token; every member of the Heavenly Court has one.

The transmission of information through the communication token is not instantaneous. It is activated by a complex set of hand seals, supplemented by magical power, written with the power of the soul, and finally sealed and sent through another complex set of hand seals.

The spiritual aura bound to different holders also determines the permissions of the token user.

Only in this way can the security and concealment of information be guaranteed.

Fortunately, otherwise the news about Gu Changqing's tribulation would probably have been known to everyone by now.

After much deliberation, Gu Changqing finally decided to record all the true information from the journey, except for the process of undergoing the tribulation, and before that, to fabricate a story of revenge by the remnants of the Fallen Clouds.

The pitiful Long Huo and his companions all died at the hands of the enraged remnants of Luo Xia, their corpses whipped and burned, ultimately leaving no trace of their remains.

Gu Changqing, on the other hand, broke through his mental state due to the emotional ups and downs caused by the intense battle and escape. His already near-perfect state was broken without being attacked, and he was then subjected to an ordinary tribulation of lightning.

Then, enraged, he found the remnants of the Fallen Clan and suppressed them with unstoppable force. Thinking of the three of his own clansmen who had died tragically, he retaliated in kind, whipping their corpses and burning them until no remains were left.

Finally, they found a spot and used their magic to create traces of a fierce battle.

Thus, the truth and falsehood are intertwined, making it impossible to guard against.

The morning after the message was sent, Gu Changqing received a reply from Long Tian in the Heavenly Court, which consisted of nothing more than superficial concern and comfort.

"It's alright, Fellow Daoist Wuxin, I'm glad you're alright. I will speak to the Emperor about this matter myself. After you've dealt with the affairs of the Northern Region, please return to the Heavenly Court."

After casually replying to Long Tian, ​​Gu Changqing put the token into his ring, showing no concern whatsoever about returning to the Heavenly Court.

...

Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Court...

“Father, Gu Changqing has only been out of the Heavenly Court for a few days, and Long Huo and the other two have all died in battle.”

In a luxuriously decorated secret chamber with various creatures carved on the walls, Long Tian sat to one side and respectfully addressed the Emperor, who was seated in the center of the chamber.

Opposite him sat a middle-aged man dressed in a blue robe, sitting quietly with his eyes closed.

At first glance, this person's face appears ordinary and unremarkable; upon a second glance, it becomes apparent that although the face is ordinary, it possesses an inherent aura that commands respect; however, upon a third glance, it seems as if everything seen before has been forgotten.

There is only an indescribable, mysterious feeling left. He is clearly sitting there, yet he seems extremely distant. Just when you think he is out of reach, he seems to have entered your heart from the very beginning.

This person is the only enlightened being in the world, the Lord of the Heavenly Court who unleashed boundless slaughter.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor remained focused on his cultivation and did not speak, but his voice seemed to appear out of thin air, resounding in Long Tian's mind.

"Long Tian, ​​Gu Changqing is the most talented and qualified person I have ever seen in this world. He can be of great use to me."

"Long Huo and the other two are merely the most dull-witted members of my clan. They've cultivated for hundreds of years, yet remain stuck at the Void Realm. Their deaths are simply their deaths."

He slowly opened his eyes, which were deep and profound.

He glanced indifferently at Long Tian, ​​who was waiting in front of him.

The moment he met those eyes, Long Tian felt as if he were floating and spinning in a deep, boundless darkness. A strong sense of distortion and discomfort instantly overwhelmed his mind, shattering his thoughts and leaving him numb and unaware.

When I came to my senses, I realized that I was already soaked in sweat and covered in cold sweat. A sense of shock and trepidation belatedly washed over me.

Long Tian lowered his head deeply, not daring to look any longer.

"This person is useful; there's no need to pay him any attention."

In a daze, eight words seemed to come from an extremely distant place, yet they were deeply imprinted in my heart.

"yes."

Long Tian lowered his head even further.

"Step down."

"yes."

Long Tian, ​​almost hunched over, slowly retreated until he disappeared outside the palace gate.

In the empty secret chamber, the Emperor sat alone on the central jade cushion. After Long Tian disappeared, he slowly opened his eyes, revealing a strange expression on his invisible face.

"I have been on the path of the Dao for decades, but I still cannot grasp even the slightest bit of the Dao. Gu Changqing is probably the key to my success, but unfortunately it is still too slow."

Recalling the first time he saw Gu Changqing in the Heavenly Court, the Emperor felt a surge of emotion within him—a feeling that he had to protect this person. If he could protect this person, he could also glimpse the Dao realm.

Although he did not know why this feeling arose, the Emperor knew that the beings on his path of cultivation did not appear out of thin air. Since it appeared, it meant that Gu Changqing was the key to his path to enlightenment.

As for why he wanted to protect this person, the Emperor was also unaware, but his obsession with achieving enlightenment made him grasp at this only hope.

It was precisely because of this feeling that the Emperor granted Gu Changqing the position of Supervisory God. As for the matter of Long Huo's death, Long Tian was unaware of it, but the Emperor had already deduced that Gu Changqing was responsible.

But what good is knowing? In the end, for a being of Emperor-level cultivation, kinship is far less important than attaining enlightenment.

As for Long Tian? He was merely something that the Emperor accidentally created thirty years ago when he was trying to sever his mortal ties. Although he had a trace of emotion, it was only a trace.

The murmured words echoed in the empty hall until those deep eyes closed again, and the hall fell into silence.

...