As this old man awoke, from the depths of the Gu Clan, several more incredibly powerful auras surged forth. Streaks of rainbow light shot out from the halls on various mountain peaks, descending upon this place.
Some were old men, others old women; there were also youthful faces of striking bearing, and peerlessly elegant women. Yet each one exuded an ancient, weathered aura, not as young as they appeared.
"The ancestral shrine indeed trembled just now..."
"What happened?"
A crowd of figures emerged from different spacetime zones, all landing on this mountain peak.
As their gazes turned, they could see that deep within the Gu Clan, in the mountains shrouded by endless mist, there seemed to be a mighty force surging. The terrain there was more majestic than any mountain range, shaped like an inverted plateau.
The plateau spanned across the boundless mist, faintly revealing an ancient ancestral shrine seated there, as if overlooking the myriad heavens and cosmos. A supremely grand aura pervaded the air, with chaotic waterfalls cascading like seas, pressing down so that the surrounding space-time laws were distorting.
At the same time, that place seemed to be the origin of all life in the myriad heavens. Even though thick deathly qi permeated, one could still sense a certain vitality that seemed to be gestating.
This aura far surpassed that of any Ancestral Dao Realm existence. Even those who had passed nine Heavenly Decline Tribulations and approached the End of the Path level would have their spines crushed upon arriving there, unable to advance even half a step.
Buzz!!!
In the void, one after another distortions and shatterings occurred, ripples spreading out. Several more figures silently appeared here, joining the others in gazing towards that direction.
"Why did the ancestral shrine tremble just now? Could it be that the Ancient Ancestor is about to return?"
Someone asked in a deep voice, their eyes brilliantly stunning, as if countless great suns were evolving within their pupils.
"Uncertain, but the ancestral shrine wouldn't tremble without reason. Something must have occurred." The old man in the grayish-white robe beside them spoke, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. This was precisely the person who had just revived from the weeds on the mountain peak.
"Greetings, Fifth Ancestor."
At this moment, the surrounding Gu Clan members finally saw the old man's face clearly and recognized him. Many immediately bowed respectfully.
However, at this moment, the Fifth Ancestor of the Gu Clan had no mind to pay attention to the crowd. He gazed towards that place, his entire body trembling with excitement, the beard on his face quivering along.
That shrine enshrined the coffin of the Gu Clan's Ancient Ancestor. Generations of Gu Clan descendants would come here to pay respects and kowtow.
When they were still young, they had heard from their fathers all sorts of valiant legends about the Ancient Ancestor, all filled with reverence and a sense of shared honor.
And for the many ancestors of the Gu Clan, the Ancient Ancestor was moreover the very meaning of the Gu Clan and their own existence.
After the Ancient Ancestor died in that great calamity of the past while sheltering all living beings, the Gu Clan had constantly been trying, through various means, to resurrect the Ancient Ancestor.
During this time, the Gu Clan had dispatched many ancestors, leading some clan members, to various true world regions to search for the remnants of the Ancient Ancestor's true spirit that had once dispersed between heaven and earth.
After countless ages, the long-silent ancestral shrine suddenly trembled. How could this not stir excitement and cheers throughout the Gu Clan?
"The ancestral shrine couldn't possibly tremble without reason. There must be some cause..."
The Fifth Ancestor of the Gu Clan calmed his agitated emotions. His eyes gleamed with divine light as he swept his gaze over the ancestral shrine, but because of the peculiarity of that place, he could not see through the chaotic mist shrouding it, unsure whether any anomaly had occurred inside.
He took a deep breath, then seemed to make a resolve. "The ancestral shrine has undergone an unprecedented change. I cannot let this sliver of opportunity slip by. The heavenly secrets flash by in an instant. With my strength alone, I probably cannot deduce the full sequence of events."
With that thought, he no longer hesitated. His robes billowed without wind, and a vast aura surged, as if a primeval true fiend that had slumbered for aeons was awakening, suddenly sweeping across the entire Nine Layered Heavens.
In that instant, the pitch-black, profound cosmic canopy seemed swept by an eternal daylight radiance, overwhelming everything. Even the barriers between each layer of heaven became clear and transparent.
All living beings and cultivators within the Nine Layered Heavens, regardless of their level, felt a chill run through their bodies, as if something terrifying had swept over them.
Even the Eternal Life Dao Lord, seated high within the Heaven-Overthrowing Sect, furrowed his brows. Though displeasure and suppressed anger appeared on his face, he could only forcibly endure it.
"Fifth Ancestor, what are you..."
The Gu Clan members present were equally shocked and shaken.
In the next moment, within the Gu Clan, a certain tomb long buried at the foot of a mountain cracked open. A blurry figure emerged, arriving beside the Fifth Ancestor.
"Old Fifth, what happened?"
The figure asked, his eyes deeply ancient and distant, appearing even older than the Fifth Ancestor before him. No one knew how long he had been slumbering.
The Gu Clan members here could not even recognize who this person was, which ancestor he might be.
But for an existence that could call the Fifth Ancestor "Old Fifth", his seniority and strength were certainly above the Fifth Ancestor.
"This is?"
In the next instant, without needing the Fifth Ancestor to speak, the blurred figure furrowed his brows, as if sensing something, then also trembled all over with disbelief.
The Fifth Ancestor did not speak. He closed his eyes, as if sensing and calling out to something.
Buzz!
Silently, the space-time before them collapsed, and a figure stepped out. Tall and graceful, peerlessly elegant, countless fragments of time danced around her.
Beneath her feet, the shadows of the River of Time and the River of Years converged, then gradually faded.
She was even more agitated than anyone else present. If not for the fact that the area ahead was the ancestral shrine requiring solemnity and reverence, she might have wanted to rush forward.
"Could this be..."
"First Ancestor?"
The Gu Clan members present were truly astonished at this moment, unable to believe their eyes.
Some people's voices were even trembling.
Unlike the other ancestors of the Gu Clan, the First Ancestor of the Gu Clan was a woman, and her status had never changed.
Even though the later ancestors caught up in cultivation and strength, they still could not match this First Ancestor.
Within the Gu Clan, there was even a saying that between the First Ancestor and the Second Ancestor lay an impassable chasm.
The Gu Clan's ancestors came in two types: one was the First Ancestor, and the other was the rest of the ancestors.
From this, one could infer the status and strength of this First Ancestor within the Gu Clan.
"The First Ancestor, who had vanished for countless ages and had never even appeared before the clan members..."
"Has actually appeared today." The Gu Clan members' hearts surged with overwhelming shock, unable to calm down for a long time. They finally understood what the existence of the ancestral shrine truly meant to the Gu Clan.
Even if external enemies invaded and the Nine Layered Heavens were breached, it would probably be difficult to make these few ancestors appear.
As endless ages passed, the Nine Heavens had always remained transcendent beyond the world, and for the Gu Clan, this was even more so.
Even the entire Gu Clan did not know how many ancestors remained in the clan, let alone their true whereabouts.
"This aura, there's no mistake. It is indeed the aura of the Ancient Ancestor's true spirit."
"And it has already appeared within the Nine Heavens..."
The First Ancestor murmured, her voice sounding somewhat hoarse, not as peerlessly elegant as she appeared.
"Is this true?"
The Fifth Ancestor opened his eyes. Though he looked somewhat tired, the excitement on his face was still unmistakable.
"There is no mistake."
The First Ancestor nodded. Within her eyes, scenes shifted and changed; she had already begun deducing and confirming.
The Nine Heavens were unimaginably vast. Between each layer of heaven, there were regions of chaotic space-time currents, primal chaotic starry rivers and the like, serving as separations.
Even for Dao Realms existences, traversing between them was extremely difficult. However, there were also cross-boundary teleportation arrays between the layers, controlled by the ruling powers of each heaven. They were almost never activated ordinarily, to avoid disrupting the order between the heavens.
The Crescent Moon Sect group, under Song Yu's lead, left the domain of that Gravekeeper and headed towards the first immortal city of the First Heaven.
The immortal city was majestic, towering beyond measure. Its walls stretched endlessly, cast from some unknown stone. Ordinary stars even appeared small and insignificant before the city walls.
The surrounding mountain ranges truly exemplified what it meant to be on par with heaven. The immortal domains Gu Xian'er had seen when she was in the Upper Realm were nothing compared to the Land of the Nine Heavens before her.
She inwardly marveled.
On the journey, she also saw many ancient descendant species, possessing heaven-defying strength, shrouded in immortal qi, as if they had undergone many metamorphoses.
The overlords of some regions even made her heart palpitate, their strength likely approaching the Dao Realms level.
Gu Xian'er had no choice but to accept the uniqueness of the Land of the Nine Heavens. It truly was beyond comparison with any true world from the outside.
Soon, they arrived before the immortal city. A group of soldiers clad in immortal armor appeared and blocked their path.
However, Song Yu was prepared. He presented proof of identity, and only then were they allowed to enter the city.
Outside each city was an endless expanse of ancient primordial forest.
It was said that these had evolved from the ancient battlefields of the Great War Against Heaven, containing many opportunities. Thus, even cultivators and beings living in the Nine Heavens would often venture there to seek adventures, explore ancient ruins, and search for cave abodes.
Every few epochs, the forbidden zones within the vast ancient forests would unleash terrifying beast tides, plundering the cities and powers across the lands, thus maintaining a certain natural balance.
The masters of some forbidden zones possessed strength comparable to the rulers of each heaven.
The fact that the Land of the Nine Heavens could remain transcendent beyond the myriad worlds was largely due to this reason: internally, it had its own rules. Although the Heavenly Dao was absent, it could maintain a natural balance, unaffected by the outside world and free from the worry of Cataclysmic Tribulations descending.
Over time, this place became the origin of the Immortal Dao that countless cultivators and beings had long pursued.
However, finding the Land of the Nine Heavens was exceedingly difficult. Without the destined affinity or the correct path, one could spend their entire life futilely wandering outside its gates.
"Today, we will rest for the night in the First Heaven. I will go pay a visit to the ruler of the First Heaven and request that he activate the teleportation array to the Second Heaven for us tomorrow..."
After arriving at the immortal city, Song Yu finally set his heart at ease. Wearing what he thought was a gentle smile, he addressed the group.
In his view, now that they had reached the Land of the Nine Heavens, they were on his turf.
No matter how special Gu Xian'er's origins were, he had full confidence that he could get the Nine Heaven-Restraining Forbidden Arts from her.
Hearing Song Yu's words, a Crescent Moon Sect disciple couldn't help but ask curiously, "Senior Brother Song Yu, what exactly is your background? Throughout this journey, you seem very familiar with the Land of the Nine Heavens. It can't just be that you lived here for a while, can it?"
The elders of the Crescent Moon Sect were also curious.
Though they had just set foot in the First Heaven, they had already learned some things about the Land of the Nine Heavens.
Each heaven had a ruler, and ordinary people could scarcely catch a glimpse of them.
Song Yu wasn't even at the Dao Realms yet, but could directly visit the ruler of the First Heaven. This was enough to show his identity was extraordinary.
Moreover, they could tell that Elder Lan was actually Song Yu's protector.
He had just been staying in the Crescent Moon Sect under the guise of an elder, just like Song Yu.
"Truth be told, I am rather ashamed. For some time now, I have been concealing things from my fellow disciples and elders. My real name is not Song Yu, but Ji Yu. My master is the ruler of the Ninth Heaven and also the sect master of the Heaven-Overthrowing Sect."
Upon hearing this, a look of just the right amount of shame appeared on Song Yu's face as he explained.
As he spoke, he seemed to worry about being misunderstood by the crowd and quickly continued, "Everyone please rest assured, I have no ill intentions. Bringing you all to the Land of the Nine Heavens was entirely out of consideration for your safety. I have no other thoughts. The outside world is now chaotic and turbulent. The Crescent Moon Sect was annihilated by the Dark Clans. If we were wandering out there, fleeing as refugees, who knows when we would lose our lives."
"Although the Land of the Nine Heavens has always been mysterious and not understood by the outside world, it is strictly disciplined and orderly here, and has long been peaceful and serene. For the time being, everyone need not worry about being invaded by the calamities of the outside world..."
His face was full of seriousness and sincerity, and his words indeed did not seem fake.
Ji Yu truly had no schemes or designs on the elders and disciples of the Crescent Moon Sect. Bringing them to the Land of the Nine Heavens was more about ensuring Gu Xian'er couldn't separate from the group.
Hearing this, the expressions of the Crescent Moon Sect group eased somewhat. After all, they had long suspected this, so they weren't really surprised.
Moreover, Ji Yu's candid words struck a chord with them.
The outside world was so chaotic, with various factions fighting and the situation unclear.
The Alliance of Righteous Unity was sanctimonious, abandoning allies, tearing up agreements, selfish and self-serving—truly hypocrites.
The Heaven-Slaying Alliance had a ferocious reputation, ruthless in their methods, stirring up chaos and launching crusades at the drop of a hat. They were no different from demonic sects, terrifying and intimidating, making people afraid to approach.
The envoy team sent to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance back then still had no news; they likely perished there.
No matter which faction, none were easy or kind-hearted, not to mention the Dark Clans eyeing them covetously from the sidelines.
Those orthodox forces and true worlds that had always looked on with folded arms, only minding their own business, would probably soon follow in the Crescent Moon Sect's footsteps.
Neither the Heaven-Slaying Alliance nor the Alliance of Righteous Unity would permit any force in the Vast Expanse that did not heed their commands...
From this, it was clear that the Land of the Nine Heavens was indeed the best refuge for now.