The Demon Lord of All Forms

Chapter 74 The Summit of the Divine Mountain

Gu Changyuan quickened his pace, his figure transforming into a streak of light in the night sky.

As dawn broke, the outline of Huangtian Divine Mountain came into view. The waterfall of light on the mountain was still dazzling, and the palaces were faintly visible in the morning mist. Everything seemed no different from usual, but Gu Changyuan knew that a silent upheaval was taking place inside the mountain.

Just as Gu Changyuan was about to descend, he suddenly heard the buzzing sound of the spirit boat breaking through the air above his head.

A silver-white spirit boat emerged from the clouds, its hull engraved with the White Tiger Palace's emblem. Gu Changyuan's eyes lit up, and his aura suddenly erupted, sending a beam of light soaring into the sky, like a bright lamp lit in the night.

Just as the spirit boat was about to pass over Gu Changyuan's head, it suddenly slowed down, hovered in mid-air, and then slowly descended.

Gu Changyuan took flight and landed in front of the spirit boat.

At the bow of the ship, Wu Yishu, dressed in white as snow, her long ponytail fluttering in the wind, held the Golden Dawn Blade in her hand, the blade still retaining a lingering chill. Her gaze fell on Gu Changyuan, and her brows furrowed.

"How did you escape?"

Demonic energy surged within Gu Changyuan's body, his form instantly rising and twisting, dark patterns appearing on his skin, and arcs of electricity dancing at his fingertips—it was the demonic form he had displayed on Mount Qiyun.

"I cultivate the 'Black Emperor's Great Ruins Book,' which allows me to absorb external power and assimilate it into my own. I took advantage of the chaos to disguise myself as a demonic disciple and managed to escape."

Wu Yishu stared at Gu Changyuan for a moment, her gaze sharp as a knife.

Soon, the formation on the spirit boat dissipated, and a beam of light fell from the hull, transforming into a passageway.

As Gu Changyuan landed on the deck, the moment his feet touched the wooden planks of the spirit boat, Wu Yishu waved her right hand, and several silver chains flew out from her sleeve, binding Gu Changyuan tightly.

The moment the chains touched his body, all the power within Gu Changyuan's body subsided. His spiritual energy, demonic energy, the Great Ruins, and the Dao Embryo were all sealed off and could not be mobilized in the slightest.

Gu Changyuan did not resist. He glanced down at the chains binding him, then sat down against the ship's railing, his gaze calm.

He knew that Meng Nanyi had recently been controlled by demons, so it was perfectly normal for Wu Yishu to be so wary. A disciple who had escaped from a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood still had demonic energy left on him. Even he wouldn't easily believe it if he were in her shoes.

The deck was piled high with corpses.

The corpses of the disciples of the two palaces were neatly arranged on both sides of the deck. Some were unrecognizable, some were incomplete, and some still had fragments of demonic swords stuck in their bodies. Most of their eyes were closed, but a few had their eyes wide open, their pupils filled with the fear and despair of their dying moments.

Meng Nanyi's body was placed at the front, covered with a white cloth, with only a pale hand showing, the fingers slightly curled as if grasping something.

Gu Changyuan stared at the corpses in silence.

Wu Yishu stood at the bow of the ship, her posture as straight as a pine tree, without saying a word, her back ramrod straight, like a sword stuck in a rock.

The spirit boat moved swiftly, cutting through clouds and mist, and in less than half an hour, it came into view of the gate of Huangtian Divine Mountain.

When the spirit boat docked, the disciples who came to greet it were horrified to see the corpses piled up on the deck. They staggered. Some of them recognized the faces, their faces turned pale, and their lips trembled as they could not speak.

Wu Yishu didn't say much, her voice was clear and crisp.

"Collect the bodies, register their names, and return them to their respective palaces."

The disciples in charge dared not delay and stepped forward one by one to carry the corpses off the spirit boat.

Wu Yishu turned to look at Gu Changyuan and said to a disciple beside her, "Take him to see Uncle Qin."

The disciple responded, took the other end of the chain from Wu Yishu, and led Gu Changyuan toward Xuanwu Palace.

Wu Yishu didn't look at Gu Changyuan again. With a light step, she transformed into a long rainbow and flew towards the White Tiger Palace.

Gu Changyuan was escorted by three inner disciples across the Rainbow Bridge and through the palace. When the Xuanwu Palace disciples saw Gu Changyuan bound by chains, they all turned their heads and whispered among themselves.

The gates of the Northern Heavenly Palace were wide open. Qin Youwei was sitting on a soft couch, holding an ancient book in her hands. Her expression was calm. When she saw Gu Changyuan, who was bound by chains, enter, she frowned. She put down the book and waved her hand. The chains on Gu Changyuan fell off by themselves and turned into several streaks of light that flew back to the direction of Wu Yishu's sleeve.

"What happened?" Qin Youwei's voice was tinged with seriousness.

Gu Changyuan moved his wrists, which were a little numb from being bound by the chains, and walked to the opposite side of Qin Youwei and spoke.

"Master, this siege of the Heavenly Demon Palace disciples was a trap from beginning to end."

Qin Youwei's brows furrowed even more.

"A trap? Set by the Heavenly Demon Palace?"

"No." Gu Changyuan shook his head. "It's a persona we created ourselves. The disciples of the Heavenly Demon Palace are both bait and executors, but there's someone behind the Heavenly Demon Palace. This person is from our Yellow Heaven Sect."

Qin Youwei's expression changed abruptly. She stood up, looked at Gu Changyuan, and asked in a low voice, "Who?"

"Azure Dragon Palace and Vermilion Bird Palace." Gu Changyuan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "I killed five men in black who blocked my way. They were disciples of Azure Dragon Palace and Vermilion Bird Palace. Shi Jiujing and Yi Qianyu are the people behind them, but I think there may be someone else behind them."

Qin Youwei's pupils contracted slightly. She didn't ask Gu Changyuan how he escaped from the trap; her mind was in complete chaos.

A deathly silence fell over the Northern Heavenly Palace. Qin Youwei stood there, her face alternating between pale and flushed, her eyes filled with shock, anger, confusion, and a hint of inexplicable fear.

After pacing back and forth a couple of times, Qin Youwei suddenly stopped, turned around, and strode out of the hall.

"You stay here and don't go anywhere."

Qin Youwei's figure disappeared at the palace gate, her footsteps fading into the distance. Gu Changyuan knew that she had gone to discuss matters with Xuan Mobai, the Palace Master of the White Tiger Palace.

At the same moment, atop the Yellow Heaven Divine Mountain.

The magnificent, continuous Taoist palaces resembled a sleeping dragon in the morning light, winding and coiling along the mountain ridge. The Huangtian Palace in the center was the highest one, with its main hall entirely constructed of golden jade. Countless pearls were inlaid on the dome, illuminating the interior as bright as day.

Feng Daochen sat on the throne of the sect leader, his temples were gray, his figure was thin, and his face was gaunt, but his eyes were surprisingly bright. He did not look like the leader of a sect, but more like an old scholar who was about to die.

Opposite Feng Daochen sat Zhang Zihe, whose aura was powerful and imposing.

Wearing a purple robe and with black hair, Zhang Zihe was tall and imposing, with a heroic face and sword-like eyebrows that slanted upwards into his temples. He sat opposite Feng Daochen with a composed demeanor.

There was no one else in the hall; even the disciples who were supposed to be serving had been dismissed.

Feng Daochen looked at Zhang Zihe opposite him, his face trembling, his voice aged.

"Junior brother, why did you have to go to this?"

Zhang Zihe shook his head, his tone utterly calm.

"Senior brother, you don't understand me. I can't be trapped in the Great Master's world. The Yellow Heaven Sect is too small. It can't support a Celestial Being, let alone a Celestial Immortal."