"Heavenly Court…" Qin Dingling stood atop the Heaven Monitoring Tower, gazing into the distant silhouette of the Heavenly Court, a wistful look on her face.
After a long while, she let out a soft sigh. "The changes are great, yet I can still make out the contours of what I remember. Over three hundred thousand years…"
Standing beside her was Zi Wei Fairy.
Zi Wei's expression was reverent.
The senior female Immortal before her — though her generation was not as lofty as Dragon Duke's — was still terrifyingly ancient.
She had once been a Grand Supreme Elder of one of the Ten Great Ancient Sects of the Central Continent, the Heaven Jealousy Tower. The very next day after her last recorded appearance, she was meant to become a member of the Heavenly Court. Instead, a single remark from Immortal Venerable Ju Yang had forced her to become one of his concubines.
Immortal Venerable Ju Yang had amassed a vast harem, establishing palaces across the Northern Plains, Southern Border, Eastern Sea, Western Desert, and Central Continent alike.
Qin Dingling had been the Queen of his Central Continent palace!
After Ju Yang Immortal Venerable's death, Qin Dingling had vanished without a trace. No one had expected her to suddenly reappear just days ago.
"Senior Qin Dingling's identity should be beyond doubt," Zi Wei thought, "but according to historical records, she specialized in the Metal Path. How could she have become a Luck Path Gu Immortal?" A hidden doubt lingered in her heart.
At that moment, Qin Dingling slowly turned. Her narrow, elongated eyes gleamed with a penetrating light that seemed to read through all the world's affairs.
She was not a beauty in the conventional sense. Her nose bridge was high, but the wings of her nose were somewhat pointed. Her lips were thin, and her eyes were long and narrow. Yet these features combined to form a unique, striking beauty — the kind that imprinted itself on anyone who laid eyes on her.
She stood taller than most, her shoulders broad, her posture straight and commanding, radiating an air of martial elegance. A voluminous cloak draped from her shoulders all the way to the ground.
The cloak was made of an unusual material — seemingly composed of interlocking golden plates, fitted together like armor. From time to time, faint streaks of golden light rippled across its surface.
The sweeping cloak accentuated her tall, athletic frame all the more. Especially her long legs, wrapped in tight-fitting segmented plates of black and gold.
Her bearing was extraordinarily distinguished, as if she were born nobility destined to tower over the masses. When she looked at others, her height alone forced her gaze downward, and the awe-inspiring authority she radiated naturally made people lower their brows and bow their heads, not daring to meet her eyes — as though looking her in the face would be an offense.
Qin Dingling spoke softly: "Zi Wei Fairy, I know the doubts in your heart. In truth, my disappearance was deliberate. Back then, Immortal Venerable Ju Yang was invincible under heaven, commanding the entire era — none could resist him. Fortunately, he was not a Demonic Venerable. Although I was forced to become one of his queens at the time, I had my own purpose: to learn the mysteries of the Luck Path from him."
"After Ju Yang Immortal Venerable's death, I had gained considerable insight, and resolved to abandon the Metal Path and cultivate the Luck Path instead. However, I already possessed an Eighth Transformation cultivation, and switching to Luck Path carried enormous risk. With the Heavenly Court's assistance, I obtained the opportunity to enter an extended slumber and prolong my lifespan. I then shed all of my Metal Path Dao Marks, transforming them into a golden coffin in which I buried myself deep within the earth veins, entering a death seclusion to comprehend the Luck Path."
"I never expected that slumber to last over three hundred thousand years. When I awoke and walked the world once more, everything had changed beyond recognition."
Qin Dingling's voice carried infinite melancholy.
Over three hundred thousand years — the seas had turned to mulberry fields.
The colossal shadow that had once loomed over her life — Immortal Venerable Ju Yang — had long since perished.
And after him came Demonic Venerable You Hun, and Immortal Venerable Le Tu.
Now, the entire world faced the tide of a new great era. According to various signs and prophecies, a Supreme Being of unprecedented power was about to emerge.
"So that's how it is." Zi Wei Fairy let out a long breath, a look of joyful surprise spreading across her face. "Senior, your arrival could not be more timely. I am ashamed — my own inadequacy has led the Heavenly Court to suffer one defeat after another. Among the chief reasons is my insufficiency in the Luck Path, leaving us shackled and unable to stop that demon's repeated triumphs."
Qin Dingling nodded slightly. "I have reviewed all the intelligence. I never imagined a demon of Fang Yuan's caliber would appear. In the history of humanity, he is a rare one indeed. But, Zi Wei Fairy, you need not be so hard on yourself. Your decisions were sound — it is simply that your opponent is cunning and insidious, and moreover he has obtained the inheritance of a Venerable. The latter, in particular, has made Fang Yuan exceptionally difficult to deal with."
"My awakening and return to the mortal world, I suspect, was made precisely to counter Fang Yuan."
Zi Wei asked curiously: "What do you mean, Senior?"
Qin Dingling smiled with deep meaning. "Zi Wei Fairy, my awakening is naturally laden with purpose. Let me ask you — who was it that awakened me?"
"Gu Yue Fang Zheng."
"Correct." Qin Dingling continued at an unhurried pace. "The Otherworldly Demon lies outside of fate — he is a variable by nature. When Heavenly Will deploys such a chess piece to counter Demonic Venerable You Hun's rebellion against heaven, it naturally possesses means to restrain the Otherworldly Demon as well. Just as where venomous serpents dwell, there invariably grows the antidote herb. Gu Yue Fang Zheng is the safeguard Heaven has placed to restrain Gu Yue Fang Yuan."
At this, Qin Dingling regarded Zi Wei Fairy with an approving gaze. "You know very little of the Luck Path, yet you were able to deduce this layer and took steps to cultivate Fang Zheng into an Immortal. That is no small feat."
"Senior flatters me. I only know to give my all in service to the Heavenly Court's greater cause, to defend the righteousness of the mortal world."
"Ha ha ha! Well said! That is the spirit of our Heavenly Court — after more than three hundred thousand years, it has never changed!"
Qin Dingling laughed several times, clearly pleased. After a pause, she continued: "The Otherworldly Demon Fang Yuan is a variable, and Gu Yue Fang Zheng exists to restrain him, evolving in response to Fang Yuan's own changes. Demonic Venerable You Hun failed in his rebellion against heaven, but Fang Yuan has broken free from Heavenly Will's control. He grows stronger, flawless, and his rate of advancement is staggering — even the Heavenly Court finds itself at a loss. Thus, in order to suppress such change, Fang Zheng was prompted to awaken me and bring me into the world."
"Fate is destiny; luck is variation. The higher a Gu Immortal's cultivation, the greater their innate fortune. This is because a single thought or action on their part can trigger tremendous change in their surroundings. Fang Yuan is formidable in the Luck Path, but you cultivated Fang Zheng and elevated him to Immortalhood. The variable he represents is great enough to have triggered my awakening and reappearance to counter that very advantage. Going forward, I estimate that similar circumstances will arise. This demon Fang Yuan will not be running amok for much longer."
At this, Qin Dingling admonished Zi Wei: "You must intensify your efforts to cultivate Fang Zheng, and ensure his safety. As long as we focus on this point and align ourselves with Heavenly Will's design, we can achieve twice the result with half the effort."