The night wind swept past the eaves, and the starlight lamps in the main hall swayed, casting light that flickered on and off.

Under the lamplight, everyone's faces were filled with astonishment.

Patriarch Su Xingchen froze in place; the expression on his old face went from disbelief to something too complex to describe.

His gaze shifted back and forth between Gu Heng and the starry sky in the distance, as if confirming whether he had misheard.

"Master..."

Patriarch Su Xingchen took half a step forward, "Are you... thinking about that herb?"

He emphasized the words "that herb," as if making a final confirmation.

Gu Heng held his Star Essence Brew, lifted his eyelids, and cast a strange glance at him.

That look clearly said: What else? Thinking about an old geezer like you?

He slowly drank the wine and nodded, "Yes. Those guys in the Dragon Domain are clumsy; what if they water it until the roots rot? This rare species cannot be found anywhere else in the Three Thousand Great Worlds."

His tone was so sincere that it seemed as if that herb weighed more in his heart than all the Immortal Emperors in the hall.

The main hall fell into a dead silence once again.

Lei Wanjun reached out to pretend to rub his beard, using his palm to suppress the corner of his mouth.

Jiang Wanyin rubbed her temples helplessly, a trace of a smile flashing in her eyes, though her face remained as pure as ice and jade.

Patriarch Su Xingchen coughed twice.

He tried hard to squeeze out a calm smile, "Ahem... Master is right; it truly should be cared for meticulously..."

He glossed over his previous loss of composure, then changed the subject, his tone probing, "However... Master, did you... forget something?"

Gu Heng put down his wine cup, turned his head, and smiled faintly.

"Oh? What did I forget?"

Patriarch Su Xingchen felt a tightness in his heart from that glance.

Clearly, Master hadn't said or done anything, but this one look made him feel as if he had been seen through from head to toe.

But he still bit the bullet, pointed to the air, and then toward the depths of the temple, trying to give Gu Heng some hints.

In his view, Master's strength was heaven-reaching, and since he was preparing to deal with the Dragon Ancestor, there must be some meticulous deployment. Or perhaps regarding the star stone that had just been presented, shouldn't Master have some guidance? At the very least, he should promote those descendants of the Su Clan with good Aptitude and casually bestow some Divine Pills or miraculous medicines.

Gu Heng stared at Patriarch Su Xingchen for a full three breaths, until Patriarch Su Xingchen's heart was pounding, then he slowly withdrew his gaze and nodded as if suddenly realizing something.

"Hmm, that's right. If you old man hadn't reminded me, I would have almost forgotten about this."

Patriarch Su Xingchen was overjoyed.

It's coming!

Master's supreme reward, or the shocking plan for what comes next, was finally about to be revealed!

He had even prepared himself, ready to bow and accept orders at any time, to show off his status as "Old Ancestor" before Master in front of his clansmen.

"Hmm, that's right."

Gu Heng's lips curled slightly, "First, call out Old Ancestor Qingxuan. With wine and meat, how could we forget that glutton?"

Patriarch Su Xingchen's mouth twitched again.

In his mind, he involuntarily pictured that withered old man, whose murky eyes always flashed with shrewdness, holding a golden cage in his arms.

After a moment of daze, he nodded repeatedly, squeezing out an obsequious smile, "Yes, yes, yes, Master is absolutely right. This servant will prepare the wine set right away, immediately, at once."

At the same time, he sighed inwardly: As long as Master is happy.

Gu Heng's will stirred, and a wisp of Divine Sense instantly pierced through layers of the Void Realm, landing in the Original Realm within the heaven-reaching tower.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan was squatting on a broken stone, looking at the scenery of the rebuilt Qingyun Sect in the distance, muttering, "Has Senior Gu forgotten about me? It's been so long, and there hasn't been a single message. If I had known, I wouldn't have returned to this wretched Original Realm, a place where birds don't even lay eggs, and I can't even drink a sip of good wine..."

"I wonder what it's like outside now... Sigh, I have never been so stifled in my life. Back in the Dragon Domain, at least I had wine to drink, but now my mouth is so bland it's driving me crazy..."

Just as he was wallowing in self-pity, a voice suddenly exploded in his Sea of Consciousness.

"Old man, come out to eat."

Just six words.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan shuddered and sprang up from the stone.

That pair of murky old eyes instantly burst with astonishing brightness, his withered lips trembling, "Senior, Senior Gu?! Senior has finally remembered me!"

Old tears streamed down his face, carving two gullies into his withered cheeks. His hands trembled as he held the golden cage.

Finally, he didn't have to eat dust in this gray, bleak place! Finally, he could see living people! Finally, he could drink a sip of real immortal brew!

Not far away, Ye Wentian was sitting cross-legged in meditation when a voice suddenly exploded in his ear, almost scaring him into Qi Deviation.

Opening his eyes, he looked blankly at Old Ancestor Qingxuan, who was jumping up and down.

The old man was holding a golden cage, his body like an old tree bent by a violent wind, laughing "hehehe."

Ye Wentian tentatively spoke up: "Old Ancestor, what... what are you going crazy about?"

Old Ancestor Qingxuan ignored him.

At this moment, Gu Heng's voice echoed over the Original Realm again, carrying a hint of a smile.

"Ye Wentian, don't just stand there, come along. If you miss the Su Clan's Star Essence Brew, don't regret it."

Every word was clear, as if right in his ear.

Ye Wentian was struck by lightning, his mind going blank. After a brief moment of astonishment, uncontrollable ecstasy followed.

Senior still remembered him? And personally named him to attend the banquet?

"Thank you, Senior, for your grace!"

He kowtowed to the Void Realm.

The next instant, the Laws of the heaven-reaching tower circulated.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan and Ye Wentian felt the world spin before their eyes.

The surrounding scenery was like a shattered mirror, dissolving into countless fragments, replaced by a place of golden splendor.

"Swish!"

The old man and the young man appeared out of thin air in the center of the Su Clan's banquet hall.

Supreme Ancestral Elder, who was holding a jade pot and pouring wine, saw a blur, and two living people just popped up, no more than three feet away from him.

His hand shook, and a few drops of Star Essence Brew spilled onto the white jade table, the liquid spreading across the jade.

"What... what kind of movement technique is this!?"

Supreme Ancestral Elder was filled with shock; as a Peak Immortal Emperor, he also had insights into the Laws of space.

Tearing space, spatial traversal—these were not unfamiliar to him.

But even when an Immortal Emperor tears space, it leaves traces of Laws and spatial ripples.

These two before him appeared like ghosts.

They didn't cause even the slightest ripple in space; even the candlelight in the main hall didn't flicker.

However, when his gaze swept over the Youth in White on the main seat, the shock in his heart quickly subsided.

"That's right..." he smiled bitterly to himself, lifting his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, "A Divine Venerable-level existence, carrying a Small World that can accommodate living people, ignoring the spatial Laws of the Star Domain—that is normal."

Patriarch Su Xingchen saw Supreme Ancestral Elder frozen in place and felt a fire in his heart.

He strode forward and slapped him on the shoulder, "Don't make a fuss; you're embarrassing this Emperor. Hurry up and arrange the seats!"

Supreme Ancestral Elder came to his senses, agreed repeatedly, and turned to call the maids to add seats.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan held the golden cage, his old eyes wide, darting around and taking in the surroundings, his eyeballs almost popping out.

The carved beams and painted rafters of the dome, the lifelike star patterns carved on the pillars.

The rare immortal fruits on the table, which he had only seen in ancient Dragon Clan texts—some crystal clear, some completely crimson and burning with flames, some emitting a refreshing and fragrant scent.

"My goodness..." Old Ancestor Qingxuan swallowed his saliva, a flush rising on his old face, "This grandeur... it's comparable to the Longyuan Hall of the Dragon God Domain back in the day! No, some of the foundations are even better! In all my years, this is the first time I've seen such a spectacle..."

He moved his feet, as light as if stepping on cotton, one step at a time, afraid of damaging the star jade floor tiles.

With every step, he looked down to confirm he hadn't left any marks.

Patriarch Su Xingchen looked at Old Ancestor Qingxuan's country-bumpkin appearance, and a sense of pride as the Old Ancestor of the Su Clan welled up.

He strode forward, standing straight with a smug smile on his face, and heavily patted Old Ancestor Qingxuan's shoulder.

The pat was not light.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan's small frame couldn't withstand it; he was almost shaken apart, stumbling forward.

"Old fellow, stunned, aren't you?" Patriarch Su Xingchen said triumphantly, hands on his hips, "Let me tell you, this is the Tianshu Star Domain of the Star Domain, the ancestral land of my Su Clan! This hall, these floor tiles, this starlight—every single thing is the foundation of my Su Clan for tens of thousands of years! How about it, grand enough, right?"

"Today, Master has shown grace by letting you out, so just relax. Play as you like, eat as you like!

Take whatever you like, drink whatever you like! This Emperor is the host! If anyone dares to say half a word of objection, this Emperor will be the first to disagree!"

Old Ancestor Qingxuan was flattered.

Most of his life had been spent studying unorthodox paths.

When had he ever enjoyed such hospitality from an Emperor Clan's Old Ancestor? When had he ever been treated like a precious guest?

He turned his head and looked at Gu Heng on the main seat, half-doubting.

His murky old eyes were filled with questions and uncertainty, like a person groping in the dark who suddenly sees light but cannot believe that the light is real.

Gu Heng looked at his suspicious appearance and chuckled.

He raised his wine cup, toasted Old Ancestor Qingxuan from afar, and then nodded gently.

The last trace of worry in Old Ancestor Qingxuan's heart vanished.

"Hahaha! Then this Old Ancestor will not be polite!"

Bursting into a laugh of ecstasy, he rushed to an empty seat in two or three steps and sat down heavily.

Patriarch Su Xingchen waved his hand, "Come here! Arrange a few of the smartest maids for this Old Ancestor to serve him well! Ten-thousand-year spirit fruits, the most mellow Star Essence Brew, bring it all up!"

Several Su Clan maids stepped forward with light steps.

Some poured wine, the liquid swirling in the cup; some peeled spirit fruits, their slender fingers moving to peel the crystal-clear flesh intact and place it on a jade plate; others gently massaged his shoulders.

Old Ancestor Qingxuan seemed to be rejuvenated; his face relaxed, his wrinkles faded a bit, and a rosy glow appeared.

He held the cup in one hand, his fingers trembling slightly—not because of nervousness, but because he was enjoying it too much.

He ate while nodding, occasionally making comfortable humming sounds.

"Comfortable... too comfortable..."

He squinted his eyes, collapsing into the seat, intoxicated by the mellow Star Essence Brew, "My life has truly been worth it!"

Gu Heng sat on the main seat, looking at the old urchin, and found it amusing.

This old man, no matter what level his cultivation reached, the greedy, easy-going nature in his bones hadn't changed a bit.

The banquet atmosphere became lively again.

The Su Clan disciples, led by several Elders, lined up to offer toasts.

They dared not look directly into Gu Heng's eyes, yet that reverence and gratitude spilled out from every single one of their actions.

If not for this Youth in White, the Su Clan would have been bathed in blood today.

Soon, the center of the great hall was cleared.

Melodious immortal music drifted down.

A group of Su Clan dancers, draped in veils of starlight, drifted out and began to dance gracefully.

As the dance reached its climax, an exceptionally stunning woman stepped into the center.

She was a top Prodigy of the Su Clan, her skirt embroidered with patterns of rotating stars that spun with her movements. Her dance subtly aligned with the principles of the Heavenly Dao and the stars, so beautiful that one could not look away.

Gu Heng merely glanced at it once, then looked away.

Resting his cheek on one hand, his deep gaze passed through the open hall doors and cast itself toward the distant horizon.

There, thunder rumbled faintly. Although the world-destroying aura had been weakened by layers of Star Domains and only a trace of the fluctuation reached here, one could still feel the brutality within it.

In an Immortal Domain with a broken Heavenly Dao, who would dare to force a Breakthrough to Divine Venerable... He mused to himself.

The banquet neared its end.

The spiritual fruits had been swept clean, leaving only empty jade plates.

The fragrance of the Star Marrow Wine had also faded, replaced by the lethargy of being full of food and drink.

Many people's faces were flushed with a tipsy glow.

Gu Heng withdrew his gaze.

He set down his glass goblet with a crisp clink, then slowly stood up.

Inside the hall, the noise vanished instantly.

All eyes converged upon him.

"I have had my fill, and I have seen enough of the scenery of this Immortal Domain."

He brushed off non-existent dust from his robes, his tone calm, "I still have some important matters to attend to, so I will not stay any longer."

The smile on Patriarch Su Xingchen's face froze, and he stood up abruptly, knocking over the wine cup before him.

The wine spilled across the floor, spreading out like a flower, but he was completely unaware.

"M-Master, are you leaving so soon?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he immediately realized they were presumptuous.

How could he, a servant, question the Master's itinerary? He quickly bowed to remedy the situation, "No! This old servant has absolutely no intention of interfering with Master's schedule! This old servant just... wanted Master to stay a little longer and see more of the scenery of the Su Clan's ancestral land. The Starfall Waterfall, the Tianshu Divine Peak, the Ten Thousand Star Origin Array—Master hasn't seen them yet..."

His voice grew lower and lower.

Before Gu Heng could speak, Lei Wanjun let out a cold snort.

"Hmph! Patriarch Su Xingchen, you have some nerve!"

Lei Wanjun's body flickered with faint lightning, and he snorted again, "What, questioning Master's decision? When Master says he is leaving, he leaves. Do you expect him to stay behind to look at the scenery with an old codger like you!?"

Patriarch Su Xingchen was so angry he almost spat out a mouthful of old blood.

His face flushed red with anxiety, and he waved his hands repeatedly at Gu Heng, "Master, please be discerning. This old servant's loyalty to Master is as clear as the sun and moon! This big lightning oaf is deliberately trying to sow discord; Master must not listen to him!"

Gu Heng watched these two old monsters, who had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, bickering like children, and shook his head helplessly.

He merely said calmly, "That is enough. I accept your intentions. The Su Clan is in ruins and needs you, its Emperor Ancestor, to preside over it. Stay here and handle the clan's affairs properly."

Patriarch Su Xingchen knew that the departure was decided, so he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

He turned around, looking at Supreme Ancestral Elder with a complex gaze.

"Qianqiu..."

"These years that I have been away, you have suffered. Carrying such a large family business alone, facing so many enemies eyeing us like tigers. Although I have returned now, but..."

"The clan's affairs will still need to be left to you and the Elders in the future. I have reinforced the clan protection array; even if someone at the Peak of Immortal Emperor comes, they will have to expend some effort to break it. Although the star stone was gifted to Master, the blessings Master left behind are enough for you to benefit from endlessly. Remember: bide your time, and do not stir up trouble again."

"Rest and recuperate well, and make further plans after the limelight passes."

Supreme Ancestral Elder's eyes turned red, and he fell to his knees with a thud.

"Emperor Ancestor... Are you, are you leaving so urgently? The Su Clan cannot be without you..."

Watching Supreme Ancestral Elder's grief-stricken appearance, Patriarch Su Xingchen suddenly laughed.

He straightened his back again, his hands planted on his waist with an imposing air.

An aura belonging to the Star Immortal Emperor radiated out, causing the starlight within the hall to stagnate.

"What are you crying for! This Emperor is not going to his death!"

He looked at Gu Heng's back with burning eyes, "This Emperor is going to follow Master to conquer those Three Thousand Great Worlds! To witness the true Supreme Dao!"

"You little brats, guard the family business well for this Emperor. The day I return in triumph shall be the time my Su Clan dominates the Immortal Domain!"

These words echoed in everyone's ears.

Supreme Ancestral Elder stopped his lamenting.

Watching his own Emperor Ancestor's high-spirited expression, the reluctance in his heart gradually transformed into awe and pride.

He suddenly understood: the Emperor Ancestor's journey was the sea of stars, the Supreme Dao, and the end of the Three Thousand Great Worlds. What he could do was not to hold him back, but to guard this family business well.

He kowtowed heavily once, then lifted his head, nodding with a grave expression.

"This old servant obeys! The entire Su Clan will swear to guard the ancestral land to the death and respectfully await the return of the Emperor Ancestor and Master!"

Inside the hall,

hundreds of Su Clan disciples knelt in unison. Their resounding voices shot straight into the clouds:

"Respectfully sending off the Emperor Ancestor! Respectfully sending off Senior!"

The sound made the dome tremble slightly.

Gu Heng did not turn back.

He stood in the Void Realm outside the hall, his robes fluttering slightly in the night wind.

He slowly raised his hand.

"Hum—"

A wave of Law fluctuations, profound to the extreme, rippled out from his fingertips.

Time stagnated, then seemed to begin to reverse.

Everyone felt a strange force tugging at their consciousness, as if seeing countless scenes from their past flash before their eyes.

The Void Realm twisted violently like boiling water, emitting a sharp sound.

A magnificent river of time, shimmering with countless historical scenes, was forcibly torn out of nothingness and spanned across the firmament of the Tianshu Star Domain.

The river water was condensed from pure power of time, shimmering with colorful light.

"Let us go."

Gu Heng spat out the two words calmly and took a step forward. His figure merged into the rushing river of time, like a drop of water entering the sea.

Jiang Wanyin, Di Shitian, Lei Wanjun, and Old Ancestor Qingxuan followed closely behind, all turning into streams of light and submerging into the phantom of the river of time.

The moment their figures were swallowed, ripples appeared, and then they vanished without a trace.

"Boom—"

The river of time let out a roar that spread throughout the entire Tianshu Star Domain and reached even further places.

It then turned into a brilliant beam of light that pierced through the Star Domain, so dazzling that it seemed as if it would tear the entire starry sky apart, flowing at the end of the vast sea of stars.

Before the hall.

Supreme Ancestral Elder knelt for a long time, watching the direction where everyone had disappeared.

The night wind blew through his white beard and hair, and his robes snapped in the wind.

In his clouded eyes, the starry sky that had returned to calm was reflected, as was the phantom of the endless river of time that was slowly flowing.

"I wonder..." he whispered, his voice very, very soft, "when will the Emperor Ancestor and the others... return next time."

Amidst the endless cross-domain galaxy.

The galaxy flowed,

nebulae churned.

Countless galaxies swept past like dust, and giant stars burned in the distance, releasing light that illuminated several Star Domains.

Occasionally, huge star beasts swam through the galaxy, their size unimaginably vast, capable of swallowing a star in one bite.

Inside the river of time, the boundaries between space and time were blurred.

The surrounding scenery was like bizarre, kaleidoscopic fragments, retreating backward at an incredible speed, stretching into blurred ribbons of light.

One second it was a dead galaxy, the stars long extinguished, leaving only pitch-black Void Realm; the next second, they would cross tens of millions of light-years, entering another vibrant Star Domain with brilliant stars and radiant light.

Everyone stood behind Gu Heng, feeling the terrifying speed of traveling with the help of the river of time.

Just then, the flow rate of the river of time suddenly showed a trace of imperceptible disorder.

It was like a small whirlpool suddenly appearing in a steadily flowing river.

"Rumble!"

Immediately following,

an extremely dull sound of thunder pierced through the barrier of time and entered everyone's ears.

Accompanying it was an extremely brutal Law vibration—the Law of Thunder, the Law of Destruction, and even a trace of the Law of Life, colliding with each other. The water of the river of time rippled violently, slapping against the riverbanks and emitting a deafening roar.

"This..."

Lei Wanjun's expression changed drastically. He cultivated the Law of Thunder and was most sensitive to the aura of the Lightning Tribulation. That brutal vibration caused the lightning within his body to become uncontrollably agitated.

He steadied his figure, looking toward the direction from which the vibration came in shock.

"...How is this possible?!" Lei Wanjun's eyes widened, "The Lightning Tribulation at the center of the Immortal Domain, separated by who knows how many Star Domains, has actually affected the operation of the river of time?"

Di Shitian also took a deep breath, "The river of time exists outside the physical space of the Three Thousand Great Worlds and is the embodiment of the supreme Heavenly Dao Laws. A Lightning Tribulation capable of affecting this place... just what terrifying level of might has the person Undergoing Tribulation reached?"

"Forcibly seeking the Dao of Divine Venerable in a damaged Immortal Domain is inherently Heaven-Defying. I fear this world-destroying Lightning Tribulation has already triggered the most fundamental Origin will of the Immortal Domain."

A rare look of gravity appeared on Jiang Wanyin's cold face. She looked toward the center of the Immortal Domain, a flash of complexity crossing her eyes,

"Such a scene... even before the collapse of the ancient Divine Court, I had not seen it many times. If the person Undergoing Tribulation succeeds, the Three Thousand Great Worlds will surely be stirred into a monstrous upheaval once again."

Hearing this, everyone looked toward the center of the Immortal Domain.

Even separated by endless Star Domains, and even while within the river of time, they could still feel that terrifying power of the Lightning Tribulation.

That was no longer an ordinary Lightning Tribulation; it was a power capable of destroying a Star Domain, a Heavenly Might that made the entire Divine Domain tremble.

Just what kind of person could endure such a Lightning Tribulation? And what kind of person would dare to forcibly attempt to break through to the Divine Venerable realm when the Heavenly Dao was broken?

Gu Heng stood in front of the others, his white robes motionless amidst the waves of the river of time.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, his voice very soft, as if talking to himself,

"It seems I must pick up the pace."