Right now, the Upper Realm was in a constant state of chaos, fear, and unrest. Nearly all the Forces of every Star Territory were trying to find ways to seal themselves off. That was their last resort.
Dark Heaven had emerged and marched its way through the territories at alarming speeds. Too many had been affected.
None of the Forces could feel at ease when they were up against a mysterious Force with a True Immortal at the helm.
Even the most ancient Forces chose to retreat to their homeland. They sealed themselves off in their Small Universes and kept out of the affairs of the Upper Realm.
During this period of Dark Heavens emergence, many powerful people were found among its ranks, including many that were familiar faces to the Upper Realm, including the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being, leaders of merchant alliances, Immortal Forces, Hidden Celestial Clans, and more.
However, no one seemed to know the true identity of the master of Dark Heaven. No one had seen his real face before. All they knew was that countless Forces and ancient stars filled with life had been wiped from existence because of him.
He was an enigma and a ruthless individual. Countless hidden experts died because of him. Even the Forces who had already sealed themselves off from the world were still deeply fearful of being among those he targeted.
It was because the ancient ones from their Forces had also gone over to Resplendence Universe in search of the opportunity to ascend to Immortality, but alas, all of them came to their tragic deaths there.
This was a catastrophe for the entire Upper Realm. It had thrown the whole Upper Realm into chaos. In some way, the emergence of Dark Heaven had restored order to the Upper Realm.
Nevertheless, the previously flourishing Star Territories and universes were now showing signs of decline as the prominent Forces sealed themselves off, while some retreated to Small Universes. Even Buddhist Mountain had retreated into seclusion.
During this time, Sky Emperor Mountain, which had a rich and ancient legacy, had also been annihilated and wiped from existence. The ones who struck were a few hidden experts from the Immortal Gu Family, who brought Immortal Grade Artifacts with them. Naturally, the only hidden expert who stayed behind to guard Sky Emperor Mountain could not mount enough of a defense. Thus, everything crumbled apart in just a few days.
Many other Forces, including Endless Fire Kingdom, were quaking in fear too. They were the ones who had previously shown hostility towards the Immortal Gu Family. Many assumed that Sky Emperor Mountain had been wiped from existence because they had sent people to set up an ambush during Gu Changge and Yue Mingkongs wedding.
Calamity had struck the Upper Realm, but the Immortal Gu Family, Unrivalled Celestial Dynasty, and a few other Forces seemed to have made it out unscathed without having to make a move. Many sighed with envy, though some became suspicious.
Gu Changge had not been seen throughout this time. No one knew his movements. In the end, they could only speculate that he was cultivating in seclusion with the Immortal Gu Family in the hopes of advancing to a higher cultivation realm.
After all, the Upper Realms environment was undergoing tremendous changes. Perhaps it would be restored to what it had been during the ancient times in just a few hundred years.
However, some suspected that Gu Changge was connected to Dark Heaven in some way, including the hidden experts who escaped from the Resplendence Universe.
Nevertheless, they had no evidence to prove it, and even if they could prove something, what difference would it make?
There was never a shortage of quick-witted people in the world. Some of the ancient ones from the Immortal Forces had figured everything out based on the various clues they had gathered. As it was, Dark Heaven was sweeping through all the Forces of the Upper Realm, save for those who had connections with Gu Changge.
The situation was pretty obvious.
Gu Changge was the reincarnation of an Absolute Being from the Forbidden Epoch. Even the Demoness in Red, who nearly terrorised all of the Upper Realm, was once his disciple. Just how terrifying could his true identity be?
No one knew. No one had a clear guess. However, among the numerous Forces, some had long since formed their suspicions. They had a feeling that Gu Changge had to be related to the ruthless individual who plotted against the entire Upper Realm.
That being said, they chose to feign ignorance and refused to get involved in this. After all, if they did, the consequences would be too catastrophic. No one could bear to bring it upon themselves.
Even so, none of them could deduce how Gu Changge managed to do it.
Time continued to pass. It had been several decades since that major event in the Resplendence Universe. The Upper Realm had undergone great changes. Some of the Forces had revived and were even showing signs of flourishing.
That tragic event in the Resplendence Universe had been recorded in history. It was the darkest period in history for the Upper Realm, apart from the Forbidden Epoch. It had nearly wiped out the entire Upper Realm.
Decades went by just like that, and the Upper Realms environment slowly stabilised.
Dark Heaven was thriving even more than before. They had 108 Grand Divine Generals who were all True Daoists. They also had Star Kings, who ruled over various lands. These were signs of unification within the Upper Realm, with many Forces of the Upper Realm slowly aligning themselves with Dark Heaven.
Some of the Fortuitous Ones in several universes even declared themselves to be followers of the master of Dark Heaven, and that he had once blessed them in their youths, which allowed them to soar to the heights they were at now. They said they wanted to join Dark Heaven and serve its master too.
Such events happened fairly frequently. Some of the previously desolated and depleted universes were showing vibrant signs of life, birthing many remarkable individuals.
Destruction gave way to healing and then to the emergence of new vitality, followed by flourishment and finally prosperity. It was a shocking process.
In the past, there had been many powerful individuals of varying Physiques. Although many Star Territories were decimated due to the events in the Resplendence Universe, time had great power to heal and bring everything back to normalcy.
Now, many divine sprouts from the Classical, Primeval, and Legendary Eras had emerged and were blossoming like flowers in nature, dazzling like constellations in the skies.
Cultivators once believed that the opening of the Immortal Path would lead to the mightiest golden age in all of history. Who would have thought that it would be a tragic calamity instead?
Before what happened in the Resplendence Universe, many universes had been destroyed. Forces were turned into rivers of blood. Everyone was plunged into turmoil and nearly annihilated.
For those in this era, this was a relatively stable and extremely glorious age. The environment was changing and becoming perfectly suited for cultivation.
Although the various Forces suffered catastrophic losses in the aftermath of what happened in the Resplendence Universe, it also led to the restoration of the fragmented World Principles of the Upper Realm.
Many of the young prodigies were eager to give it their best. One had already reached the Sacred King Realm and amassed great power, to the shock of many Star Territories. This would have been unthinkable just over a decade ago.
That young prodigy who did it had kept an extremely low profile in the past. No one even knew his name, but now, after his breakthrough, everyone became well aware of him.
As it was, even the young prodigies of the same generation as Gu Changge several decades ago, such as the Phoenix Lady, were still stuck at the Sacred Lord Realm.
This young prodigy who kept such a low profile had shocked the world.
Its just the Sacred King Realm. Whats so surprising about that?
Im already at the Sacred King Realm too. Inside the picturesque Peach Village, a slender young woman with a cold aura wrinkled her nose and scoffed at the news.
Youve consumed so many of my pills over these years. Even a pig would have gained enlightenment by now. Whats there for you to be proud of? The man in white beside her chuckled and knocked her on the head.
Annoying! Dont think that you can tease me just because youve become an Immortal! Gu Xianer glared at Gu Changge as she muttered under her breath. She still felt a lot of resentment towards him.