Chapter 182: Discovering My Father’s Whereabouts

Gu Qingyi frowned, his gaze fixed on the mosquito caught in Dahuang’s paw. He shot Dahuang, who was clearly guilty, a suspicious look.

“Hmm? Dahuang, are you sure you’re telling the truth? You’d better not be lying to me.”

“Yes yes, Master! I swear to the heavens, I’m not lying—not even a bit. If I’m lying, may I stay a dog for life!”

“Alright, I’ll trust you this time. But if I catch you plotting anything else, you’ll regret ever coming into this world.”

“Absolutely, Master! You have nothing to worry about, I’m loyal—if you tell me to go east, I’ll never turn west!”

“Get lost!” Gu Qingyi said, then tossed Dahuang aside like he was nothing.

“Woof! Thanks, Master!”

As Dahuang tumbled toward the ground, he twisted in midair and landed smoothly. He wagged his tail as hard as he could, trying to please Gu Qingyi.

Gu Qingyi ignored Dahuang’s pandering and pushed himself up from the rocking chair. He walked outside.

He stood with his hands behind his back, looking out at the breathtaking scenery ahead, but he couldn’t feel any joy. A trace of worry flickered in his eyes.

He’d been in the Upper Realm for three years now without finding a single clue about his father, Gu Ran.

Meanwhile, his mother, Shen Yue, remained tight-lipped, sharing nothing at all. Gu Qingyi was left without a starting point.

Thinking of this, Gu Qingyi let out a sigh, gazed into the distance, and clenched his fists tight.

He’d made up his mind to sound his mother out again, hoping to finally learn something about his father.

“Dahuang, let’s go.” Gu Qingyi called to Dahuang, who was busy digging holes behind him.

“Huh?” Dahuang blinked, puzzled. “Master, where are we going?”

“Quit the chatter!” With a casual gesture, Gu Qingyi drew Dahuang over to him.

Before Dahuang could process what was happening, a sharp whoosh sounded—and they’d already shot off over a hundred thousand miles.

Ruins of Sky Sword City in the Lower Realm.

On Sky Sword Mountain, inside the Gu Residence, two graceful figures were busy dressing up.

A beautiful middle-aged woman was helping a stunning young lady with her hair.

These two were Gu Qingxiao and Shen Yue.

“Mother, are you sure this looks good?” Gu Qingxiao reached up to touch the back of her head.

“Oh, Qingxiao. Are you doubting your mother’s taste? Trust me, this will look just right.” Shen Yue fixed a butterfly hairpin into Gu Qingxiao’s hair.

Suddenly, Shen Yue let out a sigh. “Qingxiao, your brother is really something. All these years and he still hasn’t settled down.”

“Lian’er seems to really like him—I always thought they’d have tied the knot by now, but here we are, still waiting. I’m going to turn old and gray at this rate!”

Gu Qingxiao paused, then smiled. “Mother, have you ever thought maybe it’s not that my brother doesn’t want it, but that Sister Lian’er is the one holding back?”

“You silly girl.” Shen Yue gave Gu Qingxiao a gentle tap on the back of her head.

Suddenly, the air in the courtyard above the Gu Residence shifted.

A terrifying aura descended, silent and overwhelming.

Gu Qingxiao, Shen Yue, and the servants all felt a chill run down their spines. Danger loomed.

They dropped everything and rushed out to the courtyard, eyes locked on the strange figure now hovering in the sky.

“Who are you? Why hide in the shadows? Afraid to show yourself?” Gu Qingxiao planted one hand on her hip, the other pointing up at the sky.

The yellow dog in the sky poked its head out, confused by the commotion.

“Master, is this your old home? And are the people down there your family?”

“Mmm…” Gu Qingyi shot Dahuang a serious look. “Remember, say only what needs to be said. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Dahuang nodded eagerly. “Relax, Master, I get it!”

Gu Qingyi couldn’t be bothered to respond and just let out a loud laugh. “Hahaha! It’s been so long, Mother, Sister—have you forgotten what I look like?”

Gu Qingxiao and Shen Yue froze for a second, then realized who it was and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Really, Brother! You come home and all you want to do is scare us!” Gu Qingxiao puffed up her cheeks at Gu Qingyi.

Shen Yue’s face lit up with joy. “That’s right, Qingyi. Why didn’t you give us a little warning before dropping by?”

Gu Qingyi drifted to the ground and went straight over to both of them, giving them a gentle hug.

“Mother, Qingxiao, I’m here today for something important. Let’s talk inside.” He glanced at the servants nearby.

“Alright.” Shen Yue waved the servants away after glancing at them. “You all may go now.”

“Yes, Madam.” The servants exchanged glances, then bowed and saluted. “Miss, Young Master, we’ll take our leave.”

With that, the servants quietly left the courtyard.

Gu Qingyi paused for a moment before speaking. “Mother, Qingxiao, let’s go.”

Just then Dahuang popped up in front of Gu Qingxiao and Shen Yue. Startled, both of them recoiled at the sight of this furry creature.

“What is this thing? I’ve never seen anything so hairy.” Gu Qingxiao asked, puzzled.

“Qingyi, did you bring this with you?” Shen Yue frowned at Dahuang.

“Woof woof woof!” Dahuang panted with his tongue out, wagging his tail so fast it blurred.

Gu Qingyi chuckled. “You mean Dahuang? He’s a dog I picked up recently. His name suits him, don’t you think?”

“Dahuang, huh? The name matches those golden fur of his. He’s kinda cute.” Gu Qingxiao picked Dahuang up for a cuddle.

“Woof woof!” Dahuang licked Gu Qingxiao’s cheek enthusiastically.

Shen Yue still looked troubled as she glanced at Gu Qingyi. “Qingyi, weren’t you staying at Divine Sword Mountain? What brings you here today?”

Gu Qingyi looked up at the sky, letting out a deep sigh. “Mother, to be honest, I came looking for news about Father…”

“So the day has finally come… Alright, come inside with me.” Shen Yue sighed again.

She turned and opened the door to a wooden cabin beside them. The door creaked open.

Shen Yue took a deep breath and stepped in, but after just one step, she stopped and looked back.

“Don’t just stand there. Come in—the time has come for you to know.”

“Oh…” Gu Qingxiao gently set Dahuang down.

“Let’s go.” Gu Qingyi looked back at Gu Qingxiao and Dahuang.

“Woof!” Dahuang barked in response.

The siblings, along with Dahuang, followed Shen Yue into the cabin.

The place was simple: a single table, four chairs, and an old oil lamp on the tabletop.

“Have a seat.” Shen Yue lit the oil lamp.

“Okay,” the siblings answered in unison.

“Woof woof!” Dahuang chimed in.

Obediently, the siblings and Dahuang all sat down.

Shen Yue looked at the two of them—and Dahuang—and sighed again before beginning to reveal the truth:

“Thousands of years ago, our Gu family was the top clan in the entire Upper Realm. But an incident caused a chunk of the Upper Sword Qi Continent to fall away…”

“That exposed the continent to the Alien Race out in the Cosmic Void. They kept harassing us ever since.”

“The only way to end this is to restore the Lower Sword Qi Continent to its rightful place. But for some reason, the Will of Heaven in the Lower Realm was tainted by an evil force.”

“The Will of Heaven became self-aware. The only way for the Lower Sword Qi Continent to rise again is to destroy the Will of Heaven—and then ascend.”

“One day, somehow, the Alien Race found out that you, Qingyi, were the one destined to break the cycle. They’ve been trying to stop this twist of fate ever since—sending powerful assassins to erase you before you could change the world.”

“Luckily, your father Gu Ran and the whole clan fought back, decimating wave after wave of invaders. But as the attacks kept coming, even they struggled to hold on.”

“Your father did everything he could to keep you and Qingxiao safe. He told me to take you to the Lower Realm and hide. He stayed behind, but the Alien Race captured him.”

“Now he’s trapped in the Blackwater Prison out in the Cosmic Void. Ever since I returned to the Upper Realm, I’ve been planning to rescue him myself.”

“But there are two Demonic Emperors guarding that prison—one at the lower emperor rank. I tried many times, but I always failed…”

“I won’t hide the truth anymore. I used to be a lower Peerless Sword God, but those two demons wounded me badly.”

“Not only am I gravely hurt, but my cultivation dropped all the way to ordinary Sword God. Thankfully, I’ve almost recovered after this time resting.”

【The hierarchy among the Alien Race: First Rank Alien Soldier, Second Rank Alien Trooper, Third Rank Alien Warrior, Fourth Rank Alien General, Fifth Rank Alien King, Sixth Rank Alien Emperor—each has nine divisions.】

【Seventh Rank Alien Saint, Eighth Rank Alien Emperor, Ninth Rank Alien Immortal, and Tenth Rank Alien God—each is split into lower, middle, and upper tiers.】

Shen Yue sighed. “That’s how everything happened…”

Gu Qingyi’s anger flared at hearing her words—some details were different from what Li Xun and that thing inside the Golden Gate had told him.

But the gist was the same, and what stung even more was that those wretched Alien Race bastards had imprisoned his father—and now even injured his mother.