My little sect, which disappeared a thousand years ago, has become a sacred site!

Gu Changyuan was slightly swayed by the sudden hug, and then his heart was filled with endless tenderness.

He lowered his head and looked at his disciple, who was crying and trembling in his arms. A thousand years of loneliness and hardship seemed to be washed away by his hot tears at this moment.

He raised his left hand and gently patted Bai Ling'er's trembling back as she cried. The movement was gentle and familiar, just as he had done every time he had comforted her when she was wronged a thousand years ago.

His right hand stroked the top of her soft hair, gently combing it, his voice low and warm, carrying a comforting power:

"Alright, alright, Ling'er, don't cry. Your master is back, really back. You've all worked so hard these past years..."

His comforting words made Bai Ling'er cry even harder, but they also finally lifted the huge stone that had been hanging in her heart for thousands of years.

Master has really returned.

Not a dream.

it is true.

Dugu Shiling stared in disbelief at the scene before her, her mind completely blank.

What did she see? The high and mighty, god-like Third Ancestor of the Holy Land... threw himself into a man's arms... and wailed loudly?

She still calls that man "Master"?!

That mysterious senior who reached the top of the hundred steps... was... was the master of the Third Ancestor?!

Wouldn't that be... the founding patriarch of the holy land?!

The thought exploded in her mind like a thunderbolt, instantly chilling her to the bone, and filling her with an absurd and overwhelming shock.

Gu Xing'er tilted her head, looking at Bai Ling'er who was crying her eyes out, and then at Gu Changyuan who was gently comforting her. She seemed to understand, but also a little confused.

She reached out her small hand and gently tugged at Gu Changyuan's sleeve, asking softly:

"Daddy, why is this pretty girl crying? Is she hungry?"

Children's innocent words startled both Gu Changyuan and Bai Ling'er, who were immersed in the emotions of their reunion.

Bai Ling'er lifted her head from Gu Changyuan's embrace, looking at Gu Xing'er through teary eyes, then at the shocked Dugu Shiling, before realizing that there were outsiders present. Two blushes immediately appeared on her face.

She quickly let go of Gu Changyuan, frantically wiping away her tears, trying to regain her usual dignified image, but her red eyes and nose only made her efforts seem particularly endearing.

Bai Ling'er sniffed her slightly red nose, shifting her gaze from Gu Changyuan to the little girl behind him who was clutching his clothes and looking at her with clear, curious, starry eyes.

She hadn't paid much attention because she was too excited, but now she could hear clearly that the little girl seemed to be calling her master "Dad"?

An indescribable feeling, tinged with bitterness and tension, quietly crept into my heart.

Master has been gone for a thousand years... Could it be that he has found a Daoist partner outside, or even had a child?

She bit her lower lip, trying to make her voice sound natural, but she couldn't help but let out a barely perceptible hint of sourness and probing:

"Master, is this... your daughter? You... have a Daoist partner?"

After asking the question, she stared at Gu Changyuan expectantly, her heart pounding in her chest.

Gu Changyuan gently pulled Gu Xing'er, who was hiding behind him, to the front and introduced her to Bai Ling'er in a soft voice:

"No. Her name is Gu Xing'er. I met her in Fengling City... well, it was by chance."

He gave a general account of Gu Xing'er's situation. Upon hearing that her master had no Daoist partner, Bai Ling'er felt a huge weight lifted from her heart.

Her tense expression visibly relaxed, and even a hint of ease and joy, which she herself was unaware of, flashed in her eyes.

When he looked at Gu Xing'er again, his eyes had become incredibly gentle, even carrying a hint of sympathy and affection.

"I see... Sister Xing'er has really suffered."

She crouched down to meet Gu Xing'er's gaze, her voice soft.

"From now on, this will be your home. If you need anything, you can ask Sister Ling'er."

Although Gu Xing'er was naive, she was keenly aware of kindness.

She looked at the beautiful and gentle older sister in front of her. Although she had been crying quite a bit, she nodded and whispered:

"Sister Ling'er."

"Why!"

Bai Ling'er responded with exceptional clarity, a bright smile blooming on her face, as if her earlier outburst and tears had never occurred.

She took out a jade pendant from her storage ring, which radiated a warm glow and was engraved with calming runes, and carefully hung it around Xing'er's neck.

"This is for Xing'er; it's good for her health if she wears it."

Behind her, Dugu Shiling, who had been "watching the show" the whole time, couldn't help but feel a strong sense of sympathy for Gu Xing'er as she listened to Gu Changyuan's story.

The pain of his entire family's annihilation, the damage to his soul, and the fact that he possessed an unparalleled divine body yet remained ignorant and unaware...

Even though such things are not uncommon in the dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, it is still heartbreaking when they happen to such a young child.

Moreover, it was just mentioned that Gu Xing'er is a "Chaotic Star Spirit"!

She had seen fragments of descriptions in ancient books, describing it as one of the supreme holy bodies in ancient legends, which was in harmony with chaos and the Great Dao of the stars, and whose potential was limitless.

Although his own "Mysterious Ice Jade Bone Body" was also a rare find, compared to this, it was like a firefly compared to the bright moon.

As for the Heavenly Cloud Sect? Dugu Shiling didn't take it seriously at all.

With the power of her Dugu family alone, she could easily crush the Tianxiao Sect into dust by sending out a few Transcending Tribulation Realm cultivators.

However, now that Gu Xing'er has the support of the Celestial Holy Land, there is no need for the Dugu family to take action. The Heavenly Firmament Sect dares not touch anyone from the Holy Land.

If the Holy Land is willing, a Taiyin Elder leading a team would be enough to completely wipe the Tianxiao Sect out of the Southern Continent and Northern Region.

"Oh, right."

Gu Changyuan steered the conversation back on track and looked at Bai Ling'er.

"Where are Qingxue and the others? Why did I only see you come over?"

Through the disciple status information synchronized by the system, he could confirm that his thirty founding disciples were all safe and sound, and that their cultivation was profound.

They are not in the holy place at this moment, presumably because they each have important matters to attend to.

Now that he's back, helping them with these trivial matters is just a matter of lifting a finger.

Bai Ling'er gathered her thoughts and began to report to Gu Changyuan:

"The eldest sister and the fourth sister went to the outer realm above the northern region of the Northern Continent."

A while ago, news came from over there that they had discovered spiritual energy fluctuations resembling those you left behind back then, so Senior Sister personally led Junior Sister Yue Lingxi there.

Gu Changyuan nodded slightly.

The eldest disciple, Ye Qingxue, possesses the Supreme Sword Body of the Void and a clear sword heart, capable of turning anything into a sword. She is the most composed and responsible of all the disciples.

The fourth disciple, Yue Lingxi, possesses the Xuan Tian Tai Yin Soul Body, with vast and pure divine soul power. She excels in exploration, deduction, and divine soul secret techniques. The two of them are indeed the most suitable combination to go to that kind of place together.