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

In the center of the hall, there is a large, heavy, and antique long table, warm to the touch and exuding a faint spiritual charm.

Cloud patterns naturally formed on the desktop, with faint traces of demon totems.

Gu Changyuan naturally walked to the head seat of the long table and sat down.

That spot had remained vacant for thousands of years, yet it was always spotless, and now it finally welcomed its owner.

Seeing this, the other disciples, without needing any further arrangements, tacitly took their seats on either side of the long table.

Once everyone was seated, Gu Changyuan casually waved his right hand.

"call--"

On the tabletop, a dazzling light flowed and spiritual energy overflowed!

Dozens of crystal-clear jade plates, pots, and cups appeared out of thin air and were neatly placed in front of each disciple.

The jade plate was filled with spiritual fruits of various shapes, and the jade pot contained various spiritual juices and wines, all arranged in front of each disciple.

As soon as everyone sat down, Gu Xing'er, who was next to Bai Ling'er, turned her eyes and, taking advantage of Bai Ling'er's unpreparedness, suddenly jumped up from her seat.

Barefoot, she ran to Gu Changyuan, her little feet clicking on the cool jade bricks.

Amidst the astonished gazes of the crowd, Gu Xing'er ran to Gu Changyuan's side and gently tugged at the hem of his clothes with her small hand.

Gu Changyuan lowered his head, a smile in his eyes.

The little girl tilted her head back and opened her short arms to him.

Gu Changyuan understood, bent down and reached out to scoop her up, then let her sit steadily and comfortably on his crossed left leg.

He even adjusted her position so she could lean against him, her little feet dangling in the air.

Having done all this, Gu Xing'er felt as if she had accomplished something great, and leaned comfortably against Gu Changyuan's chest.

She rubbed her little face against the table, then looked curiously at the glittering spiritual fruits on the table.

Quiet.

There was a moment of silence in the entire hall.

Apart from Bai Ling'er, who already knew and was used to it, all the other disciples—whether they were Ye Qingxue, Yue Lingxi, and others who were traveling with them, or Tu Shan Youyao, who had just met them—were all stunned for a moment.

All eyes were focused on the exquisitely beautiful little girl in Gu Changyuan's arms, who looked incredibly affectionate towards him.

Shock! Puzzling! The fire of gossip is burning fiercely!

Who is this child?! What is their relationship with Master?!

Sitting on her master's lap? And her master is holding her so naturally?

Are they Master's children? Do they already have a Master's wife?

Although Ye Qingxue, Yue Lingxi, and Luo Qingchen traveled together, Gu Xing'er had mostly been carried or led by Bai Ling'er before, and rarely had such direct and intimate interaction with Gu Changyuan.

So they didn't pay much attention and spent the whole journey catching up with their master.

The same applies to Lu Jiuyi and the others.

Seeing this scene now, I was surprised to realize that their relationship seemed to be much closer than they had imagined.

Feeling the inquisitive and shocked gazes of his disciples, Gu Changyuan shook his head helplessly.

His left arm remained firmly around Gu Xing'er, while his right hand rose up and gently rubbed the little girl's soft hair.

Then she introduced Gu Xing'er's background to her disciples and answered their questions.

When the words "Chaotic Star Spirit Body" were uttered, a hint of surprise flashed in the eyes of the disciples, but they were not overly moved.

After all, those who could become Gu Changyuan's disciples were all exceptionally talented.

Human disciples all possess top-tier physiques, while demon disciples are all endowed with extraordinary talents, and we have long been accustomed to seeing such exceptional abilities.

The talent assessment of the demon race is completely different from that of the human race, relying entirely on three factors: bloodline rank, demon core rank, and innate supernatural abilities.

Both bloodlines and demon cores are divided into nine ranks: the lower three ranks are Mortal, Spirit, and Profound; the middle three ranks are King, Emperor, and Sovereign; and the upper three ranks are Saint, God, and Chaos.

However, this Nine Heavens Realm seems to exert an invisible suppression on the demon race, or perhaps the rules of heaven and earth cannot bear it, so the highest level of bloodline and demon core can only be nurtured to the Saint rank.

The divine and chaotic ranks have never appeared in the world. Unlike humans, their physiques can intuitively awaken divine or chaotic bodies.

Even so, a Saint-level bloodline or a Saint-level demon core is already extremely rare among the demon races of the entire Nine Heavens Realm. To possess both is to be an exceptionally gifted demon, one in ten thousand.

The reason why Gu Changyuan's ten demon disciples were able to become demon ancestors was because they possessed at least one of the following: bloodline or demon core, which had reached the "Saint Rank".

Many even possess both a sacred core and sacred blood.

As for innate supernatural powers, their strength is closely related to the rank of one's bloodline and demon core.

The awakening of supernatural powers is further divided into initial awakening, minor achievement, major achievement, perfection, and ultimate attainment.

The higher the awakening level, the stronger the power of the supernatural abilities. This is the most fundamental aspect that the demon race needs to hone on their path of cultivation.

Therefore, after their initial surprise, the disciples quickly accepted Gu Xing'er's "Chaotic Star Spirit Body".

With the misunderstanding about Gu Xing'er cleared up, the atmosphere in the hall became relaxed and harmonious again.

In particular, the five disciples who stayed behind at the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, including Tu Shan Youyao and Lan Caiyou, were filled with curiosity about their master's specific experiences over the past thousand years.

So Gu Changyuan recounted his ordeal to them once again.

The festivities continued until night fell again on the second day, when the sky turned a faint inky black.

......

After catching up, Gu Changyuan, just like the Heavenly Human Holy Land, summoned all the elders of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion.

He told Ye Qingxue, Bai Ling'er, Yue Lingxi, and Gu Xing'er to stay in the top-floor residence to rest.

He then led ten demon disciples to the third level of the Heavenly Demon Tower—the council hall of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion elders.

As streams of light flew out from the ten pavilions or other levels of the Heavenly Demon Tower and converged on the entrance to the third level of the Heavenly Demon Tower, the atmosphere of the entire Heavenly Demon Pavilion once again became solemn and dignified.

One by one, powerful demon elders of various forms stepped into this hall, which was usually only used for important decisions.

The council hall was extremely grand, with ancient demon totems carved on the surrounding walls.

On both sides of the hall, hundreds of jade seats, each exuding a faint aura of authority, were arranged according to the elders' rank.

At the far end of the hall, on a high platform directly opposite the entrance, stands a main seat with an antique style and all black color.

This seat has never been occupied by any demon in the past thousand years. Even when the ten demon ancestors held meetings, they usually sat at the head of the table on both sides below the high platform.

However, at this moment, all the elders who stepped into the hall were immediately and involuntarily drawn to the main seat.

On the throne that had been empty for a thousand years, sat a young-looking man with a profound and unfathomable air.

Despite having suspected it beforehand, witnessing this scene still stirred considerable emotions in many elders.

The founder of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion, who had been missing for a thousand years, has now truly returned.