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

Gu Changyuan had safely returned to his room on the top floor of the Heavenly Demon Tower and casually put Little White back into its little basket.

Even through the layers of towers and the barriers of space, he could still hear the screams of terror and pleading coming from the direction of the First Pavilion, belonging to Tu Shan Han Yan.

Hearing the faint sounds, Gu Changyuan felt no remorse whatsoever. Instead, he revealed a slightly mischievous, satisfied, and even smug smile.

Little Yan, you'd better thank your grandmaster properly later.

He meditated in his heart.

This is the first social practice lesson your grandmaster has given you.

Even the people who are closest to you and love you the most on ordinary days may betray you without hesitation at certain times, making you deeply realize the wickedness of the world and the unpredictability of human nature.

In Gu Changyuan's view, although Tu Shan Hanyan experienced exclusion from her clansmen because of her hair and tail color when she was young, her mind was not fully mature at that time.

After being taken back to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion by Tu Shan Youyao, she was protected too well and had a smooth journey, lacking real experience of setbacks and understanding of the complexities of human nature.

This is not entirely a good thing for a disciple who may one day hold power in a region or even inherit part of the Heavenly Demon Pavilion's authority.

That's why he went to great lengths, even at the cost of ruining his own noble image, to give her a profound lesson.

The thought that he had "sacrificed" the tall, kind, and perfect image of his master that he had painstakingly built in the minds of his grand-disciple in order to teach him was unbearable.

Gu Changyuan instantly felt that he had sacrificed so much for the growth of the younger generation! How great!

As he thought about it, he couldn't help but laugh out loud again.

......

Time quietly slipped into the dead of night.

Gu Changyuan was sitting quietly on the top floor of the Heavenly Demon Tower, holding Xiaobai in his arms, gently stroking Xiaobai's soft fur with his fingertips, when he suddenly noticed a light figure quietly flying out from the third pavilion, with an extremely familiar aura—it was Luo Qingchen.

He made no sound, his divine sense gently enveloping the figure, his gaze following her as she left the ten inner pavilions and passed through the middle area.

They finally arrived at the dense forest outside the Heavenly Demon Pavilion and stopped under a towering ancient tree.

The tree has a thick trunk, silvery-gray bark, an extremely broad crown, and lush foliage. However, the leaves are not ordinary green leaves, but rather a peculiar type of leaf that shimmers with a faint golden light under the moonlight.

When Gu Changyuan's gaze fell on the tree, a slight thought stirred in his heart.

This is it...

If we say that Tu Shan Youyao and Lu Jiuyi's disciples were people he actively sought out and "picked up" from their predicaments.

Luo Qingchen was a disciple who truly "delivered himself" to the door.

A thousand years ago, the Heavenly Demon Pavilion was founded on the foundation of the Heavenly Demon Tower. At that time, the Heavenly Demon Mountain Range was only considered to be of average or below average in the demon realm, with nothing particularly outstanding, and most of the demons that lived there were of ordinary strength.

It was Gu Changyuan who used the ancient spiritual veins given by the system to reshape the spiritual energy pattern of the Tianyao Mountain Range, which is why the Tianyao Mountain Range has its current scale.

Shortly after settling Tu Shan Youyao and Lu Jiuyi, whom he had initially taken in, Gu Changyuan received another notification from the system, which identified a new target who met the requirements for taking in disciples.

Coincidentally, the target was being hunted at the time, and his escape route happened to enter the outer area that the Heavenly Demon Pavilion had just designated.

Following the directions, Gu Changyuan finally found his target under the ancient tree that already possessed some spirituality.

A young silver-haired girl, severely injured and barely breathing, yet still struggling to stand up.

Her body was covered in wounds, her wings were broken, and her clear eyes were filled with terror, pain, and defiance.

The ones chasing her were several greedy demon cultivators who wanted to capture her rare bloodline.

Gu Changyuan easily dealt with the demon cultivators, and then bandaged the little girl's wounds and fed her medicine under the tree.

The other party was initially wary, but perhaps sensing that Gu Changyuan meant no harm, or perhaps due to severe injuries that rendered them unable to resist, they eventually calmed down and allowed Gu Changyuan to provide treatment.

This ancient tree witnessed their first encounter and became an important landmark in Luo Qingchen's memory.

It's clear that Luo Qingchen has developed a special affection for this tree over the years.

The giant tree has grown so lush and magnificent not only because the spiritual energy here is becoming increasingly abundant, but also because of Luo Qingchen's frequent care and spiritual nourishment.

At this moment, Luo Qingchen landed lightly on a thick, flat horizontal branch of an ancient tree, several feet above the ground.

She didn't use her spiritual power to maintain her balance; she simply sat down casually on the edge of the branch, letting her feet dangle in the air and sway gently in the cool night breeze.

She raised her head, her clear golden eyes gazing quietly at the bright, full moon hanging high in the night sky.

She pursed her lips slightly, a faint, unyielding sorrow shrouding her brows, as if she were troubled by something, or perhaps simply savoring some indescribable emotion alone.

Gu Changyuan appeared silently beside Luo Qingchen and sat down on the same thick branch, his movements as natural as if he were meant to be there.

"Is something on your mind, Qingchen?"

Gu Changyuan's gentle voice broke the tranquility of the moonlit night and interrupted Luo Qingchen's thoughts.

You seem a bit... downcast.

The sudden appearance of her master caused Luo Qingchen's delicate body to tremble slightly, clearly taken aback.

She turned her head and saw Gu Changyuan. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, then she pouted with a hint of helplessness and coquettishness, and complained softly:

"Master... can't you give your little disciple some private space?"

The tone sounded like a complaint, yet it also conveyed a sense of intimacy.

Looking at her like this, Gu Changyuan smiled indulgently and teased her:

"What's wrong? It hasn't been long, and you're already starting to dislike your teacher, thinking I'm in your way?"

"No way!"

Upon hearing his words, Luo Qingchen couldn't help but smile, and her previous little complaint vanished.

Her swaying feet moved more dramatically, and the worry on her face seemed to fade a little.

"Then tell Master, what happened? Is your cultivation not going well? Or do you have any thoughts about the affairs of the pavilion?"

Gu Changyuan gently guided her, his gaze fixed on her tenderly.

Luo Qingchen remained silent for a moment, then turned her gaze back to the bright moon, as if the moonlight could give her courage.

She slowly raised her right hand, her slender fingers reaching towards the moon, as if trying to touch that unattainable radiance, but in the end, it fell limply to the ground.

"Master..."

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of barely perceptible confusion and self-doubt.

"Don't you think... I'm kind of useless?"