Meeting Gan Long

For people like them, the Eight Prohibitions were legendary forbidden realms, a height that countless prodigies couldn't reach. Perhaps only one or two individuals, or even none, in an entire ancient life-land could enter the Eight Prohibitions.

The younger generation of the Eternal Star Domain became excited, shouting wildly. To be able to follow such a figure would be a great honor.

"The Eight Prohibitions, that's a realm so many people wish to reach. Even I am only below the Eight Prohibitions," the man sitting beside Xu Changqing said bitterly, glancing at Xu Changqing.

He found that Xu Changqing's expression remained calm, without even a ripple, as if he were accustomed to it.

In the Big Dipper Star Domain, there were several people with Eight Prohibitions strength, both openly and secretly.

As far as Xu Changqing knew, there was the Buddhist Son of Ximo, Bodhi Woman, and some special forces, like the Feathered Divine Son who also had a Holy Spirit.

Only he and that woman could enter the Divine Prohibition.

"Boom!"

A vast blade intent suddenly appeared on the battlefield, sweeping like a tornado. The sharp blade intent turned into a gale, making Gan Long tremble all over, his clothes tearing, and dense scars appearing on his body at a visible rate.

"You've lasted several thousand rounds, you're qualified to follow me." Lin Qianyu's eyes shone with divine light, her black hair tied in a ponytail dancing wildly, her black robe rustling in the blade intent.

She stood in mid-air, like a goddess of war, her eyes radiating divine light as she stared intently at Gan Long, whose face was gradually recovering.

Her Miao blade pointed at the crouching Gan Long. The sky darkened, and countless blade energies transformed into a giant dragon behind Lin Qianyu. The enormous dragon head stared intently at Gan Long, spewing endless blade intent.

Gan Long's expression was extremely grim, his face pale, but he still nodded, responding, "I keep my word."

A hundred years ago, he met the newly rising Xu Changqing and lost.

A hundred years later, in the Eternal Star Domain, he met Lin Qianyu and lost again.

It was as if he had a vendetta against experts of the Eight Prohibitions.

"Hoo~" Gan Long cast aside the thoughts in his mind, took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and muttered, "This is my strongest move. I used it against that man back then."

Xu Changqing watched Gan Long, who was gathering his strength, with interest. Back then, Gan Long had given him quite a bit of trouble with that move, even putting him at a disadvantage at one point. But that wasn't necessarily the case now.

Back then, he was only a Dragon Transformation Cultivator, not particularly powerful. But now, it was different.

"The Qiankun moves, the heavens and earth shatter, the fist is like Mount Tai, shaking myriad ravines, heavy as Xuanhuang."

Dao sounds erupted, and the heavenly sounds of the Great Dao shook the Starry Sky. Golden ripples emanated from Gan Long's mouth. His surroundings began to distort, and dense black holes appeared in space.

His fists radiated holy light, drawing the brilliance of the outer domain stars, as if immortal light was entering his fists.

Massive runes erupted from the crown of his head, finally coalescing into starlight that flowed into the black holes beside him, constructing a hazy great world.

A profound aura rippled outwards like ripples, and the moment the ripples struck, they isolated Lin Qianyu's blade intent.

"Boom!"

A pure energy surged to the sky, and his blood energy instantly retracted. Infinite profound laws all flowed into Gan Long's fists. His fists turned purplish-gold, like immortal gold, appearing incredibly hard.

Behind him, nine star systems appeared, stacked upon each other, moving with his fists.

"Kill!"

Gan Long roared and charged directly at Lin Qianyu in mid-air. His combat power seemed to have increased severalfold. With just one step, he instantly appeared before Lin Qianyu.

Then, his purplish-gold fist smashed out, and a universe behind him suppressed them with his movement.

For a time, the entire arena was filled with starlight, as if a real starry sky had been severed and refined within the arena.

With an unparalleled aura suppressing him, Lin Qianyu instantly felt as if she were carrying an ancient divine mountain, incredibly heavy.

Xu Changqing watched for a few moments and knew that Gan Long was about to lose again. There was no helping it; the Eight Prohibitions were just that monstrous.

"Clang... clang, bang..."

As expected, after Gan Long threw his nine punches, his entire spirit and energy declined. Lin Qianyu was also injured, her tiger's mouth split open, and her face was swollen.

However, half of Gan Long's face was cleaved open, one hand was chopped off, and three fatal, ferocious blade marks appeared on his chest.

A long Miao blade was pressed against his neck, and blood dripped from the tip of the blade instantly.

"You lost," Lin Qianyu said, looking at Gan Long with cold eyes. Her long blade trembled slightly.

Because Gan Long's iron fists were too terrifying, they had caused her physical body intense pain.

At this point, Gan Long also calmed down, accepting his defeat with equanimity, and said, "I lost. As agreed, I will follow you to conquer the starry sky."

Seeing Gan Long say this, Lin Qianyu put away her long blade, healed her injuries, turned around, and left Gan Long with a heroic back view, saying, "Keep up, I'll take you out."

Gan Long stood up from the ground, standing in the center of the arena, which was surrounded by countless people, facing Xu Changqing.

He looked at the person with white hair styled in a three-seven split and felt that the aura was definitely that of the person.

His Divine Body was the Qiankun Body. He had once fought Xu Changqing, and was extremely familiar with Xu Changqing's aura. Even if Xu Changqing's aura had changed or been restrained, that original aura of his would not change.

He faced Xu Changqing, opened his mouth, but did not speak. Although they were enemies in the past, he had no intention of harming Xu Changqing now by exposing him.

Seeing this, Xu Changqing also stood up and walked directly out of the passage.

Outside, in the desolate forest far from the city, Xu Changqing stood quietly in mid-air, his original appearance restored. His white hair cascaded over his shoulders, swaying gently in the breeze.

He could naturally sense that Gan Long no longer held any hostility towards him and had some things he wanted to say.

He also wanted to understand some things.

"It really is you, Ruthless!" Gan Long's face showed a complex expression upon seeing the incredibly familiar face.

"The once arrogant Holy Son of Qiankun Holy Land has now been reduced to a mere foil," Xu Changqing thought, recalling Gan Long's past ambition and comparing it to his present state.

It was like comparing the crown prince of a mortal dynasty to a learned scholar.

"Let the past be the past..." Gan Long said, then fell silent.

"What do you want to tell me?" Xu Changqing asked, looking at Gan Long, who was still bleeding, and glancing at the void from time to time.

He had known someone was following him for a long time, but he wasn't afraid.

"My son and I embarked on the Ancient Starry Sky Path back then. During a trial node, he and I were forced apart. I ended up in the Eternal Star Domain, but I don't know where he went. He should have gone to the Emperor's Path, or perhaps entered another star domain."

"These years in the Eternal Star Domain, I haven't taken them seriously. In the end, because of my physique, I was captured and became a sparring partner..."

Gan Long said bitterly, leaning against a large tree, holding a pot of wine, his eyes unfocused as he gazed at the starry sky, muttering to himself.

Perhaps it was seeing someone from his homeland who had become more talkative.

At this moment, he finally understood that saying: after leaving home, meeting an old acquaintance from the past is a happy event, whether they are an enemy or a mortal foe.

"Get to the point," Xu Changqing frowned. He hadn't come to reminisce with Gan Long; someone was watching them from the shadows.

"I know you're going to challenge the Emperor's Path, so I've come to give you a teleportation array plate to the trial path. This array plate is useless to me now." Gan Long's face showed self-mockery as he said this.

Since he was now following Lin Qianyu, coordinates were of little importance to him.

"Why?" Xu Changqing asked, confused. They were clearly enemies in the past, so why would he give him a teleportation array plate for the Ancient Trial Path?

Gan Long shook his head, not speaking. He took out a five-colored array plate, about a meter in size, from the Sea of Suffering and threw it to Xu Changqing, saying, "This was refined by an elder of my Holy Land."

"It can only be used once to travel."

"Why didn't you use it when you were here?" Xu Changqing asked.

At this, Gan Long's eyes filled with rage, and his voice was extremely low. "How could I use it? My entire cultivation was locked by special ropes. Only during a major battle could my cultivation be fully unlocked. The rest of the time, I was just a mortal without cultivation, used to have my blood drawn!"

If not for Lin Qianyu's vast influence and renowned reputation, those from the major powers might not have let him leave.

"Oh, right, in a while, there will be a great fortune in the Eternal Star Domain. I heard it's something left behind by Emperor Daoyan, but no one knows what it is. With your cultivation, you should be able to obtain it," Gan Long said.

He had his own reasons for being so good to Xu Changqing.

Because once they went to the Emperor's Path, the two of them would inevitably clash again. He only hoped that Xu Changqing would show mercy then.

This was a purely transactional relationship: he wanted to survive, and Xu Changqing wanted to become stronger.

Xu Changqing naturally understood. He turned and vanished from his spot in an instant, but his voice still echoed in the desolate forest: "You are very smart, but if we face each other, I will not show mercy."

"If you encounter me on the Emperor's Path, you can avoid me."