If Gu Changqing's earlier words had merely been an offhand remark,
then this latest remark was an undisguised jab at the King Father of the East.
Earlier, he had made all manner of grand declarations about how glorious Purple Mansion Continent would become, and how all living beings would revere it.
Yet now, Gu Changqing was talking about doom beyond redemption.
How could the King Father of the East not be furious?
"Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal, as a Jie Sect Disciple, you ought to cultivate the way of the Interception Sect."
"What business is our founding a Dao lineage of yours?"
The King Father of the East could not help questioning Gu Changqing.
Hearing this, Gu Changqing gave a thoroughly drunken smile and replied carelessly:
"Heh, whatever you choose to do naturally has nothing to do with me!"
"But today, it was only by taking this Immortal Divine Spring Water that I brewed such fine wine."
"I cannot leave Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West's kindness unrequited..."
At these words, the King Father of the East's brows furrowed deeply.
To him, Gu Changqing's answer was an ox's head fitted to a horse's mouth-utterly irrelevant nonsense.
The Queen Mother of the West, however, was visibly shaken.
"What do you mean, Fellow Daoist Changqing? Would you please explain it clearly to me?"
The Queen Mother of the West asked in a grave tone.
By then, however, Gu Changqing had already risen, seemingly ready to leave.
Seeing this, Ji Ren hurried after him.
All Gu Changqing left the Queen Mother of the West was the sight of his swaying back.
Only a moment later did his voice drift back.
"Haha, I meant nothing in particular."
"It's just that the world is restless now, with the shamans and demons vying for supremacy, fighting to the death without end."
"Only by wisely preserving yourself can you roam free for all eternity..."
As his words faded, Gu Changqing vanished completely from the pair's sight.
The King Father of the East was beside himself with fury, yet could do nothing.
Tongtian's words from back then were still fresh in everyone's memory.
He would never dare attack Gu Changqing.
Beside him, the Queen Mother of the West looked thoughtful.
After a long while, her expression shifted, as though she had reached a decision.
Then, looking directly at the King Father of the East, the Queen Mother of the West said solemnly:
"Fellow Daoist King Father of the East, I have made my decision!"
"I have no wish to participate in founding this Dao lineage."
"Please return home, fellow Daoist!"
In the end, the Queen Mother of the West chose to refuse the King Father of the East and stay out of his so-called Purple Mansion Continent.
Or rather, she chose to trust Gu Changqing.
From Gu Changqing's simple phrase, "wisely preserving yourself," the Queen Mother of the West had sensed an immense danger.
If she agreed to the King Father of the East's proposal and took charge of Purple Mansion Continent, she might fall into ruin beyond redemption, with regret coming far too late.
Hearing this reply, the King Father of the East choked with anger.
"You..."
However, they were both mighty cultivators of the same generation.
Since the Queen Mother of the West had made up her mind, the King Father of the East could do nothing.
"Hmph! In that case, there is nothing wrong with my ruling Purple Mansion Continent alone!"
Leaving those words behind, the King Father of the East turned and departed, burning with rage.
West Kunlun returned once more to its age-old peace and tranquility.
Meanwhile, Gu Changqing and Ji Ren continued on their way.
After leaving West Kunlun, the pair headed back toward Golden Ao Island.
That day, utterly exhausted, Ji Ren looked at Gu Changqing with a miserable expression.
"Master, I'm so hungry!"
"Could we find something to eat and replenish our strength before continuing?"
Ultimately, Ji Ren was only a human with no cultivation whatsoever, and had not yet freed himself from the need to eat.
But at his words, Gu Changqing's brows shot up.
"What? Something to eat?"
"What do you need food for? Didn't I give you over a hundred jars of fine wine?"
"When your strength runs low, drink wine."
Those words left Ji Ren dumbfounded.
Drink wine when I'm hungry?
Isn't that a little too outrageous?
Even drinking wine when I'm thirsty would make more sense.
Ji Ren's expression grew even more miserable.
Is Master trying to starve me to death?
While he agonized over this, Gu Changqing seemed to see what was on his mind.
"Heh, you can't do it?"
"In that case, you and I are not destined to be master and disciple."
"Go find your food, then. Stop following me."
Before his words had faded, boundless mystic light sprang up beneath Gu Changqing's feet, and with a thought, he swept hundreds of miles away.
Seeing this, Ji Ren panicked.
After all that trouble finding a powerful backer, I'm losing him just like that?
How could I let that happen?!
"Master, I'll drink! I'll drink!"
Ji Ren hurriedly shouted.
Then, steeling himself, he pulled out a jar of fine wine and gulped down several great mouthfuls.
At once, Ji Ren grew dazed as drunkenness surged through him.
But the next moment, he suddenly felt a gentle power flowing ceaselessly through his body as the wine reached his stomach.
Not only did his hunger, thirst, and exhaustion fade, they vanished without a trace.
Waves of impure energy burst from his body and dissolved into nothingness.
Every inch of his flesh grew increasingly spotless, profoundly mysterious and wondrous beyond description.
Even his vital essence surged more vigorously.
His entire body was suddenly filled with boundless strength.
Ji Ren was astonished and delighted.
Then he took a step forward-and actually covered several dozen meters.
"Hiss..."
Ji Ren drew in a sharp breath. In those few brief moments, his body seemed to have undergone an earth-shaking transformation.
Immediately afterward, he realized something.
"It's the wine?!"
"This wine can actually transform my body!"
Understanding dawned on Ji Ren. This was Gu Changqing's painstaking care for him.
He was helping Ji Ren free himself from the need to eat, while using fine wine to cleanse his body and elevate his fundamental essence.
It was the equivalent of consuming all manner of Immortal Elixirs and wondrous medicines.
"Haha, thank you, Master!"
"Master, wait for me!"
Now that Ji Ren understood everything, he could not help being overjoyed.
Shouting as he went, he hurried after Gu Changqing's trail.
The same thing happened throughout the rest of their journey.
Whenever Ji Ren felt his strength run out, he drank a few mouthfuls of fine wine without hesitation.
Then, restored to full strength on the spot, he continued chasing after Gu Changqing at an even greater speed.
Traveling and drinking all the way, the pair gradually approached Golden Ao Island beyond the East Sea.
The Primordial World seemed utterly peaceful, without so much as a ripple.
But that day, its peace was shattered.
A voice carried by the Great Dao suddenly rang out from Penglai Island, shaking heaven and earth.
"I, the King Father of the East, hereby establish Purple Mansion Continent to rule over the immortals of this world!"
"All cultivators of the Primordial World may come pay homage, receive the protection of my Purple Mansion Continent, and cultivate the supreme Great Dao together."
These were none other than the King Father of the East's words.
Just as he had said earlier, even without the Queen Mother of the West joining him, he had forcefully established Purple Mansion Continent.
After all, the King Father of the East possessed immense ambition, bolstered by his title as "Leader of the Male Immortals."
That was why he dared make such an imperious proclamation to all living beings, commanding the cultivators between heaven and earth to pay him homage.
For a time, all living beings turned their attention toward him, their expressions varying.
But Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, within the Demon Court,
the King Father of the East's words caused an uproar.
Di Jun, Taiyi, and the others, whose expressions had been composed and whose majestic presence had filled the court, abruptly rose to their feet.
Then they looked toward Penglai Island with darkened eyes.
"King Father of the East, what audacity!"
"You think you're worthy of contending for dominion over heaven and earth?"
Before you continue