At this moment, everyone suddenly turned their gaze to Gu Youwei.

Everyone knew that this peerlessly beautiful and icy woman, relying on a single Immortal Root and an ancient legacy, had swept through the heavens and reached her current achievements.

Even more so, because the Immortal Root within her body was coveted by the Heavenly Emperor, a fight over it had caused the two to fall into enmity!

But now, that old man actually said that Gu Youwei had no Immortal Root!!!

Then where did the Immortal Root that now belongs to Gu Youwei come from!!

At this moment, everyone seemed to have a sudden realization in their hearts. They seemed to have guessed something.

But the result of that speculation was astonishing!

They could not believe it!!

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!!”

Clearly at this moment, she also seemed to understand something. The obscure and confusing parts of the Heavenly Emperor’s past were gradually unraveling in her mind.

If they both had an Immortal Root, why could Gu Changqing, upon first touching the Qi Refining Technique, advance twelve Qi Refining layers in a single day, while she, even after an entire year, could not even cross the initial threshold?

The Immortal Root was a supreme divine artifact—so why did the Immortal Root in her body still fail to awaken even after she had not only faced death but actually died?

Gu Changqing single-handedly slew the Saint King, yet his Immortal Root remained—so why did his dao foundation shatter and his Immortal Root disappear two days later!!

Her whole body trembled.

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!!”

She shook her head like a madwoman. Even though she already had an answer in her heart, she still refused to believe it.

She could not bear to believe it!

She stared hard into the mirror, as if she wanted to obtain an answer completely contrary to what she now thought!

Ye Chen was also greatly stunned at this moment, to the point of no longer minding Gu Youwei at his side.

All doubts pointed to that one answer.

Only that he still held onto a sliver of hope in his heart.

Impossible!!

This was an Immortal Root they were talking about!!

In the mirror.

Gu Changqing stood there dazed, his gaze vacant.

The old man’s words kept echoing in his mind.

The Immortal Root is a supreme divine artifact…

At a certain moment, a brilliant light suddenly bloomed in his eyes. In that moment, he seemed to understand something!

But the old man did not notice the young Heavenly Emperor’s strangeness and simply spoke to himself.

“I am a Primordial Saint Venerable. In the Primordial War my root suffered grievous injury, so to reach the absolute pinnacle is hopeless. My fall means little to me, however. What I care about is that I forged this world-shocking legacy, yet have no one to inherit it.”

“Therefore, I spent half my life searching the myriad heavens and worlds for a fitting successor to my mantle. As my lifespan dwindled, I thought there would be no one left in this world worthy to inherit my legacy.”

“I did not expect that the Heavenly Dao would show favor. Just when you dueled the Saint King, your divine might reached the borders of Supreme, tearing through the river of time and severing a corner of the Immortal Domain. Only then did I come to this realm.”

“Immortal Roots also vary in strength. Though I traversed the Primordial Era, I have never seen the likes of the spectacle you possess.”

“So, would you be willing to become my successor? With this Immortal Root and my legacy, I imagine that in not long you will behold sights more magnificent than I.”

Divine radiance flickered in the old man’s gaze.

As if he saw, in that distant antiquity, a generation’s young Great Emperor, bearing his legacy, looking down upon all beings and subduing ten thousand spirits.

“You mean this Immortal Root is very special, right?”

Gu Changqing spoke at this moment, but he did not actually answer the old man’s question.

The old man was extremely pleased with the youth before him and was not bothered by this, so he answered, “Overflowing with divinity! Once in ten thousand ages!”

“Can it bring the dead back to life?” Gu Changqing asked, staring intently at the old man.

Surprise flashed in the old man’s eyes. As one who had swept the myriad heavens and worlds would, at this moment, he naturally suspected something.

“You want to save her?”

The old man narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the youth.

“Can it bring the dead back to life?” Gu Changqing asked again.

“Yes!”

The old man nodded in response. “Immortal Roots are rare in the world, products of the Heavenly Dao, supremely extraordinary. Even an ordinary Immortal Root can revive the dead. Yours, full of divinity, naturally can as well!”

A brilliant smile suddenly spread across Gu Changqing’s face.

He stroked little Gu Youwei’s cheek. “If she receives my Immortal Root, can you take her as your disciple?”

Although the old man had suspected as much before, when Gu Changqing uttered those words his pupils involuntarily contracted. “The Immortal Root is the host’s root. Removing it requires enduring endless pain—like falling into an endless hell, like a thousand blades cutting, like ten thousand ants gnawing at your bones.”

“It’s fine.”

“Given your current condition, extracting the Immortal Root now would leave you with only a one-in-ten chance of survival!”

“It’s fine. If it means she can live, that’s more than worth it.”

The old man took a deep breath, still unwilling to give up, “Why must you do this?”

“Do you know how long the lifespan of a Saint Venerable like me is?”

“If you come back with me to the Immortal Domain, you will one day attain Saint Venerable status. In your life there will be countless kinds of people, and she—this little girl—will be but a tiny fragment in the long river of your life.”

“Why give up a vast and splendid life for her?”

The young Heavenly Emperor took a deep breath and declared aloud, “That is your long-cherished wish. My long-cherished wish is to protect her.”

“After all—”

“I am her brother.”

The Young Heavenly Emperor gave a bitter little laugh.

He picked up the axe from the ground and cut a savage wound across his own body.