After passing through the mountain range, they arrived at the Aparagodānīya Continent.
During this period of time, Gu Zheng's middle stage cultivation base had already stabilized. Moreover, Gu Zheng especially liked to disguise himself as a mortal and enter mortal cities. He finally understood what the artifact spirit had said to him previously.
The artifact spirit had told him that the Eldritch Wilderness was very big. Even Lord Gokusen had not explored all of it. If they were only flying in the Eldritch Wilderness, Gu Zheng believed that with Lord Gokusen's speed, they would be able to fly around the Eldritch Wilderness in no time. Even if they couldn't complete it in one or two years, they would definitely be able to complete it.
However, if they wanted to visit every place in the Eldritch Wilderness, it would take a very long time. No one knew how long it would take to complete the entire Eldritch Wilderness.
There were too many cities in the Eldritch Wilderness. In the eyes of immortals, every city seemed so inconspicuous. However, in the eyes of Gu Zheng and the other immortal chefs, every city seemed to have its own unique characteristics. Even if they were in neighboring cities, the taste of the same dish might not be the same.
This was the charm of delicious food.
Even Seventh Yan and the others had become qualified foodies. They would not eat food that had no special characteristics, no story, and no color, aroma, or taste.
Even when Yan Qi and the rest were eating, they could even comment on some of the food. It was as if they were gourmets.
"Brother Gu, we have shaken off their pursuit, right?"
Seventh Yan asked Gu Zheng with a smile as they walked in a mortal city. They had already been in the Aparagodānīya Continent for five days. During these five days, they would occasionally gather and occasionally split up. This was to prevent the eight of them from attracting the attention of people with ulterior motives.
In addition, Seventh Yan was very impressed with Gu Zheng's suggestion of hiding among the mortals. There were too many mortals. When they entered the mortal world, it was like adding eight grains of sand into a desert. There was no way to find them.
"It's safer for now. However, we can't be careless. We can't go to the Aparagodānīya Continent!"
Gu Zheng nodded his head. According to the immortal treasure spirit's observations, after reaching the Aparagodānīya Continent, there were indeed fewer people from the sky palaces. Coming here did not mean that it was safe. Gu Zheng's ultimate goal was still to return to Shushan.
After spending more than half a year together, they had become good friends who could talk about anything. Although the seven brothers of the Yan Family were all stronger than Gu Zheng, they admired Gu Zheng very much. What they admired the most was his culinary skills.
Only after following Gu Zheng did they realize the beauty of life. What they had eaten in the past was mostly rubbish.
"Where are we going then?" Yan Qi asked again.
"Dongsheng Divine Land!"
Gu Zheng finally revealed his intentions. The Seventh Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly. "There are many immortal cultivation sects in the Dong Sheng Divine Continent, while there are more Goblin cultivators in the Aparagodaniya Continent. Why do we have to go to the Dong Sheng Divine Continent instead of the Aparagodaniya Continent? Wouldn't it be easier for us to hide here?"
"Seventh Yan, do you want to keep hiding? Do you want to never show your true face to anyone?"
Gu Zheng suddenly turned around and asked the Seventh Yan. Beside the Seventh Yan was Yan Five. There were only the three of them now. The other five had split into two groups and were walking around the city. They would meet up when there was no one around.
The Seventh Yan's heart skipped a beat. However, his expression did not change. After a while, he said softly, "No!"
"Do you trust me then?"
Gu Zheng said again. When he said these words, there was a strong sense of confidence in his voice.
"I do!" The Seventh Yan replied without hesitation this time.
"Trust me. Follow me back to the Dong Sheng Divine Continent and Shushan. I can guarantee your safety in Shushan. In the future, after the Chaos Tribulation is over, I can guarantee that you can appear anywhere openly. You won't have to worry about being chased by the sky palaces anymore!"
Gu Zheng said slowly. As he spoke, he kept looking into the eyes of the Seventh Yan.
After more than half a year, their relationship had become much closer. Furthermore, Gu Zheng had been working hard for the past six months. At least the seven brothers of the Yan family did not hate human immortal cultivators as much as before. They only hated the sky palaces.
Other than that, they also yearned for freedom. They yearned to be able to appear anywhere in the Eldritch World freely.
"I believe that you can do it. However, I can't guarantee that Big Brother and the rest will believe you as well!"
The Seventh Yan shook his head again. Actually, he was smart enough to guess where Gu Zheng was going to bring them. From the beginning to the end, Gu Zheng had not mentioned his destination. However, after arriving at the Aparagodaniya Continent, Gu Zheng had led them to the east. This made the Seventh Yan suspicious. Hence, he asked again.
Gu Zheng had considered all aspects before telling them his plan in advance.
"Don't tell them for now. We'll return to the Dong Sheng Divine Continent first. If you really don't want to go to Shushan, I'll respect your decision then!"
Gu Zheng added. Yan Da and the rest were not as good as the Seventh Yan. They were constantly being chased by the sky palaces. They had always been angry and had not reached the stage where they could talk about it.
The Seventh Yan and the Fifth Yan were better. Even if they did not agree, at least they did not oppose firmly.
"Alright, let's go to the Dong Sheng Divine Continent first!"
The Seventh Yan agreed this time. There were more Goblin in the Aparagodaniya Continent. However, they could not appear openly. In fact, it was the same wherever they went. The Goblin would not protect them. At most, they would help them hide. Among the Goblin, there were fewer people like the King of Niu San.
In this way, there was no difference between the Aparagodaniya Continent and the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. It was the same wherever they went. The further they went, the more they could shake off the people from the sky palaces. However, this was on the premise that they did not expose themselves.
After entering the Aparagodaniya Continent, without the pursuers from the sky palaces, they could finally speed up.
If they spread out and did not expose themselves, it would not be a problem for them to hide their abilities and fly for a period of time. However, they could not fly for too long and could not meet experts like the Daluo Jinxian. Once they met, they could still be exposed. Therefore, without absolute confidence, Gu Zheng and the rest would definitely not fly forward.
This feeling was also one of the reasons why the Seventh Yan agreed to Gu Zheng's plan. He really wanted freedom.
The longer they were out of the desert, the stronger this desire became.
After traveling for a full year, they finally arrived at the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. There was a huge river between the Aparagodaniya Continent and the Dong Sheng Divine Continent. This river separated the two continents. The river was not very long. The distance between the two continents was only 50 kilometers.
It seemed like a short distance, but it completely separated the mortals from the two continents. This river was called the Absolute River, which meant that it was a river of isolation. There were no living creatures in the river. Nothing could float in the river. Even a goose feather would sink to the bottom of the river if it fell into the river.
Not only that, but the river water was also very corrosive. In just fifteen minutes, a person would turn into a pile of bones. In two hours, even the bones would melt without a trace. Boats couldn't cross such a river, and neither could people. There were no living creatures by the river either. The entire river was filled with an aura of death.
The nearest city by the river was a few hundred kilometers away. Mortals were not willing to come here.
Mortals could not cross, but immortals could do so easily. They just had to fly across. Gu Zheng finally understood that the mortal worlds of the four major continents of the Eldritch World were not interconnected. Unless immortals brought them, ordinary mortals could not cross any of the continents.
The eight of them separated and crossed the river. Finally, they arrived at the Dong Sheng Divine Continent.
In at most a year and a half, they had crossed three continents. The journey was not far, but the more they traveled, the more knowledge they gained. Although mortals were not as powerful as immortals, their lives were colorful. They could feel a lot of inspiration from them.
It was no wonder that many cultivators would occasionally enter the mortal world to cultivate their Dao hearts. The cultivation of the Dao heart in the mortal world was much better than in the immortal sects.
In this year and a half, Gu Zheng had gained a lot.
First of all, he had obtained a lot of different ingredients. Although there were not many high-grade ones, they were excellent. There were also many middle-grade ones. Gu Zheng knew what some of them were, but when he held them in his hands, he had a feeling that he could make delicious food suitable for these ingredients.
Gu Zheng's culinary skills had improved again.
In this year and a half, Gu Zheng had also become a food cultivator a few times. He had even become a Yaxin food cultivator once.
He did not use the ingredients given to him by the East Arrival Pavilion. Instead, he had unexpectedly obtained a stalk of Yaxin Grass along the way. It was really unexpected. It was a stalk of Yaxin Grass that grew in the wild. When it was time to harvest it, the Artifact Spirit had detected it and told Gu Zheng.
A treasure like Yaxin Grass must have been coveted by someone for a long time. The one coveting the Yaxin Grass was a demon. It was a giant python whose strength was at the late stage of Jin Xian.
Unfortunately, this giant python was alone. He was greedy for the Yaxin Grass and did not tell anyone else. Jin Xian was very strong in the late stage, but Gu Zheng was surrounded by Daluo Jinxian. In the end, he was doomed. The giant python in human form was attacked by Yan Wu and Yan Liu. In an instant, he was beaten back to his original form. Then, his original form was cut into several pieces.
In order to hide Xing Zong, the giant python's body was completely dissolved in the end. Not even its bones were left behind.
This Yaxin Grass was enough for Gu Zheng to make four servings of Yaxin food cultivators. He had made two servings on the way and shared them with the eight of them. The two servings of Yaxin food cultivators allowed the seven Yan brothers to improve in their cultivation. As for Gu Zheng, he had taken another huge step forward in his cultivation in the middle stage of Jin Xian.
Yan Qi and the others were still in the early stage of Daluo Jinxian, but their cultivation levels had stabilized. It was no longer as easy for Su Ming to defeat them as before. The four of them working together might not be able to defeat Su Ming, but they could at least stall him for a while. They would not be defeated so quickly like last time.
Su Ming was, after all, in the middle stage of Daluo Jinxian. The difference between the middle stage and the early stage of Daluo Jinxian's cultivation level was much greater than that of Jin Xian. It was already an incredible feat for the four of them to be able to stop Su Ming.
Not every Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal was like that devil who could fight against many Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals as soon as he advanced. That would be strange.
Once they entered Dong Sheng Divine Prefecture, Yan Qi agreed to Gu Zheng's suggestion and was willing to go to Shu Mountain first.
He had thought things through during this period of time. Since they did not have a place to stay for the time being, going to Shu Mountain was also a choice. It was better than hiding. After all, Shu Mountain had a very good cultivation environment and plenty of resources. With Gu Zheng there, he would definitely not mistreat them.
Before they dealt with the threat from the Heavenly Court and faced the Great Chaos Disaster, returning to Shu Mountain with Gu Zheng was indeed the best choice.
Yan Qi was not the only one who was convinced. Yan Five, Yan Two, and Yan Six also agreed. Only Yan Da and Yan Four were still against it. Yan Three said that he would go wherever the others went. He did not agree or disagree.
Four against two, plus one pair of neutral votes. Gu Zheng was quite satisfied with this result.
Yan Da and Yan Four did not agree because they were still wary of humans. However, they were not completely against it. Every time, they would find other reasons or say that they would wait and see. However, they did not object to continuing to move towards Shu Mountain.
Under such circumstances, as long as they could reach the vicinity of Shu Mountain, Gu Zheng was confident that he could bring them back.
"Yan Da, I won't let the seven of you separate, but are you sure you want to leave me like this and not eat any of the food I make in the future?"
Another half a year passed and they arrived near Shu Mountain. This time, Yan Da was unwilling to leave no matter what. He only wanted to live in seclusion nearby. Then, Gu Zheng said those words to him.
If Yan Da did not want to leave, Yan Seven and the others would not be separated from him. The seven of them were already used to being together.
This was the first time Gu Zheng said something like this. Yan Da was stunned and hesitated. They had already gotten used to eating Gu Zheng's food along the way. If they could not eat Gu Zheng's food in the future, he would be reluctant.
"We will live near Shu Mountain. This way, we can take care of each other at any time. You can come and look for us when you have nothing to do. This way, we can still be together!"
Yan Da said quickly. In fact, he did not object to coming to Shu Mountain because he had this idea. They would not go to Shu Mountain but live in seclusion near Shu Mountain. This way, they would be closer to Gu Zheng and it would be easier for them to meet in the future.
"It's easy for me to see you, but you have to go to Shu Mountain to see me. What's the difference between going in the future and going now?"
Gu Zheng was helpless. He did not expect Yan Da to have this idea. No wonder he had been against it but was very cooperative to come to Shu Mountain. It seemed that they were willing to let Gu Zheng return to Shu Mountain. However, they did not want to go back. They wanted to be neighbors with Gu Zheng.
"Big Brother, why don't Second Brother and I go up the mountain to take a look first? If Shu Mountain's attitude is good, we will stay there. If not, I believe Brother Gu will not let us be trapped there. What do you think?"
Yan Seven persuaded again. They had already arrived at the foot of Shu Mountain. He did not expect Yan Da to suddenly do this.
Living near Shushan and being neighbors with Gu Zheng seemed like nonsense to him. Although they hadn't been out of the desert for long and were still very innocent, it didn't mean that they didn't know anything and didn't know anything.
Especially Yan Seven. In the past two years, he had read a lot of books in the mortal world and understood a lot of things.
There was one thing that made it impossible for them to live in seclusion near Mount Shu. As the saying goes, "How can one allow others to snore beside one's bed?" They had a good relationship with Gu Zheng, but they had a grudge against Mount Shu after all. They were the ones who had captured Gu Zheng. They were not ordinary celestial immortals, but Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals. It would be strange if seven Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals lived in seclusion around Mount Shu.
Unfortunately, it was useless to say this to Yan Da. He knew Yan Da very well. Even if he told Yan Da, he would not understand and would still object.
"Okay, but you can't go. You are the smartest among us. If you want to stay outside, I will go with Fourth Brother!"
He frowned. Yan Da actually agreed. However, he did not let Yan Seven go. He wanted to go personally.
If he went personally, Gu Zheng would welcome him even more. Yan Seven also heaved a sigh of relief. It was the same for him or Yan Da to go. If Yan Da was willing to stay in Shu Mountain, they would be able to live in Shu Mountain in the future and would not have to wander outside.
Just like that, Gu Zheng led Yan Da and Yan Four into the territory of Shu Mountain.
As soon as they entered the territory of Shu Mountain, a disciple of Shu Mountain flew over on a flying sword. When he saw Gu Zheng, he was stunned. Then, he went forward and bowed.
Basically, all the disciples had participated in the assessment and had seen Gu Zheng long ago. They knew about Gu Zheng's identity. They were all ordinary celestial immortals. Even Jin Xian had to call Gu Zheng Uncle-Master when he saw him, let alone them.
Gu Zheng was not used to being called "Great Uncle-Master" by a few celestial immortal disciples. He felt that he was very old.
Yan Da already knew about Gu Zheng's identity in Shu Mountain, so he did not find it strange. However, he soon opened his mouth and stared at the mountain peak that appeared in front of him.
After entering the area of the 3,000 side peaks, each side peak was like a fairyland. They had always lived in the desert and had never seen such things. They were like Granny Liu who had entered the Grand View Garden. They did not know what to do. Everything in front of them was shocking and novel.
Although they had been out for two years, they had always been stealthily traversing the mortal world. The only place they had truly cultivated in was Niu San Wang's Niu Wang Mountain. However, how good could a demon's residence be? It was only slightly larger than the mortal world. Compared to Shushan, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
"Brother Gu, this is Shu Mountain?"
Yan Da opened his mouth and asked in an extremely soft voice. The scenery of Shu Mountain really stunned him. He had never thought that there would be such a beautiful place.
"That's right. These are all side peaks. The side peaks on the outside are slightly worse. The real good ones are all inside, around the main peak!"
Gu Zheng smiled faintly. Even he was shocked by the scenery and majesty of Mount Shu when he first came here, let alone Yan University and the others who had never seen a demonic cultivator from a cultivation sect. Such a scene was definitely enough to shock them.
Yan Da did not speak anymore. He followed Gu Zheng closely and flew forward.
Once they entered Shu Mountain, there was no need to deliberately hide, but they could not reveal their identities. After Gu Zheng entered, he asked the previous disciples to use a secret method to inform Reverend Ziyun of the main peak. Reverend Ziyun and the others had returned a year ago and did not continue to stay outside.
Not long after, three people flew towards them. They were Daluo Jinxian, and Su Ming was among them.
When he saw Yan Da, Su Ming even let out a cold harrumph, but his attitude was too good. He picked them up and flew straight to the main peak. This time, they flew very quickly, so Yan Da and the others could only casually glance at the scenery outside. Almost once they saw it, they flew over. Not long after, they arrived at the main peak.
When he saw the majestic main peak, Yan Da's mouth fell open again. When he entered the main peak, he was even more shocked. The rich immortal power there was completely beyond his imagination. It was more than a hundred thousand times better than the environment in the desert.
It could even be said that he had never imagined that there would be such a good place in the world.
Reverend Ziyun personally received them and kept the news of Gu Zheng's return a secret. All the disciples who had seen Gu Zheng before were brought to the main peak to train there. Keeping the news of Gu Zheng's return was equivalent to keeping the news of the seven ferocious beasts a secret from the Heavenly Court.
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