The Star-Moon Great Region was one of the few ancient great regions in the Great Northwest Frontier, and also one of its most prosperous and flourishing domains.
Back in the ancient times, a large majority of the long-inherited ancient sects and ancient clans of the Great Northwest Frontier were located within the Star-Moon Great Region. Over the years, several of the major powers that had successively dominated the Great Northwest Frontier also hailed from here, such as Yaoyue Palace, Tianxing Sect, Hunyuan Sect, Black Wind Cave, Five Colors Mountain, and so on.
Moreover, the Star-Moon Great Region possessed three mystical secret realms, which was the primary reason for its prosperity.
Gu Qingfeng rode an old horse, leisurely traveling along a country path in the Star-Moon Great Region. As he drank wine, he gazed at the relatively beautiful scenery along the way and remarked, "Truly, time flies like a shuttle, and things change while people remain the same..." The entire Great Northwest Frontier, including its desolate great regions, numbered over a hundred. Yet, only two left the deepest impression on Gu Qingfeng: one was his hometown, the Flaming Sun Great Region, and the other was this Star-Moon Great Region.
He had lived in the Flaming Sun Great Region for over a decade, and in the Star-Moon Great Region for seven or eight years—to be precise, he had fought and killed his way through those seven or eight years. Apart from the two years spent recuperating at Yaoyue Palace, almost all his remaining time had been spent in relentless conflict.
From the Dragon Rock Ridge of the Star-Moon Great Region, he had fought his way all the way to Great Green Mountain.
From Great Green Mountain, he had fought his way to Thread of Heaven.
And from Thread of Heaven, he had fought his way into the Peach Blossom Secret Realm.
In the Star-Moon Great Region, he had slain the Four Heroes of Dragon Rock, exterminated the Seven Giants of Great Green Mountain, battled the Ancestor of Thread of Heaven, and also fought the Nine Titans of the Star-Moon Great Region within the Peach Blossom Secret Realm. He had threatened Yaoyue Palace, challenged Tianxing Sect single-handedly, bloodied Hunyuan Sect, destroyed Black Wind Cave, beheaded the masters of Five Colors Mountain, and slaughtered the fiends of Demon Cave.
Thinking back carefully, nearly every major and minor faction in the Star-Moon Great Region back then had some grudge or conflict with Gu Qingfeng.
In this Star-Moon Great Region alone, Gu Qingfeng had died several times, had his cultivation crippled several times, and as for injuries, they were too numerous to count.
Back then, although many had wanted to kill Gu Qingfeng, there were also those who had helped him.
Such as Feng Zhuyue, the Mistress of Yaoyue Palace, who had kindly taken him in.
The Cloud Mountain Ancestor, who had once saved his life.
The Withered Wood Daozun, who had urged him to turn from his wicked ways.
The Little Sorrow Mountain sect, which had stood up to defend him.
The Peach Blossom Old Daoist, who had bestowed upon him the grace of enlightenment.
And those loyal, righteous brothers he had met in the mass graves.
Too many, too many memories from those days surged into his heart. Gu Qingfeng's thoughts seemed to return to that era, filled with warmth, shame, self-mockery, and sighs of regret—a particularly complex mix of emotions. Opening his eyes, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. This sigh was entirely for the arrogance and recklessness of his youth.
Since that battle at Yaoyue Palace back then, he had never returned.
Not even after later ascending to the unparalleled throne of Immortal and Monster King had he returned.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, nor was it that he didn't know how to face it.
But because he didn't want to implicate anyone.
Although he had cultivated in this world for just over two hundred years, the enemies he had provoked were as countless as the stars in the night sky. Those who wanted him dead were endless—there were immortals from the Nine Heavens, and experts from beyond this world. The closer he got to someone, the more danger that person was in. Gu Qingfeng had experienced this. Precisely because he had experienced it, he didn't want to implicate anyone. Precisely because he had experienced it, he hadn't returned to the Great Northwest Frontier all these years.
Calculating the time, nearly four hundred years had passed. He wondered if those old acquaintances still remembered him, and if those old enemies still hated him to the bone?
Shaking his head with a somewhat wry smile, Gu Qingfeng lifted the wine jug, poured a cup, and drank it all in one gulp.
Along the way, there were quite a few travelers.
What puzzled Gu Qingfeng, however, was that these people all seemed to be in a hurry, as if rushing to get somewhere. And the further south he went, the more people there were, traveling in groups of three or five—some riding flying swords, some soaring through the air, and others riding in spirit beast-drawn carriages.
Gu Qingfeng stopped someone on the road to inquire and learned that these people were all heading to the Peach Blossom Secret Realm.
They said a major event had occurred at the Peach Blossom Secret Realm.
As for what exactly this major event was, after asking several people in a row, none of them knew.
Having nothing better to do, Gu Qingfeng decided to go to the Peach Blossom Secret Realm to see what the commotion was about.
That was a good place.
At least in his memory, the Peach Blossom Secret Realm was an extremely scenic place. He still clearly remembered that the ground was covered with peach blossoms, their pink color stretching as far as the eye could see like a beautiful sea of pink flowers. When the blossoms fell, it was like a flurry of pink snow.
In his memory, the Great Northwest held a Peach Blossom Festival in the Peach Blossom Secret Realm every year. At that time, all the major sects would go to the secret realm to participate in the festival, buying and selling the spiritual treasures and resources they fancied. Of course, that was only one aspect. The most attractive part of the Peach Blossom Festival was the young masters and beautiful ladies showcasing their talents. Peach blossoms, peach blossoms—without a peach blossom romance, how could it be a Peach Blossom Festival?
During his time roaming the Star-Moon Great Region, Gu Qingfeng had also attended the Peach Blossom Festival a few times. It had been a very pleasant experience. He also remembered getting drunk and singing with Feng Zhuyue in the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, pondering how short life was...
Thinking of Feng Zhuyue, Gu Qingfeng sighed once more, forcibly cutting off his train of thought.
The entrance to the Peach Blossom Secret Realm was located in Peach Blossom Valley within the Star-Moon Great Region.
By the time Gu Qingfeng arrived at Peach Blossom Valley, the place was already packed to the brim, with cultivators from all directions streaming in and out of the valley in an endless flow.
Peach Blossom Valley was surrounded by mountains on all sides, with mist and clouds filling the valley like a fairyland. Faintly, one could see a layer of pink radiance shimmering at the valley floor, looking like a deep pool or spring. That was precisely the entrance to the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, also known as the Eye of Peach Blossoms.
After settling his old horse, Gu Qingfeng did not immediately enter the Peach Blossom Secret Realm. Instead, he headed towards a nearby mountain.
He remembered that on a mountain outside Peach Blossom Valley stood a Daoist temple called Peach Blossom Temple. An old Daoist priest lived there, who called himself the Peach Blossom Old Daoist. He was a transcendent expert. No one knew the Peach Blossom Old Daoist's origins, nor did anyone know how long this Peach Blossom Temple had existed, or how long that Peach Blossom Old Daoist had been cultivating. They only knew he was very, very old—so old that even the most ancient Ancestor in the Great Northwest didn't know exactly how old the Peach Blossom Old Daoist was.
Some said the Peach Blossom Old Daoist had always been guarding the Peach Blossom Secret Realm. As for what he was guarding, no one knew.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know either.
Nor did he care about that. What truly mattered to him was the Peach Blossom Old Daoist himself—or more precisely, the peach blossom wine the old Daoist brewed. That was truly a peerless treasure in this world.
The Peach Blossom Temple was very dilapidated and also very desolate—so desolate that there were only a few people around. Only one or two young Daoist priests in Daoist robes were sweeping the temple grounds.
Gu Qingfeng found a young Daoist priest and asked. It seemed the Peach Blossom Old Daoist was not at the temple.
As for where he had gone, the young Daoist didn't know either.
Gu Qingfeng released his divine sense to probe. The Peach Blossom Old Daoist truly wasn't at the temple.
After pondering for a moment, Gu Qingfeng didn't linger. He figured he would definitely seek out the Peach Blossom Old Daoist later—he simply had to get his hands on a few jars of that exquisite peach blossom wine to taste!