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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
After listening to Gu Changge, Ye Langtian was slightly dazed, but quickly acknowledged his message upon seeing the smile on his face. For the sake of Gu Changge’s face, he decided not to trouble Chi Ling any further. “Thank you for your assistance, Brother Changge.”
Chi Ling, too, did not expect Gu Changge would stand up for her. Moved, she looked at him with her glistening eye, which Gu Changge responded with a smile. For a moment there, she was at loss for words. Her admiration for him grew. Were it not for his defensive statement, she would surely have been harrassed by the numerous youthful prodigies present.
After all, the incidents involving Ye Ling were far too great for her to make a change alone. So, no matter how reluctant she was to believe it, her power alone was too insignificant to resolve anything, unless she could discover the identity of the Successor of Demonic, but that would be too difficult. Having become aware of that, Chi Ling could only helplessly sigh.
Nonetheless, upon Gu Changge’s interjection, the youthful prodigies present no longer dared to express their dissatisfaction. Though, they were still highly suspicious of the case, believing that Ye Ling was the most likely culprit.
During the night of the banquet, Bai Lie, the Young Master of the White Tiger Clan, Ye Ling’s blood brother, seemed to have some kind of conflict with Ye Ling. Yin Mei the Nine-Lived Gifted Lady had witnessed it. Later, when Bai Lie got murdered, Ye Ling was no longer anywhere to be found, and that was too convenient to be a coincidence.
[If it weren’t Ye Ling’s doing, why won’t he dare to show up to prove his innocence? He’s clearly guilty!]
They were no fools, they easily thought things through.
Nonetheless, given how Gu Changge strangely stood up for Ye Ling, they didn’t bother to refute him. After all, there was no need for them to go up against him within Skyward Schloss for such a trivial matter.
Furthermore, they assumed that Gu Changge, as the Master of the East, was only speaking up so as not to embarrass Chi Ling, the Successor of the Vermillion Bird Clan.
“Then, I shall take me leave, Brother Changge.” At that moment, Ye Langtian got up from his seat. He was prepared to leave with his followers, along with Ye Liuli. Having made the time to visit was the biggest respect he could show Gu Changge.
In fact, as of late, he had been under immense stress. At the end of the day, Ye Ling was still a Secondary Disciple of the Ye Family. Such a controversial matter, putting the White Tiger Clan aside, had caused numberless factions and forces to have their eyes on the Ye Family. Thus, if Ye Langtian failed to handle this matter properly, the Ye Family would surely be struck with the wrath of numerous forces. Although the Ye Family was one of the Ancient Immortal Races and held immeasurably power, they were by no means invincible. With his plate already full, Ye Langtian could feel himself getting overwhelmed, and he felt even more disconcerted with Ye Ling.
Gradually, the other youths stood up and retreated. To them, what was more important was the opening of the Celestial Ancient Continent underneath Skyward Schloss. By then, they no longer have to fear encountering Ye Ling.
Essentially, Bai Lie’s death was most likely due to his friendship and trust with Ye Ling. The former lowered his guard and ended up murdered.
Watching as the crowd disperse, Gu Changge spoke with a smile on his face, “Take care, everyone.” Now that Ye Ling had become the scapegoat, in addition to the discussion earlier, it would be impossible for Ye Ling’s close ones to defend him. After all, each individual currently in front of Gu Changge was either the successors or saints of various forces. Their mindset and utterance directly determined the behavior of their respective factions.
With that, Gu Changge was notably relieved as his identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts. He wouldn’t be facing any issues for the time being. Hence, now was the best time for him to cultivate his own powers. Although the Enlightened Noble Realm was considered incomparably powerful among his peers, there were still stronger Realms such as Enlightened King Realm, Quasi-Sacred Realm and so on.
[There must be countless ancient corpses in the Celestial Ancient Continent. There might even be corpses of celestials of that era… Tsk, if I were to get my hands on them, they’d be priceless opportunities. Besides, I’ve prepared way too long for the Celestial Spirit that’s about to appear…]
Numerous thoughts flashed across Gu Changge’s mind.
[He’s probably still in Skyward Ancient City. For a Fortuitous One, it’s only normal to possess countless identity-concealing methods, or he wouldn’t be able to pretend to be a weakling that pounces on stronger cultivators. He surely has numerous methods to conceal his identity and powers. At the opportune time, he’ll definitely rack his brain to sneak into the Celestial Ancient Continent.]
Gu Changge had already thought of numerous plans. Or rather, ways to wreak havoc. Though, Ye Ling’s absence by that time could prove inconvenient for his plans.
All of a sudden, a bright soprano sound that came from Gu Changge’s side interrupted his pondering.
“It is my first time here. Brother Changge, I wonder if you’d mind taking me for a walk around Skyward Schloss. It truly is an unimaginably mysterious wonder, in addition to the Godly Islands and Mystic Mountains surrounding it.” Chi Ling claimed with an expecting look on her snowy, delicate face. The coldness on her face visibly disappeared. Although she was rather petite, she was, in fact, around Gu Changge’s age. And her assiduous thinking exceeded that of her peers.
As a matter of fact, she had no ulterior motive coming to Gu Changge as she merely intended to have a casual chat to see how she could provide assistance. After all, upon the conversation earlier, Gu Changge, too, seemed to be suspecting that Ye Ling might not be the true Successor of Demonic Arts, and thus Chi Ling felt like she found herself a partner.
“Since you’ve asked, I shall be glad to be of service.” Gu Changge turned to her with a smile as fascination surged in his heart. [She came to me on her own. Well, that saves me a lot of effort.]
“Thank you, Brother Changge.” Chi Ling responded with a smile and the two departed together.
As the two started conversing during their walk, Chi Ling seemed as tiny as a little girl. Strolling beside Gu Changge, she looked like a child that was even younger than Gu Xianer.
In the meantime, from afar, they were being spied on by Gu Xianer, who was deeply irritated. Coldness and irritation were written all over her face. She summoned an Arcane Bridge back to the mountain peak where she was undergoing her training. She grew even more determined to train harder and break through to the Honoured King Realm so that she could trump Gu Changge in the public eye. She wanted to make the man who was constantly belittling and bullying her to regret his actions.
[Gu Changge! My vengeance is far from over!]
…
“Brother Changge, judging by your statements earlier, you seem to have some understanding regarding the legacy of Demonic Arts?” During their walk, Chi Ling curiously questioned out of confusion.
Back when she was in that domain, Ye Ling had lent her a hand. The two of them teamed up against adversaries before acquiring a treasure—the Fruit of Creation. Not wanting Ye Ling to fall under difficult situations, she wished to do everything she could to clear his name.
“A little, only because I’ve read through some ancient archives. I’ve come to understand the great threat the forbidden Demonic Arts pose against the world of cultivators. Which makes sense. After all, it is general knowledge that every cultivator will want the head of the Successor of Demonic Arts.” Gu Changge revealed a subtle smile carrying a trace of ambiguous interest.
“Really? So you’re a passionate fellow as well, Brother Changge,” Chi Ling smilingly replied upon the answer.
Having discussed with Gu Changge for a while, she felt that his concern for matters pertaining to Demonic Arts to be genuine. From his words, she could tell that he suspects Ye Ling to not be the Successor of Demonic Arts given how he pointed out several oddities she never realized, which made her even more confident with her own belief—Ye Ling was framed.
With Gu Changge’s help, Ye Ling just might be able to clear his name from accusations and suspicion. By then, capturing the real Successor of Demonic Arts would no longer be impossible. Essentially, Gu Changge was simultaneously the Successor of Skyward Schloss as well as the Young Master of the Immortal Gu Family. Unlike others, he possessed immense power and great persuasion ability.
“Passionate is overstating it. I simply do not wish the world to suffer under hellfire and chaos. The legacy of Demonic Arts is insanely frightening. Its occurrence would only mean an ocean of blood. I tremble just by imagining it. So there is no way we, fellow cultivators, would sit by as such turbulence goes on.” Gu Changge claimed with a concerned face before shaking his head with a smile.
“Though, I could be overthinking it. After all, since the existence of civilization, every great disaster was erased by the numberless forces of the world, so the appearance of a Successor of Demonic Arts is hardly an issue. Although, Brother Bai Lie and I had a feud before, to see him go in this way is quite a pity.”
“I am impressed by your virtue, Brother Changge.” Chi Ling expressed her astonishment as she was deeply moved. There was nothing but respect for him on her petite face.
[If all younger cultivators are as compassionate as Gu Changge, the world would definitely be a better place.]
“Ah, there goes my vulnerable side. To be fair, I, too, suspected Ye Ling to be the Successor of Demonic Arts initially. But after thinking about it, we’ve never really witnessed what truly happened. Ye Ling, having declared a challenge against me, is certainly a competitive and confident man. How could such an honorable man like him be the Successor of Demonic Arts?” Gu Changge continued, sharing his detailed analysis of Ye Ling. However, the fascination in his eyes only grew.
Meanwhile, Chi Ling did not sense anything off as she continuously nods. Although she felt that Gu Changge might have over-exaggerated his descriptions, she did not question his motives. After Gu Changge stood up against the group of youthful prodigies to defend her, she only felt admiration for him.
As for Gu Changge’s statements, they were nothing out of the ordinary. They were merely facts to her. Ye Ling was indeed a confident, competitive man.
“To be honest, Ye Ling is indeed as you have described. That is why I am reluctant to believe that he is the Successor of Demonic Arts.” Affectionately, Chi Ling went on, “Brother Changge, with your help, it won’t be difficult to eliminate the suspicion toward Ye Ling being the Successor of Demonic Arts. In fact, I even wish that you’d befriend him after all this is over.”
“Oh, really?” Enthrallment surged in Gu Changge’s eyes.
“You are a passionate fellow, Brother Changge. Anyone with a soul would surely be glad to be acquainted with you,” Pursing her lips, Chi Ling smilingly claimed as a seldomly seen smile appeared on her cold face.
With that, Gu Changge spoke no further as he snickered in his heart. [I wouldn’t actually know if Ye Ling’s actually a competitive or confident man, but one thing’s for sure. Chi Ling is constantly figuring out ways to clear Ye Ling’s name. Judging by how they know each other… Ah, I smell a cliche plotline. In the future, Chi Ling may probably become Ye Ling’s woman, and oh, isn’t this something I’m very familiar with? It’s yet another game of manipulation. It has basically become my pastime now. I can’t imagine how much more benefits I could reap from this than adhering to the original plotline. Since Chi Ling has come to me for help, thinking that I’m a reliable partner whom she could work with to clear Ye Ling’s name from being the Successor of Demonic Arts, I shall grant her her wish. After all, there’s no wrong in doing that, is there? For I, Gu Changge, am certainly a passionate and compassionate cultivator!]
Many thanks