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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
While cultivators from different factions were discussing, a massive golden handprint ferociously flew across the sky as if it was going to engulf the entire palace, and grey smoke wafted everywhere. The concealing array was instantly broken, revealing the scenery inside the palace.
At that moment, Gu Changge also arrived at the palace. With a face filled with coldness and murderous intent, he vexedly roared as he gazed at the two in battle with his murderous eyes. “Such abhorrent acts right in the Immortal Gu Family’s face! Death will be your repentance!”
“Young Master Changge, what is going on?” Many arrived and peered at the sky in stupefaction. A young prodigy from the Immortal Wang Family asked him.
“What!? Someone tried to kill my sister?” Wang Wushuang, having hurried over, came with shock, exasperation, and aggression all over his face while murderous aura surged in his golden eyes.
“I am not certain. I, too, have just arrived.” Hearing that, Gu Changge replied with a displeased face, yet he remained calm as his eyes were gleaming with belligerence and coldness.
He turned to the sky as a strange sensation flashed across his eyes that nobody noticed. In that instant, no one saw anything wrong with him. To encounter such an incident in his own territory, right during his mother’s birthday banquet, it was only natural that he would be enraged.
“How dare he! He will die by my hands tonight!” Swiftly, Gu Changge calms himself down, yet his words were overflowing with hostility.
Although it was not directed at them, those that heard him still trembled.
*Boom!* Meanwhile, in the sky, Divine Chains of Order were intertwining and about to plummet. Tight and terrifying, it seemed as though it could devastate all life and turn them into ashes. They watched as Sacred Lord Dharma Bodies as large as mountains clashed, the pressure spread across the sky, fissuring mountains to dust, causing countless to tremble.
*Whoosh!* Divine rainbows were seen shooting through the sky as many experts and young prodigies from the Gu Family also hurried from the Inner Island of the Gu Family territory. They had never expected someone would be so bold as to attempt committing murder in their territory, especially not on this day of celebration. It was as though the perpetrator did not even place the Immortal Gu Family in their eye.
“He’s asking for death!” Many experts from the Immortal Gu Family revealed icy frowns as they stared at the figure covered in black rune, as though they were glaring at a dead man.
At once, countless initiated their attacks towards the Sacred Lord Realm black figure. A power force speedily erupted from all directions, causing the guests to jump in fright.
Anyone in the Sacred Lord Realm, regardless of affiliations, was considered as an indispensable Elder of any faction. Hardly any ancient monstrosity could even achieve such a level. Nonetheless, so many of them appeared from the Immortal Gu Family, showing how powerful the family truly was.
“I’m glad we arrived just in time. Lady Zijin, are you okay?” At that moment, Gu Changge, too, had moved and entered the palace. Looking at the blood-drenched, pale-faced Wang Zijin, he sympathetically asked.
Having been rescued, Wang Zijin simply sat still. Her perfectly calm face was extremely pale, bearing no trace of blood. However, traces of celestial energy were being sucked towards her words to heal her injuries. Such an occurrence was indeed wondrous, as her every cell was glowing radiantly with celestial colours.
That was the specialty of her physique. All these years, the celestial energy within her grew more apparent as every cell within her was carrying this sacred dazzling energy.
Hearing Gu Changge’s voice, who came to save her, she subconsciously opened her eyes. Although she still seemed feeble, she was visibly in better condition already.
Regardless, she was the only one who knew of the measures she resorted to endure that agonising battle. If it were an ordinary cultivator in the Quasi-Sacred Realm, they would have disintegrated and disappeared from the world. Fortunately, she was blessed with her magic weapons and abilities that shielded her from fatal injuries.
“Brother Gu…” She turned to Gu Changge with a smile as blood was restored to her face.
“I’m fine. This is nothing to me…” Nonetheless, as she was speaking, blood was seen flowing out the corner of her lips as she faltered and was about to collapse.
Gu Changge’s eyes glistened, and in the blink of an eye, he dashed over to hold her up.
“Brother Gu, thank you for your help. A second late and you won’t have to see me anymore…” She spoke under her breath, seemingly still in fear of the battle just now. She could tell the sympathy in Gu Changge’s eyes was undoubtedly fake. After all, no matter how much he pretended, there was never warmth in his eyes.
Seeing how Gu Changge came to her rescue so quickly, Wang Zijin came to two obvious possibilities. The first being the potential disgrace to the Gu Family if such an incident was poorly dealt with. If she were to unfortunately die right now without the Immortal Gu Family knowing, they would surely be framed for her death. That would result in a grudge between them and the Immortal Wang Family. Thus, as the Young Master of the Gu Family, Gu Changge couldn’t afford to allow such a situation from happening, that was why he hurried over and feigned a little sympathy despite being aware of her condition.
At that moment, although Wang Zijin’s injuries were no longer an issue, she couldn’t help but tease him. After all, she knew it would require certain conditions for her to stir up this emotionless young man. Naturally, she was assuming that all men would waver looking at a woman in such a pitiful state. Be it her previous life or current life, she was confident that her appearance was currently peerless, and Gu Changge just might be slightly seduced.
“What happened today is truly the shortcoming of the Gu Family. As one who bears the greatest responsibility, I am deeply regretful, and I shall compensate you for any loss that is caused, Lady Zijin.” As he was looking at Wang Zijin who fell into his arms, he was somewhat stunned and lost in thought for a second, but speedily, he reverted to a calm look and remorsefully apologised.
Given how perceptive he was, Gu Changge could tell that Wang Zijin had almost fully healed herself given her insanely vigorous vitality. Nevertheless, he couldn’t be bothered to haggle with her despite knowing that she might have taken an interest in him.
Although he was always uninterested in women’s affection, to retain the image Wang Zijin had of him, instead of exposing her, he went on a tangent. Moreover, he couldn’t be more familiar with such cliches. Be it Yue Mingkong or Gu Xianer, they only perceived everything he wanted them to.
Seeing how Gu Changge shifted the topic without responding to her statement, Wang Zijin wasn’t exactly surprised since she knew Gu Changge was a heartless man who merely had no interest in her. Despite his courteous, amicable gestures, he was actually a man with a steel-cold heart. Even she could see that his gesture to rescue her lacked sincerity.
“Brother Gu, do you know who might be the assailant?” With that, Wang Zijin asked as she returned to a serious attitude.
Taking a glance at her, Gu Changge replied with a pondering look, “The Successor of Demonic Arts, perhaps?”
“I believe it to be so. Perhaps they have discovered my identity and decided to send an assassin to come after me while under the shelter of the dark. But thanks to my good luck, that Sacred Lord Realm expert who tried to kill me has underestimated me. That is the only reason why I was able to hold him off for so long,” Wang Zijin answered with a faint smile, never expecting the matter would be related to Gu Changge, who was right in front of her.
Furthermore, the Sacred Lord Realm expert had said something that informed her of his next target, which was Gu Changge. Therefore, without considering other possibilities, she concluded that Gu Changge, like her, was also a target of elimination of the Successor of Demonic Arts.
“That was also thanks to your formidable strength, Lady Zijin. Any ordinary person wouldn’t have been able to hold him off for this long,” Gu Changge stated as he stared at Wang Zijin deep in the eyes with a knowing look.
Wang Zijin was aware that she couldn’t conceal her cultivation level as well as her identity from Gu Changge, and he probably figured them out by now. Unlike him, she could never figure him out. Furthermore, he was certainly more mysterious than her.
“The Successor of Demonic Arts has grown this bold and even sent his underling to infiltrate into the Gu Family’s territory. Compared to Ye Ling, this being of Sacred Lord Realm has achieved such a level of cultivation. This is indeed unimaginable. It seems my prediction was right. There really is an organisation led by the Successor of Demonic Arts.” Hearing that, Gu Changge let out a sigh, seemingly perturbed by the issue.
In response, Wang Zijin simply nodded as those words she heard from him before were proven accurate.
She continued, “I suspect that Ye Ling, who you previously fought with, isn’t the actual Successor of Demonic Arts, but simply a pawn. Judging by his capabilities, there is no way he is able to command someone in the Sacred Lord Realm.”
Wang Zijin only bore such a thought because she heard the Sacred Lord Realm expert mention the word ‘master,’ and that could only mean that the person behind him possessed even more frightening strength.
“Oh, is that so? Ye Ling is merely a pawn?” Gu Changge said with a seemingly surprised look. He then continued with a frown, “Ye Ling hasn’t shown himself for some time, so there’s no telling whether he’s dead.”
“Yes, but he’s no longer important to us. What’s important is that we uncover the true identity of the Successor of Demonic Arts and the organisation backing him.” Wang Zijin said as she gave a nod with cold surging from her eyes.
Although her identity made her the destined nemesis of the Successor of Demonic Arts, she was still offended by the fact that such a daunting assassin was sent to kill her. As such, the vexation within her intensified, and she wanted nothing more than to find out the true evil mastermind and dismember them.
As the two were chatting, those who hurried over and overheard their conversation were immediately dazed. Judging by the discussion, many young prodigies figured out Wang Zijin’s identity and immediately revealed a tense expression, not daring to be as casual as they once were.
Compared to Gu Changge’s admirable position, Wang Zijin’s identity was one that signified astonishment and respect to the Mortal One. And those were of different concepts. In other words, it would be equivalent to comparing one’s respect for a world renowned ancient ancestor and a daunting figure of today’s era..
“No wonder Wang Zijin was targeted. She’s apparently the Successor of Mortal Palace…” Ye Langtian mumbled in astonishment as he was taken aback by the realisation.
“Even the Successor of Mortal Palace is out. It seems the wonders of the world are starting to reveal themselves.” The remaining young prodigies felt complex about this.
“It seems the assassin is related to the Successor of Demonic Arts. Damn it! He even had someone in the Sacred Lord Realm under him! Peace is going to distort…”
[Regardless, there’s no telling whether the Mortal One would return. With him here, we just might have a chance.] Countless older experts pondered, hoping peace would be restored to this world, and the one who could bring stability and harmony was the Mortal One, who was an extraordinary symbol to all cultivators.
As a matter of fact, the Mortal One, the Sky Emperor, the Earth King, and the Supreme Ruler were only a few of the innumerable titles given to ancient beings during ancient times, but no one knew what cultivation level they had attained. Essentially, those titles were not determined based on their cultivation level, but the contribution they had presented to all living beings of the world, so each of them bore different meanings to different groups.
Furthermore, the Mortal One was also given different names such as the Astral Mortal One and the Lively Mortal One. As of now, nonetheless, these distinctive labels were plainly lost as he was now simply referred to as ‘the Mortal One’.
In fact, ‘Sky Emperor’ was also a title of recognition given by the Ancient Immortal Clans. Since ancient times, barely a handful of cultivators had managed to earn the title of ‘Sky Emperor,’ such as Sky Emperor Ying, Sky Emperor Bai, and Sky Emperor Sheng.
Regardless, each of them was a formidable figure, yet their true strength remained unknown. They could be True Immortal Realm or way beyond that, so they were indubitably peerless beings. Following their great contributions to all lives, they were constantly treated with admiration and respect, and even after death, their bodies were surrounded with chantings and prayers. In fact, they might even revive from the dead one day.
As such, they were clearly terrifying. Even in the numerous eras that passed, only a rare few were crowned with such titles by those living in this world.
*Zoom!* Right as the crowd was conversing, expressing their utmost stupefaction towards the incident that took place earlier, the battle in the sky eventually ended with a massive shockwave sent towards the grounds. Even without the involvement of the experts from the Immortal Gu Family, the outcome of the battle was never in doubt. Facing so many experts also in the Sacred Lord Realm from the Gu Family at once, the figure covered in black runes let out a deafening shriek as he realised he had no chance of surviving.
*Thump!* The next second, he turned into a tiny black sun that aggressively expanded while black runes drifted around it, before emitting an alarming beam. At the most critical time, he opted for suicide.
Seeing the frightening suicide someone in the Sacred Lord Realm, the bystanders immediately grew nervous as their legs grew shaky before collapsing to the ground.
“He couldn’t have escaped,” Wang Zijin muttered with a calm face.
*Whoosh!* At that moment, a soft cough could be heard coming from the Inner Island of the Gu Family, as though someone was rather embarrassed for being late.
All of a sudden, an enormous palm occurred and covered the entire sky, as if a part of the world was being destroyed while the other was reviving. As runes wafted in vibrant lights, the chaotic energy waned, as if the air was being condensed, followed by a blaring noise that trembled the ground.
Upon the frightening, suicidal shockwave, silence instantly followed. At the moment of silence, shocked gasps could be heard from the ground.
“The one who caused the shockwave must be someone beyond the Sacred King Realm. Someone in the Sacred Emperor Realm, perhaps?”
“Wow…”
“How terrifying is the Gu Family? There were so many experts in the Sacred Lord Realm appearing all at once just now, and now, a finishing blow was delivered from a Sacred Emperor.”
Typically, those in the Sacred King Realm were regarded as powerful Elders in numerous factions, and someone in the Sacred Emperor Realm was unquestionably a walking legend. Witnessing an attack from an expert in the Sacred Emperor Realm for the first time, one strong enough to annihilate the entire universe, the onlookers were all left dumbfounded, trembling as they felt the numbness atop their heads.
“Unfortunately, the assailant chose to commit suicide, leavining no information we could have used.” Seeing that, Gu Changge remorsefully shook his head. “My Ancestor’s timing is way off, though, it will certainly be hard to stop someone in the Sacred Lord Realm from committing suiciding.”
Hearing that, Wang Zijin shook her head and replied, “Even if he was suppressed, I doubt we can discover anything useful. Since he had come to assassinate me, it must mean the force behind him had considered this outcome.”
In response, Gu Changge smilingly said, “You’re right Lady Zijin. I must be overthinking it.” He then turned to the lingering shockwaves as his eyes grew uncanny.
Naturally, the suicide was his order, though it wasn’t a thorough one. Essentially, the puppet possessed exceptional reparation abilities, so as long as it wasn’t completely disintegrated, it could still be reverted to its original state.
Therefore, all he needed to do was send a few men to guard the spot and let those from the other factions detect the puppet’s aura as a confusion strategy, while he recovered the core of the puppet. Once the puppet was fully repaired, he could reuse it once again.
Very soon, as he predicted, many experts hurriedly soared to the sky to identify the puppet’s identity from the lingering aura.
As of that moment, many were made aware of Wang Zijin’s identity. Mortal Palace was highly regarded in the Beyond, and none dared to offend it.
[Who would try to assassinate Wang Zijin? Within the Immortal Gu Family? That’s impossible! Wang Zijin was attacked in the palace owned by the Immortal Gu Family, so that would only mean they were meant to be the scapegoat. They could barely protect her, let alone kill her!]
Bearing such a thought, everyone concluded that it was the Successor of Demonic Arts, and instantly, gloominess surged in their minds.
The foes they had faced previously were nothing but young cultivators, but now it quickly escalated to someone in the Sacred Lord Realm, and they could only foreshadow something disastrous was going to happen. At the same time, countless influential figures grew uneasy as they were visibly upset upon sensing the potential threat.
[It was as Young Master Changge predicted. There is an organisation supporting the Successor of Demonic Arts.] Many, especially the young ones, guessed in their hearts. Their respect for Gu Changge skyrocketed as his words were no different than those of a prophet.
Swiftly, Gu Changge, too, rose to the sky, pretending to be sensing the lingering aura from the battle and identifying its origin like the rest of the cultivators. Though, in actuality, he was trying to locate the puppet’s core and sneak it away.
“This aura… If this old one is not mistaken, it is a secret technique that originated from the Sky Emperor Mountain!” Then, an Elder with a high status suddenly exclaimed as he hastily opened his eyes filled with shock.
Accordingly, his words left the nearby strongmen widening their eyes as they were left dumbfounded and in dismay. At once, the area was filled with silence.
On the other hand, Gu Changge found the puppet’s core and silently withdrew it to his Inner World, after which he opened his eyes and claimed, “This lingering aura from the battle is exactly the same as the one from my fight with Ye Ling. It seems they have come from the same source.”
Even without his statement, the Elders could already sense it. As they possessed an extent of understanding regarding the Forbidden Demonic Arts, they wouldn’t mistake the ominous energy. In the meantime, more and more people hurried over to the sky as the atmosphere grew tenser.
Seeing that, Gu Changge’s grin grew inauspicious as he had successfully pinned the blame on a temporary scapegoat.
Lol this guy, I wonder how the author wants this work to end lol.
Many thanks
Honestly with the freewheeling way he’s setting up his schemes – he can go any direction he pleases and turn on a dime when a good idea comes up. This is pretty much improv DMing.
Thanks
Many thanks!