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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
Although Gu Changge believed that the Mortal One’s reincarnation bore a significant connection to the so-called body possession, he thought the difference was still notable. Essentially, the Mortal One, who was a veteran at reincarnation, must possess methods to conceal the fact that his body shared two souls from the world, which even a formidable being could find not a trace of upon investigation, and all they could explain was a memory awakening.
Nevertheless, Gu Changge’s claim of Jiang Yang being under the effect of body possession was basically a defaming allegation as he currently had no method powerful enough to prove that Jiang Yang was not the young man he once was, but that wasn’t important.
After all, he earned Yao Yao’s unwavering trust, and now all he needed to do was to instil suspicion and hostility in her towards Jiang Yang. If Jiang Yang was ignorant enough to engage Yao Yao, he would only be fulfilling Gu Changge’s wish.
The luck of Heavenly Star Realm within the siblings clashing against each other would benefit as Gu Changge remain on the sidelines, and he needed only to wait for the most crucial time to give the Mortal One one last stab. And that was Gu Changge’s flawless master plan.
[Judging by the Mortal One’s current method, it’s not likely that he would retain the original body’s soul. After all, the original Jiang Yang is inconsequential to him, and being honourable is nothing but a facade. After all, no decent man would ever choose to pick a Saintess every time he reincarnates. In other words, Yao Yao has probably lost her brother, and it’s only reasonable that she abhors the Mortal One, while I am only obliged to assist my dear disciple.] As countless thoughts flashed across Gu Changge’s mind, excitement could be seen on his face, if it was not concealed. Bearing no remorse for taking advantage of Yao Yao, he, as her mentor, would rather help her avenge her brother than have her get used by the Mortal One.
“Yao Yao, keep this jade pendant safe with you. It contains my ability inside. Break it when you face danger, and I’ll sense it,” Gu Changge added after a moment of silence as he revealed a delicate jade pendant that looked ancient and mysterious with gleaming runes surrounding it and a terrifying aura that could shatter the world.
“Thank you, Master.” Yao Yao obediently accepted the pendant.
Responding with a smile, Gu Changge knew Yao Yao wouldn’t be in danger as her power of Dao Fruit would erupt were she to face any adversity. By then, no one would be able to even touch her.
Nonetheless, she knew nothing about that. In her eyes, Gu Changge was only handing her the jade pendant out of concern that Jiang Yang might hurt her when he was absent, hence she felt moved.
Needless to say, Gu Changge had another use for the pendant. Inside, it contained not what others would call his Dharma Body, but his Demonized Dharma Body. It was similar to his divine sense, and was equivalent to him leaving a fragment of his soul resting in the pendant to track down Yao Yao’s every movement.
Gu Changge knew Jiang Yang would definitely come to take his sister out on a trip in order to gain her trust, so him intervening in their activity would certainly draw Jiang Yang’s suspicion.
Although Jiang Yang wished to eliminate Gu Changge, he was aware that now was not the time.
On the other hand, Gu Changge had no plans of startling Jiang Yang, which was why he intended to use Yao Yao to observe Jiang Yang’s movements, so Jiang Yang couldn’t figure out his motive despite his suspicion towards him.
“The Immortal’s Dharma Body…” Grandma Yin Hua enviously looked at the pendant and she could feel the extraordinariness of it. [With such a pendant as protection, even someone in the Honoured Nobility Realm wouldn’t be able to hurt Yao Yao. What a powerful, protective and wealthy mentor she has! What doesn’t he own?]
Nevertheless, very soon, remembering Jiang Yang’s change, she revealed a perturbed, helpless expression. Since Gu Changge already claimed to be uncertain and required further discussion, there was no telling what precisely happened to Jiang Yang and whether he had gotten his body possessed.
[I wonder what reward the Heavenly Gift Treasure Chest will give once the Fortuitous One’s Fortuity drops to zero? His Symbol of Reincarnation? Perhaps a Dao Fruit?] At that moment, Gu Changge was already pondering about his final reward as he pretty much already put the nail to the Mortal One’s coffin
Thanks to Jiang Chuchu, he now knew the Mortal One’s ultimate move. Even if Jiang Yang were to undergo a power outburst right now, he could only force himself to break through to the Enlightenment Realm with his current body. Such a realm was still far beneath Gu Changge’s true cultivation level.
Thus, even if the Mortal One’s reincarnation revealed his power to garner the force of all worlds, Gu Changge didn’t need to worry as all he only needed to keep an eye on the ability left behind by the Celestia Sacred Emperor, Celestia Holy Land’s Prime Ancestor, which might be the phantom of the Sacred Emperor or a Sacred Emperor Grade weapon.
[If my Eight Barren Demon Halberd reawakens, I should be able to fend off the Prime Ancestor of Celestia Holy Land’s weapon.] Gu Changge squinted his eyes.
As for the phantom of the Sacred Emperor, Gu Changge could simply engulf it with his Grand Flask, which he used to deal with the phantom left behind by the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being. After all, someone in the Sacred Emperor Realm was nothing compared to the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
Once a cultivator conquered all Nine Minor Realms within the Sacred King Realm, they then stood a chance to break through to Sacred Emperor Realm and accordingly ascend to the Nirvana Realm.
‘Supreme Being’ was a label given to beings that had achieved Dao Fulfilment in ancient times. Some Supreme Beings walked even further down the Path of Dao and were close to becoming True Immortals.
Gu Changge was born with the Demonic Heart and the Grand Flask. The Grand Flask was not something created from him cultivating the Demonic Arts. Instead, it has always slept deep in his Knowledge Sea. It was only once he started cultivating did it start to emerge. In fact, for more than twenty years, he had only used that Grand Flask once. It was his greatest trump card!
For the next few days, Gu Changge temporary settled down in Celestia Holy Land with Yao Yao and Grandma Yin Hua. At the same time, words about it spread from the holy land across the outside world. After all, many cultivators had witnessed Gu Changge’s entry into Celestia Holy Land.
At once, the news was dispersed across regions in the Sky Domain, causing a huge turmoil. Everyone started making guesses as they were confused and shocked. There were even forces and people from Mystic Mountains that went to visit Celestia Holy Land, only to be turned away. Eventually, many realised that the relationship between Gu Changge and Celestia Holy Land wasn’t exactly peaceful.
Since Gu Changge was now temporarily staying in Celestia Holy Land, its members could only remain wary, not daring to feign any discontent as they could only treat him with gratification and respect instead. Such an attitude of them left many forces dumbfounded, after which they snickered at how Celestia Holy Land, a domineering force, finally had to face such a fate.
…
In the meantime, Yue Mingkong also received news about Celestia Holy Land. Although her methods were very discreet, she was able to gain control over many great local forces in hiding. There were even Great Ancient Clans in the Sky Domain that fell under her control. Therefore, no events taking place in the Sky Domain were able to escape her ears, and that included news of the Celestia Holy Land.
In that instant, her eyes grew cold as she glared at the group of individuals kneeling before her with a glower, surrounded by a terrorizing aura.
“Jiang Yang…” Yue Mingkong muttered the name as chilliness and hostility surged in her eyes. “I’ve been looking for you for so long, and you finally showed up.”
She was only informed of the name by one of her followers a moment ago. Jiang Yang, a disciple of Celestia Holy Land who rose to fame after removing the curse with his Barren Sacred Physique.
[No wonder there hasn’t been news about him. So it was the Barren Sacred Physique that has been concealing his movements. How bothersome.] Yue Mingkong’s eyes grew even icier and menacing. She initially intended to head to the Sky Pool and wait for the World Purifying Green Lotus to spawn and seize it in order to foil the plan of the Mortal One regaining his power. Nonetheless, she had a change of mind now that the Mortal One’s reincarnation surfaced, and now her priority was shifted to killing him off.
No matter what the odds were, she would have to try, though she wasn’t sure whether the Mortal One’s reincarnation’s past memories had reawakened.
[If they have yet to reawaken, it should be a simple job; if they have, it would be a little trickier, but the Mortal One shouldn’t know that I’m going to kill him. If he simply perceives me as a random force that came from the Lower Realm that wishes to see him…] Yue Mingkong revealed a chilly grin on her stunning face under her veil.
Her plan was a simple one, but in order to take down the Mortal One’s reincarnation before he gained strength and become the true Mortal One, she would require preparations. Essentially, Jiang Yang possessed innumerable methods, so he would prove more irksome than Ye Ling, the Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being. Therefore, even the slightest flaw would allow Jiang Yang to escape or perhaps inflict critical damage on her. Having no intention to bear a great risk, Yue Mingkong would have to plan out her strategies as assiduously as possible.
[If my memory serves me right, the Prime Ancestor of Celestia Holy Land bore a major connection to the Mortal One, as he was someone enlightened by the Mortal One. Thus, the Mortal One must have an assistant hiding in the Celestia Holy Land. I’ll need a way to draw them out. Hope he’s working alone…] Numerous ideas flashed across Yue Mingkong’s mind.
Swiftly, she finished forming her plan. Firstly, she would need a suitable place to set up her arrays and people in formation. Secondly, to draw the Mortal One’s reincarnation to the place and execute their ambush. She was confident that the Mortal One’s reincarnation alone would be able to escape her trap.
With this, Yue Mingkong’s eyes lit up. She grasped her quill and began writing as she intended to deliver a letter to JIang Yang who was currently in Celestia Holy Land.
At that moment, she was concerned that the Immortal that appeared in the Sky Domain might ruin her plan. According to the news, the young sister of the Mortal One’s reincarnation gained the Immortal’s respect and became his disciple, after which, they coincidentally arrived at Celestia Holy Land.
[This is all too much of a coincidence. Is the Immortal perhaps also looking for the Mortal One’s reincarnation?] She thought with a scowl. To her, her only advantage was that she was in the dark while her opposition was in broad daylight. Thus, the Immortal was oblivious to her existence. If the Immortal were to mess with her plans, she wouldn’t mind engaging him. After all, for the sake of descending to the Lower Realm, she made so many preparations and brought so many items, including a frightening forbidden weapon and a Sacred Emperor Grade weapon.
…
Meanwhile, in an ancient city a distance away from Celestia Holy Land, where innumerable people were strolling on the merry street with taverns and stalls on its side, extravagant palaces with godly aura neatly were neatly constructed.
“It’s your first time visiting Celestia Holy Land, so I, as the brother, shall give you a good tour,” Jiang Yang casually said with an apologetic smile as he was showing Yao Yao and Grandma Yin Hua around.
Behind them was the Supreme Elder of Celestia Holy Land, Zhao Yi. Although she seemed like an escort, she was actually Jiang Yang’s guardian.
The incident back in the palace that humiliated Jiang Yang might have stained her impression of him, but thanks to Jiang Yang’s guidance and measures, she, having been stuck on her cultivation level, finally achieved a sign of breakthrough. Deeply dazed, her perception of him once again changed. Thus, she thought what happened in the palace yesterday was merely an accident. However, as ever, Jiang Yang only grew more mysterious and unpredictable to her.
At that moment, Jiang Yang was carrying a smile as he chatted with Yao Yao and Grandma Yin Hua, intending to regain Yao Yao’s trust. He would reminisce about their childhood during their walk. His behaviour and speech had also slowly turned into that of the brother Yao Yao knew of.
Alas, what Gu Changge told them the night before remained a prick in their hearts. Therefore, both Yao Yao and Grandma Yin Hua were rather reluctant to be intimate with him, though they weren’t exactly apathetic to him. Still, a distance and even defensiveness were detectable.
As such, Jiang Yang was confused but he didn’t show it as he remained passionate, conversing with his family, as if he wished to make up for his past mistakes.
This time around, Gu Changge was nowhere to be found. Although he was Yao Yao’s mentor, clinging around the little girl might be too meddlesome and inappropriate, and Jiang Yang found nothing wrong with that. If Gu Changge were to tag along even now, his ill intention would only become unconcealable.
Besides, Jiang Yang sensed the jade pendant Yao Yao was carrying possessed Gu Changge’s aura, and he thought it was for Gu Changge to trace Yao Yao. Nonetheless, Jiang Yang wasn’t bothered by it since he meant Yao Yao no harm, and Gu Changge was only burdening himself with worries.
“Brother, I’m tired. I want to go home.” Suddenly, a hint of fatigue surged on Yao Yao’s petite face as she looked at Jiang Yang and muttered.
Today, Jiang Yang took her and Grandma Yin Hua out of Celestia Holy Land to visit a nearby ancient city, saying it had been a long time since he last saw them and wished to catch up with them.
With her mentor’s jade pendant, Yao Yao wasn’t concerned, so she agreed to the trip. Moreover, she kept Gu Changge’s reminder in mind, which was to find out what exactly happened to Jiang Yang and whether he simply changed or he had his body possessed.
Thus, Yao Yao was silently observing him along the way, only to discover his mannerisms, speech, and even the way he looked at her was the same as before. He was the same brother she knew of, who remembered what her favourite food was and how they encountered a wild beast at the entrance of the village, but for some reason, the wild beast retreated shiveringly.
Prior to that, Yao Yao would have been convinced that the man before was her brother, and she wouldn’t find anything off with him. However, Gu Changge’s warning was still echoing in her ears, and she, along with Grandma Yin Hua couldn’t help but feel anxious about it.
After all, Jiang Yang’s current behaviour was totally different from how he acted back in the palace in a course of only one night. Naturally, Jiang Yang clarified that he was acting too rashly out of jealousy, hence his actions, and he wouldn’t have done so on usual days.
In response, Yao Yao and Grandma Yin Hua had nothing to say about that.
“Since Yao Yao is tired, let’s head back.” Jiang Yang was slightly stunned, after which he smilingly stated. Knowing it would take more to win back Yao Yao’s trust, he wasn’t hasty to do so and he simply believed that she was tired.
After fusing his conscience with the original Jiang Yang, he was quite fond of the obedient younger sister. Furthermore, given her complex origins, she might be useful to him if she were to stay by his side in the future, and he was content with the idea.
As for Gu Changge, after a moment of contemplation, he assumed Gu Changge only came to Upper Realm and happened to pass by Northern Mountain Village, where he discovered Yao Yao’s uniqueness and took her in as his disciple, intending to bring her back to the Upper Realm with him as his main ulterior motive.
After thinking things through, Jiang Yang was determined to go against Gu Changge as he intended to pull Yao Yao to his side. In his eyes, Gu Changge was nothing but an ignorant tool, whom he wished to take his revenge on for the humiliation he experienced back in the palace.
“Brother, did you forget to tell me something? You previously said that you had woes.” Yao Yao nodded. She then stared at Jiang Yang with her big round eyes filled with bewilderment. Ultimately, she still wished Jiang Yang would personally tell her about the matter.
“Didn’t you say you trusted me?” Jiang Yang let out a chuckle, as though he wasn’t surprised by Yao Yao’s question.
He continued and said everything he thought up earlier. Most of what he said was pretty much the same as Gu Change’s story, but the difference was that he omitted the details pertaining to the eruption of the miasma, which he simply covered by claiming it to be an accident.
And it was that very claim that left Grandma Yin Hua stupefied.
“It seems you were very lucky, Brother. You were the only survivor.” Seeing how Jiang Yang left out the details and perfunctorily went through it, Yao Yao grew silent as she understood that something was up.
“Oh, before I forget, Yao Yao, do be wary of your mentor.”
As Jiang Yang noticed Yao Yao’s facial expression, he was slightly dazed, realising what Gu Changge might have said to her, but he didn’t really mind it. After all, even someone in the Sacred Emperor Realm couldn’t have detected his method of reincarnation, so Gu Changge wouldn’t stand a chance, and all the so-called Immortals could only make guesses.
“Hmm?” Hearing that, Yao Yao was taken aback by how Jiang Yang warned her to be cautious of her own mentor.
“Why?” She was baffled by her brother’s words. It was as if he was trying to pick them apart. In that instant, Yao Yao instinctively had Jiang Yang distant in her mind, to that of a mere stranger.
Many thanks
Many thanks
Many thanks