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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Vermillion Bird Emperor, Bai Yang, Chu Hao and the others in the castle had gotten the news. They were shocked that things had developed in an unexpected direction.
“I have underestimated the fear these families and sects have towards Gu Changge… They would rather leave their homeland and go to other territories than to fight against Gu Changge with us at a time like this…” Blood suddenly drained from Vermillion Bird Emperor’s face as he fell on his seat in a daze. His face was ashen when he muttered in despair. “We are doomed… We are doomed… How can it be… everyone escaped overnight…”
As though struck by lightning, Chu Hao had also turned pale from disbelief.
They had just started seeing hope, and yet the families and sects had made their escape out of nowhere. This was completely different from what they had predicted!
“The royal family has treated them so well. Yet, they don’t want to fight against our enemies with us, and even run away in times of trouble!” Chu Hao was shaking from rage. He could only feel despair at the thought of watching the Vermilion Bird Empire perish without being able to do anything.
Right then, a guard outside the hall rushed in, his complexion sickly. “Your Majesty, this is a letter from Tutor Wang…” Upon hearing this, Vermillion Bird Emperor jolted out of his seat and took the letter.
“Tutor Wang? Does he still remember me?” His eyes were bright with a hopeful glint that the old royal tutor would be on his side.
But soon after he finished reading the letter, his whole face was white, and he went into a daze. As if he had been struck by lightning, he only came to his senses after some time.
If it wasn’t for Chu Hao’s quick reaction in holding his father, Vermillion Bird Emperor would’ve fallen to the floor.
“What is the matter, Father?” Chu Hao couldn’t help but ask.
“Even Tutor Wang has left me…” Vermillion Bird Emperor whispered sadly.
Tutor Wang was as much his master as he was a father to the Vermillion Bird Emperor. No one had expected he would choose to abandon the empire and leave with his family after just one night at a time like this. What was written in the letter was Tutor Wang’s apologetic feelings towards the Emperor.
“Am I the instigator, he asks?” Chu Hao’s face had suddenly turned black when he saw the content of the letter. What used to be utmost respect for the old man had turned into unadulterated rage.
“Nonsense! It is a blatant fact that Gu Change was the one putting pressure on us. How is he blaming me now instead!? We have been nothing but kind to Tutor Wang. He has repaid us by turning his back to us and left without a care. There is no reason to feel disheartened because of a cruel man like him.” Chu Hao’s expression was so dark it almost looked like coal.
Bai Yang was quietly watching the scene from the side. It felt like things had come to a dead end, and they had no way of turning this around.
Just as Tang Wan said, Chu Hao was as small and helpless as an ant in front of Gu Changge!
Face pale, the forlorn Vermillion Bird Emperor tightly held Chu Hao’s hand and begged him.
“Hao’er, you have to help me think of a way. I can’t let the empire fall to ruins in my hands! Not only will I not be able to face our ancestors, I will also have to take the blame for the fall in many years to come… Hao’er, please… You must have a way! Father knows that you have a way!”
“Father, I…” Chu Hao also fell into despair when he heard those words. He looked at Bai Yang for help, but all he got was a sigh from the man.
Not even the Supreme Cave Heaven could help at this point. After all, even Supreme Cave Heaven might by insignificant in Gu Changge’s eyes.
“That is right! Wan’er! Wan’er can definitely help me! Since she can privately meet Gu Changge several times… If she helps to say something, she might just talk Gu Changge into letting the Vermilion Bird Empire…” Chu Hao suddenly thought of Tang Wan then, and hope appeared in his eyes as if he had found a life-saving straw.
Bai Yang, too, could only sigh at Chu Hao’s decision at such a desperate time. [Chu Hao, you were never someone like this. You were always mature, rooted and confident. You have always been an indifferent man, who had everything under control. There was barely anything you couldn’t do. But now, you are just acting like a headless chicken. Have you completely forgotten about what you’ve just said to Tang Wan before? How you blew up because Tang Wan secretly went to see Gu Changge.]
The realisation that Chu Hao had changed made Bai Yang sigh. He couldn’t help feeling like a healthy seedling had grown wild and crazy because of Gu Changge!
……
Within the frightening rumbling clouds, the upright magnificent ancient battleships in the sky was like a sinking continent that covered everything. In the depths of the ancient battleships, there were rows upon rows of magnificent yet simple palaces and buildings, in the style of the Celestial Ancient Times, which looked extremely magnificent.
And at this moment, under these buildings, there was a secret dungeon which humid air eerily reeked of decay and blood. Beast oil lamps were lit on both sides of the corridors. Even though it was extremely dim, one could see that the dungeon had been divided into 2 sides.
A group made up of around 100 frightened cultivators was imprisoned in the dungeon on the left. They were men and women of all races and different auras, and those with strong cultivation that had reached the Sacred Realm.
Not only were there chains on their hands and feet, the runes that flickered made it difficult for them to move.
Meanwhile in the dungeon on the right, there was a group made up of 3 women and 5 men, They were wearing clothes that were obviously vastly different from what those from the Celestial Ancient Continent of this era wore.
Many among them looked terrified as they huddled in a corner. And despite not having any chains on their bodies, they didn’t dare move. They were anxious, fearful, and hopeless while they looked at everything that was happening outside.
Right then, 2 of them were conversing in their own language.
“Ah’chen, do you think we have travelled through time? We were only digging for fossils when some white light hit us and brought us to this mysterious and bizarre world. And there was that bronze boat that suddenly appeared and then suddenly disappeared…
But these should be those Qi Practitioners recorded in the legends, right? Not only can they fly and transform nature, even the monsters here are the size of mountains.
Heck! That woman who took us away at that time was as beautiful as a goddess. Even though Goddess Xiao is also unrealistically gorgeous, she seems somewhat lacking compared to that woman. What a pity…
Hey, if we get back alive and make this known to the public, we will definitely cause an uproar and become famous ourselves.”
The man who spoke had a simple and honest face with a burly stature. Despite his appearance, he had a brilliant glint in his eyes as he spoke, meaning that he wasn’t as simple as he looked.
Hearing that, the man whom he called Ah’chen replied, “I don’t know. Logically speaking, I think we have time-travelled. There is no other way to explain this situation. Before that, we should first understand some things about this world, or else we won’t be able to ensure our lives. These Qi Practitioners are not friendly. To them, throwing fists is how they communicate.”
Ah’chen was a man with handsome features and average build. On top of that, he wasn’t as frightened as the others. On the contrary, he was calmer than them as he kept his eyes on the outside of the dungeon the whole time.
His full name was Jiang Chen while Ah’chen was a nickname. He was a graduate student majoring in archaeology at a geology university. He knew a lot about various ancient relics.
He and a few good friends had gone with their former tutor from school to a ruin that was discovered not long ago to conduct research and exploration, to complete their graduation thesis.
Still, none of them had expected they would encounter a series of strange things that got many of them in trouble in the ruin. Some who were superstitious had quickly left, while the ones who didn’t, proceeded with the excavation.
Those that continued finally encountered a strange, altar-like thing in the depths of the ruin. There were even all kinds of strange stones shining brightly around it, which immediately captured everyone’s attention.
The sight beside the altar was also extremely scary as there were many bones of huge beasts. It was so frightening that some of the more timid ones were almost scared to death, and their legs went soft. Naturally, normal bones would not cause them to feel like that. Those sets of bones didn’t exist even in the recordings of all the ancient books they knew of. Thus, it was as though they had opened the gateway to hell, and were looking at the hidden side of the world!
For some reason, someone must have triggered something because a splendid brilliance suddenly appeared on the altar before it engulfed everyone, rendering many of them unconscious.
When they woke up again, they had already appeared in this bizarre world, and had felt the different kinds of horrors and dangers this world had to offer. In fact, there were initially 10 of them who had come to this world, but now, only 8 were left. And the 8 of them didn’t even know how much longer they would survive.
“Indeed,” the burly guy sighed. “Our priority is to keep ourselves alive. We don’t even know where that woman who locked us up went.”
The burly guy was named Niu Tian, and he was so close to Jiang Chen they did almost everything together. They might as well share the same pair of pants at this point.
“En.” Jiang Chen nodded. However, he couldn’t help looking at a woman on the other side of the dungeon who was hugging her knees. With black hair like waterfall, delicate facial features, and silky fair skin, she was an indescribably beautiful woman.
She was Xiao Ruoyin, also known as ‘Goddess Xiao’, who Niu Tian mentioned earlier.
Xiao Ruoyin and Jiang Chen were from the same school, major, and class. Even in the eyes of many, they were a match made in heaven. Jiang Chen was knowledgeable and hard-working, while Xiao Ruoyin was talented and beautiful. However, they were only slightly more than normal friends.
This distance actually made Jiang Chen feel helpless, as he knew that there were too many reasons preventing him from taking a step further. In fact, the main reason he came to the expedition at that time was actually because of Xiao Ruoyin. It was because she had invited him to come.
Of course, it wasn’t only him. Niu Tian and many other classmates had also been invited by her. If it wasn’t for her, he would have ran out the moment he felt something was wrong. He wouldn’t have gotten into this mess.
However, Xiao Ruoyin didn’t seem to notice Jiang Chen’s eyes, which were looking at her. She was still staring at the void outside the dungeon with calm eyes, either in a daze, or she was thinking about something.
Instead of panicking or being afraid like the others, she seemed to have calmly accepted everything.
At this time, Niu Tian couldn’t help asking suddenly, his eyes doubtful.
“By the way, Ah’chen, did you notice how that bronze flying boat appeared during that time? All I saw was a sudden flash of white light, and many of us fell unconscious. And then, the bronze flying boat suddenly appeared and brought us here.” Although many were hit by the white light at that time had passed out, he didn’t, which was why he saw the bronze flying boat appear out of thin air. The boat itself and the flag on it looked worn and tattered, as the boat carried everyone along to this strange world.
Eventually, he passed out when he could no longer keep himself awake. Thus, Niu Tian didn’t know how long the journey had been. By the time they woke up, they were already in this world and the bronze flying boat that brought everyone here had also disappeared.
When Jiang Chen heard this, his expression fell, and quickly recovered. He then shook his head and answered, “I don’t know where that boat went, but when I saw you fall asleep, I couldn’t help sleeping as well. I don’t know anything that happened after that.”
Among those who were hit by the white light at that time, besides Niu Tian, there were very few people who were conscious, one of them being Jiang Chen.
He actually saw what Niu Tian had said, but he chose not to say too much about it since he still did not know what happened, and did not wish to cause unnecessary panic. In fact, the bronze flying boar that brought them here came shooting out of his body.
The moment the white light hit him, a mysterious and indescribable change happened to his body, and the bronze flying boat suddenly appeared and brought everyone away. However, Jiang Chen was the only one who knew this. Until now, he still can’t figure out why such a thing would appear from his body.
At the exact moment, Xiao Ruoyin, who seemed to have overheard their conversation, tilted her head and looked at Jiang Chen. “Do you have any way to help us leave this place?”
Hearing his crush’s question, he looked back at her and smiled, “I do have an idea, but it will take some time. I have to learn their language first.”
Xiao Ruoyin’s expression wavered ever so slightly when something seemed to have come to mind, but she shook her head and sighed, “I am worried we won’t have time.”
Jiang Chen also fell silent at that. He knew they didn’t stand a chance against these mysterious and powerful Qi Practitioners. After all, there were even stronger beings amongst them that Jiang Chen believed could destroy the entire planet he came from, alone. How were they supposed to fight against such beings? At this point, the only thing he could pray for was for the mysterious bronze flying boat to resurface and carry all of them away from this place.
Xiao Ruiyin seemed to be thinking about something when she suddenly spoke again. “Actually… I have dreamt of this world before.”
Her words immediately shocked both Jiang Chen and Niu Tian.
“What!?” Jiang Chen’s eyes shot open in disbelief. [You’re saying that this world has appeared in your dreams? Could it be? That you already knew that this would happen to us when we went into that ruin?]
Seeing how taken aback and in denial they were, she was about to say something again before a voice rang out from outside the dungeon, demanding her to shut up.
She and Jiang Chen both turned over in the direction of the voice, and he could feel a chill in his back as his eyes were filled with caution, fear, and many other emotions.
“It is that woman in black who took us…” Niu Tian muttered under his breath as he stared at the duo that slowly walked toward them.
The woman in black was tall and slender, and she had a light veil on her face that revealed only a pair of autumn-like pupils and sharp eyebrows. Her appearance gave off a sense of demure, and it was as though there was a mist around her that made it difficult for people to see her surroundings clearly.
However, Jiang Chen knew better than to lower his guard and think she was some kind of saint. After all, he had experienced her cruelty first-hand, especially when he witnessed his companions die horrible deaths in her hands.
[She is a femme fatale!] Everyone thought to themselves.
But what shocked Jiang Chen and the others was that the woman had come in accompanied by a young man. From his demeanour, the man in white looked to be greatly respected. The woman even seemed subservient to him. She, who before this, gave all of them the impression of a strong, noble, and majestic queen.
[Who exactly is he?] In their eyes, the white-clad man seemed to be glowing all over in holy light. Even his hair was shiny like ink, making him look peerless, aloof and venerated like an Immortal living in the Nine Heavens from the mythologies.
They couldn’t detect a trace of emotion from his eyes, which were as deep as the ocean.
To them, this felt the way they used to look at ants.
Jiang Chen, Niu Tian and the rest couldn’t help the shudder that crawled throughout their bodies. Despite not feeling any ill intentions from the man, they still felt their fear rise, as though their life was no longer in their hands.
The 2 people who came were Gu Changge and Hei Yanyu.
“Young Master, they are the group of mysterious people I captured in the Forbidden Area of the Ancient Celestial Continent. Unfortunately, many of them died due to certain circumstances,” Hei Yanyu respectfully informed Gu Changge in a gentle voice.
Gu Changge only replied with a calm nod.
Soon after, he looked at the group in front of him, and paused, especially at Jiang Chen and Xiao Ruoyin before he asked, “Do you want to get out of here alive?”
The group only showed a puzzled look. They didn’t understand his words.
Thinking that Gu Changge wasn’t aware of something, Hei Yanyu explained, “Young Master, they don’t understand our language.”
Gu Changge went on and ignored her as his eyes fell on Xiao Ruoyin, his interest piqued. “Interesting. You can understand what I am saying, right?”
Xiao Ruoyin only gawked at him like she didn’t know what he had said.
“I like smart people. Smart people would know what to do at a time like this,” Gu Changge said lightly.
Xiao Ruoyin couldn’t help the change in her expression when she heard his words.
In that instant, she felt as though she was being strangled by a pair of invisible hands, suffocating her. It made her terribly afraid. She had no idea how he found out when she was hiding it so well.
“Do you want to get out of here alive?” Gu Changge asked again with a faint smile on his lips.
After a brief silence, Xiao Ruoyin replied in this world’s language, “I do.”
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