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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Several hours later, Yue Mingkong lay lazily on the sofa in her chamber, looking spent and not wanting to move a finger.
Gu Changge, on the other hand, looked at the frayed map in his hands with great interest and, in the end, landed his gaze on the spot Yue Mingkong circled out. “So this is where the Tower of World Domination is located? The Sky Jade Mountain Range?”
“Yeah. I’ve flipped through many ancient books before finally learning the possible location the Tower of World Domination might emerge.” Yue Mingkong’s crisp voice travelled over.
Gu Changge nodded in response. “Out of the Seven Tools of World Domination, I now have the Flask and the Jar…” While speaking, he waved his arm, and a plain-looking jar and flask with glittering light appeared in his hands.
The Flask of World Domination, especially, had intertwining strands of glowing light that looked like it could illuminate the void at any time.
As for the Jar of World Domination, it looked no different from any other ordinary jar. It was raven-black, and it drooped out some kind of strange light, as though it could devour everything.
Rumour has it that the Jar of World Domination was a forgery of the Grand Flask. However, just how powerful and horrifying it was, no one knew, and Gu Changge had never really tried it before.
“So these are the Flask and Jar of World Domination?” Curious, Yue Mingkong came closer.
“Word is that anyone who can gather all Seven Tools of World Domination can open the Immortal Palace Treasury. But who knows if it’s real or just a myth.” Gu Changge smiled and handed the two artifacts to her, stupefying her as she looked at him with bafflement. “Why are you handing them to me?”
If anything, she was intending to hand him the Mirror and Seal of World Domination, but who’d have thought he gave her the Jar and the Flask instead.
Honestly speaking, Yue Mingkong didn’t know how to react to it, as it wasn’t Gu Changge to do something like this.
“You’re collecting the Seven Tools of World Domination, are you not? I happen to have no use for them, so here you go.” He smiled.
“I have no use for them either.” The young woman shot her fiancé a dirty look. Though surprised that Gu Changge would do something like this, she still felt touched.
“Why are you collecting them then?” Gu Changge was rather surprised. “Have you actually collected them for me?”
“Naturally.” Yue Mingkong snorted, but her gaze was riveted on him. Then, with a wave of her arm, the void rippled, and a crystal-clear mirror and a seal that looked to be forged from violet gold ore floated in the space. A mystical aura surged around them, making them look enigmatic.
“So these are the Seal and Mirror of World Domination?” asked Gu Changge matter-of-factly as he quirked a brow. He could already vaguely sense the connections between these Tools of World Domination.
No one knew who forged these artifacts. They were made with different materials and means of forging as well. Each gave off a different sense. However, between each of them, there seemed to be an inexplicable connection. [No wonder there are rumours that the Seven Tools of World Domination can open up the Immortal Palace Treasury.]
“My Mingkong sure is the best,” Gu Changge said with a smile, then kept the artifacts away with a wave of his hand. [Well, she naturally wouldn’t be left out if there are treasures there.]
…
A few days after that, Gu Changge began devising some plans according to the information he got from Yue Mingkong. It was without a doubt that he had to obtain the Tower of World Domination. But other than that, he also needed to devise a plan for the Demon-Burying Abyss.
Though no news had come from the Demon-Burying Abyss lately, Gu Changge thought it was a sign of the calm before the storm.
Once demoness in red, Chan Hongyi, emerges, chaos would undoubtedly befall the Upper Realm. Though he had long planned on the appearance of the demoness, the Floating Buddhist Temple was guarding the Demon-Burying Abyss, and given the tight security, barely anyone could even approach the place.
Furthermore, Yure Mingkong certainly wouldn’t be the only one who knew about the existence of the Tower of World Domination. Thus, he’d had to make advance preparations in case there were others vying for it.
Meanwhile, Yue Mingkong was giving her own orders as she intended to follow Gu Changge up the Sky Jade Mountain Range.
The location was actually pretty far from the Immortal Academy, and they would have to pass a few teleportation arrays. Because it was rather secluded and close to the wastelands, there would be much fewer powerful forces. So even if they encountered powerful cultivators, they wouldn’t be much stronger. Thus, the only thing Gu Changge needed to worry about was if others would get to the artifact before him.
If that were to happen, it’d be even more difficult for him to gather all Seven Tools of World Domination.
Gu Changge had always had an agenda for the Immortal Palace Treasury. Not because he was personally interested in the things hidden within. Rather, he just needed them for refining the Eight Barren Demon Halberd, and only the Immortal Palace, which once dominated the entire world, had what he needed.
Days passed in the blink of an eye, and peace gradually returned to the Immortal Academy.
The Successor of Demonic Arts that all the disciples once feared seemed to have also gradually vanished following Sky King Zhi Yang’s execution, which put many Elders and disciples at ease, no longer jittery like before.
There was no longer hearsay about disciples being mutilated by the Successor of Demonic Arts anymore. Rather, signs of the Successor of Demonic Arts appearing in several places in the outside world began surfacing, leading many to be on alert.
However, right then, Wang Zijin was reprimanding Jiang Chuchu in a cave mansion. “Look how much of an idiot you are, Jiang Chuchu!”
She was so disappointed in the saintess that she was close to pointing and cussing at the latter.
“You know just how much of a womaniser Gu Changge is, and yet you still expect him to treat you well!? Bastards like him are people you should be staying far away from. You shouldn’t even give him a chance to touch you!” While speaking, a tinge of red laced her fair face, seemingly also livid with herself.
Jiang Chuchu was normally calm and collected in front of Wang Zijin. In fact, she would even normally go against the latter. However, after being severely reprimanded this time, Jiang Chuchu only drooped her head while clenching the hem of her skirt like a misbehaved child, taking pains to speak up, for she thought Wang Zijin was right and she couldn’t refute.
When the Trial ended, Wang Zijin interrogated Jiang Chuchu after returning to the Immortal Academy. The latter yielded in the end and confessed that she and Gu Changge were closer than people thought.
Being a shrewd one, Wang Zijin realised, through her observation over the past few days, that her friend would always space out and also leave the cave mansion every now and then to wander outside.
Thus, she decided to stalk Jiang Chuchu only to discover that the young woman would walk towards Gu Changge’s chamber after wandering around, then stand beside the stone slab outside, waiting for god-knows-what.
Though she’d find Jiang Chuchu leaving dejectedly at the end of the day, the latter would then once again wander to Gu Changge’s chamber a few days later.
At this point, even a blind man could tell Jiang Chuchu wanted to speak to Gu Changge and yet didn’t know how to bring it up. So she ended up stuck in a loop of hesitation.
Wang Zijin had to hand it to Jiang Chuchu. The young woman obviously minded it, yet she still put up a nonchalant front.
That said, she felt rather bad for Jiang Chuchu.
Though she didn’t know when her friend had gotten familiar with Gu Changge, judging from Jiang Chuchu’s current behaviour, she had fallen pretty deep into the relationship. And yet, Gu Changge was no decent man. In fact, the sky might fall before the man would take his romance seriously.
As for Jiang Chuchu’s situation, Wang Zijin only had one thing to say — she could do nothing after Gu Changge ate her up and walked away.
“Then… What do you suppose I should do now?” asked Jiang Chuchu after coming to herself while Wang Zijin was complaining about her.
She had only told Wang Zijin all about it because she trusted the latter. After all, they grew up and cultivated together in the Mortal Palace since they were kids. Though they constantly bickered, they were still technically close.
“What you should do now is to stay as far away from Gu Changge as possible. Better if you can ignore him. You are the mighty Successor of Mortal Palace, a Saintess that many worship, and plenty of young prodigies also try to win your heart… The more you act like you’re desperate to see him, the cheaper you look. You get me? So, you just have to put on your usual aloof front at this time. That way, only wouldn’t Gu Changge look down on you, understand?” Wang Zijin advised analytically like a Senior Romance Expert. Sure, she had never been in a romantic relationship before, but it didn’t mean she had never seen others in one.
Jiang Chuchu thought what her friend said made sense. Perhaps the reason Gu Changge would constantly bully her was that she behaved like a damsel in distress in front of him.
“Hold up. Why does it feel like you’re actually creating opportunities for yourself?” She looked sceptically at Wang Zijin, who snorted and rebuked, “I’ve already seen through that bloody Bastard. Do you think I’m an idiot like you?!”
Jiang Chuchu nodded thoughtfully, but her gaze was still filled with scepticism, for she remembered well that Wang Zijin’s words were entirely different back then.
“Either way, Gu Changge’s no decent man. You can’t always be this naive, Chuchu…” cautioned Wang Zijin while rolling her eyes.
Jiang Chuchu nodded in acknowledgement. “I know he’s no good guy.”
Of course, there was more she didn’t disclose, like him being the real Successor of Demonic Arts, and that even the Mortal One died brutally in his hands.
Though Wang Zijin knew far less about Gu Changge than she did, she still did as the former said in the next few days. However, very quickly, she discovered that Gu Changge had already left the Immortal Academy, and the other person who followed along was his fiancée, Yue Mingkong.
The revelation rendered the poor young woman stupefied for a long while before becoming upset for quite some time. Gu Changge genuinely had no intentions of even seeing her after he returned to the Immortal Academy, and she couldn’t help doubting Wang Zijin’s words.
…
Meanwhile, at a hill in Heavenly Ruin Gate, there situated a few huts and a couple patches of bamboo groves. In front of the huts was a herbal field with a few old trees by the side. The place had serene written all over it.
Though it was where the handymen lived, Jiang Chen thought it suited him just fine.
Sure, it was no grand house or majestic palace, but everything here looked confident and simple. Cultivating here had him believing he had improved immensely.
“According to Senior Black’s words, I’m close to opening up the Spiritual Sea now.” Jiang Chen focused on his Dantian, where a fist-sized spiritual energy vortex was hovering, slowly absorbing the surrounding essence of the universe.
If he kept at this pace, he’d become a true cultivator in at most three days.
Of course, he only managed to achieve such speed because the young woman named Chuyue ordered her men to bring him all sorts of elixirs and pills over these past few days.
Though they were all bland, the ingredients being nothing but average, they still helped him in grasping spiritual energy. Furthermore, he had learned quite a few things through asking around these past few days.
For instance, the young woman named Chuyue wasn’t just anybody, and she wasn’t a disciple of Heavenly Ruin Gate but from an old force called the Hidden Ji Family. It had a long legacy, far longer than Purple Mansion, which Gu Changge had obliterated some time ago.
Ji Chuyue seemed to have come here in search of something, as she had been sending cultivators to search the entire mountain range to no avail.
At that, an idea popped into Jiang Chen’s head. The only use of the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation now was to explore terrain changes, direction of Fortuity, and so on. [Isn’t searching what it does best?!]
If he could help her find what she was looking for, she’d owe him a favour. Though it would be as far as entering the Hidden Ji Family, it’d be much easier if he ever encountered any trouble, given the debt.
That said, he still hadn’t found the perfect excuse. Besides, she might not even trust him. After all, he was barely even a cultivator.
Just then, the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation spoke up. <You can tell her you’re actually the Successor of a Divine Source Master, and your ancestors have a couple of tricks in hunting and sourcing out treasure. No doubt she’ll believe you.>
However, the suggestion stumped Jiang Chen a little, and he asked in bafflement, “Divine Source Master? What’s that?”
<It’s a long lost legacy that can search for the Source of the Universe, explore terrains, peer into heaven and earth, lock the dragon vein using Principles, change the world to your will… They can do almost anything. Coincidentally, the tricks I currently know can deceive them through this identity,> suggested the Artifact Spirit.
Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up in response, and he hurriedly left the place and went to search for Ji Chuyue to talk about it.
Meanwhile, Ji Chuyue was pondering with a frown in a tower, feeling somewhat bewildered. [Many cultivators seem to have shown up here lately. But why would people visit such a secluded place all of a sudden? Can it be that someone had let the cat out of the bag?]
Her family had only learned about the emergence of the Tower of World Domination after spending great lengths in research and study. Though the Hidden Ji Family had a long history, they had very few young prodigies these past recent years, and their family was beginning to show signs of regression.
If they didn’t do something, the Hidden Ji Family would undoubtedly become a second-rated family very soon and lose its former glory. Because of that, she and her brother had decided to secretly find the Seven Tools of World Domination in hopes of finding the legendary Immortal Palace Treasury to revive their family.
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