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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Under the silver rays of the beguiling full moon, the purple mountains spectacularly stood, covered in ambiguous purple gleams. From time to time, terrifying sounds would come from within, as though it was the thundering noise giant boulders were rolling.
In the valley, the atmosphere was ever so overwhelming, and the crowd lowered their heads in silence, not daring to speak a word, including the nervous Chen Ning’er whose face slightly paled. Although Gu Changge wasn’t questioning her, the soul-trembling, suffocating sensation surrounded her like a nightmare.
Eventually, as Gu Changge withdrew his gaze and revealed a smile, the pressuring aura finally faded away in their heads. As if they were just dragged out of an icy lake, their hands and legs were shaking as their garments were soaked in cold sweat.
At that moment, even Chen Ning’er and the rest were wondering if Ji Yaoxing would have met his death if he were to get one word wrong earlier. Given Gu Changge’s strength—even according to the rumours—he was able to take on those in the Sacred King Realm in a fight. Thus, to him, killing Ji Yaoxing was as easy as pinching a bug to death.
“Rest assured, Young Master Changge. Although we didn’t manage to secure the Tower of World Domination today, I’ve informed the Ji Family, and they’ll deliver the Wheel of World Domination shortly. It will be as a token of apology. I hope that you’d show us mercy by forgiving me and my sister’s negligence tonight,” Heaving a sigh of relief, Ji Yaoxing put his fists together and respectfully stated.
“Your commitment is admirable, Brother Yaoxing. In that case, I shall gladly accept your offering.” Hearing that, Gu Changge retained his usual, casual smile.
Without a doubt, he was aware of others’ thoughts, but he wasn’t affected by them. Even if Ji Yaoxing didn’t offer the Wheel of World Domination, he would eventually find a way to force the Ji Family into giving it up. Though, thanks to Ji Yaoxing’s tactfulness, he had saved some time and energy.
On the other hand, Jiyue Chu fearfully glanced at Gu Changge before lowering her head. Ever since her first encounter with Gu Changge, she grew curious about what kind of being the greatest of the young generation was. Especially so after so many rumours. It would make anyone wonder what kind of person he was, who held frightening power and could cause the whole Upper Realm to tremble.
However, she finally got to thoroughly experience his terror, and she could barely stand still. She began to doubt that even her father, the leader of the Hidden Ji Family, would do any better than them were he to face Gu Changge.
“Young Master Changge, how do you wish to deal with Jiang Chen?” Upon Gu Changge’s reply of gratitude, the weight in Ji Yaoxing’s heart was finally relieved as he now felt much at ease. Suddenly, a glow flashed across his composed face as he turned around to look at Jiang Chen, who was constantly in daze and had a blanched face, and asked.
Jiang Chen had yet to recover from the shock, and now that Ji Yaoxing was proposing to deal with him, he grew even more dumbfounded. Without much time to think, he quickly asked the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation in his mind how to survive the night.
<Your only choice now is retreat to the purple mountains behind you as fast as you can. Once you get in there, we’ll be able to manipulate the Earthly Shi within. You’d be able to use that power to defend ourselves. That is your only way to survive, since the siblings of the Ji Family turned on you. Their actions also caught me by surprise. I overestimated their courage and valour, and I also underestimated Gu Changge’s dominance.> The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation sounded unusually solemn.
[But how can I escape them? They’ll catch up to me in an instant!] Jiang Chen tensed his brows, obviously still distressed. He already intended to run away earlier, but with Ji Yaoxing’s trustworthy servants and Chen Ning’er’s men staring at him, he didn’t even dare to make a move.
<I’ll meddle with the Universal Great Shi of this region in a bit to allow you the opportunity to flee. You must not miss your one-and-only chance!> the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation solemnly warned.
Nodding, Jiang Chen was on edge as one minor mistake would cause him to be slaughtered. In that instant, he couldn’t be more anxious as his palms and back were completely drenched in cold sweat.
“Jiang Chen? The name sounds familiar.” In response, Gu Changge seemingly pondered for a bit, revealing a look of contemplation. “But I don’t recall any memory of this visage.”
His gaze of fascination then landed upon Jiang Chen, as though he was about to study him from head to toe.
“Jiang Chen carries the legacy of a Divine Source Master, Young Master Changge. He claimed to share a feud with you, and his current look is not his original one. His disguise was made in concern that you might detect his presence,” Ji Yaoxing clarified with a low voice.
“Oh, a Divine Source Master who altered his face. But as far as I remember, I never shared any feud with any Divine Source Master.” Gu Changge retained his unaffected smile.
“Young Master Changge, I wouldn’t lie to you, but Jiang Chen claimed this himself.” Ji Yaoxing continued to explain as his cold stare towards Jiang Chen persisted, “As vile as he is, he tried to talk me and my sister into going against you numerous times in an attempt to push the Ji Family towards the eternal abyss.”
Hearing that, Chen Ning’er and the rest were dumbstruck as they never expected the young Divine Source Master to be this daring. Essentially, it would take someone tremendous courage and boldness to plot against Gu Changge.
Nonetheless, Gu Changge simply smiled upon those words. However, he didn’t withdraw his gaze, which grew even more playful.
At that moment, Jiang Chen was convinced that Gu Changge was aware of his identity, and the latter simply didn’t expose him. At once, with an icy expression, he stated, “Gu Changge, as forgetful as an important figure such as you may be, the vengeance for me and my friends are still deeply etched in my mind.”
As he was speaking, there was a noticeable change in his face. Following the instruction Ji Chuyue gave him, he revealed his true appearance. Instantly, Jiang Chen reverted from a teenager to a young man, and the drastic change left others stupefied.
Seeing that, Gu Changge nodded his head as though he just realised it, after which he replied with an enthralling look, “Ah, it’s you. But I can’t comprehend what you just said. Back then, I was kind enough to release all of you, and now you’re here blaming me? Aren’t you a little too ungrateful? Even a treacherous man wouldn’t behave this way, don’t you think?”
Upon his leisurely, indifferent tone, Jiang Chen could only feel the fiery rage gushing into his mind. Yet, he forced himself to remain composed and coldly stated, “Not admitting to your misdeeds, how brazen can you be, Gu Changge? Sure, it seemed like you released us, but the truth is that you sent your men to murder all of us promptly after that.”
“I pity Ruoyin for her innocence and kindness. She trusted you so deeply, yet she couldn’t see through your true colour.” As soon as he mentioned Xiao Ruoyin, he could feel the detestation and agony in his heart eating away at him. It was as though his emotions could tear him apart.
As for the feud between Jiang Chen and Gu Changge, the crowd simply heard about it, though they knew nothing about it.
[Releasing them only to annihilate them?] Nevertheless, only Yue Mingkong took a glance at Gu Changge, seemingly contemplating as she wondered who the woman named Ruoyin mentioned by Jiang Chen was. She then soon realised that it was some other woman that fell into Gu Changge’s grasp during her absence, which resulted in the bad blood between Jiang Chen and Gu Changge.
In that instant, Yue Mingkong felt that she should question Gu Changge about the woman named Ruoyin and her identity.
“Ah, so that’s what you were referring to. Xiao Ruoyin possesses a legendary physique, and that already makes her out of your league. Forcing yourself to commit to her won’t do you any good, do you not realise that?” Seemingly losing his interest, Gu Changge leisurely stated.
“Cut the lies, Gu Changge! That’s merely one of your excuses and you know it. Ruoyin came to this world as clueless as an infant, and thanks to your manipulation and deception, she was turned blind to your true colour.” Jiang Chen was exasperated, and his expression looked as though he desired to skin Gu Changge alive.
Nevertheless, even saying all that, Gu Changge no longer had the intention to entertain Jiang Chen. His eyes grew faint and he didn’t even bother to look at him.
“How insufferable! Young Master was kind enough to release all of you, yet not only are you ungrateful, but you are now insulting him? Young Master was only feigning kindness as he decided not to meet you at your standard. If you continue to be this blatant, I’ll teach you a lesson! If Young Master wishes to kill you, no place in the entire Upper Realm would dare to welcome you, and I doubt you’d have the capabilities to survive.” In the meantime, the person speaking was one of his followers, who bore the semblance of a murderous, intimidating Yaksha. His words startled the crowd, and although he sounded overbearing and rampant, he was right.
Indeed, given Gu Changge’s power, if he wished to kill Jiang Chen, the insignificant, mortal, there was no way the latter could have escaped.
Hearing that, Jiang Chen visibly grew even more furious and subconsciously scoffed, “If it weren’t for my good luck, I’d have been murdered by the living beings he sent, and there was no way I could have survived the annihilation.”
“I see that you must be sick of life!” Angered, the Yaksha-like person was about to slaughter Jiang Chen as an enormous, terrifying green palm was sent flying to the sky, which then plummeted with spine-chilling Principles.
The ground began to quake and the mountains trembled as overwhelming, intertwining auras surged. Forget Jiang Chen, a mortal, even a young prodigy in the Sacred Realm would have to keep their guards up against such an attack.
“You…” Jiang Chen’s face greatly changed, blanching and filled with hopelessness. He never expected his enemy to be so ruthless as to not allow him the slight chance to escape and even planned to slaughter him right away.
On the other hand, Chen Ning’er and the rest witnessed the event without any interest as there was not a twitch on their faces.
Ji Yaoxing was unbothered as well.
Though, only Ji Chuyue emotionally lowered her head, unable to bear the cruel sight.
Initially, she thought Jiang Chen was someone who she could toy with, which was why she sent him to numberless Spirit Herb cultivation. Later, when Jiang Chen displayed the abilities of a Divine Source Master, she grew curious about him.
Alas, never did she expect the feud between him and Gu Changge to be this huge, and now that the Hidden Ji Family was dragged into the matter, she must sever her ties with Jiang Chen so as not to cause her family to end up as Purple Mansion did. Thus, the best way for her was to toss every burden towards Jiang Chen.
[I’m so sorry, Jiang Chen…] Guilt and gloom arose in Ji Chuyue’s eyes, yet she dared not to rescue him.
“Gu Changge, I’ll never forgive you even if I’m dead!” Facing the palm that could easily turn him into a puddle of blood, Jiang Chen lost all hope and intuitively screamed.
The air violently shook as though it was about to explode.
“Run!” In the nick of time, the elderly man in black robes suddenly appeared with a cold face, though the alarming might of Sacred Realm was wafting around his body. At a swing of an arm, he blocked off the plunging palm and grabbed Jiang Chen, whose face was pale and hopeless, at the same time before speedily retreating to the purple mountain.
Right now, to Jiang Chen, since his way forward was completely obstructed, his only way out was towards the purple mountain behind him.
“Senior Black?” Jiang Chen widened his eyes, surprised by how the elderly man in black robes showed up to rescue him at his lowest point. In that instant, he was extremely excited and he couldn’t be any more moved.
“Fool! The siblings of the Ji Family were not to be trusted to begin with, yet you were so foolish to guide them. Do you regret your actions now?” The elderly man in black robes spoke in a scornful tone, as if he was holding back his urge to slap Jiang Chen to death. Despite saying that, he sure moved swiftly as he grabbed Jiang Chen and fled to the purple mountains, turning into a black beam and instantly disappeared without leaving any traces behind.
“Who was that?”
“Judging by the aura, he must be in the Sacred Lord Realm.”
The sudden occurrence took everyone by surprise as none expected Jiang Chen to have such a formidable cultivator behind him, who would rescue him at the most deciding moment.
Furthermore, the elderly man in black robes was so bold to save Jiang Chen out of Gu Changge’s grasp so openly, and judging by his actions, he must have had the intention to offend Gu Changge.
Regardless, none in the crowd knew who the elderly man in black robes was, but despite being in the Sacred Lord Realm, he would only end up dead after having offended Gu Changge. As it was mentioned before, no place in the entire Upper Realm would dare to welcome him.
[Jiang Chen even has someone in the Sacred Lord Realm supporting? No wonder he was daring to say those words to us. But what was the purpose of him entering Heavenly Ruin Gate then? Did he come here because he knew where the Tower of World Domination is located? And everything he did was nothing but a distraction?]
Ji Yaoxing furrowed his brows as various thoughts flashed across his mind. Though, peeping at Gu Changge’s somewhat dull face, he didn’t dare to ask his questions at this moment.
“Please forgive me, Young Master.” The Yaksha-like man who initiated the attack earlier immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness. If it weren’t for his carelessness, the elderly man in black robes wouldn’t have had the chance to appear and rescue Jiang Chen.
Waving his hand, Gu Changge regained his naturalness and replied, “It’s not your fault. Jiang Chen only dared to speak those words with such a card up his sleeve.”
[With a formidable cultivator in the Sacred Lord Realm assisting him, he must have encountered quite a number of opportunities along the way.] Hearing that, Yue Mingkong glanced at Gu Changge as she felt that there was a deeper meaning behind his words.
Back when the elderly man in black robes surfaced, he wasn’t affected at all as his face remained unchanged. He must have predicted the arrival of the elderly man in black robes. Therefore, Yue Mingkong instinctively came to an inference. [Since Jiang Chen was a pawn pre-arranged by Gu Changge, the elderly man in black must be that…]
With that in mind, she felt a chilly sensation overtaking her. As expected, if an individual was targeted by Gu Changge, they would be living their whole life in the most terrifying nightmare until they took their very last breath, and that was an unremovable curse.
[To think that Jiang Chen has a Sacred Lord Realm Master supporting him…] After a while, Ji Chuyue finally regained her senses, and for some reason, she felt a chill up her spine. At that moment she couldn’t fathom why Jiang Chen entered Heavenly Ruin Gate. Regardless, judging by the interaction earlier, the elderly man in black robes seemed to be his guardian or some sort.
“The hazards in the purple mountains are abnormal. Even if Jiang Chen manages to get in, it’s most likely that he ends up dead. I reckon that there won’t be any way to survive behind the purple mountains as the only way out is where we are right now. Even if he luckily gets out of the mountains, he would still have to leave through this way.”
At that moment, Chen Ning’er thought out loud, certain that Jiang Chen wouldn’t be able to escape. Hence, all they had to do now was guard the entrance to those purple mountains and wait for Jiang Chen to walk right into their traps.
Nonetheless, in response, Ji Yaoxing shook his head and calmly stated, “There are undoubtedly dangers lying around those purple mountains as it even has its own dimension, but despite that, Jiang Chen is a Divine Source Master who possesses countless mysterious methods that may allow him to find a way to survive. Even just now, when I entered the purple mountains to investigate the area, I noticed some ancient living beings subdued within, and the closer I got to the centre region, the stronger those beings were. There are even beings above the Sacred Realm in those mountains.”
Unlike Chen Ning’er, Ji Yaoxing didn’t think Jiang Chen would get himself killed in the purple mountains. After all, if it weren’t for Jiang Chen, they wouldn’t have located the position of the Tower of World Domination even until now. Therefore, he figured that Jiang Chen must hold some sort of card in hand that could allow him to walk out of the purple mountains safely.
“Since the Tower of World Domination is in those purple mountains, I must find it even if it means digging to the core of the world. Jiang Chen alone is not of any concern.” Hearing that, Gu Changge casually smiled. As soon as he spoke, the followers behind him became divine rainbows and soared to the skies towards the purple mountains without wasting any time lurking around.
Meanwhile, Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong had no intention of joining them.
“In that case, I shall send my men to explore those mountains and capture Jiang Chen for you, Young Master Changge.” At once, Chen Ning’er revealed a stern face and hastily spoke, after which she began to order her servants.
Then, Ji Yaoxing and Ji Chuyue peered at each other. Without wasting any time, they, too, gave instructions to their trustworthy servants, intending to venture into the purple mountains to find the Tower of World Domination and take Jiang Chen down at the same time.
At once, blinding, stunning lights filled the area. Although the cultivators were aware of the threats the purple mountains might hold, they didn’t dare to disobey Gu Changge. And so, they hurried into the depths without delay. At that moment, they no longer cared about being ordered around like puppets.
Very soon, only Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong remained in the region as even the siblings of the Ji Family were on their hurried way instead of choosing to stay outside.
“How confident are you that Jiang Chen is able to find the Tower of World Domination?” Somewhat curious, Yue Mingkong stared at Gu Changge. Rather than questioning his plans, she was more eager to know why he was so certain that Jiang Chen would be able to find the Tower of World Domination.
“Absolutely confident.” Hearing that, Gu Changge smilingly answered with a subtle grin, as though his vision penetrated all the purple mountains, which allowed him to perceive everything that was happening inside.
As a matter of fact, he did not trust Jiang Chen. Rather, what he trusted was Jiang Chen’s Fortituity. Otherwise, Jiang Chen wouldn’t have been the Fortuitous One. He also carrying another Artifact with him, the Celestial Boat of Creation. With the assistance of the Celestial Boat of Creation, Jiang Chen finding the Tower of World Domination would be as effortless as turning his palm around.
On the other hand, the two siblings of the Ji Family and Chen Ning’er were nothing more than an obstacle for Jiang Chen.
“Without realising it, you’ve predicted everything so immaculately that everyone is nothing but a tool to you, hu?” Yue Mingkong looked at him with her unusually calm eyes. [Describing him to be a monster wouldn’t even be an overstatement.]
“Can’t say I’ve predicted all of this. I’m just going with the flow. Apart from the Tower of World Domination, the Wheel of World Domination finding its way to our hands is indeed a surprise. And now all we have to do is wait for Jiang Chen to help us find the Tower of World Domination,” Gu Changge claimed with a vague smile.
Gotta admit, the Ji brother is rather smart. Honestly, there seems to be more and more significant and not mentally impaired males lately, which is a great surprise. A change for better.
Like some prince of a small kingdom, he was smart to know when to yield and not being a hypocrite in the face of death🏴☠️