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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
“You’re a grown-up now. I doubt you’ll listen to my warning, but I believe you know what you are doing. Well, as long as you understand the severity of the matter. Though, I feel that Her Majesty is merely a pawn in this. The one who truly wants to take Jun Bufan down is Gu Changge. So, you must think assiduously about what terrifying consequences may spiral out of this, and understand that your involvement may cost you your life.”
The Grand Tutor let out a sigh, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to keep her from leaving, but as her father, he felt obliged to make things clear to her out of concern that she might regret her out-of-whim action.
“I understand, father. Rest assured, I know my limits.” Song Youwei nodded with a solemn expression.
Ever since she first met Gu Changge, she felt that the perfection he displayed was frankly unrealistic, given that nobody this perfect should exist in this world. Such perfection should be nothing but a facade donned to impress others. As for what kind of person Gu Changge truly was, none had the faintest idea.
Afterwards, Song Youwei hastily left the capital and hurried to the point of rendezvous according to Jun Fan’s message.
Nonetheless, when she reached the forest outside the capital, her encounter with an individual took her aback. She had been taking the most discreet paths to the capital and ventured into the woods, yet she managed to bump into someone she was familiar with. Judging by their behaviour, they seemed to be hiding something behind that frown of theirs.
With that in mind, Song Youwei advanced towards the individual and asked, “Sister Jun Yao, why are you here?”
That individual was Jun Fan’s second sister, Jun Yao, who was acquainted with Song Youwei.
As if she didn’t expect to meet Song Youwei, Jun Yao seemed surprised, after which she revealed an expression of joy and hurriedly replied, “Youwei, why are you here as well? Do you know what is happening in the capital? I’ve heard news saying that my father and the entire family are imprisoned. What is going on?”
Hearing that, Song Youwei was stunned for a moment before heaving a sigh. [It seems Jun Yao wasn’t in the capital when the imprisonment took place. So, she managed to evade confinement. She must not dare to show herself after hearing about the news in the capital and she could only hide in the woods, only to bump into me.]
“I have no idea either, but Her Majesty seems pretty mad about this. Though, I don’t know the details. Right, why are you here?” Song Youwei said before pointing at a pagoda not far away. “Why don’t we go over there?”
With a gloomy face, Jun Yao painfully claimed, “I don’t know what’s going on. I left the capital to look for some tea flowers, and on my way back, I heard about the news. Everything was fine. How did this happen? And I can’t help but worry about Fan’er.”
Feeling sympathetic towards Jun Yao, Song Youwei thought that she was quite miserable. Nevertheless, she was hesitating whether to disclose the truth to her.
[Nevermind. I should let her ask Jun Fan herself. I shouldn’t intervene as an outsider.] With that in mind, Song Youwei chose to conceal the truth.
Song Youwei told Jun Yao about Jun Fan’s invitation to her to scour a ruin without mentioning any other matter.
In response, upon a moment of hesitation, Jun Yao decided to follow Song Youwei to look for Jun Fan. Naturally, Song Youwei did not reject her.
Very soon, the two swiftly went on their journey.
Watching as the figures of the two damsels faded away, an individual in black garment walked out of the void.
[I knew Song Youwei is not irrelevant, given her Fortuity level. Though, how she may contribute to the whole plot line remains unknown] Gu Changge was fascinated. He had cast a giant, invisible net, and all he needed to do now was haul it back. He made his move on the chessboard, called the Demon World, and now it was the Six Demon Overlords’ turn to make a move.
…
At the same time, Jun Fan, who was a million kilometres away from the capital, was in an isolated area amid towering mountains and solid hills. The nearby aura was strange as black gusts swirled amid the air. As the black gusts whirled, dense, endless mists arose, covering the sky and darkening everything in sight/ It was so dark colours were no longer discernible.
Such black gusts were formed of unknown substance, which might be Principles or fractured divinity. Regardless, the aura it emitted was very strange. It was both cold and hot at the same time..
“It is as Father said. The Principles in front of me have changed, and they are different from that of the lands of the Demon World.” Jun Fan muttered to himself. As he took a step forward, blaring sounds erupted from him, deafening noises that were the result of his secret treasure resisting the aura.
He believes that the Land of the Dead must be here. There were many hazardous regions across Demon World, and the one he was at now was referred to as the Land of Peril, wherein its soils were carrying the shade of crimson blood whereas the skies were filled with grey clouds that would strike fear in anyone. There were also rumours stating that it was formed by the dead corpse of a being from the mysterious Nine Gloom Desolate Land a long time ago.
“Skullflowers only grow in areas with dense death Qi, so it’s most probable that the Gates of Death are here.”
However, Jun Fan did not advance rashly as the land was filled with dangerous arrays and runes, which once caused a Sacred King Realm expert, who ventured into the area in an attempt to raise their cultivation level, to disappear. Only his dried-up bones were found when he was discovered.
Thus, he was waiting for Song Youwei to come, given that she was knowledgeable about this field as she even received the legacy of a transcendent being of the Demon World. It was a being who laid down a spirit array that annihilated invading beings of Quasi-Nirvana Realm from the Upper Realm. In fact, not many apart from Jun Fan were aware of such an incident and such a powerful existence.
“Things would go much smoother if Youwei decides to come.” Jun Fan’s eyes glistened as he already knew where the key Jun Ruoxi mentioned was hidden. It was in his Knowledge Sea.
At the beginning of this life, his father already passed him the Solar Heavenly Blade, but his father never mentioned the key given the time had yet to come.
For the past few days, Jun Fan attempted to enter his Knowledge Sea and attempted to search for the key, which he expectedly succeeded.
“You sure trust your sister that much to really think it’s here, huh?”
In the air, a waft of pitch black smoke drifted before turning into Bai Lian’er’s figure. As a shapeshifting Demonic Being, her physique had always been composed of some sort of smoke-like substance that was ambiguous, ethereal, and untraceable.
At that moment, she was staring at the crimson land as she blandly asked.
Jun Fan took a glance at her before revealing a grin. “No doubt.”
Of course, he omitted the reason behind his statement. Thanks to the key, he was able to detect the uniqueness of the land.
Nevertheless, right in that instant, Jun Fan’s face suddenly changed as the Communication Rune in his chest suddenly lit up. He then read the message with his divine sense, only to find himself stupefied before speedily growing upset.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Lian’er looked at his strange expression and asked, pretending to be clueless.
Jun Fan coldly glared at her and said, “You betrayed me.”
Blandly staring back at him, Bai Lian’er scoffed, “I’ve never been on your side, so what betrayal?”
“You!” Feeling a gush of vexation in his heart, Jun Fan clenched his fists as he never expected his childhood friend to stab him in the back at such a moment. In fact, he wasn’t even aware of the imprisonment of the Quelling Chaos King and the entire Jun Family during his time away. If it weren’t for the spies he arranged in the capital, he wouldn’t have known of the great matter taking place in the capital.
Ever since his failed assassination, Empress Yao Xi initiated a thorough check throughout the capital, eliminating many of his spies, so he wasn’t informed about the incident in the capital right away. Upon the incident, Jun Fan assumed that Empress Yao Xi was now aware of his true identity and also possessed sufficient evidence for it. Moreover, no one else could have handed her the evidence other than Bai Lian’er, who was right in front of him.
“Did Yao Xi give you the order?” Clearly irritated, Jun Fan was highly defensive as he was prepared to cast his protective abilities to kill Bai Lian’er.
Without answering the question, Bai Lian’er simply shot him a pitying gaze and replied, “Even at this point, you’re still oblivious as to who gave the order. How pathetic!”
“Gu Changge…” Upon realisation, Jun Fan gritted his teeth tensely. He bore nothing but immense abhorrence towards the man who had been ruining his plans again and again.
“So you’re not a fool after all. Don’t worry, I have no intentions of fighting you, so you may withdraw whatever it is you’re ready to do. All the things you could have done, you went and offended someone you shouldn’t have. Jun Bufan, I can’t wait to witness your execution by Gu Changge.”
*Thump!* The next moment, following a spine-chilling cackle, Bai Lian’er turned into a cloud of black mists and instantly vanished from the region without leaving any trace.
“Damn it! I won’t let you off so easily!” Jun Fan clenched his fists with an annoyed expression.
He was ready to pull out the piece of golden paper filled with divine runes that harboured unparalleled divine might, which he was hiding underneath his garment. If Bai Lian’er hadn’t left in time, he would have attacked right away. In fact, the golden paper was one of his ultimate cards, which he was confident he could take down Bai Lian’er with despite her immeasurable cultivation level.
“Bai Lian’er delivered the brocade bag to me with ill intent. The brocade bag might even be fiddled with by Gu Changge. Even if he didn’t open it, he might have imprinted some kind of marking on it, allowing him to find me.”
Highly alerted now, Jun Fan then began to think of ways to remove the auras around him and used his many secret treasures to conceal his tracks. Now that his identity was exposed, Empress Yao Xi would definitely come for him, and once his location was confirmed, she would certainly send an army after him. This was something Jun Fan had no doubt about.
With that, Jun Fan turned into a divine rainbow and travelled across the crimson land, intending to verify the exact coordinates of the Land of the Dead while he waited for Song Youwei’s arrival. Although he revealed his whereabouts to Song Youwei, he believed that she, given her personality, would not expose it. Right now, in the vast Demon World, there were not many people he could trust, but Song Youwei was unquestionably one of them.
“Ruoxi is currently in a risky spot. Since Gu Changge is the mastermind behind all this, he must have known about the Gates of Life. I can only pray that Ruoxi has enough methods to keep herself concealed from Gu Changge.” Nevertheless, in that instant, Jun Fan was still troubled by another matter as he was visibly anxious and concerned.
…
“The location of the Gates of Life is indeed unusual. Anyone who steps into it would be affected by the Great Shi of the region.”
Meanwhile, Gu Changge was standing on top of a mountain, staring at the distant scenery; heavenly beams were glowing in his eyes, as though a million runes were evolving within.
Behind him, there were Jiang Luoshen, Tian Ze, as well as a number of formidable cultivators he dispatched from the Upper Realm.
Before them was a borderless, dense ancient forest soaked in thick fogs wherein vibrant mists wafted everywhere. The sturdy trees, resembling mountains, covered the sky; spirit grass and medicinal fruits could be found all over the place. Ornamented by the dazzling waterfalls and vigorous shrubs, the forest appeared spectacular and vast.
And that was where Jun Bufan’s sister, Jun Ruoxi, was hiding.
“Indeed, something is hidden here. It seems Demon World’s change in Fortuity and the disappearance of the Six Demon Overlords are closely related. All these years, they’ve been trying to trick the world into believing that is not real,” Jiang Luoshen claimed with a scowl as her eyes were also gleaming. At that moment, she was utilising an ability of the Godly Illusion Clan to investigate the area.
“Princess, perhaps we can scour the entire region. I doubt we can’t find that mysterious place with a thorough search,” a formidable expert of the Godly Illusion Clan behind Jiang Luoshen stated, seeing no challenge in the ancient, grand mountain range.
Jiang Luoshen then coldly replied, “If things were this simple, Gu Changge would have done it himself instead of waiting this long.
Hearing that, Gu Changge withdrew his gaze and turned to her. “Indeed, it isn’t as simple as it seems. Sadly, I should have captured Jiang Chen and things would be much more convenient with him here.”
He was speaking the truth, as his current capabilities merely allowed him to detect the oddities across the region. Godly Spirit Arrays that harboured tremendous divine might were planted in every couple centimetres of the land, where runes possessing absolute power subtly twinkled.
Alas, Jiang Chen was now fleeing from death in the Upper Realm, or else, Gu Changge would have dragged him over to lead the way.
“You expect me to believe that you don’t have a solution?” Jiang Luoshen shot him a glare and added, “You’re just too lazy to do it.”
In response, Gu Changge chuckled. “Oh? Don’t you know me so well? Indeed, I have a solution. Since you’re already here, I could toss you inside and all the arrays will reveal themselves to me.”
Jiang Luoshen coldly glowered at him. If gazes could kill, she would have murdered Gu Changge a million times over.
*Whoosh!* All of a sudden, waves of disturbances surged in the air and turned into a pitch black fog, which Bai Lian’er then walked out from.
“So Jun Bufan already knows,” Gu Changge looked at her and leisurely said.
“He does,” Bai Lian’er blandly blurted.
“Very well. Lead the way.” Gu Changge nodded. Indeed, he knew of a way to find the path.
Back when Bai Lian’er followed Jun Bufan into the region, although there were countless arrays hindering their progression, making it difficult for them to precisely locate the position, as long as they had a general idea of where it was, all he needed to do was gradually narrow down the vicinity and he would be able to find the hidden place.
Having no interest in mindless chatter, Bai Lian’er began to advance. *Thump!* She turned into a cloud of fog, floating forward along the air.
At the same time, Gu Changge followed her as the runes in his eyes were still gleaming, forming black and white lights that resembled reincarnation, scanning the changes in arrays surrounding them.
“Since the well is where the Gates of Life is, the lifeforce there should be vigorous, so it won’t be hard to find.” In the vision affected by the Power of Reincarnation, everything became crystal clear, be it the Principles of the World, the shifting of Earthly Shi, the flow of Fortuity, or the intertwining lifeforce.
Gu Changge’s steps were rather slow-paced as he followed Bai Lian’er, but he could feel the auras constantly fluctuating along his steps. His enemy must have detected his presence and attempted to hold him off while keeping their aura concealed.
“We’ll surely get lost if we barge in carelessly.” Sensing the changes in her surroundings, Jiang Luoshen furrowed her brows.
Gu Changge simply ignored her remark as he detected where the well was.
On a hill, there were gleaming mists drifting in an ancient well, wherein endless lifeforce were gushing as celestial energy vaporised. That was the very Gates of Life of the Demon World, an entity that was virtually impossible to find.
In that instant, unusual motions were all over the place as traces of light surged into the air. Beneath the ancient well, there was a woman, whose white hair was as sparkly as a waterfall and face was veiled, sitting. Never moved once, she seemed to bear celestial energy that was vague and hollow, as though she was a flawless statue made of the purest tusk. Even her snowy dress was unstained by any blemishing shades.
That woman was none other than Jun Ruoxi.
In that instant, Jun Ruoxi’s brows were tense, as though she was about to open her eyes, sensing a dreadful aura continuously getting closer. Unable to identify the invaders, she could only sense their extreme terror. Such an aura was absolutely unfathomable and chaotic, harbouring spine-chilling, compact Principles.
Despite her brilliance and dignity, she somehow felt like an insignificant ant, and it was her first time experiencing such a sensation. No matter how hard she attempted to conceal the aura of the region and hold off the invaders, her efforts were futile.
*Whoosh!* Her tightly shut eyes finally opened as she tried to discern the faces of the invaders.
“I travelled an immeasurable distance and came all the way here. Are you not going to show yourself, Lady Ruoxi?”
However, a voice suddenly sounded from the opening of the ancient well, upon which Jun Ruoxi’s serene face dramatically changed as she felt an overwhelming chill up her spine.
