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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
The One-Eye Daoist was Sky Emperor Mountain’s hidden expert. Therefore, the fact that he met Gu Changge yesterday did not stop him from attempting to make things worse for Gu Changge now. Furthermore, he did not perceive Choen Monk Jin Chan as a rash person and was convinced the latter had evidence to back up his accusation against Gu Changge.
Naturally, the One-Eye Daoist was eager to watch the show unfold in front of him. He was curious to know how Gu Changge would handle this situation.
“Senior One-Eye has a point. Why would Young Master Gu fear these rumours?”
The others were looking on with interest too.
The Sect Master of Endless Fire Kingdom even spoke up with a hint of revel in his voice as he delighted in Gu Changge’s misfortunes.
He was a handsome man dressed in a red robe. His face was blurred, but the Heavenly Fire Rune in the middle of his forehead gave off an alarming heat that spread out around him.
Previously, during the confrontation in front of the Eternal Overcast, Gu Changge had destroyed the Dao Base of a True Daoist from the Endless Fire Kingdom, causing her to lose all her cultivation.
This incident caused huge waves across the entirety of the Upper Realm. It was the talk of all the Forces. Naturally, the Endless Fire Kingdom became the subject of the butt of everyone’s jokes and mockery. They had been utterly humiliated.
“The identity of the Successor of Demonic Arts is a serious matter. I think it’s best if the Supreme Being checks one more time just to be safe and ensure that calamity does not befall the Upper Realm.”
“Since you’re so confident, Young Master Gu, surely you don’t fear our questions and suspicions.”
The Sect Master of Purple Cloud Valley stroked his beard as he called out with a hint of amusement. He was dressed in a Great Robe that had wide sleeves. He seemed to be surrounded by the light of stars. It was as if the stars were circling him.
“The audacity! Who is Young Master Gu? Are all of you unafraid of the possibility that your actions today would lead to chaos in the Upper Realm and the start of an Immortal War?”
An elderly man from the Unrivalled Celestial Dynasty immediately snapped at the two leaders of Purple Cloud Valley and Endless Fire Kingdom. His expression was dark and grave.
The Immortal Gu Family and the Unrivalled Celestial Dynasty were related by marriage. Thus, their fates were tied together, and naturally, he took Gu Changge’s side.
“Precisely. It seems to me that you are all deliberately trying to provoke Young Master Gu. Are you attempting to throw the Upper Realm into turmoil and plunge all living beings into misery?”
One of the Ancestors from the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty also remarked with a sarcastic tone.
Apart from the hidden experts, the powerful figures of the Upper Realm were also assembled inside the central palace.
Some were the Elders of the various Forces while others were Heads of the Immortal Families. Any one of them could easily stir up huge waves across the Upper Realm.
The fact that these two had spoken proved the stance of the parties they represented.
Some were on Gu Changge’s side while others wanted to drag him down.
Godly Illusion Clan’s Golden Sun Gifted Lady was frowning slightly. She could sense that the Forces were trying to attack Gu Changge.
She had a look of displeasure as she said, “You are all supposed to be Seniors and yet you’re shameless enough to pick on a Junior in this manner. Are you not embarrassed?”
“You’re wrong, Senior. This matter involves the Successor of Demonic Arts, which means it is a serious issue that pertains to all of the Upper Realm. You shouldn’t make such a generalisation.”
The Sect Master of Sky Emperor Mountain stepped up as well. His dark, piercing eyes were filled with terrifying images of destruction.
How could he, a Junior, say such a thing to his Senior? Naturally, it was because he had the One-Eye Daoist to back him up.
“How dare you speak to me that way?” The Golden Sun Gifted Lady narrowed her eyes as she stared at the Sect Master of Sky Emperor Mountain with a terrifying aura emanating from her.
In the blink of an eye, it felt as if the void would cave in on everyone. Many people trembled in fear as terror filled their souls.
Just then, Gu Changge, who had been watching silently in amusement this whole time, raised his hand.
He interrupted the Golden Sun Gifted Lady and said with a faint smile, “Please calm down, Senior. I am the reason why this is happening. How could I possibly trouble you? Furthermore, since everyone seems extremely interested in what Brother Jin Chan is asking, there’s no reason for me to spoil everyone’s fun. I shall let you have what you want.”
His final sentence was directed at the crowd in the central palace.
Upon hearing Gu Changge’s response, even the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being cast a startled glance at him. In a sense, his earlier display of displeasure was his way of protecting Gu Changge. He could tell that Gu Changge was hiding a lot of secrets.
He could not be sure whether Gu Changge had anything to do with this so-called Successor of Demonic Arts.
[The fewer complications, the better.] If Gu Changge’s secrets were inadvertently exposed, it would end up causing unnecessary trouble.
However, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being did not expect Gu Changge to voluntarily bring up this matter. Thus, he was puzzled by Gu Changge’s actions.
“You’re a frank and decisive person, Young Master Gu. You have my respect.” The One-Eye Daoist smiled faintly. He planned on enjoying the show. He wanted to see how Gu Changge was going to deal with this situation.
There was a variety of expressions on the faces of the crowd inside the central palace. Some were taken aback, some were pleased with Gu Changge’s predicament, and some were grim, but there were also some who were confused.
“Amitabha. In that case, I shall ask you this, Young Master Gu. Do you know of a cultivator named Ye Ling?” Chosen Monk Jin Chan did not waste any time. He quickly asked his question. His eyes were bright and clear like a lake. Although he was dressed in his monk robes, he gave off an aura of detachment. His Buddha aura was shining brightly as he asked his question. The image of Bodhisattva had even formed behind his head.
Everyone was even more confused to hear the name, Ye Ling. They began searching their memory.
The Phoenix Lady, the King with Six Crowns, Jiang Luoshen, and all the other young prodigies were also trying their best to see if they were acquainted with this person.
Nevertheless, none of the hidden experts, the leaders of the various Forces, and even the younger generation knew who Ye Ling was. They had never heard of this name before.
On the other hand, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s brows creased ever so slightly. He was slightly taken aback by Chosen Monk Jin Chan’s question.
If he recalled correctly, Gu Changge did mention to him once that the real Successor he chose was a cultivator named Ye Ling.
[Is it because of that?] The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being glanced at Gu Changge. All of a sudden, he was curious to see how Gu Changge was going to resolve this matter.
[So, this monk knows who my true Successor is. That means the fact that Gu Changge is not the Successor I chose will soon be exposed.]
“Young Master Gu, please answer my question. Do you know a cultivator named Ye Ling?” Chosen Monk Jin Chan repeated his question as he fixed his eyes on Gu Changge. He had a fair number of evidence on hand.
If Gu Changge denied knowing Ye Ling, he could get Ancient Buddha Sha Na to look into everything and expose Gu Changge’s lies.
“It seems to me that this Ye Ling is no ordinary person,” the One-Eye Daoist remarked pointedly with a chuckle. He was still eagerly fanning the flames.
“I do know of a cultivator named Ye Ling, but I’m not sure if he’s the same one you’re referring to, Brother Jin Chan.” Gu Changge had long since predicted that Chosen Monk Jin Chan would be asking him about this and his expression did not change at all. He answered with a faint smile.
Chosen Monk Jin Chan’s expression stiffened slightly. He did not expect Gu Changge to openly admit this. “I think the Ye Ling we speak of should be the same person. Do you know his identity, Young Master Gu?”
Previously, Chosen Monk Jin Chan had gone to the Ye Family to investigate this matter.
Ye Ling was a Secondary Disciple of the Ye Family. His mother had been a servant while his father was the leader of one of the family branches. He had been unfavoured as a child, and once his mother died of illness, he cut off all ties with the family.
[He’s the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being. The Karmic Deduction would not be wrong. Furthermore, there had been many signs that the inheritance which the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being left behind had fallen into Ye Ling’s possession.] Chosen Monk Jin Chan had personally gathered the information and evidence. He was certain they could not be false.
Gu Changge nodded and replied solemnly, “I’m aware of it, yes. When I was at the Celestial Ancient Continent, there was a person who disguised himself and passed through the forbidden area behind Skyward Schloss to enter the Celestial Ancient Continent. He stole the remains of the Celestial Ancient Races’ Prime Ancestors and swallowed their Sources for cultivation. Later on, I fought him and nearly managed to kill him, but he had alarming techniques that allowed him to escape from me. I suspect that he hasn’t died yet. I think he’s still hiding somewhere in the Upper Realm. Perhaps he is the true Successor of Demonic Arts.”
As soon as Gu Changge finished speaking, everyone in the central palace reacted to his words.
“What did he say? The true Successor of Demonic Arts?”
The young prodigies such as the Phoenix Lady, the King with Six Crowns, and Jiang Luoshen had shocked expressions on their faces. They nearly gasped aloud.
None of them ever thought that Gu Changge would know the identity of the true Successor of Demonic Arts, along with his name and background.
[Gu Changge never mentioned any of this before. How does Chosen Monk Jin Chan know about this?]
“The Successor of Demonic Arts?”
Evidently, Chosen Monk Jin Chan did not expect Gu Changge to give such an explanation. His brows furrowed as he said, “However, based on my investigation, he is not the Successor of Demonic Arts, but the Successor that the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had chosen.”
He decided to come out and share what he knew instead of keeping the information to himself. He now wanted to see how Gu Changge was going to argue and dispute this.
“What?! The Successor that the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had chosen?” Everyone in the central palace was shaken by Chosen Monk Jin Chan’s declaration. They were stunned and frozen in disbelief.
“Gu Changge isn’t the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being?”
“It’s actually someone else?”
“How did Gu Changge get his hands on the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s legacy then?”
“Didn’t Gu Changge say that Ye Ling is the true Successor of Demonic Arts?”
“Chosen Monk Jin Chan is no fool. He would only dare to come out and say this now if he was completely certain about it and had solid evidence to back himself up.”
“But, doesn’t that mean Gu Changge is contradicting himself?”
Everyone’s confusion slowly morphed into suspicions and deductions. They felt as if the whole affair was shrouded in mystery.
Many of them shuddered. They had a hard time accepting all of this and were beginning to think that something major would be happening today.
The One-Eye Daoist, the Golden Sun Gifted Lady, and the others were stunned as well, but they soon gathered themselves and stared at Gu Changge with complicated expressions.
“I did not expect this. From the looks of it now, he seems to be the true Successor of Demonic Arts after all.”
The One-Eye Daoist narrowed his eyes and sneered in amusement.
The Sect Masters of Purple Cloud Valley, Endless Fire Kingdom, and all the other Immortal Forces had thoughtful looks on their faces as they secretly smirked at the situation.
They had a feeling that the confrontation today was something they could use to kick up a huge fuss. No matter how Gu Changge explained himself, it would be difficult for him to completely exonerate himself from all suspicion.
Meanwhile, once Chosen Monk Jin Chan finished speaking, he did not bother waiting for Gu Changge’s answer. Instead, he turned to the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being who was still expressionless and asked, “Did you know about this, Supreme Being?”
He thought it was likely that the Supreme Being had no clue Gu Changge was a phoney and not the latter’s real Successor.
At this moment, everyone could sense that the Supreme Being was well and truly angered.
Some were beginning to celebrate Gu Changge’s misfortunes. [How could he have the gall to trick the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being?]
“The one who receives my legacy is naturally my Successor. Prior to this, Changge did tell me that he took the legacy from someone else.”
The Supreme Being’s words made Chosen Monk Jin Chan’s expression stiffen in confusion.
“What…”
Those who had been secretly revelling were now sportingly similarly stiff expressions too. They even suspected that they heard wrongly.
The situation was not proceeding the way they thought it would.
The One-Eye Daoist’s sneer had frozen as well as he quickly furrowed his brows. [The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being knew about this a long time ago? Then, his anger earlier was despite the fact?]
Soon, many of them figured out what was happening and were shocked by the turn of events.
“Could you please enlighten us, Supreme Being?” Ancient Buddha Sha Na, who had been silent all along, could not refrain from speaking up now as he probed.
However, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being ignored him. His expression was a little dark and he seemed genuinely displeased. The crowd began to feel uneasy.
“I can provide an explanation regarding what Chosen Monk Jin Chan said. I did take Master’s legacy from a cultivator named Ye Ling, but you didn’t quite catch the meaning of my words. The Ye Ling I encountered was not the same Ye Ling. Ye Ling, the real one who had received Master’s legacy, had been killed by the true Successor of Demonic Arts a long time ago. That was how Master’s legacy had ended up in the other’s hands. Then, the Successor of Demonic Arts disguised himself as Ye Ling and snuck into the Celestial Ancient Continent. After his duel with me, he was heavily wounded and fled. It was then that I took from him the inheritance that Master left behind.”
With a faint smile, Gu Changge slowly explained everything to everyone.
He clearly stated how he came to possess the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s legacy. At the same time, he also explained why Chosen Monk Jin Chan had been suspicious of him.
Once he was done, the central palace was silent as the mystery that shrouded the entire situation cleared up.
All at once, everything made sense.
The true Successor of Demonic Arts killed the Successor that the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had chosen and stole the Supreme Being’s inheritance before disguising himself as the person he killed. Then, he ran into Gu Changge who saw through him and seized the Supreme Being’s inheritance away from him before he fled with his injuries.
Therefore, Chosen Monk Jin Chan’s suspicion that Gu Changge was the Successor of Demonic Arts was entirely groundless.
