A Sowing of Discord Bought with Their Lives, Thinking Master No Longer Wanted Me

The bone at the crown of his head underwent an intricate transformation in the very first instant, becoming crystalline and translucent, wreathed in immortal qi.

It was as if an aura of immortality emanated from it.

Terrifying, resplendent radiance and blood qi erupted from within, like a long dragon, practically a vast surging ocean of kings, capable of shattering the very heavens.

Gu Changge felt that his essence and qi had been refined and sublimated by many levels compared to before.

Just in terms of power alone, there was a dreadful sensation of “though the myriad worlds collapse, I shall not be destroyed; though the universe crumbles, I shall not perish.”

This was the benefit brought by the Bone of Absolute Detachment.

This enhancement was comprehensive, but the position of the skull was where the Knowledge Sea resided, where the Primordial Spirit dwelled.

At this moment, even his Nature God’s Chant faintly showed signs of metamorphosis.

Transforming from a divine spirit toward an immortal spirit, the power of his Primordial Spirit took on a nine-colored glazed luster.

His spine, palm bones, and leg bones also underwent profound and mysterious changes as a result.

His spine was like a great dragon within the human body, running through all four limbs. The drop of Five-Coloured True Dragon Blood he had fused with earlier even faintly resonated with it, letting out a dragon’s roar that shook the skies!

“These Fatums were truly well spent!”

Gu Changge opened his eyes, saying with some satisfaction.

He felt his strength had increased many times over compared to before—this was a direct, tangible sensation.

The various rules and profundities between heaven and earth, he could now see them all with perfect clarity.

With a reach of his hand, millions of divine chains of order cascaded down, even transforming into guillotines of law and order, tyrannical to the extreme.

“Before, I could instantly kill a Quasi-Sacred Realm cultivator. Now, facing an ordinary Sacred Realm being, I should be able to easily suppress and kill them.”

“If I break through from the Enlightened King Realm to the Quasi-Sacred Realm, wouldn’t I be able to contend even with those of the Sacred Emperor Realm?”

Gu Changge wasn’t saying this without basis. His current mastery and control over the rules was something even many Sacred Realm existences were likely far inferior to.

Among the great orthodoxies and great sects, Sacred Realm existences were all old monsters and old freaks of the clan-elder variety.

Peers? What were those?

They couldn’t even catch a glimpse of his shadow.

“With a Variable like me appearing, the Heavenly Path will probably nurture even stronger Fortuitous Ones in the future. But that’s fine too—to me, they’re all just leeks waiting to be harvested.”

Thinking of this, Gu Changge recalled Ye Ling.

He had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠given him over a month’s time. By all reason, by now he should have found the cave dwelling the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had left for him.

Afterward, Gu Changge sensed the mark Yin Mei had left for him and headed toward where Ye Ling and the others currently were.

......

“Brother Kong, tell me, what have those Black Hawk clansmen and Ancient Teng Serpent clansmen been doing lately? It looks like they’re searching everywhere for something?”

“Do you think it has something to do with Ye Lin and the others? By all reason, Chi Ling-xiaojie and the rest left over a month ago, yet not a single piece of news has come back since.”

Meanwhile, within a stretch of mountain ranges.

A group of young cultivators was stationed here, gathered around a bonfire, discussing matters.

They were none other than the followers of Chi Ling and Yin Mei.

Among them were men and women, hailing from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, the Vermilion Bird Clan, and various other places in the outside world.

Their cultivation levels were uneven—the weakest were at the Honoured Lord Realm, the strongest at the Honoured King Realm.

The one speaking was also one of Chi Ling’s followers.

Before him sat a handsome man with a gloomy expression—none other than Kong Yang of the Peacock Clan, Chi Ling’s admirer and also her follower.

Hearing this, Kong Yang’s face darkened as he said, “Ye Lin harbors ill intentions. He clearly knows what’s hidden here, yet he won’t tell us, taking only Chi Ling and Yin Mei with him!”

“It’s plainly a case of the drunkard’s heart not being in the wine—do you all still not understand this? A whole month has passed now. Aside from seeing living beings searching everywhere, who among you has heard any news of them?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

Although he was fairly at ease regarding Chi Ling, having a Ye Ling by her side changed everything.

Especially since this Ye Ling’s origins were unknown, he concealed considerable strength, and he wore an expression of knowing everything about this place like the back of his hand.

How could this not make him suspicious of Ye Ling?

“Actually, I suspect Ye Lin is connected to that Successor of Demonic Arts who flashed across the scene some time ago...”

At this moment, Kong Yang suddenly spoke, his voice dark and heavy, instantly drawing the attention of everyone present as they all looked over.

After all, the matter of the Successor of Demonic Arts had caused enormous waves.

Even the Young Master of the White Tiger Clan had lost his life.

To this day, the White Tiger Clan was still searching everywhere for the Successor of Demonic Arts.

“Kong Yang-daoxiong, those words cannot be spoken carelessly. You must think this through.” Upon hearing this, someone immediately spoke with a grave expression—a member of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, one of Yin Mei’s clansmen.

The matter of the Successor of Demonic Arts was of enormous consequence. If Ye Lin truly was him, then their young lady was in grave danger.

Hearing this, Kong Yang’s face sank like water as he said, “Regarding Ye Lin’s methods, I believe you’ve all witnessed them. They’re extremely mysterious and tricky—he can even defeat the strong while weak, no less capable than some Young Prodigies. And most importantly, the name Ye Lin—don’t you all find it familiar?”

“Ye Lin? Ye Lin...”

“Eh, it does sound familiar. Could it be... that Ye Ling?”

Hearing Kong Yang’s words, some people were still puzzled at first, but thinking carefully, they found it made sense.

Their entire bodies froze, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes widening, a chill rising up their backs.

Ye Ling had indeed been unremarkable in appearance at first, but the methods he later displayed shocked everyone—that was already the strength of a Young Prodigy.

They hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but thinking back now, why would someone with the strength of a Young Prodigy become Chi Ling’s follower?

What was he plotting?

And combined with what Kong Yang was saying now, it suddenly made their entire bodies run cold, chilled from head to toe.

“Ye Ling... Ye Ling... this name, could it really not be a coincidence...”

Their voices trembled. They naturally knew that Bai Lie’s brother was named Ye Ling, and the Successor of Demonic Arts first rumored about also bore this name.

When Ye Ling had introduced himself back then, they’d found the name familiar, somewhat like a homophone.

But now, with Kong Yang pointing it out, everyone was stunned.

This was probably deliberate on Ye Ling’s part, because he simply didn’t care about such things, nor did he fear them finding out.

After all, Ye Ling could easily change his face and identity and continue fleeing.

This was just too arrogant!

Thinking of this, they couldn’t help but shudder.

“Chi Ling-xiaojie and Yin Mei the Gifted Lady actually trust Ye Ling so much—this is too dangerous...”

“They’re with Ye Ling right now; I fear their prospects are grim. Who knows what vicious plan Ye Ling has, taking the two of them along!” Kong Yang’s face was dark as water, his fists clenched tight, hating himself for realizing too late.

“It seems we can only spread the word that Ye Ling has appeared here, and have all other cultivators rush over. Otherwise, the consequences would be absolutely unthinkable!”

Soon, after some discussion, the group came up with this plan.

They could only hope this would make Ye Ling wary, not daring to easily move against Chi Ling and Yin Mei!

Kong Yang also slowly nodded, saying, “This matter brooks no delay. Exposing Ye Ling’s whereabouts will give Chi Ling and Yin Mei the Gifted Lady one more measure of safety!”

Afterward, everyone sprang into action, using various Communication Runes to transmit the news from this place, intending to draw other cultivators to come crusade against Ye Ling.

The Successor of Demonic Arts—everyone had the right to put him to death.

......

Meanwhile, just as Kong Yang and the others were spreading word of Ye Ling’s whereabouts.

On a desolate mountain ridge thirty thousand li from that place, Ye Ling, Chi Ling, and Yin Mei were there, hurrying along toward an ancient town ahead.

The trees on the ridge were tall and ancient, with vines hanging like clouds, so the three traveling here would not be discovered for the time being.

Compared to over a month ago, the three now looked somewhat bedraggled, their faces stained with quite a bit of blood, because along the way they had suffered pursuit and attacks from the Black Hawk Clan and others.

The trio’s whereabouts had finally been detected.

Because of the Slave Mark, some of the Black Hawk Clan’s experts could use it to sense Ye Ling’s vague location, thereby determining his direction.

Moreover, from among the three, there seemed to be faint, hidden fluctuations emanating, which left them both delighted and puzzled.

It was as if someone was transmitting Ye Ling’s exact position to them.

It was precisely for this reason that Ye Ling’s trio had spent this period of time evading pursuit.

However, by a stroke of serendipity, Ye Ling had broken through in cultivation, and along the way had even found some good things.

This good luck left Chi Ling not knowing what to say.

On the contrary, it was she and Yin Mei who repeatedly brushed past mortal danger, exhausted in body and mind the whole journey, nearly suffering grave injuries many times.

They didn’t have Ye Ling’s kind of luck. On this trip accompanying Ye Ling in search of fortune, they had only come across a few fairly decent spirit herbs.

Beyond that, they gained nothing.

Instead, they had sustained quite a few injuries.

Chi Ling was a person who valued loyalty and keeping her word. Since she had promised Ye Ling to accompany him, she would not easily go back on it.

Only, she couldn’t figure out why they were discovered every single time—no matter where Ye Ling led them to hide, they would be found.

She suspected Ye Ling carried something on him that allowed the enemy to track the three of them.

But when she said this, Ye Ling didn’t believe it in the slightest.

There was nothing Chi Ling could do about it. Ye Ling disappointed her greatly.

“Spirit turtle, I feel the cave dwelling’s location is in that ancient town ahead...”

At this moment, Ye Ling’s face showed faint excitement as he communicated with the spirit turtle inside his pendant.

This premonition was very strong. Relying on it all the way here, he had dodged many crises and even obtained some benefits.

Now this premonition made him even more certain.

“Right, spirit turtle, tell me, what’s the reason for this? Why is it that no matter where I hide, those creatures always find me?”

Ye Ling then asked.

This frustrated him greatly. Chi Ling had brought this matter up with him.

At the time, Ye Ling hadn’t cared at all, because he had asked the spirit turtle and knew those creatures could only vaguely sense his location, but could not determine his true position.

So why? Why was he found by those creatures every single time?

Ye Ling even suspected whether Chi Ling was deliberately leaking his whereabouts.

He had also suspected Yin Mei, but along this entire journey, Yin Mei had suffered the most injuries, and her expression was still weary and pale even now, making him unable to bear suspecting her.

And he truly did trust Yin Mei.

Because her earlier actions had shown him that this woman had her own convictions in her heart.

Even when facing Gu Changge’s oppression within the sect, she had dared to resist.

On top of that, Ye Ling believed in Yin Mei’s feelings for him.

But he doubted Chi Ling’s words, and found it hard to accept... After all, Chi Ling could be considered an old friend of his, someone who had chosen to believe in him even after learning he was the Successor of Demonic Arts.

At that moment, the spirit turtle’s voice also reached Ye Ling’s ears, making his head buzz.

“This situation can only mean one thing—between the two of them, someone is definitely suspect. Ye Ling, you need to be careful. Decide based on your own judgment.”

The spirit turtle’s words plunged Ye Ling into silence.

In truth, he had already faintly guessed it himself; he simply didn’t want to accept this reality.

Between the two of them, someone had actually chosen to betray him.

“Spirit turtle, I want to hear your thoughts,” Ye Ling then asked, his expression very grave.

“On this matter, what I say is just my personal view, stripped of emotion—fairly subjective, you could say. You can listen to it, but in the end, the decision is still yours to make.” Hearing this, the spirit turtle inside the pendant pondered for a moment before speaking slowly.

Ye Ling nodded. “Spirit turtle, go ahead. I trust what you say.”

“In my view, Chi Ling is the most likely one, while Yin Mei is very unlikely. If the one who betrayed you were Yin Mei, then what would her motive be? That’s actually hard to say. After all, back then it was you who stepped in to play the hero saving the beauty—otherwise, you never would have had any involvement with her.”

“Much less brought her along to this place. All of that was pure coincidence.”

The spirit turtle quickly spoke up, laying out its analysis—this was based entirely on its own subjective reasoning, without a shred of emotion mixed in.

Hearing this, Ye Ling fell deep into silence.

In truth, he understood this too.

What could Yin Mei possibly want from him? Speaking with a clear conscience, it was actually he who coveted Yin Mei’s beauty.

If he hadn’t played the hero saving the beauty back then, Yin Mei wouldn’t be here with him now, in this place.

All of it was filled with far too many coincidences.

If Yin Mei had deliberately orchestrated all of this, then that would be truly terrifying—the more one thought about it, the more horrifying it became.

Most importantly, Ye Ling suspected that the Successor of Demonic Arts was actually Gu Changge, and Yin Mei had offended Gu Changge.

The two of them were in the same boat.

“Spirit turtle, keep going,” Ye Ling said with a heavy expression.

“If it’s Chi Ling, then there are actually many suspicious points. At the very beginning, she believed in you without question, and said she could find someone to help clear your name as the Successor of Demonic Arts... If she were helping you of her own free will, then I’d have nothing to say.”

“But now, someone is leaking your whereabouts, and that’s highly suspicious. Chi Ling should know that you’re the successor of the Reincarnation Supreme Being. She’s followed you all this way... her goal is actually quite obvious.”

The spirit turtle continued, laying out what it considered the suspicious points.

Of course, Chi Ling very likely knew Gu Changge’s true identity.

Ye Ling had warned her multiple times to be careful of Gu Changge, yet Chi Ling remained completely unmoved every time.

Putting all of this together, Chi Ling was the most suspicious. After all, you can know a person’s face but not their heart—who knew what she was really thinking?

Ye Ling nodded. These words weighed heavily on his heart.

It was clear that everything the spirit turtle said made a lot of sense.

At that moment, Ye Ling turned to glance at Yin Mei, who was resting with her eyes closed on a green boulder.

Her oval face was as lustrous white as mutton-fat jade, with a pair of gently curved dark eyebrows, a delicate upturned nose, rosy lips, pearly teeth, and hair as smooth as silk.

But right now, she was very pale, exuding frailty.

Her dress was also stained with blood.

Chi Ling, on the other side, by contrast, had a petite and exquisite face, her gem-like eyes sparkling with light, looking perfectly natural—one couldn’t see much in the way of injuries on her.

At this moment, he had already made his decision.

Thinking of this, Ye Ling stood up.

Chi Ling and Yin Mei were both recuperating at the moment, and seeing Ye Ling suddenly rise, they both looked over in some astonishment.

“The road ahead will be very dangerous. How about this—we split up. Yin Mei and I will go together; her injuries are severe, and alone, she’d inevitably be in danger...”

“Chi Ling, you aren’t seriously hurt. We’ll meet up at the ancient town ahead.”

Ye Ling chose his words carefully. At this point, he didn’t actually intend to tear off all pretenses with Chi Ling.

So these words came out quite naturally, and quite reasonably.

Only, when the time came to meet up, if he didn’t show himself, what could Chi Ling do about it?

In his view, if Chi Ling coveted his fortuitous opportunities, then even if she was unwilling right now, she would still choose to accept.

Hearing these words, both Yin Mei and Chi Ling were stunned, their eyes going wide.

Yin Mei, in particular, couldn’t help saying anxiously and concernedly, “Ye Ling, what are you saying? At a time like this, how can we split up? Staying together means we can look out for each other.”

Chi Ling stared blankly at Ye Ling, her expression gradually turning cold, becoming very unfamiliar.

At a time like this, Ye Ling suddenly proposed splitting up—what did he mean by that?

Could it be that, seeing they were about to reach the land of opportunity, he wanted to hog it all for himself?

So he planned to split off from her?

For a moment, Chi Ling was dumbfounded, and then couldn’t help feeling a chill in her heart.

She had never coveted Ye Ling’s opportunities.

If she hadn’t promised Ye Ling she would help him, she never would have come to this place at all.

The Celestial Ancient Continent was full of opportunities, and she had already wasted a great deal of time here.

But now, Ye Ling suddenly said such a thing, catching Chi Ling completely off guard.

She had suspected there was something improper between Ye Ling and Yin Mei for more than a day or two, and now that Ye Ling suddenly laid it bare, she couldn’t help wanting to laugh.

“Fine. Since you put it that way, Ye Ling, then let’s split up.”

Chi Ling was decisive too, her cold and proud face wearing an indifferent expression as she spoke.

She didn’t explain anything, nor did she ask anything.

From ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this day forward, the friendship between her and Ye Ling should come to an end.

“Found you!”

Just then, a terrifying pressure suddenly descended from the sky.

Surging pressure appeared, along with roiling black clouds, vast and turbulent, within which several mighty figures emerged—from the Black Sky Hawk Clan, the Ancient Flying Serpent Clan, and others.

The weakest among them was at the Enlightened Noble Realm, and there were even those at the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Enlightened King Realm.

To capture Ye Ling and his companions, these great clans had truly mobilized an extremely powerful force.

“Not good!”

This scene made Ye Ling’s expression change. With no time to react, his figure transformed into a divine rainbow and fled into the distance.

At the same time, he sent a voice transmission to Yin Mei from afar, “There’s no time. We each flee for ourselves—meet up at the ancient town.”

He had originally planned to take Yin Mei with him, but the sudden turn of events left no time.

The enemy’s target was him; this way, he might be able to draw them away.

Presumably, that could also lighten Yin Mei’s burden a little.

Ye Ling suspected that these mighty figures had actually been summoned by Chi Ling—otherwise, how could the enemy have discovered their whereabouts so quickly?

But right now, he was in no position to settle accounts with Chi Ling.

“Still standing there in a daze? Hurry up and run!”

Seeing Yin Mei somewhat frozen in place, Chi Ling frowned, then quickly fled as well, crushing a Divine Transportation Talisman as she prepared to leave this place.

Ye Ling had deeply disappointed her, and she had already decided to draw a clear line between them.

As for Ye Ling’s opportunities, she couldn’t care less.

Soon, both Ye Ling and Chi Ling had vanished, swiftly departing from this mountain range.

Sitting on the green boulder, the worried and concerned expression on Yin Mei’s face disappeared, replaced by calm—even a hint of relief, and a hint of reluctance.

“Master, the task you gave me is finally complete,” Yin Mei murmured softly.

During this time, she had never actually forgotten the task Gu Changge had arranged for her—to sow discord between Chi Ling and Ye Ling.

Today, it had finally succeeded.

Only, having lured so many powerful enemies along the way, she herself was indeed gravely injured. She didn’t have Ye Ling’s and Chi Ling’s good fortune.

After all, the enemies were a host of Enlightened Noble Realm beings, and there were even quite a few at the Enlightened King Realm.

Her cultivation had only just broken through to the middle stage of the Honoured King Realm—the gap was simply too great.

That she had survived so many times was already thanks to the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan’s great luck.

To put it bluntly, her success in completing Gu Changge’s order and driving a wedge between Ye Ling and Chi Ling had been bought with her own life.

Now, with her injuries so severe, even if she fled, she couldn’t get far.

Yin Mei had calmly come to terms with it.

Only, not being able to see Gu Changge one last time before dying left her with some regret and reluctance.

And yet, there were also some indescribable emotions.

In the end, she was nothing more than a chess piece in his hand—the kind to be discarded once its value was used up, not even worth a second glance.

“Heh heh, this girl actually isn’t running. Is she planning to wait for death? After fleeing for so long, looks like she’s accepted her fate. Taking a closer look, she’s quite the gorgeous little beauty...”

In the sky, two mighty figures remained.

One Enlightened Noble, one Enlightened King—their auras terrifying and domineering, crushing down upon the heavens, with surging blood qi fluctuations that left the surrounding mountain ranges deathly silent.

The one speaking now was that Enlightened King Realm being, who had a serpent’s tail and hailed from the Ancient Flying Serpent Clan.

His gaze was somewhat lecherous as he stared at Yin Mei, rather tempted.

“How about this—submit to me willingly, and I’ll spare your life,” he said.

Looking at the expressions of these two mighty figures, Yin Mei’s face was calm as she said indifferently, “Keep dreaming. Even if I detonate my own body, I won’t let you have your way.”

She didn’t want to die, but neither would she live on in such humiliation.

When it came down to it, it depended on the person.

She could submit to Gu Changge and acknowledge him as her master, but that didn’t mean she would submit to anyone else.

At this moment, Yin Mei would rather choose death.

“Hmph, at death’s door and still talking tough!”

Yin Mei’s words enraged the Enlightened King Realm being in the sky—he hadn’t expected this girl to be so reckless with her own life.

Boom!

With that, he struck out directly and ruthlessly, his domineering aura descending from the sky, transforming into a giant hand reaching to grab Yin Mei.

Yin Mei’s face was cold, utterly fearless, just about to detonate her own body.

Buzz!

Suddenly, an even more terrifying aura materialized before her eyes, transforming into a dazzling, peerlessly sharp strand of Sword Qi that rang out with a metallic hum, cleaving the Enlightened Noble Realm being before her in half with a single stroke.

“Who’s there?!”

The other Enlightened King Realm being reacted, utterly enraged, looking toward the direction the sword light had come from, killing intent billowing.

“Master...”

Yin Mei was also stunned at this moment, her beautiful eyes wide in disbelief as she looked at the young man who had suddenly stepped out of the void before her.

She suddenly threw herself into Gu Changge’s arms. “Boohoo, Master, I thought you didn’t want me anymore...”