Really Taking Yourself Too Seriously — No Tears Until You See the Coffin
Really Taking Yourself Too Seriously — No Tears Until You See the Coffin
Atop the mountain peak, white clouds and mist surged, as though a veil of immortal qi permeated the air.
As far as the eye could see, the view was magnificent, with mountain ranges rising and falling.
But Gu Xianer was in no mood to appreciate any of it.
At this moment, she stood there, her small face as delicate and flawless as white porcelain, brows tightly furrowed, nearly knotted into a ball.
This expression clearly showed she had encountered something deeply troubling, something she couldn’t decide on for the moment.
“Big Red, tell me, this matter of Gu Changge fighting the Successor of Demonic Arts and getting seriously injured — is it true or false? If it’s true, do you think I should go see him?”
Gu Xianer hugged her legs, resting her head on top of them, mumbling in a muffled voice as she asked the Big Red Bird on her shoulder.
The Big Red Bird rolled its eyes.
It wore an expression that said, “Why are you asking me about something like this?”
Gu Xianer also knew there was no way she could ask a bird about such a thing.
But she simply had no confidence in her heart and couldn’t make up her mind.
She had also heard the news during this period about Gu Changge pursuing the Successor of Demonic Arts and fighting him.
At first, she didn’t really believe it.
She knew very well just how terrifying Gu Changge’s strength was.
Among the younger generation, besides her, who could contend with Gu Changge?
Of course, this “her” referred to the future her.
At least among the current younger generation, in Gu Xianer’s view, no one could be Gu Changge’s match.
But... the one who fought Gu Changge this time was the rumored Successor of Demonic Arts, inhumanly cruel and unfathomably deep.
She had never truly witnessed how terrifying the Successor of Demonic Arts was, but she had heard quite a bit of news.
Even under the combined pursuit of all the great Daoist lineages and powers, he had managed to escape unscathed, and in the end vanished without a trace, leaving no trail at all.
For such a powerful existence, no one knew just how strong he truly was.
It wasn’t impossible for Gu Changge to be injured at the hands of the Successor of Demonic Arts.
She had regarded Gu Changge as too invincible...
Sometimes, Gu Changge was like an ordinary person — he could be injured, and even perish.
So she was a little worried.
According to the rumors, Gu Changge was already seriously injured, with even his Source damaged.
He looked like a gust of wind slightly too strong could blow him away.
At the time, this made Gu Xianer’s mind go blank for a moment, and her first reaction was to laugh — after all, when Gu Changge had taken a slash from her back then, he hadn’t shown any reaction or weakness at all.
Facing the Successor of Demonic Arts, how could he possibly be injured so severely?
But the more she thought about it afterward, the more she felt something wasn’t right.
Given Gu Changge’s personality and ability, if he really could have killed the Successor of Demonic Arts, would he have let him escape?
So the only possibility was that at the time, Gu Changge, like the Successor of Demonic Arts, had actually lost his combat capability.
Only then did the two of them call it quits.
Gu Changge’s injuries were probably not light.
Thinking of this, Gu Xianer no longer even had the heart to search for fortuitous encounters.
During this period, her breakthroughs could be described as advancing by leaps and bounds. Not only did she go back and pick the Eight Sacred Plantain, she then even encountered a Nirvana Fruit.
She fought and battled against the prodigies of the various races of the Celestial Ancient Continent.
Her cultivation smoothly broke through to the late stage of the Honoured Lord Realm, several times stronger than when she had entered the Celestial Ancient Continent.
She was fully confident that if she met Gu Changge again, she could definitely withstand one of his palms.
“It’s not that I’m worried about his injuries — I’m just afraid he’ll die just like that, and then who would I take my revenge on?”
At this point, Gu Xianer finally convinced herself.
She had come up with a reason for herself.
That way, Gu Changge wouldn’t dismiss her with contempt again and refuse to accept her visit.
Of course, this also gave her an excuse, so she wouldn’t lose face when the time came.
She could also go see just how badly Gu Changge was injured.
Was the Successor of Demonic Arts really as terrifying as the rumors said?
“It just so happens I obtained a healing Heavenly Herb a few days ago. Consider it a thank-you gift for Gu Changge saving me. He still hasn’t settled the score for bullying me back then — that’s already the result of my magnanimity.”
Muttering to herself like this, Gu Xianer then transformed into a divine rainbow, rode her artifact, and soared into the sky.
She quickly left this place.
...
While the various races of the Celestial Ancient Continent and the cultivators from the outside world were all in an uproar over the Successor of Demonic Arts,
Gu Changge led a group of followers and casually found some ruins, under the fine-sounding pretext of recuperating and resting.
But in secret, he was still using various means to push along the hatred between the outside cultivators and the races of the Celestial Ancient Continent.
When this hatred reached its peak, that would be the best time for the big shots of both sides’ lineages to take the stage.
Gu Changge didn’t mind muddying these waters completely.
And during this period, he gradually faded from everyone’s sight.
Only some Celestial Ancient beings who wanted to probe for news about him approached this area — and then vanished without a trace.
Taking advantage of this time, Gu Changge tinkered with quite a few good things from the System Shop.
Just in Absolute Detachment bones alone, he made three more.
Including the hand bone on the other side, a foot bone, and one finger bone of his right hand.
Into this finger bone, Gu Changge refined the Hepta-Metal Principles along with the offensive Sword Dao principles from the Endless Immortal Art.
These two ultimate offensive principles, stacked together, could naturally exert an even greater effect.
So in the end, Gu Changge refined this finger bone into a supreme sword bone.
Gu Changge’s thinking was very simple.
Looking cool was all that mattered.
When facing an enemy, a casual flick of a sword finger, a peerless sword gleam descending, and the enemy instantly decapitated and split in two.
Besides that, he also conveniently raised his Skyward Ascension cultivation by a level — on the surface, he had reached the mid-stage of the Partial-Enlightened Realm.
And in secret, he was even more unscrupulous, using the Immortal-Devouring Demonic Art to madly hunt down lone powerhouses.
For a time, traces of the Successor of Demonic Arts reappeared, triggering panic everywhere, and many beings and cultivators felt their own lives hanging by a thread.
Of course, regarding this, Gu Changge only wanted to say they were overthinking it.
Even if this bunch of young beings appeared before him and voluntarily offered up their Source, he might not necessarily think much of them.
Nowadays, only existences at the Enlightened Noble Realm, or even above the Enlightened King Realm, were of any use to Gu Changge’s cultivation advancement.
The further along he went, the more enormous the Source essence required.
Unless it was an extremely powerful physique or bloodline.
During this period, Gu Changge was also beginning to consider reeling in the net.
The great net he had laid out specifically for the Black Sky Eagle Clan using the Entanglement Immortal Art — it was time to draw it in.
In his perception, the entire Black Sky Eagle Clan had become a spider web. With a single thought, he could make the Original Souls of every being composing this web instantly annihilate.
This was far more terrifying than a Slave Mark.
In the blink of an eye, time flowed by.
Several days passed.
“So it really is just an old turtle...”
“And here I thought it might be a Black Tortoise after all that.”
Inside a magnificent ancient palace, Gu Changge’s expression was natural, but he spoke with some disdain.
In his hand he held a white jade pendant, upon which hazy light emerged, revealing the form of an old turtle.
This old turtle was pure white all over, like jade, translucent and crystalline, even exuding a strange fragrance.
This fragrance was something others could not smell.
But Gu Changge, as the inheritor of the Immortal-Devouring Demonic Art, could perceive it — because this aura... was the fragrance of a divine soul.
This old turtle’s divine soul was perhaps not a turtle at all, but some kind of special Celestial Herb.
“Gu Changge, don’t even think about humiliating this old man. Kill me or torture me, do as you please.”
“If I utter a single word of fear, I’ll shatter my own Original Soul!”
The old turtle floating above the pendant was quite tough at this moment.
It had personally witnessed Gu Changge’s secret.
Given Gu Changge’s temperament, there was absolutely no way he would let it go.
At this point, nine times out of ten, he wanted to use threats and intimidation to force it to reveal some secrets about the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
Then, he would use various means to force it into submission.
The old turtle saw through all of this clearly. Having seen so much in its life, how could it not know Gu Changge’s methods?
So the old turtle acted very tough.
In its pair of mung-bean-like eyes was an expression of righteous integrity, one that would never yield.
Although Ye Ling had many flaws in his character, he was ultimately a kind-hearted person.
And a villain like Gu Changge, with demonic qi billowing to the heavens — how could it submit to him? That would make it an accomplice to evil, plunging all living beings under heaven into unrighteousness.
This ran counter to its Dao.
If, when facing a great demon like Gu Changge, one only thought of clinging to life, then who would uphold the great righteousness of this world?
“What do you mean, humiliate you? Is calling you an old turtle humiliating you?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled faintly, but wore an expression like he was looking at an idiot.
“Or have you lived so long that you’ve forgotten what you even are?”
Gu Changge considered his aggro-pulling skill to be maxed out. What was an old turtle putting on airs in front of him for?
“Gu Changge, you’re simply going too far...”
Sure enough, Gu Changge’s words directly made the old turtle’s face turn green, and it couldn’t help but roar back in rebuttal.
Although it was called old turtle, that didn’t mean it really was a turtle.
It was merely a name the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had given it.
A turtle?
This was completely its sore spot. Even Ye Ling, while he was alive, hadn’t dared to bring this up about it.
But now Gu Changge had mercilessly laid it bare.
If it weren’t unable to resist, it would be fighting Gu Changge to the death right now.
“Going too far? Can’t you come up with a fresher phrase?”
Gu Changge shook his head, speaking casually.
Within his gaze, black and white colors seemed to circulate, and faintly, traces of time appeared in the void.
“Principles of Reincarnation...”
The old turtle couldn’t help but be horrified.
Its divine soul grew increasingly blurry, as if it would turn into wisps of smoke beneath that gaze.
Who would have thought that in just a few short days, the Power of Reincarnation Gu Changge controlled had already far surpassed Ye Ling’s by who knew how much.
This guy was simply too terrifying... No, the word “terrifying” could no longer describe how it felt about Gu Changge.
“Tell me your origins. If I’m interested, perhaps I’ll let you live.”
Then, Gu Changge spoke.
He had some free time lately, which was why he had time to deal with this old turtle’s matter.
As Ye Ling’s portable old-grandpa-type existence, its usefulness just wasn’t as great as an old grandpa’s.
At most, it could only be considered the Guide of a Fortuitous One.
“Don’t even think about it! Gu Changge, this old man will not submit to you and aid your evil...”
Hearing Gu Changge’s words, the old turtle immediately put on a knowing expression and sneered.
It had already concluded that Gu Changge was keeping it alive for other purposes.
After all, it was a being that had once followed the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being and knew many secrets of the Celestial Ancient era.
If Gu Changge wasn’t stupid, he would know that keeping it alive was more useful than killing it.
“This is a question I really don’t want to ask a second time. You think too highly of yourself.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge laughed in derision.
This old turtle really took itself too seriously. Did it really think he would play by the usual script?
Weng!
With a raise of his hand, pitch-black Grand Runes flickered into existence, forming a Grand Flask.
With a rumble!
From the void, strands of black light cascaded down, directly enveloping the old turtle.
“Ah...”
In that instant, it let out a scream. The eeriness of the Grand Flask lay in how it burrowed deep into the divine soul, impossible to resist.
Gu Changge had no interest whatsoever in the many secrets of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.
What interested him was only the enticing fragrance this old turtle gave off.
A long-missed, exquisite flavor of divine soul.
The divine soul of that last Enlightened King who had been reborn through Body Possession had this same aura. Gu Changge guessed it was tainted by Fortuity.
But since it wouldn’t talk, that was fine too.
Such matters were of no consequence.
“Gu Changge, you really mean to kill me...” The old turtle screamed, hardly able to believe that Gu Changge actually intended to make a move against it.
“No tears until you see the coffin.”
Gu Changge narrowed his eyes slightly.
Without the slightest mercy.
From within the Grand Flask came a terrifying devouring force. Amid the old turtle’s despair, it transformed into a vast expanse of pitch-black runes that submerged it.
“So it really is a Celestial Herb — only it was split into three by someone, and it was one of them.”
The enormous medicinal potency filled his limbs and bones, like a vast, surging Astral River.
Immortal intent surged, making the palace hall seem like a celestial realm for a time.
Fortunately, within every single cell of Gu Changge’s body, a pitch-black flask seemed to emerge.
A full sixty trillion cells trembled and hummed, absorbing this boundless medicinal power.
At the same time, some information appeared in his mind, which gave Gu Changge a sudden understanding.
It just so happened that his accumulation during this period had also reached a peak, and he very naturally broke through to the peak of the Enlightened King Realm.
He was only one step away from the Quasi-Sacred Realm.