Mingkong, You've Really Changed — The Identity of the Other Successor of Demonic Arts
Mingkong, You’ve Really Changed — The Identity of the Other Successor of Demonic Arts
Inside the pavilion, it was very quiet. Aside from the people of Sky Emperor Mountain, only Yue Mingkong sat there alone.
At this moment, her expression was calm and serene, transcendent and otherworldly, her whole being like the finest mutton-fat jade, meticulously carved and polished.
She wore a loose, flowing robe, her immortal countenance like a painting, her face untouched by powder or rouge, her three thousand strands of waterfall-like black hair bound with a simple jade hairpin.
Beyond that, she wore no ornaments at all, yet it was enough to make any heaven-blessed maiden pale in comparison before her.
That lofty aura, like that of a peerless empress, made everyone from Sky Emperor Mountain present dare not show the slightest disrespect; they had to treat her with utmost care.
And from another perspective, Yue Mingkong was Gu Changge’s fiancée.
During this period, the story of Gu Changge appearing at the Eternal Overcast Battlefield to heroically rescue a beauty—saving Ying Yu—had spread far and wide, making many heaven-blessed maidens green with envy.
Today, Yue Mingkong suddenly speaking such words of warning made the people of Sky Emperor Mountain smile bitterly inwardly. They guessed it was related to this matter, but they also knew she was not being unreasonable.
Some things were indeed not for them to think about.
Gu Changge was incomparably outstanding. If he had no marriage agreement, that would be one thing, but since he did have one, it would be best if their young lady never developed any feelings for him.
Because that was destined to be something with no possible outcome.
“What does Princess Mingkong mean by these words? Could it be you’re afraid I’ll steal your fiancé away?”
At this moment, Ying Yu also realized the meaning behind Yue Mingkong’s words. Her brows immediately furrowed as she asked in return.
She chose to meet her head-on, disliking the other’s casual, everything-under-control attitude.
As a fellow heaven-blessed maiden, she was even less willing to lower her head before the other at this moment.
She did indeed harbor a certain fondness for Gu Changge, but for Yue Mingkong to say it out loud like this—wasn’t that too much of a slap to her face?
Hearing this, Yue Mingkong shook her head, her expression calm, beautiful and lustrous.
Her words, just like before, carried not the slightest ripple.
I am saving you, and doing this for your own good. If you don’t want to be left with nothing but pain in the future, then stay far away from Gu Changge.
“As for stealing him away?”
At this point, there was a faint trace of mockery and indifference in her manner.
From beginning to end, she had never worried that any woman could catch Gu Changge’s eye. Her own possessiveness was strong, but it depended on the person. Some women were destined to only ever be Gu Changge’s pawns, utterly incapable of threatening her.
She had merely taken pity on the girl and kindly offered some advice. Whether the other accepted it or not, she didn’t care.
She had said all that needed to be said. If Ying Yu sank deeper and deeper in the future, the one who would be hurt in the end was Ying Yu herself.
Prince Ying had fallen to become the Successor of Demonic Arts, an enemy of the entire world, with brother and sister turning against each other.
If Gu Changge hadn’t been pulling strings behind all this during this period, she wouldn’t believe it. And there was a great possibility that all of it had been orchestrated by Gu Changge alone. If Ying Yu were to discover the truth one day, what would she do?
She would probably wish she could kill Gu Changge. And when that time came, given Gu Changge’s temperament, he would not show Ying Yu any mercy.
Yue Mingkong had thought to avert this calamity, which was why she came to warn her. As for whether Ying Yu would think she was just being jealous—Yue Mingkong didn’t actually care.
However, Yue Mingkong also did not know that Ying Shuang had long since undergone Body Possession by a horse-feeding servant, their identities swapped.
As for Gu Changge, he was not the least bit afraid that Ying Yu would discover the truth of the matter.
“What do you mean by that?”
Ying Yu frowned, not understanding why Yue Mingkong wore that expression, looking at her with a trace of pity.
However, Yue Mingkong did not continue speaking, paying her no mind at all, quiet as an immortal maiden.
Her gaze was distant, carrying an inscrutable expression.
Seeing that Yue Mingkong would say no more, Ying Yu then took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and said,
“Young Master Gu has shown me kindness, and has shown kindness to Sky Emperor Mountain. I will find a way to repay him. As for anything else, Princess Mingkong, you are overthinking it.”
With that, she prepared to rise and take her leave.
Yue Mingkong nodded. “It’s good that you understand this.”
“Oh, Mingkong, so you’re here? You had me searching for quite a while...”
However, just at that moment, a slightly surprised voice suddenly rang out from below the pavilion, followed by footsteps ascending.
The newcomer wore a moon-white robe, his figure tall and straight, his face bearing a smile as warm as jade, with numerous powerful-aurad followers behind him.
It was none other than Gu Changge.
During this period, the Eternal Overcast Battlefield had been anything but peaceful, so he had simply left it, intending to first figure out the true identity of the Successor of Demonic Arts.
In addition, Gu Changge had learned that Yue Mingkong had come to the Southern Flourishing Heaven, and he happened to have some matters to discuss with her.
Speaking of which, after dealing with the Mortal One during the last trip to the Overworld, logically speaking, the next Fortuitous One should not appear so quickly.
But according to the System’s prompts, the appearance of the demoness in red seemed to have become an unavoidable matter.
So Gu Changge planned to sound out Yue Mingkong; perhaps she would know something.
At this moment, hearing this voice, Ying Yu, who had been about to rise and leave, was also slightly stunned.
Then her footsteps involuntarily halted, somewhat surprised.
She didn’t know whether Gu Changge had heard the conversation between her and Yue Mingkong just now.
“Young Master Gu...”
“Young Master Changge...”
The people of Sky Emperor Mountain hurriedly bowed to Gu Changge, their expressions full of respect.
Gu Changge nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally landing on Yue Mingkong, who had been sitting quietly at the back.
The smile at the corner of his mouth held a trace of amusement.
Ying Yu didn’t know if it was her own illusion.
Yue Mingkong, whose expression had been calm and composed all along, seemed to suddenly become a bit flustered and unnatural at this moment, as if she had been caught doing something wrong in front of Gu Changge.
But this trace of emotion quickly vanished.
Yue Mingkong’s expression returned to calm.
“Changge, did you come looking for me for something?”
She spoke first, slightly surprised, but beyond that, not the least bit astonished.
She was not at all surprised by Gu Changge’s sudden appearance.
Although this was the first time the two had met since the Gu Family banquet, Yue Mingkong knew very well that during her trip to the Heavenly Star Realm, her whereabouts had actually been under Gu Changge’s watch the whole time.
It was just that Gu Changge had never shown himself.
Today he took the initiative to appear and find her—was it because of Ying Yu? Was he afraid she would ruin his plans?
Yue Mingkong felt a slight doubt in her heart.
“I wanted to see you. Does that require any reason?”
Gu Changge smiled casually, walking naturally to her side, and then, before everyone’s eyes, gently took hold of her soft hand, looking every bit like an affectionate old married couple.
This scene made the people of Sky Emperor Mountain smile bitterly in their hearts.
Ying Yu also hadn’t expected Gu Changge to make such a gesture in public.
In her view, this was no different from Gu Changge telling her that his heart belonged only to Yue Mingkong.
For a moment, an inexplicable sense of loss welled up in her heart, though such emotions quickly dissipated.
Yue Mingkong was slightly taken aback, her clear, flawless gem-like eyes fixed on Gu Changge as she said, “Are you afraid I’d get jealous and make things difficult for this little girl?”
If it were in the past, she would definitely have felt shy at such a gesture from Gu Changge.
But after learning of Gu Changge’s wicked hobby of teasing her, she no longer cared.
Because in front of this guy, the shyer you acted, the more he loved to tease you.
So she couldn’t let him have his way.
Gu Changge shook his head, his smile undiminished. “I know you’re sensible and wouldn’t care about such things, so stop scaring the poor girl.”
At this point,
he turned back and smiled at the still somewhat puzzled Ying Yu. “This Mingkong of mine has always been a jealous one. Whenever another woman appears by my side, she’s always like this...”
“Gu Changge...”
Yue Mingkong suddenly interrupted him, looking somewhat annoyed. Gu Changge clearly knew that wasn’t what she meant, yet he insisted on saying this—did he think the show wasn’t lively enough?
Hearing this, Ying Yu couldn’t help but find herself caught between laughter and tears.
She hurriedly said,
“Young Master Gu, please rest assured, I won’t take such a small matter to heart. Since you and Princess Mingkong are reunited, an outsider like me shouldn’t intrude. Next time there’s a chance, I will certainly invite Young Master Gu to visit Sky Emperor Mountain.”
“We’ll take our leave first.”
With that, she led the people of Sky Emperor Mountain away without lingering.
“Take care, Miss Ying Yu.”
Gu Changge wore a faint smile the whole time, watching them leave.
After they had all gone, the smile on Gu Changge’s face gradually faded, and he dismissed everyone else.
Then, he looked at Yue Mingkong with great interest and asked, “Was Mingkong worried that I would make a move to hurt Ying Yu? In your heart, am I actually such a heartless and cruel person?”
He naturally knew Yue Mingkong couldn’t possibly be jealous over such a thing.
At most, she was acting out of kindness, unable to resist offering Ying Yu some advice. But for Gu Changge, this was merely an insignificant trifle.
To him, Ying Yu was just a pawn to be used at his convenience, not much different from Ying Shuang, really.
No matter which aspect one considered, she was far from comparable to Yue Mingkong’s place in his heart.
“To you, she is just a pawn, but to her, you are her savior, the object of her admiration.”
“She is also a pitiful person.”
Yue Mingkong answered softly, not mentioning at all how Gu Changge had schemed against Ying Shuang, causing the siblings Ying Yu and Ying Shuang to turn against each other and sever ties.
Although she had not witnessed it with her own eyes, she knew the matter was definitely inseparable from Gu Changge.
Gu Changge smiled. “Pawn or not doesn’t matter. I only know that you were jealous...”
Yue Mingkong stared at him. “So if I were jealous, would you consider my feelings?”
No. Gu Changge was very frank.
Yue Mingkong lightly rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with him.
However, both of them tacitly avoided mentioning the matters of the Overworld. Thanks to the few Nirvana World Green Lotus Seeds Gu Changge had left her, Yue Mingkong’s cultivation had improved considerably.
Even when facing ancient freaks, without relying on any other means, she could fight them with cultivation alone.
“It seems that during this time, you haven’t missed your husband at all?”
Then, Gu Changge noticed her expression.
He suddenly sighed, seemingly somewhat hurt. “When I learned you came to the Southern Flourishing Heaven, your husband was quite happy. But now, Mingkong, you actually look like you can’t be bothered with your husband.”
“Do you know how much that breaks your husband’s heart?”
Hearing this, Yue Mingkong’s lustrous eyes stared at him, utterly cold, and she didn’t open her mouth, as if hoarding her words like gold.
After all, she knew Gu Changge’s character well and understood that at this moment, he was just teasing her, so she absolutely could not let things go his way.
At this point, Gu Changge also seemed quite helpless, continuing to sigh. “Mingkong, you’ve changed. You don’t even care about your husband anymore.”
Yue Mingkong’s expression was calm, her peerless immortal countenance without the slightest ripple, her gaze clear as water as she watched Gu Changge.
That expression seemed to say: I’d like to see how long you can keep up this act.
But the next moment, Gu Changge suddenly made his move, sweeping her up around the waist and heading straight toward the depths of the pavilion.
“Changge...”
Yue Mingkong was startled by his action and let out a soft cry of surprise.
She could no longer maintain her earlier composure—after all, it was broad daylight.
Gu Changge said with perfect composure, “Now you know to call my name? But you forced me into this.”
“Call me husband and I’ll let you go...”
“Husband.”
At this moment, Yue Mingkong was perfectly obedient, and this appearance of hers actually had a touch of docility to it.
She knew she was no match for Gu Changge, so she didn’t bother with futile struggles.
“I was just teasing you, and you actually believed it.” Gu Changge couldn’t help but laugh.
Yue Mingkong couldn’t help but grit her teeth. No matter how good her state of mind was, at this moment she was thoroughly exasperated.
Soon after, a world-shaking great battle erupted here. Runes flickered, palaces glowed, mountains shook and the earth trembled, and many buildings collapsed, reduced to ruins.
Many Cultivators were shocked and wanted to come investigate.
However, they were blasted away by Gu Changge’s followers in the distance, breaking out in cold sweats, understanding that this matter was not something they could pry into.
......
“The Successor of Demonic Arts, Prince Ying...”
“Is this true? Or has something been mistaken...”
Meanwhile, in the Southern Flourishing Heaven, within a very remote ancient city.
Inside a quiet residence.
A white-robed woman wearing a veil sat upright on a stone chair, murmuring softly.
Her features were exquisitely beautiful, her eyes like autumn waters, her brows like distant hills.
Though she wore a veil, it could not conceal her transcendent, cool temperament.
“How could another Successor of Demonic Arts appear? According to my memories, isn’t there only one per generation?”
She seemed to be murmuring to herself, yet it looked more like she was conversing with someone.
“Could it be that some unknown problem has occurred in this generation?”
“Impossible.”
At this moment, a cold laugh suddenly rang out in her mind, permeated with a terrifying Demonic Energy and a sinister, bewitching quality.
“Then why is it?”
The white-robed woman couldn’t help but frown, seemingly still unable to figure it out. “Could it be that this Successor of Demonic Arts is an impostor? But some time ago, the commotion was enormous.”
“Whether in Skyward Ancient City or on the Celestial Ancient Continent, traces of the Successor of Demonic Arts appeared.”
“Not long ago, it was the same at the Longevity Gu Family. Could something have been mistaken?”
Her voice was filled with deep doubt, utterly unable to make sense of it.
“We don’t need to worry about that. Anyway, right now we happen to have this Successor of Demonic Arts standing at the forefront of the storm, which makes things much more convenient for us. We no longer need to sneak around like before.”
In the white-robed woman’s mind, that voice brimming with Demonic Energy sounded again.
“True. Right now, to obtain a slot to enter the True Immortal Academy, we still need quite a lot of points.”
“The Eternal Overcast seems quite chaotic lately. It happens to be a good opportunity for us.”
At this point, a trace of complexity appeared in the white-robed woman’s gaze, as if she had thought of something.
“What’s wrong? Right now the Successor of Demonic Arts is that Prince Ying, and it has nothing to do with us. As long as we act discreetly, no one will notice anything unusual.”
In her mind, the voice full of Demonic Energy sounded again, seemingly offering comfort.
The white-robed woman nodded, but her expression remained full of complexity.
Then, after a pause, that voice full of Demonic Energy spoke again,
“Actually, if we were just a bit bolder, given Gu Changge’s trust in you, as long as we devoured him, with his talent, we could...”
“Shut up.”
Hearing this, the white-robed woman’s eyes suddenly turned cold.
A terrifying pressure emerged from her body, causing the voice in her mind to abruptly stop, as if unwilling to clash with her.
“How many times have I said it—don’t bring this up again, or you know full well that with my current ability, I can completely devour you.”
The white-robed woman’s voice returned to its cold calm, but the words she spoke made the other voice in her mind fall silent, deeply wary.
However, very soon, its voice sounded again, feeling very unwilling.
“You are the Successor of Demonic Arts, destined to stand in opposition to everyone in this world. Do you really plan to spend your whole life in front of him as nothing more than a maid who pours tea and peels fruit?”
“You should know that Gu Changge has never regarded you as his woman. In his eyes, you’re at best a plaything. When he’s in a good mood, he teases you a little; when he’s in a bad mood, he won’t even acknowledge you.”
“Su Qingge, you’re such a smart person. You should know what Gu Changge has done during this time. If he learns that you are the Successor of Demonic Arts, do you think he’ll spare you? No, not only will he not spare you—he will kill you with his own hands.”
“Shut your mouth! Gongzi may not be a good person, but he would never do such a thing. I understand him very well.”
The white-robed woman’s voice carried icy anger, along with a trace of confusion and a slight tremble.
As if even she herself wouldn’t believe what she was saying.
“Hehe, what a self-deluding woman. Do you really think you hold much weight in Gu Changge’s heart? If so, then why, after bringing you back to the Beyond for so long, has he paid you no attention, tossing you into the Primal Demonic Temple and never bothering with you again...”
“You should know that the two of us share the same feelings. What I think is exactly what you think in your heart—it’s just that you don’t dare say it, while I do.”
“If you insist on believing that Gu Changge will stand on your side, then go tell him that you are the Successor of Demonic Arts, and see what he does...”
“Shut your mouth!”
Hearing this, the white-robed woman’s expression suddenly turned cold as ice, and terrifying Demonic Energy swirled around her jade-carved body, as if it would devour everything in the world.
Seeing that she was about to erupt, the voice in her mind gradually quieted down and spoke no more.
And at this moment, the white-robed woman’s face couldn’t help but show a trace of confusion and sorrow.
Indeed, weren’t those words just now exactly what she herself had been thinking in her heart?