The Bait's Purpose Is Complete, Jin Chan's First Impression of Gu Changge
The Bait’s Purpose Is Complete, Jin Chan’s First Impression of Gu Changge
Within the crowd, a tall young man clad in dark-gold treasure armor had five-colored radiance flickering through his eyes.
The moment he saw Gu Changge, hatred and fury surfaced on his face, but he quickly suppressed it, and it vanished, leaving nothing but calm.
At this moment, even those who knew him best would never guess that he had once been Prince Ying, Ying Shuang.
Now he had taken on a completely new face, becoming an unfamiliar young prodigy.
“What is it?”
Beside the young man in dark-gold treasure armor stood an elderly man in loose, flowing robes, his features lean and refined, the very picture of an immortal sage.
Ying Shuang addressed him as Mo Lao.
This was an unfathomable old monster. Back on the Eternal Overcast Battlefield, after the three Great Sages had taken him away, they had dumped him in some desolate, uninhabited wasteland.
They had told him that someone would come looking for him when the time came.
Naturally, Ying Shuang hadn’t believed a word of it. He had always suspected that those three Great Sages had been arranged by Gu Changge.
Including everything they said—it had all been Gu Changge’s deliberate doing.
And all of it was to make him take the fall for Gu Changge, to nail the hat of Successor of Demonic Arts firmly onto his head.
But Ying Shuang truly never expected that someone would actually come looking for him afterward, claiming to be from the organisation of the Successor of Demonic Arts, saying they were all believers of the Demon Lord, just like him.
This Mo Lao was one of them—one whose power was utterly terrifying, truly unfathomable.
Ying Shuang desperately wanted to explain that he had been framed, that he was no Successor of Demonic Arts at all, that the real Successor of Demonic Arts was someone else entirely.
But he also knew that the moment such a thing was proven, even with a Sacred Emperor Grade weapon like the Golden Ancient Bell, he would not escape death.
Sky Emperor Mountain could no longer shelter him.
He was now someone everyone wanted to beat down, like a rat scurrying across the street.
Wherever his tracks appeared, countless Cultivators would swarm there in droves, determined to kill him.
This filled Ying Shuang’s heart with boundless rage, and toward his great enemy Gu Changge, who had appeared before the mountain gate, his hatred naturally surged to the heavens.
“Last time you suffered a huge loss at Gu Changge’s hands. This time, at the True Immortal Academy, things won’t go that way.”
“With us backing you from behind, even if he is Gu Changge, he’ll have to think twice.”
Seeing Ying Shuang’s expression, the old man called Mo Lao couldn’t help but smile faintly, somewhat understanding.
Besides being a believer of the Demon Lord, he had another identity—an Elder of the True Immortal Academy.
This was something even the other Elders of the True Immortal Academy did not know.
Hearing this, Ying Shuang calmed down as well and nodded. “I understand.”
He didn’t know if it was his imagination or not, but he kept feeling that Gu Changge, standing before the mountain gate, had been sizing him up the whole time.
Still, since he dared to show himself at the True Immortal Academy, that meant he had absolute confidence—no fear of being discovered.
“I heard Mingkong was coming, so I came here specially to wait for her.”
Gu Changge smiled faintly, which served as his answer to the white-robed elder’s earlier question.
“I see. Young Master Changge and Princess Mingkong truly share a wonderful bond.”
Hearing this, the white-robed elder couldn’t help but sigh with a smile. Everyone else naturally heard these words too, and many of the heaven’s pride daughters were filled with envy.
The Mingkong Gu Changge spoke of—
That could only be his fiancée, the Crown Heir of the Unrivaled Celestial Dynasty, Princess Yue Mingkong.
“What choice did I have? She insisted I come pick her up personally. Tell me, could I refuse?”
Gu Changge’s smile remained gentle and refined, his tone a little helpless, yet carrying a faint trace of doting affection.
But for some reason, the many Young Prodigies—especially the heaven’s pride daughters—felt sour, deeply envious.
Had they just been force-fed a mouthful of dog food out of nowhere?
Toward Princess Yue Mingkong, they were even more jealous. Was there really a woman in this world worthy of Young Master Changge treating her this way?
Of course, Gu Changge saying this was just casual nonsense.
His real purpose was that he had sensed Ying Shuang’s aura, so he had come to the mountain gate to see what sort of beings surrounded Ying Shuang.
As for the so-called organisation of the Successor of Demonic Arts, he felt it hadn’t formed spontaneously—it had gathered together because of a certain existence.
As for which existence that was, it wasn’t hard for Gu Changge to guess.
Who else could it be but the founder of the Demonic Arts?
So what he wanted to know now was what exactly this so-called organisation of the Successor of Demonic Arts intended to do.
“Judging from how these people of the True Immortal Academy treat him, that old man should be an Elder of the True Immortal Academy, with cultivation at least at the Sacred Emperor Realm.”
“So now Ying Shuang has a Sacred Emperor backing him?”
Gu Changge’s expression held a trace of amusement.
He was considering whether to keep Ying Shuang alive. Since Ying Shuang had already changed his face and even lured out the people of the Successor of Demonic Arts organisation for him...
Then Ying Shuang... was actually no longer of much use.
However, if Ying Shuang died, Sky Emperor Mountain might sense it, which would be a bit of a problem for Gu Changge.
So what he needed to consider now was how to kill Ying Shuang openly and aboveboard, without letting anyone feel that the Successor of Demonic Arts had actually died.
That would require some finesse.
He needed to create the appearance that the Successor of Demonic Arts had faked his death and escaped.
On top of that, Gu Changge planned to have Su Qingge make contact with this organisation first. After all, she was the true Successor of Demonic Arts, and that would require a bit of maneuvering as well.
Although Su Qingge was probing his attitude,
she had never openly admitted her identity either.
And it was even more impossible for Gu Changge to explain all of this to her. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her—it was that such a thing could never be casually revealed to anyone.
Besides Yue Mingkong, Jiang Chuchu, and Hei Yanyu of the Celestial Ancient Continent, no one else knew that he practiced the Taboo Demonic Arts.
And all of them, for various reasons, could never leak the matter.
“Next, Su Qingge will definitely cultivate the Demonic Arts in secret behind my back. Within the True Immortal Academy, prodigies are everywhere, and even those old monsters won’t necessarily be able to watch everything... Su Qingge will inevitably be unable to hold back.”
“This is the perfect breeding ground.”
Just as Gu Changge was thinking this, beyond the mountain gate came a series of high, clear phoenix cries!
In the eastern sky, nine jet-black divine phoenixes came pulling a carriage.
Their speed was tremendous, streaking across the high heavens, descending straight toward this place.
Speak of Yue Mingkong—
and Yue Mingkong arrived.
At the same time, from another direction, an enormous nine-headed golden lion, as if cast from solid gold, was also rushing over through the high sky.
Buddhist chants reverberated, Buddhist light shone, dazzling and radiant.
An exceptionally handsome young monk, with a strange marking between his brows, dressed in moon-white monk robes, hands pressed together, sat upright atop it, his bearing solemn and majestic.
In an instant, the area below the True Immortal Academy erupted, boiling over completely.
Many Young Prodigies were stunned, clearly recognizing who had arrived.
“A nine-headed lion? Is that the Golden Cicada Temple from the peak of Buddhist Mountain?”
“I heard this generation’s Chosen Monk is named Jin Chan. Could it be him? I never thought even Buddhist Mountain, silent for so long, would send out its Chosen Monk. It seems this truly is a golden age.”
“If it really is him, then this is no small matter. Jin Chan, the Chosen Monk—it’s said he has one hundred and eight Buddhist Bones in his body, and on the day of his birth, the phantom of a Buddha appeared above the Nine Heavens and smiled at him with a flower in hand.”
“This Chosen Monk is said to have entered the Demon-Burying Abyss and walked out of it... who knows if that’s true!”
“Sss! A place like the Demon-Burying Abyss... he actually went there? That’s terrifying...”
Many young prodigies began discussing among themselves, deeply shocked by the young monk.
Buddhist Mountain’s status was no lower than that of the Mortal Palace or Sky Emperor Mountain, and it had gone many generations without a Chosen Monk.
From this alone, one could see just how powerful and mysterious this Chosen Monk was.
“He’s been to the Demon-Burying Abyss?”
Hearing the discussions nearby, Gu Changge’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The place where the demoness in red was about to emerge—he had been planning to scheme around it properly. He hadn’t expected this generation’s Chosen Monk to have already appeared in the world.
“Changge...”
At that moment, a familiar voice, tinged with slight surprise, sounded beside his ear.
Yue Mingkong walked over to his side with light steps. The few elders responsible for checking bone age didn’t dare ask her a single extra question.
She was as flawless and beautiful as ever, her immortal countenance like a painting, utterly without adornment, her figure tall and graceful, her hair smooth and lustrous, her eyes calm and deep.
Her dress, woven from silk spun by Quasi-Sacred Realm divine silkworms, shimmered with hazy radiance, interwoven with all manner of rules and order—one glance was enough to know it was priceless, nearly impossible to find in this world.
Behind her followed a large retinue of followers.
Gu Changge turned his head, smiled faintly, and quite naturally took her small hand. “You’re here?”
“Mm.”
Yue Mingkong stood beside him, shoulder to shoulder, a little surprised. “You came specially to wait for me?”
She couldn’t believe Gu Changge would be so good to her, actually willing to wait for her on purpose.
Still, seeing him the moment she arrived at the True Immortal Academy left her somewhat moved and happy.
“Who else would it be for? Everyone present can vouch for me.” Gu Changge smiled.
All the young prodigies watching this scene were naturally green with envy, but with such a perfect match of talent and beauty, a pairing made in heaven, what more could they say?
A trace of suspicion arose in Yue Mingkong’s eyes, and she swept her gaze over the many young prodigies below.
She saw no suspicious faces.
Her heart eased a little.
But soon, her gaze fell upon Jin Chan, seated atop the nine-headed lion, and she fell into thought.
This mysterious Chosen Monk was revealing his true face before the world for the first time.
She remembered that in her previous life, Jin Chan had helped a certain ancient freak clear himself of the suspicion of being the Successor of Demonic Arts, and it seemed Gu Changge had marked that down in his ledger.
Later, when the Demon-Burying Abyss erupted, Jin Chan rushed there and seemed to meet with danger within it. For a long time afterward, there was no news of him.
In her previous life, she never knew why Gu Changge had chosen to seal the Demon-Burying Abyss.
Though he hadn’t fully succeeded, he had achieved considerable results, buying quite some time.
And some time ago, when Gu Changge asked her about certain matters, she had indirectly revealed quite a bit about the Demon-Burying Abyss to him.
Only, there was one thing she still hadn’t figured out.
Many events that should have happened much later—for some reason she couldn’t fathom—were happening ahead of schedule in this life.
Including the emergence of the True Immortal Academy, which had come at least ten years earlier than in her previous life!
The same was true of the Demon-Burying Abyss’s eruption!
“Fellow Daoist Jin Chan?”
At that moment, Gu Changge, perfectly composed, was the first to speak to Jin Chan, who had already landed, as if preparing to greet him.
Everyone watching the scene couldn’t help but feel curious.
As the Chosen Monk of this era, Jin Chan was deeply mysterious, but his nine-headed golden lion possessed Sacred Realm strength.
If he could subdue it, then he himself should possess at least Sacred Realm power as well.
Gu Changge’s strength went without saying—even the Elders of the True Immortal Academy treated him with courtesy, and there were rumors that Gu Changge had fought a Great Sage to a standstill.
All of this only made him more unfathomable.
Now that the two had met, would there be a great collision?
Thinking of this, many people grew eager with anticipation.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge.”
Jin Chan landed, pressed his palms together toward Gu Changge in salute, his expression calm.
But the golden nine-headed lion behind him was growling low, its fur bristling all over, deeply unsettled by Gu Changge before it, somewhat fearful and afraid.
“What does this mean?”
Gu Changge asked with interest.
“Shan Jing is very sensitive to all kinds of auras. Perhaps Young Master Changge or Princess Mingkong frightened him.”
Jin Chan answered in an even tone.
Shan Jing was the name of the golden nine-headed lion.
He could take human form at will, serving as both attendant and mount.
His perception of all kinds of auras was an almost instinctive talent—whether good or evil, he could tell at a glance.
The reason he reacted this way was that he sensed on Gu Changge a suffocating aura, as if a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood were rushing straight at him.
Beneath that refined, gentle exterior hid terrifying methods that made one’s heart palpitate with dread.
This was Jin Chan’s first impression of Gu Changge.
Though he had only just descended from Buddhist Mountain, he had heard many rumors about Gu Changge, and every single one of them was near-perfect praise.
But now it seemed those rumors were all merely superficial.
The heir of the Gu Family was no kind soul.
“I haven’t done a thing, yet it seems Fellow Daoist Jin Chan’s mount has quite a few complaints about Gu and Mingkong.”
Gu Changge laughed casually. “Still, a mount is a mount. How could I stoop to its level?”
“I’ve long heard that Buddhist Mountain is mysterious, its many divine arts and supreme techniques immensely powerful, and I’ve yearned to witness them, but never had the chance.”
“Today, before this mountain gate, I happen to meet Fellow Daoist Jin Chan. I wonder if you would honor me with some instruction?”
His voice was natural and easygoing, his words not loud, yet they still spread across the area before the mountain gate.
“What?”
In an instant, everyone was stunned.
Once they processed the meaning of Gu Changge’s words—he intended to exchange blows with the mysterious Chosen Monk of Buddhist Mountain before them?
Boom!!
Almost instantly, the place erupted.
On everyone’s faces, besides shock, there remained only excitement and exhilaration.
After all, the number of times anyone had personally witnessed Gu Changge take action could be counted on one hand, and many were intensely curious about just how strong he really was.
And now, he had actually issued a challenge to the mysterious Chosen Monk before him, in front of everyone.
It had to be said, this was truly astonishing. Even Yue Mingkong was quite surprised, unable to understand Gu Changge’s intentions.