What a Beautiful Fantasy — At This Moment, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang Wants You Dead
What a Beautiful Fantasy — At This Moment, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang Wants You Dead
Inside the great hall, the fragrance of tea curled upward, wisps of pale smoke coiling through the air.
As Gu Changge’s words fell, the hall suddenly became utterly silent.
Ji Qingxuan stood in attendance beside Gu Changge, refilling his tea, her gaze drifting now and then toward the purple-dressed woman before them, looking perfectly serene and obedient.
The purple-dressed woman appeared to be only in her twenties, and the light veil that had once concealed her face had been removed.
Her lovely face was lustrous white, delicate enough to break at a touch, gathering all the refined beauty of the world; her lips and teeth gleamed like crystal, her hair was raven black—she possessed a transcendent beauty.
But at this moment, that flower-like, jade-like face was smeared with all manner of black ink stains, patches of black and white, looking extraordinarily bizarre.
Somewhat bedraggled, yet still otherworldly.
If the heavenly prodigies of the outside world were to see this scene, their eyes would surely bulge in disbelief.
And then their hair would bristle with rage, and they’d wish nothing more than to leap out and demand justice for the goddess, to wash away her humiliation.
Liu Ziyan held a game piece in her jade hand, about to place it down.
But she hadn’t anticipated the hundredfold changes that swept across the board in an instant, sealing off every single one of her escape routes, leaving not a sliver of hope, leaving her frozen there, not knowing what to do.
In the end, she could only sigh somewhat dejectedly, “I lost again.”
These past days, every time she sought instruction in the art of Go from Gu Changge, she would lose miserably.
She considered her own skill at Go superb—before this, no matter what opponent she faced, even great masters who had immersed themselves in the art for hundreds or thousands of years, she had the confidence to contend with them, and to win.
But before Gu Changge, who was about the same age as her, she lost again and again, never once winning.
No matter what, she could find no path to survival; every retreat route was calculated to death by Gu Changge.
At first, Liu Ziyan simply couldn’t believe any of it. After all, a person’s energy was always limited.
Gu Changge’s cultivation was so powerful, which meant he had spent a great deal of time on cultivation.
So why was his skill at Go equally superb? It even far surpassed hers, who had devoted herself to studying the art—Liu Ziyan couldn’t accept it.
How could such a monstrous person exist in this world?
Moreover, Gu Changge’s style of play could be called flawless, each move interlocking with the next.
Even merely facing him across a game board, one couldn’t help but feel a palpitation of fear.
This reminded Liu Ziyan of the scene she had witnessed that day—with all living beings as pieces and heaven and earth as the board. Such boldness was truly beyond her reach.
Of course, Liu Ziyan didn’t know that this so-called Go master Gu Changge...
...relied entirely on the System’s point allocation. Before this, he hadn’t understood the first thing about Go; it was purely learning on the spot and adding points on the spot.
If it weren’t for dealing with Liu Ziyan, he wouldn’t have bothered expending the effort to study Go at all.
“Yes, Saintess Ziyan, you’ve lost again. In this game I already conceded you three stones, but I didn’t expect the result would still be the same.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge sighed with seeming helplessness, then smiled.
Then, he raised his wrist and, entirely unselfconsciously, picked up the brush beside him, dipped it in ink, and prepared to smear it across the face of the beauty before him.
Liu Ziyan bit her lip, her eyes fixed directly on him. “Won’t Young Master Changge let me win just once?”
“I’ve already let you win so many times—Saintess Ziyan, don’t tell me you’re trying to renege?”
Gu Changge chuckled lightly.
Handsome as jade, with an immortal bearing and divine bone structure.
Even though what he was doing right now was somewhat wicked, it was still hard for any woman to feel disgust toward him.
Hearing this, Liu Ziyan could only close her eyes in resignation, her long lashes trembling slightly, allowing Gu Changge to scribble across her face with the brush.
Who would have thought that, in order to seek instruction in Go from Gu Changge, she would go so far as to set up a wager?
Of course, this wager had been proposed by Gu Changge, and Liu Ziyan didn’t think there was anything improper about it—she just found Gu Changge’s wicked taste rather teeth-grinding.
“That’ll do, I suppose.”
Soon, Gu Changge set down the brush, his gaze carrying a hint of amusement.
Liu Ziyan lowered her eyes, secretly vexed. Without even looking in a bronze mirror, she knew her face must be covered in pitch-black ink.
For a woman who loved beauty, this was simply torture.
Something like this—apart from Gu Changge, probably no one else could do it.
“Again.”
Then, Liu Ziyan raised her eyes and spoke once more, a stubbornness and refusal to admit defeat in her gaze, as if she absolutely had to beat Gu Changge.
“No more.”
Gu Changge shook his head, raising his teacup to his lips, his gaze calm, appearing composed and at ease, with a transcendent air about him.
“No way. Young Master Changge, you bully me like this, how can you just say no more and that’s that?” Liu Ziyan abruptly stood up, somewhat exasperated, no longer maintaining her earlier calm composure.
If she didn’t win a single game against Gu Changge, she truly would develop an inner demon over it.
“Anyway, Saintess Ziyan, you can’t beat me.”
“Winning all the time like this is rather pointless.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge merely spoke unhurriedly.
Liu Ziyan caught his implication—he felt this wager had become boring and meaningless.
So she was quite direct about it, asking outright,
“Then, Young Master Changge, what would it take for you to agree to play another game with me?”
“Why must Saintess Ziyan be so fixated on this? Don’t tell me you’ve actually come to enjoy the feeling of being tormented by me?”
Gu Changge asked with a somewhat peculiar smile.
Liu Ziyan froze, rosy clouds surfacing on her face, flushing red and flustered, hurriedly waving her hands. “Young Master Changge, don’t speak nonsense. Ziyan is merely delighted at the sight of worthy competition, nothing more.”
“That’s good, then.”
Gu Changge smiled, his face incomparably handsome, without a single flaw to be found.
Even with his pale complexion and unhealed grave injuries, his bearing remained refined and transcendent.
He glanced outside the hall and gently set down his teacup.
“I was starting to think you really did plan to bring a big fat grandson back to the Purple Mansion’s Sect Leader—otherwise, why so persistent?”
Hearing this, Liu Ziyan’s stunningly beautiful face grew even redder, though thanks to the ink stains, it wasn’t too obvious.
She steadied her mind and quickly explained,
“Young Master Changge jests. Ziyan has never had such a thought.”
She was well aware of the many rumors circulating outside these days.
Especially that line Gu Changge had said to the Purple Mansion’s Sect Leader about letting him joyfully become a grandfather—it had left Liu Ziyan stunned for quite a while.
At the time, she had even earnestly gone to question Gu Changge about it, only to receive his reply: “Saintess Ziyan sure has a beautiful imagination.”
Liu Ziyan simply couldn’t forget her own dumbstruck, mortified-to-death expression at that moment.
She had wished she could crawl into a crack in the ground. She clearly knew that Gu Changge keeping her under house arrest was merely a story for the outside world.
Yet she herself had actually taken it seriously.
Moreover, Liu Ziyan could tell that Gu Changge truly had no interest in or designs on her whatsoever.
Otherwise, why would he say such things?
“Oh, then it seems I was overthinking it.”
Gu Changge smiled, then his gaze turned toward outside the hall again, looking somewhat thoughtful.
Seeing him like this, Liu Ziyan couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Young Master Changge has been looking outside the hall this whole time—is something the matter?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge glanced at her and shook his head. “I suddenly feel somewhat restless. It seems the next few days won’t be peaceful. Saintess Ziyan had best be careful.”
“I should be careful?”
Liu Ziyan was taken aback, unable to immediately grasp the meaning of Gu Changge’s words.
“These next few days, Saintess Ziyan had better move in and stay with me.” Gu Changge didn’t explain further, merely saying this much.
“Gu Changge... don’t you even think about it...”
“I... I’m not going to bear your children!”
Hearing this, Liu Ziyan froze for a moment, then her stunning face suddenly filled with alarm, and she couldn’t help retreating several steps backward.
At this moment, the first thing that popped into her head was the matter of Gu Changge telling the Purple Mansion’s Sect Leader about joyfully becoming a grandfather a few days ago.
So in her fluster, the words blurted out.
But as soon as they left her mouth, she felt something was off—her reaction seemed a bit too intense.
“Why is it that Saintess Ziyan spends all day dreaming of good things?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat exasperated. “What I meant was for you to move over here, so that if something happens, I can look after you...”
Hearing this, Liu Ziyan quickly came to her senses, her eyes widening slightly.
She was no fool. Judging from Gu Changge’s behavior just now, he seemed to have already noticed something.
“Young Master Changge means that someone will come to assassinate me?”
Liu Ziyan calmed down, her delicate brows furrowing tightly as she pondered seriously. She didn’t doubt this possibility.
If something happened to her at this time, Gu Changge absolutely could not escape involvement.
And most importantly, because of her, quite a few voices within Purple Mansion had already begun opposing sheltering Heavenly Monarch Ziyang.
If something happened to her, it would inevitably provoke the collective fury of Purple Mansion, and whatever small budding shift had just emerged might well be snuffed out.
“If I were Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, the thing to do at this moment would absolutely be to send someone to kill you.”
Gu Changge smiled. Having said this much, he refused to believe Liu Ziyan still couldn’t figure it out.
Hearing this, Liu Ziyan fell into deep contemplation. Everything she did was for the sake of Purple Mansion, while what Heavenly Monarch Ziyang was doing was tantamount to pushing Purple Mansion toward an abyss of eternal damnation.
At this moment, she had become a stumbling block in Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s path!
Afterward, Gu Changge summoned a group of his followers and ordered them to strengthen patrols and vigilance, in case someone came seeking revenge.
Liu Ziyan, weighed down with worries, no longer had the heart to continue playing Go with Gu Changge, and took her leave first.
“Qin Wuya, it’s about time you made your move...”
Watching Liu Ziyan depart, Gu Changge smiled. He had already laid an Inescapable Net, waiting for Qin Wuya to act.
He had actually already guessed Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s objective.
Of course, it wasn’t to kill Liu Ziyan—but to rescue Liu Ziyan.
And the only helper Heavenly Monarch Ziyang could find right now was his eldest senior brother, Qin Wuya.
Then, Gu Changge sent a message to Tang Wan, telling her to hurry over, as he had a task for her.
At this time, if he could incidentally get that other Fortuitous One, Chu Hao, mixed up in this, that would be even better.
...
Meanwhile, outside this palace complex.
A man of medium build and ordinary features stood at a secluded alley entrance, frowning as he observed something.
He murmured softly to himself, and in his right hand was a stone with strange patterns, circulating with an indescribable fluctuation.
“Given Gu Changge’s current state, as long as I avoid his followers, he won’t be able to detect me.”
“Then I’ll rescue Saintess Ziyan without anyone being the wiser, and that will complete the task Junior Brother Ziyang entrusted to me.”
This person was naturally Qin Wuya, who had agreed to Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s request and come to rescue Saintess Ziyan.
In order to accurately grasp the movements of Gu Changge’s many followers, and incidentally figure out the defensive arrangements of the palace where Gu Changge resided,
Qin Wuya had observed this place for a full three days, and only then did he have complete confidence.
This place was heavily guarded; the comings and goings of cultivators and heavenly prodigies were all strictly controlled, and no unfamiliar faces were permitted entry.
In the entire Black Tortoise Empire, even the forbidden grounds within the Imperial Capital didn’t have such terrifying security.
This showed just how extraordinary the matter of Gu Changge’s grave injuries was.
In the eyes of many, although Gu Changge publicly claimed his injuries had mostly healed,
a wound to the Source was not something so easily recovered from.
“If his injuries weren’t severe, then it would be impossible for him to be this vigilant, not letting even the slightest rustle of grass in the wind escape notice.”
“It seems that although this Gu Changge’s methods are extraordinary, he still worries about others taking the opportunity to strike at him. The Successor of Demonic Arts hides in the shadows, stirring restlessly—Gu Changge is absolutely a mortal threat he must eliminate.”
Qin Wuya carefully concealed his own aura, hiding near the palace.
Even the heavenly prodigy cultivators on patrol failed to notice his figure.
...
Soon, the sky darkened, and the lingering glow of dusk spilled over the palace complex ahead, like an ancient palace standing in the mortal world, incomparably grand and imposing.
The passing heavenly prodigies and cultivators all cast reverent gazes toward it, not daring to pause for even a moment.
And at this moment, a faint ripple came through the void.
Qin Wuya’s figure blurred, stepped into it, and quickly vanished.
At this moment, even a cultivator supremely proficient in Space Talent could not possibly detect his trail.
In Qin Wuya’s hand, that mysteriously glowing stone came from the Nine Heavens.
Whether for obscuring heavenly secrets or concealing a cultivator’s aura, it possessed ineffably wondrous effects.
Of course, Qin Wuya had quite a few other tricks up his sleeve—this was why he was so confident, so certain of success.
Along the way, Qin Wuya saw quite a few patrolling heavenly prodigies, but none of them noticed him.
At a time like this, anyone who wasn’t a fool should know how terrifying the lockdown around Gu Changge was after his injury.
So unless someone truly intended to put Gu Changge to death, no one would come barging in.
The patrolling heavenly prodigies and cultivators all more or less harbored such thoughts, and weren’t nearly as diligent as Qin Wuya had imagined.
Most of them were just casually wandering around the vicinity.
Soon, after entering the palace complex ahead, Qin Wuya’s gaze swept with a trace of surprise over the numerous Array Patterns and the patrolling cultivators and prodigies.
Then he carefully avoided them, heading straight for the palace halls deeper within.
He had a target in mind; he had long since learned the location of Gu Changge’s palace, as well as the area where the Purple Mansion disciples were currently being held.
The distance from where Gu Changge was located was actually only about a hundred li.
For cultivators of their caliber, that was but a single thought away. Upon reaching this estate, Qin Wuya began extending his divine sense, searching for traces of Saintess Ziyan.
...
The priority right now was to find Saintess Ziyan first and take her away. That way, Purple Mansion would no longer have to hold back out of fear of harming their own, no longer having to be wary of Gu Changge.
Just as Gu Changge had guessed, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s current situation wasn’t pleasant either.
Even though Purple Mansion behind him was still sheltering his whereabouts,
other voices had already begun to emerge from within Purple Mansion.
Stating outright that if Heavenly Monarch Ziyang was connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts, they would naturally show no mercy—they would personally act to finish off Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, leaving no future trouble behind.
That was why panic had risen in Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s heart. His greatest reliance right now was Purple Mansion behind him.
If even Purple Mansion abandoned him, what would his end be? He feared it would be far worse than even Prince Ying’s.
“You are...”
Meanwhile, in another quiet residence, Liu Ziyan, who had been preparing to retire for the night, furrowed her brows, alarm bells ringing in her heart.
The Divine Chains of Order in her hand flickered, radiance spreading, magic power surging. She hurriedly rose, ready to strike at any moment.
Outside the courtyard, a black shadow suddenly descended, and the moonlight grew hazy, as if obscured by endless dark clouds.
Liu Ziyan looked at the black-robed figure that had suddenly barged in before her, a sense of unease rising in her heart.
In the dead of night, this person had suddenly intruded into her courtyard—and completely soundlessly at that.
Moreover, Liu Ziyan noticed that as this black-robed person appeared, the surrounding aura turned strange.
Even the night sky seemed shrouded in darkness, as a terrifying black mist abruptly swept in from all directions, completely enveloping the entire courtyard.
Even if she made a huge commotion, it wouldn’t be detected by the cultivators and prodigies patrolling outside.
Such methods made Liu Ziyan deeply uneasy.
The other party had absolutely come prepared!
One had to know, she was currently staying within the palace complex where Gu Changge resided—the security was so tight it defied imagination, yet someone had still managed to sneak in.
Didn’t that mean that if this person harbored ill intent and wanted to assassinate her here, it would be an effortless task?
Taking the thought a step further—if he was actually in league with the Successor of Demonic Arts, and his goal was to take advantage of Gu Changge’s grave injuries to assassinate him in the cradle...
It was simply unthinkable.
At this moment, Liu Ziyan recalled what Gu Changge had said, and cold chills spread across her back.
Could someone really be planning to kill her at this time, thereby provoking hatred between Gu Changge and Purple Mansion?
She somewhat regretted not heeding Gu Changge’s words and moving her quarters over to his place—at a time like this, there would have been someone to look out for her, and it would have been much safer.
“Heh heh, Saintess Ziyan...”
The black figure that had suddenly appeared looked at Liu Ziyan with a cold laugh, as if gazing upon prey.
His entire body was wrapped in black mist, his features indiscernible, but that terrifying, sky-blotting aura was nearly suffocating.
With such an appearance, Liu Ziyan instantly thought of one person—the Successor of Demonic Arts.
Of course, the person before her certainly couldn’t be the Successor of Demonic Arts himself, but he was absolutely connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts.
Back at the Eternal Overcast, nearly all the heavenly prodigies had witnessed it.
Beside the Successor of Demonic Arts, several terrifying figures clad in black robes and shrouded in black mist had appeared, each one’s cultivation at least at the Sacred Lord Realm.
“Who exactly are you? Why do you want to kill me? Were you sent by Heavenly Monarch Ziyang?”
Though uneasy in her heart, Liu Ziyan forced herself to calm down and demanded coldly.
She knew she couldn’t panic at this moment.
Moreover, she wanted to use this to fish words out of the other party.
“Heavenly Monarch Ziyang? Who’s that?”
But hearing this, the black-robed man merely laughed coldly, not saying much. “You’re at death’s door, yet you still have so many questions. If you want answers, go down below and ask someone else.”
With that, he wasted no more words, directly bringing down a palm strike like a peerless heavenly blade slashing down, endless laws cascading from it.
The terrifying pressure of the Sacred Lord Realm emerged, intending to suppress and kill Liu Ziyan right where she stood.