What She Cared About Wasn't Gu Changge's Identity, but Gu Xian'er's Thoughts
What She Cared About Wasn’t Gu Changge’s Identity, but Gu Xian’er’s Thoughts
Chi!!
Fresh blood splattered across the void, blooming like a bewitching flower, possessed of a stunning beauty.
Just like that sword light from moments ago that had illuminated the heavens and struck all who saw it as beautiful—pure and flawless as the moon, yet carrying killing intent enough to make one’s very soul tremble, chilling them to the extreme.
It was as if a holy, transcendent fairy of the Moon Palace had ridden the moonlight down as a Flying Immortal, descending upon the mortal world.
Yet beneath this magnificent, world-stirring sight, the Purple Mansion’s Sacred Emperor Realm expert stood frozen in place.
In his wide-open eyes, the shock and despair had yet to fade, but the life within them was already gone.
Body and soul, utterly annihilated!
A bloody hole pierced straight through his forehead, clear through from front to back—a sight of unspeakable horror.
This sudden, shocking turn of events stunned everyone.
The Purple Mansion’s Sacred Emperor Realm expert, who had been so overwhelmingly domineering and arrogant just moments before, had in the blink of an eye been reduced to nothing, body and soul destroyed, all life extinguished.
Looking at the faint smile on Gu Changge’s face, everyone couldn’t help but feel a chill of dread.
Witnessing this scene, the remaining experts of Purple Mansion wore expressions of utter horror and disbelief.
Many of them were already dumbstruck, completely unable to speak.
The middle-aged man who had just been saved by the old man in the Grand Luo Daoist Robe had gone deathly pale, without a trace of color in his face.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably, terrified to the extreme, on the verge of collapsing to the ground.
“The Purple Mansion’s Sacred Emperor Realm expert is dead...”
One Cultivator finally reacted, unable to stop himself from swallowing hard, his voice trembling. He already had a premonition that after today, the Beyond would undergo a great upheaval—something unimaginable was about to happen.
“So Gu Changge had anticipated all of this long ago and made his arrangements. I worried for nothing...”
Gu Xian’er’s eyes widened in astonishment as well.
She didn’t know who had struck just now either, but judging from Gu Changge’s attitude, it should have been someone from the Longevity Gu Family.
And their strength was this terrifying.
“This is too domineering. Not a single wasted word—just straight to annihilating a Sacred Emperor Realm expert...”
“That’s a Sacred Emperor Realm expert we’re talking about.”
The King of Six Crowns, the Phoenix Lady, Ying Yu, and the others couldn’t help but stare with wide, shocked eyes at this moment, a terrifying chill crawling up their backs. They could hardly believe what they were seeing.
But they also knew full well that today’s events would absolutely cause a terrifying earthquake, sending shockwaves of horror through every orthodoxy and power.
One had to understand—a powerhouse at the third heaven of the Sacred Emperor Realm was, in the current Beyond, absolutely an invincible existence in their own right.
They could reign supreme and found their own lineage, with no one able to stand against them.
Even within the orthodoxies and powers behind these young prodigies, if they themselves were to meet a Sacred Emperor Realm being, they would have to be reverent and respectful, not daring to show the slightest neglect.
Anyone who could reach the Sacred Emperor Realm was, in any era, a figure of peerless talent and pride, whose gifts towered over the ages.
Though their own talents were formidable, whether they could reach that step in the future was still hard to say.
And now, Purple Mansion had dispatched a Sacred Emperor Realm expert to settle today’s matter and take Heavenly Monarch Ziyang away under his protection.
In everyone’s eyes, this had been practically a foregone conclusion—no one could stop it.
Though Gu Changge possessed a Sacred Emperor Artifact, using it to contend against a genuine Sacred Emperor Realm expert was still unlikely.
The moment that Sacred Emperor Realm expert had struck just now, many had been wondering why Gu Changge was so calm, looking so completely assured of his backing.
And now they finally understood.
So there had been a peerless powerhouse hidden behind him all along.
This peerless powerhouse’s strength was simply unimaginable, terrifying beyond measure—annihilating a Sacred Emperor Realm expert with a casual strike.
One had to know, even for another being of the same Sacred Emperor Realm, instantly annihilating an opponent in a single moment was fundamentally impossible.
This could only mean that the mysterious person who struck just now possessed strength far above the Sacred Emperor Realm.
Could it be... an Emperor Realm existence?
At this thought, everyone’s expressions changed drastically, filled with dread and horror.
An Emperor Realm existence—that was the kind of being that suppressed the Fortuity and foundation of every great sect and orthodoxy. How could one possibly act so casually?
Normally, only when facing a crisis of life and death would such beings awaken from their secluded cultivation grounds.
No one had imagined that this matter would actually alarm an Emperor Realm powerhouse of the Gu Family—and that this powerhouse had been hidden behind Gu Changge all along, just waiting for Purple Mansion’s expert to lose patience and strike at him.
From this, one could also see just how much the Longevity Gu Family valued and cherished Gu Changge!
They had plainly known Purple Mansion wouldn’t be able to resist making a move, and so they set this trap.
Could the purpose have been to gain a justification for moving against Purple Mansion?
In this way, no matter the reason, the Longevity Gu Family stood on the side of righteousness.
After all, before the eyes of the masses, it was Purple Mansion’s Sacred Emperor Realm expert who had bullied the weak with his strength, preparing to teach Gu Changge a lesson.
That this Sacred Emperor Realm expert met such an end surprised no one in the slightest.
Purple Mansion could only swallow its broken teeth down into its stomach.
“A Sacred Emperor Realm expert has fallen here, and Purple Mansion’s successor, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, has had his Chaos Dao Bone dug out, left in a state worse than death... Purple Mansion is going to go mad today.”
“Indeed. Beyond that, what Purple Mansion did is no different from declaring war on the Longevity Gu Family. A Sacred Emperor Realm being striking at the Gu Family’s Young Master—that’s no different from a provocation!”
“The Purple Mansion Sacred Emperor Realm expert being annihilated can only be called his own doing. Acting that arrogantly just now—he should have anticipated this consequence.”
Some Cultivators couldn’t help but murmur, thinking of the consequences this matter would bring.
How many years had it been? This was the first time anyone had heard of a Sacred Emperor Realm expert falling—and moreover, being forcefully executed before everyone’s eyes.
Just now, everyone had seen that blurred figure who struck.
But none had seen its face clearly.
They could only vaguely guess that it was a woman of breathtaking, peerless grace.
“Does anyone else wish to make a move?”
Gu Changge looked toward the Purple Mansion crowd, who were already terrified to the point their very souls trembled, and smiled faintly.
“Or perhaps... you’d like to take back Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s Chaos Dao Bone?”
As he spoke, he gestured at the Chaos Dao Bone in his hand, which was radiating a lustrous purple light—crystal clear and translucent, divinity interwoven within it.
Wisps of Chaos Purple Qi coiled and draped down around it, appearing incomparably mysterious and magnificent, as though it could evolve into all the worlds of the heavens.
When Gu Changge had dug out his bone, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang had not yet passed out—he had been trying to hold on until his Sacred Emperor Realm shishu could strike and take him away.
But the next moment, upon seeing the shishu he had regarded as his hope being forcefully executed, he finally could endure no longer. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted dead away.
Under such an enormous blow, how could Heavenly Monarch Ziyang possibly hold on?
Now, hearing Gu Changge’s words, the faces of the Purple Mansion crowd grew even paler with terror. They trembled where they stood, staring at Gu Changge in fright, worried he would suddenly strike and slaughter them all.
Even their ancestor, a Sacred Emperor Realm being, was dead—what could they possibly do?
Resist?
That would only get them killed faster.
“It seems you all know what’s good for you. However... the death penalty may be waived, but punishment cannot be escaped.”
Gu Changge looked at their terror-stricken expressions, the smile on his face undiminished.
But as he reached the latter half of his words, his tone shifted abruptly, turning cold.
“Purple Mansion colluded with the Successor of Demonic Arts, harming fellow peers—crimes for which all are justified in punishing them.”
“Men. Suppress everyone from Purple Mansion and hold them for judgment.”
As soon as he finished speaking, streaks of divine rainbows suddenly surged forth from the sky behind him, rumbling as they rolled over, like thousands of troops and horses.
Dazzling and resplendent, blindingly brilliant, every one of them clad in armor, wielding heavenly sabers, long spears, and great halberds—fierce in momentum, their killing intent soaring to the heavens.
“This is...”
“From where did Young Master Changge dispatch these Unrivalled Guards?”
Everyone watched this scene in astonishment.
Only now did they notice that Gu Changge had, at some unknown point, already dispatched an elite force.
Every single one of them was at the Enlightened Noble Realm or above, as if they had fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, carrying a dense, murderous aura.
“Gu Changge really did calculate everything in advance. He isn’t just after Heavenly Monarch Ziyang—he won’t even spare the Purple Mansion behind him.”
“What tremendous ambition.”
The King of Six Crowns’ pupils couldn’t help but contract, shock rising in his heart.
“Gu Changge must have known Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s whereabouts long ago, but delayed making a move, waiting instead for Purple Mansion’s experts to arrive—so he’d have a perfectly justified excuse.”
“Could he really be planning to destroy Purple Mansion?”
“Sss!”
At this moment, the Phoenix Lady also came to her senses.
Though she prided herself on having witnessed many schemes, today she still couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air, somewhat shaken.
Then, before everyone’s stunned gazes, this force of Unrivalled Guards charged down with killing intent piercing the sky, surrounding the Purple Mansion crowd completely, intent on taking them all into custody.
At this point, though the Purple Mansion crowd was both shocked and furious, how could they dare resist?
They had arrived quickly, but they were suppressed even faster. Even a Sacred King Realm expert among them had his Spiritual Sea sealed and was forcefully suppressed, not daring to resist.
Gu Changge casually sealed Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s Spiritual Sea as well and tossed him to the Unrivalled Guards, choosing not to kill him at this time.
For Gu Changge, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang still had other uses.
However, the small bottle containing water from the Lake of Reincarnation on Heavenly Monarch Ziyang’s person was taken by Gu Changge.
Back then, he had personally witnessed Qin Wuya hand this small bottle to Gu Xian’er; Gu Xian’er hadn’t accepted it, and it was Heavenly Monarch Ziyang who took it instead.
“What are you still spacing out for? We’ll know Qing Xiaoyi’s whereabouts very soon. Heavenly Monarch Ziyang is in my hands—sooner or later, he’ll confess everything.”
Then, Gu Changge’s figure descended from the high sky, landing beside the still somewhat dazed Gu Xian’er, and he spoke with a faint smile.
“Mm.”
Gu Xian’er nodded, her gaze cool and clear. She didn’t say much, nor did she ask anything.
At this moment, she didn’t bicker with Gu Changge at every turn as she used to. Instead, she seemed unusually quiet, serene and otherworldly, as though she might ascend as an immortal at any moment.
Gu Changge knew what she was thinking and couldn’t help but smile. “What’s wrong? Still thinking about what just happened?”
Hearing him bring it up on his own, Gu Xian’er was somewhat surprised. She glanced at Gu Changge but said nothing more—though her attitude was already quite clear.
She wasn’t stupid. On the contrary, she was smarter than many Cultivators.
Before, it was because she believed Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and Qin Wuya harbored ill intentions, planning to sow discord between her and Gu Changge.
That was why she had been so furious, never considering things more deeply, directly concluding that Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and Qin Wuya were framing Gu Changge.
But judging from everything that had just happened, Gu Changge had clearly planned to move against Heavenly Monarch Ziyang long ago—he had even brought along the Longevity Gu Family’s Emperor Realm powerhouse.
These arrangements couldn’t possibly have been completed in a single day. This could only mean Gu Changge had actually been plotting all of this since long ago.
In this situation, Heavenly Monarch Ziyang was instead like an unlucky wretch, without the slightest chance of turning things around.
These matters were truly terrifying the more one thought about them.
Gu Xian’er knew Gu Changge was no pure villain, but he couldn’t be called a good person by any stretch either.
As for those images Heavenly Monarch Ziyang had shown her, Gu Xian’er hadn’t cared about them at all. Though Gu Changge was deep and scheming with dreadful methods, he had never once harmed her.
If Gu Changge truly had any interest in her Source, with her meager abilities, how could she possibly have survived until now?
However... if what Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and Qin Wuya said was true, then how was she supposed to face Gu Changge from now on?
If he was the Successor of Demonic Arts, then what was she?
An accomplice of the Successor of Demonic Arts?
Actually, Gu Xian’er didn’t have much aversion toward the Successor of Demonic Arts, because her shifus back in Peach Village were themselves beings who walked the line between righteous and wicked, each with their own set of standards for judging right and wrong.
Still, she hoped those words were all false—that they were things Heavenly Monarch Ziyang had deliberately said to drive a wedge between the two of them.
“I think there are some things I should tell you, so you don’t keep looking at me like I owe you money.”
Gu Changge glanced at Gu Xian’er, who had fallen into deep thought, and spoke.
At the same time, he waved his hand, signaling the Unrivalled Guards to escort the Purple Mansion crowd away.
In the distance, the other prodigies, seeing this, wanted to come forward and offer their flattery, but they tactfully remained where they were, not approaching.
What they had witnessed today had truly shaken them, and there were many things they wanted to ask Gu Changge about.
The King of Six Crowns, the Phoenix Lady, and the others also did not approach. They merely fell silent for a while, then transformed into divine rainbows and departed one after another.
Soon, the many Cultivators here also left, carrying word of today’s events back to the orthodoxies and sects behind them.
“Hm?”
Gu Xian’er’s thoughts were interrupted, and she looked at Gu Changge in confusion.
Though she was somewhat displeased with his analogy, she was still rather curious about what exactly Gu Changge wanted to say to her.
“Actually, before you rushed over here, I had already found this place. Everything Heavenly Monarch Ziyang said to you... I heard all of it...”
“Including him saying I’m the Successor of Demonic Arts, saying your previous life was their junior sister, that you only needed to drink the water of the Lake of Reincarnation to recover your past life’s memories... Naturally, I also saw that image. I even heard you say that if that image was real, you’d be willing to accept it.”
Then, Gu Changge spoke with a composed expression, confessing all of these things.
However, as he reached the latter part, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but reveal a faint, barely-there smile.
Hearing this, Gu Xian’er’s beautiful eyes went wide as she stared at him in shock.
But when she heard that last sentence, she still couldn’t quite take it. She felt her face burning hot, rosy clouds rising upon it.
How could she have suddenly said something like that back then—and of all people, Gu Changge had heard it.
Facing Gu Changge’s expression right now, she just wanted to dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
“Gu Changge, don’t you read too much into it. That was just something I said in anger. Don’t tell me you actually took it seriously?”
However, Gu Xian’er’s composure training was quite solid.
She quickly recovered her natural bearing, gave him a cool, indifferent glance, and even shot back a question.
Wearing an expression of “well, aren’t you full of yourself.”
Of course, she truly hadn’t expected Gu Changge to suddenly say something like that.
Still, Gu Changge confessing all of this made her feel considerably better.
She realized that what she cared about wasn’t actually Gu Changge’s identity or anything of the sort—but his attitude.
“Isn’t your reaction a bit much? I’m telling you this because I want you to understand one thing.” Gu Changge smiled faintly.
“I know. You don’t actually need to tell me these things,” Gu Xian’er said. “Even though nothing good ever comes out of your mouth, I still trust you.”
“No. What Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and the others said is all true.”
However, Gu Changge waved his hand and interrupted her. The words he spoke left Gu Xian’er suddenly frozen, utterly stunned.
For a moment, she couldn’t tell whether what Gu Changge said was true or false.
The corners of Gu Changge’s mouth carried that faint, elusive smile as he continued,
“So from now on, you’d better keep your distance from me. Who knows—maybe one day you’ll make me unhappy, and I’ll throw you into a dungeon, drink your blood, dig out your bones, and swallow your Source while I’m at it. Then you’ll learn what comes of trusting me.”
“So when you saw me injured by Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, you couldn’t help but show yourself?”
Gu Xian’er caught on. She couldn’t help but itch with irritation, somewhat indignant, and began sparring with him.
“That’s right. After all, I said that besides me, no one else is allowed to bully you. Heavenly Monarch Ziyang sought his own death—he can’t blame anyone else.”
Gu Changge nodded in admission very seriously, then said with some regret, “What a pity you’re just too weak. I had thought that with your strength, you wouldn’t have been hurt by him.”
Gu Xian’er froze. She suddenly remembered that the grudge between Gu Changge and Heavenly Monarch Ziyang seemed to have all started because of her.
Whether it was Gu Changge moving against Heavenly Monarch Ziyang or against Purple Mansion, it was all inextricably tied to her.
And just now, she had actually been agonizing over Gu Changge’s identity and the dreadfulness of his methods.
“You’re not allowed to call me weak...” Thinking of this, Gu Xian’er stared at Gu Changge, and finally let out a huff through her nose.