Junior Brother, Hold On, I'm Coming to Save You—How Could I Not Have Foreseen This?
Junior Brother, Hold On, I’m Coming to Save You—How Could I Not Have Foreseen This?
“You want me to lend a hand to Purple Mansion? Are you joking, or has your brain gone soft?”
While a terrifying Immortal War raged outside the borders of Purple Mansion’s territory,
the Forbidden Area known as the Lake of Reincarnation was, at this moment, remarkably tranquil.
Deep within the surging chaos mist,
Devil Mountain stood tall and majestic, its ancient trees flourishing, like a region that had existed since before the creation of the world.
Multicolored divine trees took root along the cliff edges, their drooping branches condensing laws of every hue, like reclusive old monsters that never emerged into the world, exuding an aura that made one’s soul tremble and spirit-light flicker.
Between the cave dwellings and mountain peaks, divine radiance of every color erupted forth, dyeing the sky in mystery.
This place was like an independent little world, and one could often see brilliant light soaring into the heavens from its depths.
All around, birds sang and flowers bloomed, grass and trees grew verdant, and spirit mushrooms sprouted from the cliff walls.
Auspicious beasts roared in the distance, divine fowl cried across the sky—all was peaceful, like a pure land beyond the mortal world.
No one would ever imagine that the Lake of Reincarnation, one of the most mysterious Forbidden Areas in the Beyond, would present such a sight.
A mysterious fluctuation rippled through the void, revealing the speaker’s disdain.
At this moment, at the foot of a divine mountain wreathed in golden radiance,
Qin Wuya stood there, his expression calm and heavy. Receiving such an answer, he was not the least bit surprised.
In the entire Beyond today, how many factions would dare to step forward and aid Purple Mansion? Practically none.
But he still wanted to try—he didn’t want to give up any chance of saving Heavenly Monarch Ziyang.
The only reason he could even come to the Lake of Reincarnation was because of his last visit here, when he had traded for the lake’s water.
With a divine artifact from the Nine Heavens, he had made one of the ancient existences of this place owe him a favor.
Were it not for that, he wouldn’t even have the qualifications to enter the Lake of Reincarnation.
“I still have quite a few of the things I gave you last time.”
Hearing the refusal, Qin Wuya spoke again. After all, he had lived in the Nine Heavens for several hundred years, and the treasures he had accumulated were considerable.
Even an existence of this caliber would be tempted.
“No.”
But the ancient existence of the Lake of Reincarnation refused crisply and cleanly, then said with faint mockery,
“You should go. Offend the Longevity Gu Family, and nothing good will come of it.”
“Plus an Immortal Scripture from the Nine Heavens. I know the Lake of Reincarnation possesses heaven-changing, earth-swapping methods. When the time comes, you only need to conceal your own aura and rescue my junior brother. No one will discover any trace of you.”
“Right now, Purple Mansion is facing a great war and has no attention to spare.”
“Gu Changge will only assume Purple Mansion acted in secret. He won’t suspect you.”
Hearing this, Qin Wuya spoke once more, truly bleeding himself dry this time—even producing an Immortal Scripture so incomparably precious that, if taken outside, it would spark frenzied competition among countless orthodoxies and cultivators.
“Besides, you wouldn’t be aiding Purple Mansion—merely rescuing my junior brother. What do you say?”
To move the ancient existence before him, he lowered his demands once again.
“Why do you have so many good things on you? Aren’t you afraid I’ll simply strike you down and take them by force?”
Hearing this, the ancient existence seemed to seriously consider it, somewhat tempted.
After all, as long as he could deceive Gu Changge, rescuing Heavenly Monarch Ziyang with his methods would be effortless.
Only, at this moment, greed stirred within him. Last time, he had sworn upon his Dao Heart and could not burn the bridge after crossing it.
But this time?
In his eyes, Qin Wuya’s cultivation was unimpressive, yet he carried heavy treasures—he even possessed an Immortal Scripture from the Nine Heavens. This genuinely shocked him.
At his realm, what did he lack? Nothing more than enlightenment, and reference to and comprehension of others’ Daos.
If he could obtain the Immortal Scripture, perhaps he could advance one step further and step into the Immortal Realm.
Hearing these words, Qin Wuya remained perfectly calm, as if he had long anticipated this and was unsurprised.
“Believe me. Since I dare say this to you, I am absolutely certain I need not fear your greed,” he said.
“Fine. Then I’ll trust you one more time. If the Longevity Gu Family learns of this matter, I will inform them at once that it was you who asked me to do it.”
This time, the ancient existence agreed quite readily, not doubting Qin Wuya’s words in the slightest.
Boom!
Within the divine mountain, runes flickered. A blurry, terrifying figure appeared, a golden avenue of light materializing beneath its feet. With a single step, it swiftly vanished from sight.
Seeing this, Qin Wuya finally exhaled in relief, a trace of a smile appearing on his face.
“Junior brother, hold on—I’m coming to save you right away!”
......
Meanwhile, on the other side, in the imperial palace of the Vermilion Bird Empire’s capital.
The Vermilion Bird Emperor had dismissed everyone except the old eunuch closest to him.
There was no one else left in the palace hall.
At this moment, his face was dark and ugly to the extreme, even carrying an ashen-green hue.
Even his favorite teacup had been smashed to pieces.
“This Gu Changge is simply bullying people too far! He knows perfectly well that he himself is a walking calamity, yet he insists on dragging it toward my Vermilion Bird Empire. Isn’t this deliberately trying to get us killed?”
“When Purple Mansion’s experts arrive and a battle breaks out here, won’t my entire Vermilion Bird Empire be utterly destroyed?”
He practically gnashed his teeth, fists clenched tight, his face green with hatred.
Who could have imagined that after leaving the Black Tortoise Empire, Gu Changge would not head to Purple Mansion’s territory to participate in that once-in-ten-million-years epochal war,
but would instead imprison Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and the rest of Purple Mansion’s people right here in the Vermilion Bird Empire?
This matter filled the Vermilion Bird Emperor with rage, yet he had no way to voice his grievances.
He clearly wanted to refuse, yet he dared not offend Gu Changge openly—he simply didn’t dare refuse at all.
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. This matter should still be discussed with the Third Prince. Right now, a great army presses upon our borders, descending upon the Vermilion Bird Empire’s territory. If Young Master Changge insists on making this place the battlefield, how could our Vermilion Bird Empire possibly withstand it...”
The old eunuch, his face beardless, hurriedly advised from the side, his expression tense and worried, deeply uneasy, sensing an utterly unearned disaster descending upon them.
Within the Vermilion Bird Empire’s territory, one could now see vast Ancient Battleships hovering in the sky, having torn through space from who-knows-where, each one like an ancient continent.
They blotted out the sky, massive and towering, trailing chaos mist, radiating a heart-palpitating pressure.
Upon those Ancient Battleships stood countless figures, dense beyond measure, numbering in the millions.
Their appearances differed greatly from Humans—a dark, swarming mass like thick storm clouds, rolling and churning, permeated with a bone-chilling aura.
Gleaming scales, devil wings covering the sky, iridescent scales flowing with light—all manner of immortal ancient races.
The Black Hawk Clan, the Divine Crocodile Clan, the Ancient Serpent Clan, the Immortal Ancient Dragon Clan... all menacing and murderous.
With such a display, they could annihilate the Vermilion Bird Empire in an instant, leaving countless cultivators anxious and deeply worried.
But at this point, could they possibly ask Gu Changge to leave?
Setting aside that imprisoning Heavenly Monarch Ziyang was no trivial matter—if they encountered a Purple Mansion rescue attempt along the way, how would that be handled?
So what needed to be done now was to first find a place to imprison Heavenly Monarch Ziyang. That way, if Purple Mansion really did send people to rescue him, they could respond accordingly.
In the eyes of many cultivators, Gu Changge’s approach was reasonable enough, nothing to fault.
But the place he chose to imprison Heavenly Monarch Ziyang... was the Vermilion Bird Empire?
This left many people helpless, feeling deeply uneasy about the situation.
After all, no one wanted to suffer an unearned disaster, so at this time, many cultivators chose to abandon their homes and flee the Vermilion Bird Empire, this land of trouble, as quickly as possible.
“This matter can only be resolved once Hao’er returns. If war truly breaks out here, what hope of survival could our Vermilion Bird Empire possibly have?”
“Your Majesty’s words are exactly what this old servant was thinking. Otherwise, at this point, we can only wait for the nation’s destruction.”
Just as the Vermilion Bird Emperor and the old eunuch were conferring, spatial fluctuations came from the sky outside the palace.
Chu Hao and Bai Yang’s figures emerged from within, swiftly arriving inside the hall.
Although the Black Tortoise Empire and the Vermilion Bird Empire were separated by a vast distance,
with Bai Yang’s Sacred Emperor Realm methods, opening a Space Tunnel and rushing back was accomplished very quickly.
“Hao’er, you’re finally back!”
“Greetings, Zun Yang!”
The Vermilion Bird Emperor’s face lit up with joy as he strode to Chu Hao’s side, simultaneously bowing to Bai Yang.
Bai Yang waved his hand slightly, indicating there was no need for such courtesy.
“Father, I already know of the matter. Purple Mansion has now offended numerous orthodoxies—it’s already a fight to the death. At this point, Purple Mansion will stop at nothing to rescue Heavenly Monarch Ziyang.”
“If our Vermilion Bird Empire imprisons Heavenly Monarch Ziyang, once Purple Mansion learns of it, they will inevitably rush here at the first moment. When that happens, with our Vermilion Bird Empire’s strength, never mind resisting... we’d likely be reduced to ashes in an instant, ceasing to exist.”
“Gu Changge’s heart deserves execution! This scheme of his is truly vicious!”
Chu Hao spoke first, his expression incomparably grave. Before arriving, the Vermilion Bird Emperor had already explained everything clearly through the Communication Runes.
Gu Changge had imprisoned Heavenly Monarch Ziyang and the rest of Purple Mansion’s people in the Vermilion Bird Empire.
On top of that, Gu Changge had also summoned a million-strong army, now assembling within the Vermilion Bird Empire’s territory.
The momentum was vast, blotting out the sky, leaving countless cultivators trembling in fear and dread.
Either of these two matters alone would be utterly fatal to the Vermilion Bird Empire.
“So, Hao’er, what do you think of this matter? Gu Changge is determined to drag down the innocent bystanders and destroy our Vermilion Bird Empire!”
The Vermilion Bird Emperor’s face was pale, his voice trembling, deeply frightened and uneasy, utterly unable to make a decision.
He was just a minor emperor of a small nation. Though he had been furious and resentful toward Gu Changge before, he had never dared show it on the surface.
And now, what Gu Changge was doing was simply forcing the Vermilion Bird Empire toward destruction!
The scene before them now was like True Dragons battling—an ant beneath their feet could be annihilated by a stray wisp of magical power without anyone noticing. It was more heart-palpitating than walking along the edge of a bottomless abyss.
“Father, don’t worry. On the way back, I already thought of a countermeasure.”
“At this point, no matter how reluctant we are, we can only refuse Gu Changge’s demand. When gods fight, mortals suffer—he’s plainly targeting us. Are we really supposed to keep fearing him even now, not daring to refuse?”
“I’ve already discussed it with Shishu. This time, even if it means offending Gu Changge, we will refuse. We cannot let him imprison Heavenly Monarch Ziyang in our Vermilion Bird Empire.”
Chu Hao’s attitude was firm, and he then began laying out his plan.
Listening, the Vermilion Bird Emperor’s face was full of conflict and struggle.
For he knew all too well what fate awaited them after offending Gu Changge. Even if the Vermilion Bird Empire survived, things would not turn out well.
And he had long since experienced Gu Changge’s character firsthand.
Gentle and refined before others, handsome as jade, yet in truth cold to the bone, high above all, looking down upon ants like them.
“Fine. Then this matter shall proceed as Hao’er says.”
The Vermilion Bird Emperor nodded, his expression incomparably heavy.
At that moment, a figure suddenly walked in from outside the great hall, lotus steps moving lightly, her face carrying surprise.
The guards outside, seeing her, dared not stop her.
“Wan’er.”
“Miss Wan.”
Both Chu Hao and the Vermilion Bird Emperor looked up, their thoughts differing.
With Chu Hao’s cultivation, he had actually sensed Tang Wan’s arrival a moment ago, but he hadn’t risen to greet her—instead, he deliberately let her overhear these words.
On one hand, he also wanted to know what Tang Wan’s current attitude toward Gu Changge truly was.
“Hao-gege.”
The newcomer was none other than Tang Wan, who had already returned to the Vermilion Bird Empire.
She had come to discuss something with Chu Hao, but never expected that upon arriving, she would overhear the matter they were discussing. A layer of gloom instantly settled over her heart.
“I heard you discussing how to deal with Gu Changge. In my view, you need to discuss this further—you mustn’t act so rashly. Never mind the Vermilion Bird Empire; even the Supreme Cave Heaven behind you now cannot contend with Gu Changge. Purple Mansion today is a living example...”
Tang Wan’s beautiful eyes fixed on Chu Hao as she spoke very directly, getting straight to the point.
Even she couldn’t say what emotion she was feeling right now—helplessness, frustration at his failure to see reason, resentment... perhaps all of them.
Why, with things having come to this point, did Chu Hao still not understand, still insisting on courting death?
Judging from Gu Changge’s words, he currently didn’t take Chu Hao seriously at all.
If Chu Hao truly wanted revenge, he should be cultivating hard right now, striving to grow stronger—not provoking Gu Changge and offending him to the death.
In Tang Wan’s view, this was simply an unwise choice.
“Wan’er, are you trying to persuade me to let go of my hatred again?” Chu Hao’s brow furrowed slightly, somewhat displeased.
Tang Wan’s current attitude made the thorn in his heart prick ever deeper.
Especially when he remembered how she had hidden it from him, secretly going to meet Gu Changge, even using family matters as an excuse.
Chu Hao felt his heart ache.
Even if she had her difficulties, something like this should have been confessed honestly, not concealed from the other party.
Hearing Tang Wan’s words, Bai Yang, who had been silent at the side, also furrowed his brow, displeased.
In truth, he held no goodwill toward Tang Wan, and recent events had even bred a sense of disgust in him.
Only out of consideration for Chu Hao had he refrained from commenting. But now, Tang Wan was actually saying such things right in front of him—she was all but openly declaring that the Supreme Cave Heaven couldn’t afford to provoke Gu Changge.
This genuinely irked him; he felt the Supreme Cave Heaven had kept a low profile for so long that people had begun to look down on it.
“Hao-gege, I’m not trying to persuade you to let go of your hatred. I’m only asking you to think thrice before acting, and not do something overconfident and impulsive...”
Tang Wan’s expression shifted slightly. Feeling that Chu Hao had misunderstood her, she hurriedly explained, “What you should be doing right now is raising your strength. That way, if Gu Changge moves against you, you’ll have a better chance of surviving.”
These words of hers came almost entirely from the bottom of her heart.
That was simply Tang Wan’s character—she disliked beating around the bush, and she believed Chu Hao would understand her painstaking good intentions.
“Enough. Wan’er, I never want to hear you say these things again.”
But hearing this, a trace of pain flashed across Chu Hao’s face, and he waved his hand to cut her off. “I’ve noticed you’ve changed a lot compared to before. But I understand you—you’re doing this for my own good. Only this time, can you please not stop me? If I really do as you say, the Vermilion Bird Empire will be destroyed.”
Hearing these words, Tang Wan opened her mouth, but for a moment didn’t know what to say.
Soon, her expression turned utterly downcast, and then she turned and left without a word.
“Wan’er...” Chu Hao’s heart suddenly felt hollow and lost, but he was, after all, no ordinary man. He knew this was not the time to waste on such matters.
Every additional day Heavenly Monarch Ziyang remained imprisoned in the Vermilion Bird Empire
was another day of danger for the Vermilion Bird Empire.
Chu Hao quickly calmed down, resolving to set out now to face Gu Changge and lay his cards on the table—to make him take Heavenly Monarch Ziyang away.
“Hao’er, Shishu will go with you.” Bai Yang’s expression also grew heavy; he was deeply wary of Gu Changge.
In his view, this confrontation meant tearing off all pretenses with Gu Changge—from then on, the entire Vermilion Bird Empire would stand on Gu Changge’s opposing side.
The consequences of that were simply unimaginable.
Meanwhile, in the Vermilion Bird Empire, Gu Changge—who was waiting for those coming to rescue Heavenly Monarch Ziyang—naturally heard the System’s notification at this moment.
This bit of Fortuity and Fatums was, to him, actually dispensable.
What Gu Changge truly cared about was the blow dealt to Chu Hao. If things didn’t develop this way, how would Qin Wuya conveniently enter the game next?
“It seems a rift has indeed formed between Tang Wan and Chu Hao. So-called feelings really are such fragile, useless things.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, already guessing what Chu Hao would do next.
Chu Hao’s thinking was indeed sound—only, how could Gu Changge possibly have failed to foresee it?