Jiang Chen's Embarrassing Fall, Yue Mingkong's Plans and Schemes
Jiang Chen’s Embarrassing Fall, Yue Mingkong’s Plans and Schemes
Within the gates of the Heavenly Ruin Gate, besides the young woman in the goose-yellow dress, quite a few young Cultivators stood about.
There were both men and women, all appearing to be in their early twenties, their eyes brimming with divine light, shrouded in precious radiance, their blood qi astonishing, their cultivation far from weak.
However, they all faintly regarded the young woman in the goose-yellow dress as their leader.
At this moment, they all wore curious expressions, watching Jiang Chen walk in from the mountain gate.
Judging by appearance alone, although Jiang Chen was dressed in rags, that spirit and energy of his was absolutely nothing an ordinary mortal could compare to.
Especially that calm and confident demeanor, which left the group of young men and women somewhat astonished, feeling that this beggar seemed... seemed rather extraordinary, that he did have some exceptional qualities after all.
“Xiaojie, is there something special about this beggar?”
One man couldn’t help but ask curiously, his gaze sweeping over Jiang Chen several times, yet he couldn’t see anything particularly special.
There wasn’t a trace of spiritual energy on him, and by the looks of it he was already over twenty, yet he had never even cultivated.
“His physique is very special.”
The young woman in the goose-yellow dress said. Her eyes were large and bright, and at this moment she stared at the approaching Jiang Chen, as if trying to see straight through him completely.
The others were incomparably shocked at her words. They knew this young woman’s identity all too well.
For even her to say that this beggar’s physique was very special...
That could only mean this beggar-like man truly was no simple figure.
“Greetings, miss. Thank you for speaking up just now and giving me the chance to enter the Heavenly Ruin Gate.”
Jiang Chen paid no mind to the scrutinizing gazes of this crowd. Instead, he walked over openly and confidently, his eyes clear and calm as he met the gaze of the young woman in the goose-yellow dress.
Although he could also guess that the young woman before him had an extraordinary identity, the moment he remembered that the Elderly Man in Black Robes was hidden in the shadows, he stopped worrying and appeared exceptionally composed.
This bearing, in turn, made the crowd think even more highly of him.
“No need for thanks. It was nothing more than a lift of the hand.”
Hearing this, the young woman in the goose-yellow dress shook her head, a gentle smile on her face.
Although her features looked quite ordinary, she gave off an indescribable sense of goodwill.
The crowd of women behind her, though fair-faced and outstanding in beauty, all seemed dim and lusterless in her presence.
“May I ask what miss’s name is?”
Jiang Chen had also developed a few traces of goodwill toward this young woman, and couldn’t help but ask.
“How audacious! Is Xiaojie’s name something the likes of you can ask...”
However, upon hearing this, before the young woman in the goose-yellow dress could say anything, the young men and women behind her abruptly changed expressions and shouted coldly.
“It’s fine. It’s just a name. You can call me Chuyue.”
But the young woman waved her hand to cut them off, signaling that they needn’t mind, and revealed a smile.
“Chuyue? That’s quite a lovely name.” Jiang Chen said with a smile.
From this young woman who had spoken up to help him out of a tight spot, he couldn’t sense the slightest malice—she was like a gentle breeze brushing his face, very natural.
The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation also hadn’t detected any malice or ulterior motives from her.
Just then, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared at this spot, his sleeves wide, his complexion ruddy, his eyes spirited.
Quite a few disciples followed behind him, and judging by their clothing, they were all disciples of the Heavenly Ruin Gate.
It was clear that the middle-aged man was also very respectful toward the young woman named Chuyue. After giving her a slight salute,
he then looked at Jiang Chen and asked, “Are you the one who boldly declared you would make my Heavenly Ruin Gate break its rules?”
Obviously, the old Daoist at the mountain gate had already informed him of the whole story, otherwise he wouldn’t have rushed over so quickly.
“Greetings, Senior.”
Jiang Chen cupped his hands slightly. “This junior does indeed have confidence in his own talent. The Heavenly Ruin Gate will not regret taking this junior as a disciple.”
The middle-aged man snorted coldly. “You’ve certainly got quite the mouth on you.”
The others also wore shocked expressions, finding Jiang Chen’s supremely confident words simply unbelievable.
Especially the disciples of the Heavenly Ruin Gate—they knew the identity of the middle-aged man before them, an expert who ranked within the top three of the entire Heavenly Ruin Gate.
If not for the young woman’s sake, there was no way he would have shown himself over Jiang Chen.
“Interesting.”
“Aren’t you afraid of falling flat on your face?”
The young woman named Chuyue had originally planned to lead her people out of the mountain gate, but at this moment she had clearly taken an interest, stopping to stand right there.
She could naturally tell that Jiang Chen’s physique was extraordinary, but a place like the Heavenly Ruin Gate might not necessarily be able to test it out.
Thinking of this, she couldn’t help but let out a pfft of laughter.
“Senior, just wait and see.”
Jiang Chen glanced at her, assuming she was also laughing at him, and couldn’t help but shake his head slightly.
Chuyue pressed her lips together in a smile, suddenly very eager to see Jiang Chen make a fool of himself in a moment.
“Xiaojie, are we going to search for that item in a while?”
One of the women behind her couldn’t help but ask in a low voice. “The Young Master is probably getting impatient waiting by now.”
The young woman shook her head. “Let’s watch the show first. Let my brother wait a while too. If he can’t wait, let him go search on his own.”
Afterward, the middle-aged man waved his sleeve and led Jiang Chen toward the stone stele for testing talent. Because of this matter, quite a few disciples of the Heavenly Ruin Gate were alarmed and rushed over one after another, intending to join the fun.
Jiang Chen was full of confidence. He possessed the Sacred Physique of Creation, and according to the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation, this was a top-tier physique even among the Ten Mightiest Sacred Physiques.
But very quickly, Jiang Chen was dumbfounded, hardly able to believe it.
His confident expression could no longer be maintained.
When he placed his hand on the Test Stone, light did indeed emerge upon it, but compared to the dazzling brilliance he had envisioned, it fell short by who knew how far.
“This...” He was stunned.
“With just this, he wants to break the rules of my Heavenly Ruin Gate? I’m going to die laughing.”
“If he hadn’t had the luck of running into Xiaojie, he wouldn’t even have made it through our mountain gate right now, yet he still dared to spout such wild boasts.”
A roar of laughter erupted from the side, everyone looking at him as if watching a monkey.
Even the middle-aged man was forcibly suppressing his anger, wearing an expression that said “are you playing me for a fool?”
“Artifact Spirit, what on earth is going on?” Jiang Chen’s expression changed slightly as he hurriedly asked the Artifact Spirit in his mind.
“It’s probably that this Heavenly Ruin Gate can’t test out your physique...”
At this moment, the voice of the Celestial Boat of Creation’s Artifact Spirit was also filled with thick embarrassment. This was completely something it had never anticipated.
“For the sake of Chuyue xiaojie’s face, I’ll let you join my Heavenly Ruin Gate—but only as a menial disciple.”
The middle-aged man shook his head, then flicked his sleeve and left.
“I’m dying of laughter...”
The young woman named Chuyue had also vanished by now, leaving only her silvery, crisp, and moving laughter drifting over from afar, appearing quite mischievous and elfin.
Jiang Chen rubbed his nose somewhat awkwardly. Things had completely exceeded his expectations.
“Still, being a menial disciple works too. According to the Black-Robed Senior’s words, it won’t be long before I can open up my Spiritual Sea!”
Jiang Chen then thought secretly in his heart.
He was full of anticipation for the cultivation life ahead. Though the Heavenly Ruin Gate had many disciples, to him, they were all hunting targets!
Meanwhile, the young woman named Chuyue led her people away from the Heavenly Ruin Gate and headed straight for a distant hilltop.
A dignified, tall and straight man in golden robes stood there, quietly gazing at the approaching young woman. His eyes were deep as the sea, and even his pupils seemed like deep pools, terrifyingly still.
Even his hair was golden, like gold itself, making him look like a young god, extremely conspicuous.
“Chuyue, you’re late.” The young man’s gaze fell upon the young woman, his tone flat, without any hint of questioning.
“I ran into someone amusing and watched the fun for a bit.”
Chuyue said with a giggle.
“Greetings, Young Master.”
The people behind her were incomparably reverent toward the young man.
“Let’s go.”
The young man nodded, then waved his hand. The crowd transformed into divine rainbows one after another, darting off into the mountain ridges, seemingly searching for something.
...
At the same time, at the True Immortal Academy.
Within a palace, divine light flickered faintly and immortal mist curled. Yue Mingkong sat upright upon her bed.
Her figure was tall and slender, her immortal countenance like a painting, her skin fine and smooth, paler than frost and snow, as if she were the most flawless work of art crafted by the heavens themselves.
At this moment, her fair hand was flipping through an incomplete map, her eyes slightly narrowed, a trace of contemplation flashing through them.
“By all reason, the Tower of World Domination should emerge at this location. Even if there’s some slight deviation in timing, it can’t be far off.”
“The Sky Jade Mountain Range... the nearby forces are the Heavenly Ruin Gate, the Ancient Sword Sect, the Sunset Cave Heaven...”
Yue Mingkong murmured softly, her slender, flawless fingers like scallion stalks landing upon a region of the map.
Just as Gu Changge had guessed, she had been busy searching for the Seven Tools of World Domination during this period.
In her hands, she already held the Mirror of World Domination and the Seal of World Domination.
Beyond that, she also already knew the whereabouts of the Sword of World Domination. Only, scheming to obtain it would require a bit more effort.
So Yue Mingkong had placed more of her energy on the Tower of World Domination.
According to her memories of her past life, the Tower of World Domination actually existed underground, not in any fixed location.
Moreover, compared to the other Tools of World Domination, the Tower of World Domination’s divine might was even greater. There were rumors that the Tower of World Domination even had the power to suppress the heavens themselves.
There were even rumors that the Tower of World Domination was actually carried on the back of an incomparably ancient Celestial Beast, traveling through the various regions of the Beyond along with the earth’s veins.
To find news of the Tower of World Domination’s emergence, Yue Mingkong had actually expended quite a bit of effort. After all, compared to her past life, many things in this life had deviated from their original course.
“Crown Heir, this is something Young Master Changge sent over.”
Just then, while Yue Mingkong was pondering when to make her move,
a voice came from outside the palace.
A maidservant suddenly came in carrying an exquisitely crafted box, her expression incomparably respectful, tinged with fear.
“Sent by Changge?”
Yue Mingkong was first taken aback at these words, and then her cold face couldn’t help but reveal a faint trace of a smile.
This sight made the maidservant who had entered the great hall breathe a sigh of relief. Only when hearing news of Young Master Changge would Crown Heir Mingkong’s face show a smile.
During this period, the empress’s pressure radiating from Yue Mingkong had grown heavier and heavier, and her cultivation had grown ever more unfathomable.
Every time they came to pay their respects on some matter, they trembled with trepidation, as if walking on thin ice, not daring to say a word more, fearing that one wrong sentence would get them thrown out and beheaded.
“What is this? That fellow actually had the heart to send me something? How rare.”
“Did the sun rise from the west today?”
Though Yue Mingkong said this, her words could hardly conceal her delight and joy.
At the same time, with a wave of her jade hand, the exquisitely crafted box landed in her grasp.
The box’s surface was covered with cloud-like silk, suffused with purple mist, giving off an incomparably mystical feeling.
Yue Mingkong knew this was a spatial box, containing a space within. It was clear that the items stored inside were no small number.
“After annihilating the Purple Mansion, all of its countless years of heritage and accumulation fell into his hands.”
“He didn’t forget me when there were good things to be had. At least he has some conscience.”
Yue Mingkong said softly, and at the same time opened the spatial box.
Weng!!!
What met her eyes was a multitude of exquisite jewelry flowing with precious light and suffused with divine splendor—earrings, hairpins, and the like—all carved with patterns of Celestial Phoenixes and other motifs.
Various laws and orders hung down from them, powerful auras interweaving, immortal qi curling about, as if crafted by the hands of an immortal himself.
Beyond that, Transcendent grade weapons, Sacred Emperor Grade Weapons, sacred medicines, dragon marrow, phoenix jade, and other such things were simply too numerous to count, nearly blinding the maidservant below with their brilliance, leaving her endlessly envious.
Any single one of these pendants was no simple Transcendent grade weapon, its refinement incomparably complex.
Not only did they possess powerful defensive capabilities, at critical moments they could even be sacrificed and used as offensive secret treasures.
To describe them as priceless would not be an exaggeration in the slightest.
Yue Mingkong, being a woman, naturally loved beauty as well. Seeing these things, though she forcibly suppressed it, joy still couldn’t help but show in her eyes.
She could naturally tell that these had been carefully selected by Gu Changge.
He knew what she liked, and so had specially picked them out and had them delivered to her.
Thinking of this, she was still somewhat moved. Her silent devotion to him behind the scenes had not been in vain.
“You may leave.”
Afterward, with a wave of Yue Mingkong’s fair hand, she put away everything inside the box.
Her face returned to its previous coldness as she waved for the maidservant to withdraw.
However, maidservants familiar with Yue Mingkong knew very well that although Yue Mingkong appeared cold at this moment, the joy and delight between her brows could not be concealed.
She was envious, but she also understood clearly that in this world, only a man like Young Master Changge could make Crown Heir Mingkong reveal such an expression.
And just as Yue Mingkong was about to continue scheming over the whereabouts of the Tower of World Domination, footsteps sounded once more from outside the palace.
“Why have you come?”
Yue Mingkong’s gaze fell upon him as she sat up from the bed, her cold voice ringing out.
“What? Your husband finally has some time to come see his future wife—is that not allowed?”
“After all, I’m not like you, knowing full well I was battling the Purple Mansion’s army yet never coming to check on me. What if I had died miserably at the Purple Mansion’s hands? Wouldn’t you have been left a widow for the rest of your life?”
Gu Changge walked in from outside the palace with a composed expression.
The many maidservants outside the door naturally didn’t dare stop him.
Then, paying no mind to Yue Mingkong’s cold and disdainful look, he plopped himself down right beside her.
Immediately, a pleasant fragrance wafted over, elegant and crisp, like a snow lotus blooming atop an iceberg of a hundred million years.
“No. Without my permission, you are not allowed to step half a pace into my palace.” Yue Mingkong said coldly.
“Fine then. I’ll leave right now, and I won’t ever come again.” Gu Changge made to get up as he spoke.
“No.” There was a trace of vexation in Yue Mingkong’s cold voice as she reached out and grabbed him.
“This won’t do, that won’t do. Then what do you want your husband to do?”
Gu Changge turned back to look at her, his expression somewhat helpless. “This temper of yours—have I spoiled you too much?”
Yue Mingkong shot him a sideways glance. “Speak. What business do you have coming to find me?”
She understood Gu Changge very well. He was the type who never visited without a reason.
If there were nothing the matter, there was no way he would come looking for her.
“Why must I have some business to come find you?”
“I missed you and suddenly wanted to see you. Is that not allowed?”
Gu Changge shook his head slightly, wearing a helpless expression.
“That excuse is passable.”
“Also, I’ve looked through everything you sent me. I like it very much.”
The corner of Yue Mingkong’s mouth curled up slightly before she immediately reined it back in. She simply loved the way Gu Changge indulged her.
“As long as you like it. Otherwise, all that time I spent picking them out would have been wasted.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge revealed a smile and smoothly pulled her into his embrace.
“Mm.”
Yue Mingkong made a show of struggling briefly, then narrowed her eyes and quietly leaned into his arms, enjoying this rare tenderness of his.
Gu Changge looked at that flawless immortal countenance mere inches away and smiled faintly. “Mingkong, confess honestly—did you miss your husband during this time?”
Yue Mingkong opened her eyes, gave him a cool, indifferent glance, and huffed through her nose.
“No.”
“Lies.” Gu Changge lowered his head.
“Mmph...”
Whatever Yue Mingkong was about to say was stopped up.
For a time, the palace was filled with enchanting beauty.