The Obedient Guide, Ready to Pluck the Ripe Fruit
The Obedient Guide, Ready to Pluck the Ripe Fruit
The terrain within the Purple Mountains was vast and open, unlike the steep and towering appearance seen from the outside.
Inside, roads crisscrossed in every direction, gleaming with lights of various colors, leading to all eight directions.
As hazy purple light cascaded down, it was as if a colossal mountain hung overhead, exerting an inexplicable pressure.
The rocks were strewn about in disorder, and the stone walls were covered with all manner of marks—Blade, Spear, Sword, and Halberd scars, as well as claw marks—seemingly recounting the battles that had once taken place here.
The moment Jiang Chen and the Elderly Man in Black Robes fled into this place, they felt a vast and terrifying pressure descend from above, as if it meant to suppress and crush them both.
“Could something be suppressed within these Purple Mountains?”
The Elderly Man in Black Robes furrowed his brow, casually picked a path to walk, then couldn’t help but grumble a curse, tossing Jiang Chen onto the ground with a thoroughly displeased expression.
“Thank you, Black-Robed Senior, for saving my life once again. This junior will never forget it.”
Jiang Chen hurriedly rose to his feet, showing no resentment toward the black-robed elder’s rough handling. Instead, he respectfully bowed to him, filled with gratitude.
Just moments ago, he had truly been in despair, with no means of resistance whatsoever.
Even the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation in his mind had no time to act and save him.
But he never imagined that the Elderly Man in Black Robes had been following in the shadows all along, striking once more to rescue him. He felt both grateful and excited—it was truly a narrow escape from death, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
“Enough, enough. When will you ever give this old man some peace of mind? That... would be the greatest gratitude you could show me.”
Hearing this, the Elderly Man in Black Robes snorted coldly, quite displeased. “Tell me, wouldn’t it have been fine to just cultivate properly at the Heavenly Ruin Gate? Once your cultivation matured, then you could think about... revenge. But no, you refused to listen to this old man, thinking you had some ability, wanting to meddle in everything.”
“This old man can save you once, but do you think I can keep saving you forever? Just how terrifying that... Gu Changge is—don’t you know that by now? Yet you insisted on provoking him.”
“If there’s a next time, this old man will absolutely not lift a finger to save you...”
Although the Elderly Man in Black Robes was nagging and scolding him, Jiang Chen understood that the elder was genuinely worried about him, and waves of warmth couldn’t help but flow through his heart.
The Elderly Man in Black Robes might not be a good person, but he had saved him multiple times.
In contrast, Gu Changge, Ji Yaoxing, and the others—though they wore the faces of the righteous path—their actions were who knows how many times more ruthless than the black-robed elder’s.
“Senior, I understand. Once the matters here are resolved, I’ll find a place to bitterly cultivate the Everchanging Demonic Arts, and only emerge once my cultivation has matured.”
Jiang Chen’s face was resolute as he made his promise.
From the events of these past few days, he had deeply felt the importance of power in this world.
Why could Gu Changge so easily oppress Ji Chuyue, Ji Yaoxing, and the others, making them deferential and utterly reverent? Wasn’t it simply because Gu Changge was stronger than them!
“Saying all this now... is useless. That... Gu Changge definitely won’t let you go. These Purple Mountains are extremely mysterious—even this old man is greatly restricted here and can hardly help you.”
“If you can’t find a way out here, then in the end, it’s still a dead end. Revenge? Heh.”
The Elderly Man in Black Robes sneered, appearing rather contemptuous.
Jiang Chen also understood the gravity of the situation. There was no retreat ahead and pursuers behind, so he quickly communicated with the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation in his mind.
Earlier, the Artifact Spirit had said that once they entered the Purple Mountains, it had means to contend against other enemies.
This gave Jiang Chen a glimmer of hope.
“Little Chenzi, rest assured. Here I sense a familiar aura, very much like one left behind by an old acquaintance of the Immortal Palace. As the Artifact Spirit and vessel of the Celestial Boat of Creation, you and I will encounter no danger here.”
The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation said confidently.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen was overjoyed and harbored no doubts.
Although the Artifact Spirit was sometimes unreliable, at a time like this, the two of them were grasshoppers tied to the same rope—how could it possibly be joking?
“Not good—someone has broken in from outside. Hurry deeper in, and this old man will hold them off for you.”
However, just then, the Elderly Man in Black Robes seemed to sense something.
His expression suddenly changed as he spoke to Jiang Chen, appearing somewhat anxious.
“They’ve caught up?”
Jiang Chen’s expression also changed drastically as he realized the urgency of the situation. Staying here would only make him a burden to the Elderly Man in Black Robes.
Still, he didn’t immediately bolt, instead asking, “Then what about you, Senior?”
“Don’t worry. Once this old man holds them off, I naturally have ways to escape and rendezvous with you. Before that, you must find a path to survival—otherwise, when Gu Changge catches up, we’ll both die.”
The Elderly Man in Black Robes’ expression was graver than ever before.
With that, his figure moved toward the path they had come from.
A terrifying aura swept out in all directions, and in his palm materialized a black longsaber wreathed in dark light, which he swung... in a single slash at the pursuing Cultivators, seemingly about to tear open the void itself—incomparably powerful.
The pursuing crowd all coughed up blood and fell back, no match for a Sacred Lord Realm powerhouse.
“Then please be careful, Senior. I’ll leave a trail using the technique you taught me—you must follow it!”
Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, not daring to linger. After saying these words, his figure fled toward the depths of the Purple Mountains.
Although that... vast and terrifying aura overhead could descend at any moment, heavy as ten thousand jun, as if to utterly crush a person,
he paid it no heed, trusting the Artifact Spirit’s words as he fled deeper, not daring to stop.
Rumble!!!
Terrifying sounds of battle instantly resounded throughout the Purple Mountains, startling the mysterious beings slumbering in many corners, who all rushed toward the site of the battle.
His path was smooth and unobstructed.
The closer he drew to the depths of the Purple Mountains, the more he could feel their terror.
Between some of the rocks, purple mist seeped out—profoundly mysterious, but also extremely dangerous.
Jiang Chen personally witnessed one of the... mysterious beings within the Purple Mountains, upon touching that... purple mist, instantly dissolve into a bloody fog.
This shook his heart, and a horrifying chill ran down his back.
With the help of the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation, manipulating and reversing the terrain’s flow, he ventured deeper all the way, alarmed but unharmed.
Some beings with terrifying auras noticed him but made no move against him, merely glancing at him as if seeing one of their own kind, paying him no further mind.
This allowed Jiang Chen to heave a great sigh of relief, his taut nerves finally relaxing.
“Little Chenzi, keep going forward. I’ve already sensed the location of that palace. If I’m not mistaken, we’re about to strike it rich.”
The voice of the Celestial Boat of Creation’s Artifact Spirit brimmed with excitement and exhilaration, as if it could already see the treasure vault opening before them.
Jiang Chen nodded, not pausing, continuing onward according to the Artifact Spirit’s directions.
Only when he reached a stone cavern within did his expression change drastically.
The four walls were covered in bloodstains—old, yet shocking to behold, horrifying to see. Who knew what had once happened here?
Beneath his feet lay a layer of white bleached bones of various shapes—some Human, some of other races—some lustrous as jade, others pitch-black as ink, their skeletons incomparably massive, like small hills.
And upon reaching this place, the path ahead ended—no, it wasn’t quite an end.
Rather, an indestructible stone wall appeared, its entire body gleaming with the same light and material as the Purple Mountains themselves. With his strength, there was simply no way he could blast it open.
The material of these Purple Mountains was incomparably solid and extremely special—even Cultivators battling within could hardly damage it in the slightest.
“Could this be a dead end?”
Jiang Chen’s brow furrowed tightly. He hadn’t expected that after following the Celestial Boat of Creation’s guidance all the way here, he would still be stopped.
“Don’t panic just yet. There must be a path here. Let me look around.”
The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation said as much.
Jiang Chen nodded.
Then, the phantom of a Bronze Flying Boat emerged from between Jiang Chen’s brows, slowly merging into the stone wall before them, seemingly penetrating through to the other side.
“There really is a path here...”
The Artifact Spirit’s delighted voice rang out.
“Really?”
Jiang Chen also revealed a look of pleasant surprise.
“I’ll open this stone wall right away. Apart from me, absolutely no one can open it. The hardness of these Purple Mountains far exceeds imagination—I suspect it’s not of this world. Even if that Gu Changge makes it here, he can forget about passing through!”
The Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation said confidently.
At the same time, a hazy radiance appeared, like the veins of stars, interweaving here before finally manifesting upon the stone wall and connecting together.
Rumble!
In an instant, a heaven-splitting sound erupted here—the rocks gave way, and the stone wall swung wide open!
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Ning’er, Ji Chuyue, Ji Yaoxing, and the others searching for traces of Jiang Chen and the Elderly Man in Black Robes had not traveled together.
After all, the roads within the Purple Mountains branched out in every direction—if they didn’t split up to search, there was simply no way to find Jiang Chen.
The difficulty was no different from fishing a needle from the sea.
As for the whereabouts of the Tower of World Domination, there wasn’t the slightest clue.
“Chuyue, are you blaming me?”
Ji Yaoxing looked at his sister, who had remained silent all this while, and finally couldn’t hold back from speaking.
“No. I know you had your difficulties, Brother. What you did was for the family.”
Ji Chuyue shook her head at his words, though her expression remained downcast.
She was a kind-hearted person. Before this, she had always believed her brother Ji Yaoxing was the same—upright and steady.
But what she witnessed today was truly hard for her to accept.
Especially Jiang Chen’s ice-cold expression—it cut into her heart like a knife. After all, it was they who had dragged Jiang Chen into this matter.
In the end, they escaped unscathed, dumping all the trouble onto Jiang Chen, and now they even had to send people to hunt him down.
This truly made Ji Chuyue’s heart ache with reluctance.
“You’re still too naive. When Jiang Chen came looking for you back then, he actually had ulterior motives. You must know there’s a Sacred Lord Realm existence hidden behind him—so why would he still join the Heavenly Ruin Gate? Have you... considered any of this?”
“On the contrary, it was Jiang Chen who kept... egging us on to offend Gu Changge. Do you really think he had no other intentions? You think too kindly of people.”
Ji Yaoxing sighed, speaking in an emotionless voice.
Hearing these words, Ji Chuyue couldn’t help but widen her eyes in astonishment. Thinking carefully about it, there was nothing wrong with what he said.
After all, from the very beginning, Jiang Chen’s approach toward her seemed to carry other intentions.
Thinking this way, she felt somewhat better inside.
However, Ji Chuyue remembered another matter and said with some reluctance, “Brother, the Wheel of World Domination that we worked so hard to obtain—do we really have to offer it to Gu Changge?”
Back then, to obtain the Wheel of World Domination, the Hidden Ji Family behind them had paid an enormous price—they knew this all too well.
But now they could only hand over the hard-won Wheel of World Domination to someone else—how could they be reconciled to it?
Hearing this, a trace of bitter smile couldn’t help but appear on Ji Yaoxing’s face as he said, “There’s no other way. If we don’t do this, Gu Changge won’t let the matter rest. Do you really think the Gu Changge of the rumors is some kind of good person?”
“Take the Purple Mansion affair this time—if Gu Changge truly had a gentle temperament, why would he have crippled Heavenly Monarch Ziyang? All of this, in my view, was merely an excuse he found for targeting the Purple Mansion.”
“As for what grudge exists between Jiang Chen and him, we shouldn’t meddle, nor should we be curious. Some things are best treated as if we never knew.”
Ji Yaoxing’s words won Ji Chuyue’s agreement. She nodded and fell silent.
Rumors cannot... be fully believed—she now had a deep, personal understanding of these words.
“If we can’t find the Tower of World Domination, so be it. But we must find traces of Jiang Chen—otherwise, we won’t be able to give Gu Changge a proper account later.”
Ji Yaoxing said. Afterward, he and Ji Chuyue continued leading their people forward in pursuit.
However, the two hadn’t gone far when they suddenly saw numerous powerful mysterious beings charging toward them ahead, black clouds billowing, their momentum overwhelming.
In appearance they resembled the Myriad Clans, yet their auras were distinctly different.
Chi!!!
Beams of light shot forth, slicing through the void like swords and sabers, carrying formidable power that made one’s heart tremble with fear.
“Not good.”
“These are the same beings I encountered back then. Retreat, quickly. Even if Jiang Chen can escape our pursuit, there’s no way he’ll survive.”
Ji Yaoxing’s expression changed drastically as he hurriedly led Ji Chuyue and the others in retreat.
He had noticed earlier that the powerful Elderly Man in Black Robes had stayed behind to hold them off and cover Jiang Chen’s escape—meaning the two had fled separately.
With Jiang Chen’s meager abilities, if he encountered this horde of beings, was there any possibility of survival?
Ji Chuyue pressed her lips together, not daring to linger either, hastily retreating along the original path.
Just as Ji Yaoxing had said, unless Jiang Chen had heaven-defying means, once separated from that Elderly Man in Black Robes, how could he possibly survive facing these mysterious beings?
Before long, the Ji siblings had also withdrawn beyond the Purple Mountains. But to their surprise, Chen Ning’er had actually withdrawn a step ahead of them.
Only, her current state was terrible—her face pale, her aura listless, her expression carrying lingering dread mixed with terror.
Of the subordinates she had led inside, only two or three remained, all severely wounded.
It seemed she had encountered great danger shortly after entering; being able to escape alive was already a stroke of luck.
The Ji siblings’ expressions grew heavy.
They intended to report the situation inside to Gu Changge, but Gu Changge waved a hand to cut them off.
“It seems these Purple Mountains are indeed fraught with peril. Those who entered have all suffered losses.”
Gu Changge narrowed his eyes, speaking as if to himself.
“The paths within the Purple Mountains are numerous, branching in every direction—who knows which one leads to the deepest part.”
“That... Jiang Chen has separated from the Elderly Man in Black Robes. As I see it, he’s on a dead-end road. Those... mysterious beings inside are all extremely powerful. Once Jiang Chen has no one protecting him, he’ll inevitably be torn to shreds in an instant.”
Chen Ning’er hurriedly spoke, her face still carrying lingering dread and a trace of lingering fear—she had never imagined the Purple Mountains would be so dangerous.
Had she not possessed a powerful protective treasure, she might very well have perished in a pool of blood within by now.
“Oh? Regardless, I must have the Tower of World Domination. It seems I’ll need to make a trip into these Purple Mountains myself after all.”
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow, speaking with apparent interest.
“I’ll go with you.”
Hearing this, Yue Mingkong said without... the slightest hesitation.
“No need. You stay outside. If anything unusual happens, I’ll be at ease.”
Gu Changge waved his hand, smiling.
With that, without waiting for... Yue Mingkong’s reply, he stepped forward—the void blurred, and a golden great road materialized before his eyes, piercing straight through and descending into the Purple Mountains.
Boom!!
In that instant, a terrifying sound that made hearts tremble and souls threaten to shatter erupted there.
The mountain ranges quaked, the ground collapsed.
The sight was horrifying.
Ji Chuyue, Ji Yaoxing, Chen Ning’er, and the others all watched this scene in shock—they hadn’t expected Gu Changge to personally take action.
Though given his strength, those... mysterious beings, powerful as they were, might not necessarily be his match.
Only, the dangers within the Purple Mountains did not lie solely in those... mysterious beings.
“Gu Changge’s strength is formidable, but the beings within the Purple Mountains are numerous, and the roads crisscross endlessly—it’s easy to get lost inside, not to mention the many natural Array Patterns with killing intent lurking everywhere...”
Ji Yaoxing’s brow furrowed slightly as he thought this to himself.
He glanced at Yue Mingkong, seeing her expression cold and profound from beginning to end, seemingly full of confidence in Gu Changge, entirely without worry.
Within the Purple Mountains, numerous beings roared, their faces ice-cold, slaughtering the Cultivators still inside, surging out of the various stone caverns like a tide.
Densely packed, utterly countless.
Weng!!
And as Gu Changge stepped into this place, a strange sound immediately rang out through the void—like the tolling of a bell, yet also like the resonance of a tower—echoing and reverberating everywhere.
“So this is the resonance between the Seven Tools of World Domination. The Tower of World Domination is indeed here. Without Jiang Chen, it would have taken quite some searching.”
Gu Changge sensed Jiang Chen’s location—it wasn’t actually far from where he now stood.
Only, between them lay numerous Array Patterns and obstacles to cross.
Fortunately, he could simply follow the route Jiang Chen had taken, concealing his figure within the void, proceeding unimpeded.
Jiang Chen could never have imagined that the trail he left for the Elderly Man in Black Robes would ultimately be left for Gu Changge.
Weng!!
Gu Changge strode through the Purple Mountains’ interior; with a raise of his hand, the void trembled.
An archaic and terrifying aura erupted, transforming into a great star, heavy as hundreds of millions of jun, crushing down.
Every being that approached him burst apart with a pu in an instant, body and soul annihilated, evaporating into dust.
The tide of beings, though knowing neither pain nor fear, couldn’t help but retreat and avoid him at this moment.
“This fluctuation... it seems Jiang Chen has already found the Tower of World Domination...”
Gu Changge walked unhurriedly, seemingly sensing something, a trace of surprise suddenly appearing on his face.
“He... didn’t disappoint me.”
He smiled, his figure blurring as he stepped forward, intending to pluck the ripe fruit.
It had to be said, the Purple Mountains were indeed extraordinary. A special field existed here, enveloping every corner—even every rock was imbued with this aura.
It could even affect a Cultivator’s judgment and suppress their divine sense.
Its hardness was also beyond imagination—not something an ordinary person could damage.
Without Jiang Chen scouting the path, it truly wouldn’t have been easy for Gu Changge to find the Tower of World Domination.
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