The Mysterious Master Behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion Is More Useful to Me Alive
The Mysterious Master Behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion Is More Useful to Me Alive
The heavens trembled, and all eight directions roared! Rumble!!! The entire Northcreek Ancient City erupted into an uproar over the matter of harboring remnants of Bandit Thirteen.
A vast, mighty army marched straight in, descending upon the place like black clouds.
Then they began searching palace after palace, one by one, determined to root out the remnants hiding within.
On top of that, the various great figures of Northcreek Ancient City also dispatched their own subordinates to conduct rigorous searches and sweeps, sealing off every Transportation Array and every exit.
Such a grand display was something many Cultivators were witnessing for the first time, and their hearts were filled with profound unease.
All Cultivators, regardless of their cultivation level, now stayed carefully within their own residences and palaces.
The once-bustling streets were now deathly silent.
Everywhere were riders wielding heavenly sabers, great halberds, and long spears, menacing and aggressive, searching house to house on their mounts.
Weng!! Just then.
A rumbling fluctuation came from the sky, and immediately a dazzlingly radiant gate of light appeared, as if connecting to another world.
Everyone looked up in astonishment at this sight, and then saw a mighty procession of figures walk out from within the gate of light.
The man at the front wore dark robes that fluttered in the wind, his countenance unmatched, his eyes deep and profound, his features so refined that not a single flaw could be found.
His bearing was transcendent and otherworldly, yet carried an innate air of lofty nobility.
Behind him followed numerous figures, each with an immensely powerful aura, riding terrifying exotic beasts, their radiance soaring to the heavens as they rode upon clouds and mist.
Ordinary Cultivators witnessing such a scene might well be scared out of their wits.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge!”
“Greetings, Master!”
The newcomer was, of course, Gu Changge, who had rushed over from the True Immortal Academy upon hearing that the remnants of Bandit Thirteen had appeared.
The Lord of Northcreek Ancient City and the others, seeing this, all flew up into the sky together and respectfully paid their respects, their attitudes full of reverence.
“It’s Young Master Changge!”
“Besides him, who else among the younger generation today could possess such might? It’s simply unimaginable that a young man could achieve this much.”
“Whether it’s cultivation or prestige, he has reached a level that no one can surpass!”
Many of the young prodigies of Northcreek Ancient City, watching this scene, couldn’t help but feel admiration and reverence in their hearts.
They wondered when they themselves could ever reach such heights.
One man’s name known throughout the world, whom none dared disrespect! Gu Changge nodded, his gaze sweeping over the area below as he asked indifferently, “Have you found any trace of him?”
The Yaksha-like creature stepped forward and said respectfully, “Reporting to Master, we are searching the entire ancient city. We have sealed off all exits and Transportation Arrays, and even the void a hundred thousand li beyond has been sealed. Today, this man cannot escape even if he had wings.”
Gu Changge nodded, his figure descending from the sky to land on the street.
The crowd behind him followed closely, staying a few steps back.
Gu Changge’s brow furrowed slightly.
He was actually somewhat puzzled as to why this person had fled to this city instead of going elsewhere.
In his earlier deductions, even if Bai Kun were to flee, he would certainly have fled to the Demon World.
Northcreek Ancient City was extremely far from the Demon World; it shouldn’t have been a suitable place to stop while on the run.
“Keep an eye on the people around Bai Kun. He definitely has accomplices.”
Gu Changge narrowed his eyes, considering this possibility, and ordered coldly.
At the same time, his vast and boundless divine sense swept across the entire ancient city, unscrupulously probing every corner for any unusual movement.
Bai Kun had once been a close friend of the Solar Demon Overlord.
This time, Gu Changge planned to make a move against that... returned son of the Demon Overlord, and Bai Kun was undoubtedly the best candidate, the best entry point.
If his guess was correct, following the normal trajectory, Bai Kun should have provided considerable assistance in the upcoming rise of the Demon Overlord’s son, Jun Bufan.
Or rather, it was only natural that the Demon Master who had once assisted the Solar Demon Overlord would now assist his son.
Jun Bufan had already grown into power, hiding within the Demon World, and would surely be hard to find.
Bai Kun, on the other hand, was an indispensable chess piece.
This also concerned Gu Changge’s plans for what came next.
With Gu Changge’s arrival, the entire Northcreek Ancient City grew even more... tumultuous.
Cultivators and beings of all races and factions stayed carefully within their own sect grounds, not daring to show anger or speak out.
They could only watch as hordes of riders charged up outside their residences, searched front and back, and left—only then breathing sighs of relief.
“Young Master Changge, the eastern and southern parts of Northcreek Ancient City have already been searched. No suspicious faces were found.”
The Lord of Northcreek cupped his hands respectfully.
In terms of seniority, he was several thousand years older than Gu Changge, but his cultivation was far inferior.
Before Gu Changge, he even felt a kind of trembling fear, as if facing an Ancestor.
“Then only the west remains unsearched...”
Gu Changge nodded.
“Northcreek Ancient City isn’t very large. Searching the west will only take half a day. In this remaining time, what will Bai Kun do?”
“Give his last words?”
The corners of his mouth carried the faint smile of a cat toying with a mouse as he strolled forward unhurriedly.
The surrounding markets and pavilions were all very quiet. Normally divine light surged and treasure radiance shot to the heavens here, but today they were unusually deserted.
Finally, black and white colors swirled within his eyes, and all things in the world became ever clearer under the insight of the power of reincarnation.
“The fortune of this place is strange...”
Gu Changge noticed a cluster of exceptionally magnificent buildings, palaces and pavilions arranged in dense rows.
“What place is that?”
Gu Changge asked.
“Reporting to Young Master Changge, that is the property of the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion. Many Cultivators usually linger there, reluctant to leave...”
The Lord of Northcreek looked over in some surprise, then reported truthfully.
“Go there.”
Gu Changge nodded slightly and strode toward it.
The followers behind him exchanged glances at these words and nodded in tacit understanding.
Boom!! Then, with a wave of a hand, a dark mass of troops and riders descended, surrounding the palaces and pavilions ahead so tightly that not even water could leak through.
The Nephrite Breeze Pavilion was a force that had newly risen in the Beyond within the last thousand years.
Its origins were extremely mysterious. No one knew what background lay behind it, nor who the mysterious master behind it was.
And although the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion appeared on the surface to be a pleasure house of wine and women,
many Cultivators knew well that it was secretly an assassins’ organization, specializing in taking on the dark, unspeakable assassination jobs of the various great Daoist lineages.
For example, assassinating the young prodigies of rival lineages, their young seeds, their elders of boundless potential, or cleaning out traitors, and so on...
Compared to those assassins’ organizations with inheritances spanning tens of millions of years, the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion had risen only recently.
But the assassins within the organization were terrifyingly powerful, cunning and unpredictable, impossible to guard against.
The major assassins’ organizations regarded it as a thorn in their eyes, a thorn in their flesh, wishing they could pull it out.
The great Daoist lineages were also deeply wary of it, for they could never find where the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’s headquarters was located.
It was like wild grass—fundamentally impossible to burn away completely. Whenever a suitable opportunity arose, it would spring back to life from the ashes.
Over time, the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion gained considerable fame throughout the vast Beyond.
There were even rumors that as long as the price was right, it would dare to assassinate even an Ancient Emperor! The prodigies and Cultivators who had died at its hands over the years were simply too numerous to count.
There were even rumors that the mysterious master behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion was the successor of the Killing Emperor, who had once slaughtered until all the Emperors paled.
At this moment, within the pavilion, thinking of all this, Bai Kun sighed with endless emotion.
He had watched everything his daughter Bai Lian’er had done over these years.
Sometimes, when he saw her encounter danger, he would also act to cover for her, to prevent her enemies from tracking her down and coming to kill her.
Only, he had never told Bai Lian’er about these things.
He was a fugitive of the Demon World. All these years, Empress Yao Xi had been hunting the remnants of that era, searching everywhere for their traces.
And it was precisely because of this that his daughter Bai Lian’er could not be dragged into it.
“These years have been hard on you...”
Bai Kun sighed.
Hearing these words, the seductive woman who had been standing silently behind the young man seemed unable to bear it any longer and finally spoke.
She lowered her eyes. Though her gaze was cold, it also contained an irrepressible sorrow.
“Father, I actually understand all of your difficulties.”
Her voice carried a strange, bewitching charm. If an ordinary Cultivator heard these words, they would likely lose their mind to it.
Although the young man had met her several times already, he still felt his face flush and his ears redden at this moment.
He knew this was not intentional on Bai Lian’er’s part, but rather due to the special nature of her constitution, which held an innate, natural allure for Cultivators.
Hearing this, Bai Kun revealed a gratified smile. “All these years, your father has truly wronged you. Sometimes I really wanted to come see you just once... but I worried the people of the Demon World would detect my trail... Ah, if not for this incident, I probably would never have gotten to see you again in this lifetime.”
Bai Lian’er nodded, her eyes lowered. “Father, you needn’t say more... I can understand you.”
“Alright, I’ve said most of what I needed to entrust to you. Next, you should leave this place. Gu Changge’s people will soon search their way here.”
The middle-aged man’s expression turned solemn as he said gravely, “But you must remember well: you must never avenge me. This calamity was brought about entirely by my own momentary... greed. You cannot possibly be Gu Changge’s match, and you must never make an enemy of him.”
“Remember what I’ve told you. Go to the Demon World and find a man named Jun Bufan.”
“Give that Brocade Bag to him. He is the Fated One.”
This last sentence was clearly directed at the young man.
Though Bai Lian’er was puzzled in her heart, she did not ask further at this moment.
Jun Bufan... hadn’t he died six thousand years ago? Why did the Brocade Bag still need to be delivered to him? She sighed faintly in her heart, her thoughts complicated.
“I understand, Shifu. I will not let you down.”
The young man nodded solemnly. Then the two of them, forcibly suppressing their grief, activated the Jade Pendant, concealed their auras and figures, and departed through the back door of the pavilion.
Bai Kun, meanwhile, sat calmly in his wheelchair, his thoughts gradually drifting away.
Back in the day, he, the Demon Master Bai Kun, had been a figure who commanded wind and rain in the Demon World, famed for claiming to calculate all things. The secrets of heaven were not to be spoken—yet he dared to speak them.
Relying on that boldness and audacity, he had thrived in the Demon World like a fish in water. Even the great Demon Overlords treated him with considerable respect.
And because of his childhood friendship with the Solar Demon Overlord, he eventually took a position under his command, which gave the Solar Demon Overlord the faint reputation of being first among the Six Demon Overlords of the Demon World.
The glory of those days—who could match it? But having fallen to his current state, he blamed no one.
“All karma, every drink and every peck, follows its cycle...”
Bai Kun sighed, his expression unusually calm as he waited for Gu Changge’s arrival.
He knew that since Gu Changge was aware that behind Bandit Thirteen there was still a strategist like him who had escaped, then Gu Changge surely had the means to find him.
Of that, there was no doubt.
This young man Gu Changge was simply too uncanny. He had once tried to divine his fate, but the only result was... backlash.
He had lain bedridden for half a month before recovering even slightly.
Back then, if he hadn’t sensed a world-shaking secret treasure emerging from the Heavenly Arms Domain—one that resonated with him—
How would he have ever stirred up such greed? How would he have brought annihilation upon Bandit Thirteen? How would he have ended up hunted by Gu Changge? He had hidden in the Demon World for six thousand years, yet from Gu Changge, he hadn’t even managed to hide for half a month before being found.
RUMBLE!!! Just then, Bai Kun suddenly heard an enormous commotion from outside the pavilion.
A terrifying, vast fluctuation swept over, as if the Heavenly River itself had come crashing down.
A surging golden palm imprint abruptly pierced through the sky, slamming toward a certain patch of void. In an instant, it was as if countless stars had exploded.
Countless pavilions and palaces were reduced to ash in the aftershock. Every Cultivator trembled all over, as if facing an apocalyptic catastrophe.
BOOM!! That place seemed on the verge of collapse.
Endless light and runes interwove, finally scattering into drifting fragments of broken swords.
Gu Changge frowned slightly, watching the fluctuation flash past that spot. “It actually escaped...”
To take one of his palms head-on and still flee unscathed—that strength was at least at the Perfect Prodigy level.
“Seal off this place. No one is allowed near.”
Gu Changge calmly instructed the crowd behind him, who were still in shock.
Immediately, one terrifying knight after another swept in on raging winds, descending swiftly and instantly surrounding the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion.
The Cultivators and living beings watching from afar looked on in utter shock. That palm just now had felt like the very sky crashing down.
They were deeply shaken. Was this Gu Changge’s true strength?
Inside the pavilion.
Although Bai Kun was blind and crippled, he was himself a Cultivator of the Sacred King Realm—he simply hadn’t displayed his cultivation for many years.
Just now, he had clearly sensed a terrifying fluctuation erupting that surpassed an ordinary Perfect Prodigy.
Had Northcreek Ancient City not been laid with Array Patterns, who knew how many city towers that strike would have destroyed...
“Could Lian’er and Bai Hua’s tracks have been discovered? Impossible...”
“Finished with your last words?”
Just as Bai Kun was preparing to make one final desperate struggle—
Footsteps suddenly sounded from below his pavilion.
Then a young man’s voice rang out. Though it carried a light chuckle,
it seemed exceedingly calm and indifferent, without the slightest ripple of emotion.
The instant he heard this voice—
“Gu Changge...”
Bai Kun’s scalp tingled.
His first impression was like facing a slab of cold iron, the kind that made one involuntarily shudder.
He hadn’t expected Gu Changge to find him so quickly, much less to open with such words upon arrival.
Last words? Could Gu Changge really have overheard something? Still, he was a man who had weathered countless storms, and he quickly steadied himself.
After all, the Jade Pendant he had given those two was no ordinary item. Concealing their auras and slipping away quietly—it was impossible for anyone to detect them.
Thinking of this,
Bai Kun looked toward the stairway and asked calmly, “Young Master Changge mobilizing such forces just to find a cripple like me—I’m truly honored.”
Gu Changge walked up unhurriedly.
Hearing this, he smiled faintly. “For those who dare offend me, I generally don’t like leaving them a way to live. So sometimes, even if I have to search the entire Beyond, I’ll find their hiding place—and kill them.”
He spoke lightly, but Bai Kun felt his very soul tremble. This young man was far more terrifying than he had imagined.
And his strength was unfathomable. He suspected the fluctuation he had just sensed had come from Gu Changge’s own hand.
Such cultivation at such an age—it was simply... inconceivable.
Then, just as Bai Kun was about to speak, Gu Changge cut him off. “However, after seeing you today, I’ve suddenly changed my mind.”
“I won’t kill you. Alive, you’re of greater use to me.”
As he spoke, Gu Changge sat down of his own accord. Looking at the still-warm tea, a flash of understanding passed through his eyes.
He spoke frankly and directly, without any attempt at concealment.
But Bai Kun’s expression changed, feeling a sense of unease and strangeness.
What exactly did Gu Changge want? He had paid such a price to search the vast Beyond for his whereabouts.
Wasn’t it all because he had incited Bandit Thirteen to attack the caravan carrying Gu Changge’s treasure, thereby inviting his revenge? “Gu Changge, what exactly do you mean? Kill me or torture me as you please—I, Bai, won’t so much as frown.”
Bai Kun’s face had now turned cold as well. He stopped playing along with Gu Changge’s pretenses and spoke with hard resolve.
He sensed that Gu Changge had some other purpose, not merely simple revenge.
But he also didn’t want to drag down his disciple and his daughter.
“Nothing much. I’m just a little curious—what exactly did you entrust in that short time just now?”
“Those two... fled quite fast. It seems you gave them a protective talisman, which is how they slipped away right under my nose.”
Gu Changge chuckled softly, as if he had seen straight through Bai Kun’s thoughts at a glance.
Though he had anticipated it somewhat,
he had still slightly underestimated Bai Kun’s methods—to actually let two people conceal their auras and slip away under the eyes of so many Cultivators and living beings.
He had to admit, this method surprised Gu Changge somewhat, but it also gave rise to his intention to spare Bai Kun’s life.
Of course, Gu Changge wasn’t worried about any consequences.
Those two might have escaped for now... but they couldn’t escape forever.
As long as Bai Kun was in his hands, he had plenty of ways to make the two of them show themselves.
“What do you mean? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
Bai Kun stared coldly at Gu Changge. Though his eyes were blind, his heart was not.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand.”
“You only need to understand one thing: today, even if you want to die, you won’t be able to.”
“From this day forth, your life belongs to me.”
Gu Changge smiled faintly.
Then he struck swiftly. Black runes flickered in his palm, rules cascading down like lightning, slamming directly toward Bai Kun’s abdomen.
“What is this...”
Bai Kun’s expression changed. Before he could even resist, he felt a bizarre force pierce through his organs, bones, and blood, descending straight toward where his Spiritual Sea lay.
This bizarre force was too terrifying, carrying deep greed and malice, as if alive, taking root within his wheel of life.
It was like a woven black net that instantly sealed off his Spiritual Sea.
A sense of deathly stillness and withering spread, ceaselessly devouring his magic power.
“What secret art is this...”
“You sealed my cultivation!”
Bai Kun, enraged and frantic, aggravated his injuries and couldn’t help spitting out another mouthful of blood with a wah, his face abruptly turning pale.
Gu Changge glanced at him indifferently and paid him no further mind.
He turned and walked downstairs, instructing, “Investigate the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion with full force. Also, escort the Demon Master Bai Kun back to the True Immortal Academy.”
The Nephrite Breeze Pavilion was definitely inextricably linked to Bai Kun.
Of that, there was no doubt.
If Gu Changge guessed correctly, one of the two who had just fled should be Bai Kun’s disciple.
As for the other one, they should be connected to the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion.
As for their exact identity, that remained to be investigated.
And if the investigation yielded no results, he would simply have to search Bai Kun’s soul.
Hearing these words, Bai Kun’s pupils couldn’t help but contract. He hadn’t expected that even after capturing him, Gu Changge wouldn’t let the matter rest and would continue investigating the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion.
He couldn’t help feeling worried.
Although his daughter Bai Lian’er had never shown herself before others all these years, and almost no one knew that the mysterious owner behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion was her—
Gu Changge had countless methods. Who could say he wouldn’t uncover it?
Subsequently, the Demon Master Bai Kun was seized, his cultivation sealed, escorted out by a host of knights, and thrown directly into a prison cart prepared in advance.
Witnessing this scene, all the Cultivators and living beings of Northcreek Ancient City collectively breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much more at ease. The great mountain hanging over their heads had finally fallen to the ground.
After all, anyone facing an existence like Gu Changge would tremble with dread.
“Today’s events have startled everyone. Changge feels somewhat apologetic.”
As he departed Northcreek Ancient City, Gu Changge smiled faintly and spoke to the Lord of Northcreek and the others who had seen him off outside the city.
“Young Master Changge jests. The Demon Master Bai Kun didn’t know his place and opposed you. Our cooperation with your search was only proper.”
The Lord of Northcreek and the others hurriedly waved their hands, their attitudes most humble.
“Moreover, Bandit Thirteen wrought havoc for many years. Your annihilation of those bandits is a meritorious deed.”
Everyone chimed in. Though their words were insincere, at a time like this, who would dare voice a single complaint?
“In that case, Changge shall take his leave first.”
Gu Changge smiled faintly, paying no mind to any of this. From beginning to end, he appeared graceful as jade, refined and courteous.
After saying this, he glanced toward a certain spot in the void.
In an instant, a faint crack sounded from there, as if something had snapped.
Then, leading his vast and mighty...