Merely a Pawn — Xiao Ruoyin and Jiang Chen, Old Acquaintances Reunited
Merely a Pawn — Xiao Ruoyin and Jiang Chen, Old Acquaintances Reunited
In the dark, damp dungeon, Bai Kun’s face was filled with grief as he stood frozen in place.
His only movable hand was bound in chains. He clenched it tightly, yet it still felt utterly powerless.
By now he was certain that Gu Changge already knew quite a bit about his daughter. Otherwise, why would he have spoken so many truths?
As the mysterious owner of the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion, Bai Lian’er had kept an extremely low profile all these years, almost never showing herself before outsiders.
Yet Gu Changge was so certain that his daughter was... the master behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion.
This could only mean that Gu Changge had already investigated and uncovered a great deal.
Moreover, Bai Kun knew his daughter’s temperament.
There was no way she would do as he had previously instructed. If she now learned that he had not been killed by Gu Changge, she would surely try every possible means to come rescue him.
And for... Gu Changge, he only needed to use Bai Kun as bait, lay an Inescapable Net, and his daughter Bai Lian’er would walk right into the trap and deliver herself to his door.
Bai Kun did not doubt Gu Changge’s intentions in the slightest.
“Gu Changge, what do you want to know?”
Soon, Bai Kun composed himself and could not help but ask, “If it’s something I know, I will definitely tell you.”
“Very good. I like smart people.
If Qianbei had obediently cooperated with me earlier, perhaps one day when I’m in a good mood, I might just release you, let you truly reunite with your daughter, and you wouldn’t even have to worry about being hunted by the Demon World.”
“For me, it’s merely a matter of being in a good mood—a single sentence.”
Seeing Bai Kun’s demeanor, Gu Changge already knew the man’s heart had wavered, and he could not help but smile faintly.
A person with a weakness may not fear death, but as long as you grasp that weakness, they are naturally easy to deal with.
Hearing this, Bai Kun’s expression shifted slightly.
Although he knew Gu Changge was most likely just speaking casually, a sliver of hope still rose in his heart.
Even an ant clings to life, let alone a human being. Moreover, just as Gu Changge said, he truly only needed a single sentence to make the Demon World abandon its hunt for him.
That way, he would no longer have to live like a rat in the dark underground, fleeing and hiding everywhere.
“Ask away.”
Bai Kun said.
The smile on Gu Changge’s face faded as he asked, “Why did you have your daughter and your disciple flee to the Demon World? As far as I know, the Demon World is not friendly to them these days. That was not a wise decision.”
Bai Kun’s expression changed slightly. He had not expected Gu Changge to ask about the Demon World right away.
This concerned the promise he had made to the Solar Demon Overlord back then. Why would Gu Changge, an outsider, care about such things...? However, Bai Kun did not dare hide anything from Gu Changge now, and said in a low voice, “I had them deliver something to the Demon World. It was a promise I made to an old friend long ago.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge’s heart stirred, and he immediately thought of the Solar Demon Overlord.
The old friend Bai Kun spoke of was naturally the Solar Demon Overlord.
“What was it that you delivered?”
He continued to ask.
Bai Kun hesitated for a moment. Sensing that Gu Changge’s expression seemed to have turned cold, he could not help but smile bitterly. “I don’t know what it was either. It was just a Brocade Bag. I have no idea what was inside.”
He was not lying. That Brocade Bag back then... had been personally handed to him by the Solar Demon Overlord, who told him to find an appropriate time in the future to deliver it to his son, Jun Bufan.
Bai Kun had never opened it.
Now that he had offended Gu Changge and was imprisoned with nowhere to go, he could only entrust this task to his disciple.
“Was it to be delivered to Jun Bufan, the own son of the Solar Demon Overlord who fell six thousand years ago?”
Gu Changge smiled faintly, with no intention of listening further. He brushed the dust off his robes and rose to leave the dungeon.
He had already obtained the information he wanted.
From the looks of it, the Solar Demon Overlord had indeed laid numerous contingency plans for his offspring.
Gu Changge had once believed that the six Demon Overlords born of the Demon World’s Fortuity were actually only at the Quasi-Nirvana Realm.
But now it seemed he had underestimated the strength of these Demon Overlords.
If they were merely at the Quasi-Nirvana Realm, how could they have laid plans that persist to this day? So this son of the Demon Overlord was actually a Fortuitous One combining the reincarnation trope and the inheritance trope.
“What...”
Bai Kun’s expression changed drastically, and he blurted out, “How do you know about this?”
Regarding Jun Bufan’s matter, aside from... the people of the Demon World, how would any other sect or force care about it? Six thousand years ago, the Solar Demon Overlord had laid numerous contingency plans before vanishing without a trace, leaving behind a Dharma Body to inform Bai Kun of this matter.
So Bai Kun had always suspected that Jun Bufan had only faked his death back then.
But... where had Gu Changge learned of this, and how could he be so certain? His heart surged with monstrous waves that would not calm for a long time.
Gu Changge paid no heed to Bai Kun’s shock and had already left the dungeon directly. Soon, the place returned to dead silence.
Bai Kun stood there in a daze, still unable to react even now.
Faintly, he felt that he had been drawn into an invisible, terrifying vortex.
This filled him with deep guilt and regret.
After leaving the dungeon, Gu Changge did not intend to inform Empress Yao Xi of the information he had obtained.
Previously, he had merely been interested in Jun Bufan, this Fortuitous One.
But now, after hearing what Bai Kun had said, he felt that the Demon World seemed to be hiding an extraordinary secret.
The turmoil in the Demon World six thousand years ago did not seem to have been an accident.
This secret intrigued him greatly.
“Empress Yao Xi... perhaps she is merely a pawn being used...”
“It seems that only by completely controlling her will I have the chance to place my own pieces in this game of chess.”
Gu Changge looked at the tea that had already gone cold and shook his head slightly.
With Ji Qingxuan not by his side, he really was a bit unaccustomed. It seemed he would have to find some time to get a satisfactory new maid.
He already had a plan in mind: once the matter of the Godly Illusion Tomb was settled, he would make a trip to the Demon World.
Afterward, he summoned his group of followers, and his figure tore through the void, leaving the True Immortal Academy directly.
The many Elders who noticed this scene were first stunned, then smiles appeared on their faces.
“It seems Gu Changge still plans to go to this trial after all...”
“Things are about to get lively.”
...
Meanwhile, countless distances away, the Godly Illusion Tomb was in a scene of great commotion.
Sou sou sou!!! Streak after streak of divine rainbow tore through the sky, crossing mountains, rivers, and great marshes to rush toward this place.
All kinds of golden Ancient Battle Chariots rumbled across the firmament like suns hanging high in the sky, dazzling and resplendent.
In the distance there were also white jade immortal carriages as cool and clear as the moon, vast and heavy primordial demonic mountains, and magnificent golden palaces and pavilions floating in the air, half-hidden among the clouds and mist...
All of these... bore the marks of the various great sects and forces, with numerous prodigies and Cultivators standing atop them. It was extraordinarily lively, a veritable sea of people.
The emergence of the Godly Illusion Tomb had shaken the many sects and great clans of the Beyond, who dispatched their experts to rush over, intending to claim a share of the spoils.
Even farther away, many great figures could be seen hurrying over, followed by quite a few young people.
These great figures were radiant and blurred all over, as if carrying a majestic might, powerful beyond belief.
A vast and mighty pressure enveloped heaven and earth—their strength and imposing aura were terrifyingly different from those of the younger generation.
Gray miasma rose among the mountains and marshes.
Mixed within it were the roars of unknown ferocious beasts that shook the eight directions, making the land within a thousand li tremble.
Cracks split open in some of the mountains flowing with crimson radiance, and then terrifying beasts resembling fire qilins burst out from within, flowing with sacred might. With a single breath, it was as if magma fell from the sky, submerging ten thousand li of scorched earth.
The sights here were astonishing and terrifying. The slightest carelessness could cost one their life.
So many prodigies and Cultivators banded together in groups, and the various sects employed all sorts of means to resist the pressure of this place.
At the same time, they stayed wary of the ferocious beasts that charged out from time to time, lest they lose their lives.
Earlier, a Sacred Realm expert had tried to head deeper in.
As a result, everyone witnessed that fire qilin-like beast open its mouth and breathe out, burning him to ashes in an instant, body and soul utterly destroyed.
The Godly Illusion Tomb, though called a tomb, was actually more like a ruin.
Farther away, one could still see the outlines of long-shattered cities, with some Array Pattern imprints still flickering with light.
“I heard that the one who passed away in this Godly Illusion Tomb is a Founding Ancestor of the Godly Illusion Clan, whose cultivation long ago surpassed the Sacred Emperor Realm. He very likely possessed a Divinity.”
“A Divinity—that’s a Supreme Treasure beyond compare. If we obtain it, even against Gu Changge, we could contend and fight.”
Among the mountain ridges, a group of young prodigies from a Cult of Immortality had gathered together, led by their sect’s Elders, making their way inward.
At this moment, the one speaking had eyes filled with intense longing and fervor.
The Godly Illusion Clan’s Divinity Crystal was something equivalent to a Cultivator’s Dao Fruit.
It contained supreme fortune and could even let someone achieve sainthood on the spot, inheriting part of the cultivation of that Godly Illusion Clan ancestor.
Such a thing would move even the leader of a great sect—none could sit still over it.
So even knowing it belonged to the Godly Illusion Clan, it still attracted countless sects and Cultivators.
Faced with such a treasure, even the Godly Illusion Clan could not stop everyone else from coming to fight for it.
After all, this Godly Illusion Tomb was not located within the Godly Illusion Clan’s own territory.
“Legend has it that this place was once the Practice Ground of that Godly Illusion Clan ancestor. For some unknown reason he passed away, and his Practice Ground fell apart.
But the opportunities left behind are plentiful. Even if we can’t get the Godly Illusion Divinity Crystal, finding a Stone Engraving for comprehension, or a supreme treasure art... would also be supreme fortune.”
Hearing the disciples’ discussion, the Elder in charge of leading them also spoke with yearning and longing.
He gazed distantly at the mountains, marshes, and lakes continuously erupting with radiance, his heart full of fervor.
Cultivators and prodigies like them could now be seen almost everywhere within the Godly Illusion Tomb.
“Ruoyin Shimei, be careful. The miasma here is very dangerous. If you get even a bit of it on you, it could corrode your skin...”
Ancient trees stood deep and secluded, vines hung like clouds, and pale gray mist shrouded heaven and earth.
Several immortal-mannered, lean-faced old men in Daoist robes were leading a group of young Cultivators through the mountain ridges, swiftly heading toward the Godly Illusion Tomb.
The one speaking now was a petite young woman with lovely features.
Around her were quite a few other young women, all beautiful, with a crowd of male disciples following behind.
“I understand. I’ll be careful, Song Qin Shijie.”
A tall, graceful woman of stunning beauty with long, slender legs nodded in response.
Her pure white dress fluttered gently in the wind, giving her an otherworldly air untouched by mortal dust.
It was none other than Xiao Ruoyin.
Whether in her previous world or in this current one, she was extremely beautiful.
Perhaps due to her cultivation, her skin now shimmered with a crystalline luster, snow-white and delicate, like congealed cream or fine jade.
Even in Skyward Schloss, she was revered as a fairy by many young disciples who secretly admired her.
Among the many disciples who had rushed to the Godly Illusion Tomb, she was one of the most dazzling, and many Elders looked after her.
Of course, it was not because of her cultivation—Xiao Ruoyin was self-aware about that much.
Many people knew that she had been able to join Skyward Schloss because of her connection to Gu Changge.
As an outsider from another world, she naturally knew what Skyward Schloss meant in this world.
She had no power, no influence, no background. If not for her connection to Gu Changge, she would not even have had the chance to get close to Skyward Schloss.
How else could she be so highly valued as she was now?
“Song Qin is right. You must be careful here. With your current cultivation, you really shouldn’t have come here.”
“But since you want to broaden your horizons, there’s nothing wrong with coming to take a look.”
“But remember, you must listen to us and not... act on your own. Otherwise, if something happens to you, we would have a hard time answering to Young Master Changge...”
At this moment, hearing this, one of the Elders also turned back specifically to give careful instructions.
Truth be told, Xiao Ruoyin’s insistence on coming here had left them quite helpless.
Her cultivation was not high, and this place was fraught with danger—it was all too easy to run into peril.
If something happened to Xiao Ruoyin, they simply could not imagine the terrifying consequences.
But she was insatiably curious and insisted on coming, promising that she would follow their instructions throughout and would not run about recklessly.
The Elders could hardly refuse.
After all, Xiao Ruoyin was truly beautiful, and on top of that, she had been sent over by Gu Changge, which inevitably made people suspect that her relationship with Gu Changge was intimate.
Considering this connection, all the Elders of Skyward Schloss attached great importance to her.
They dared not let any accident befall her, and even dispatched several extra Elders along.
“Mm, Elders, rest assured. Ruoyin will definitely listen to you and won’t run about recklessly.”
Xiao Ruoyin nodded in agreement.
She was not stupid. She knew that the enviable treatment she received was entirely because of Gu Changge.
So she cultivated diligently and worked hard in her daily training, not wanting to embarrass Gu Changge.
As for this trip to the Godly Illusion Tomb, it was entirely because she was curious about such trials and wanted to hone her experience through it.
“Elders, rest assured. With Ruoyin Shimei by my side, she’s very safe. I will protect her.”
Beside Xiao Ruoyin, the petite young woman...
could not help but speak with a laugh, revealing a row of fine white teeth.
Her name was Song Qin, a somewhat famous heaven’s pride daughter of Skyward Schloss with powerful cultivation.
However, Xiao Ruoyin knew that the reason Song Qin treated her so well was entirely because she wanted Xiao Ruoyin to put in a few good words for her in front of Gu Changge.
By now, Xiao Ruoyin had finally come to understand just what the three words “Gu Changge” represented in this vast Beyond.
How lucky she had been back then to encounter such a benefactor.
Suddenly, Xiao Ruoyin’s expression froze, her face showing some astonishment as she noticed two figures among the mountain ridges not far away.
One was a monk in tattered monastic robes, holding an alms bowl, looking rather... incongruous.
Beside the monk stood a young man. Judging by his figure, Xiao Ruoyin found him very familiar—he greatly resembled an old acquaintance of hers.
Only his face was different, looking somewhat weathered and unfamiliar.
“What’s wrong, Ruoyin Shimei? What are you looking at?”
Noticing her abnormality, Song Qin could not help but follow her gaze.
She happened to see that monk and young man as well.
She frowned in confusion, somewhat puzzled.
“Jiang Chen... why does he look so much like him? I wonder how Niu Tian and Jiang Chen are doing now...”
Xiao Ruoyin shook her head slightly. That young man was dressed in rags, his face covered in dust, as if he had just crawled out of the earth.
Though his figure resembled Jiang Chen’s, he was not him.
That made sense.
Jiang Chen and Niu Tian had no cultivation talent at all—how could they appear here?
By now, they were probably living their own lives in some mortal kingdom.
Thinking this, Xiao Ruoyin withdrew her gaze and headed deeper with the Skyward Schloss group. She quickly set the matter aside and paid it no further mind.
“Benefactor Jiang, what are you looking at? Why that expression...?”
“That female benefactor may be beautiful, but she’s clearly not from the same world as you. This humble monk advises you not to entertain such thoughts.”
Watching the figures of Xiao Ruoyin and the others, the monk not far away seemed to have noticed something as well and could not help asking with keen interest.
Jiang Chen’s tightly clenched fist slowly loosened, but his heart felt as though a breath was stuck in it—indescribably stifled.
Hearing this, he shook his head slightly and said, “Master Pu Du, why meddle in others’ affairs?”
The monk was named Pu Du. Over these past few days, Jiang Chen had become fairly familiar with him.
Jiang Chen had truly never expected to see Xiao Ruoyin again in this place, and in such a manner.
She was even more beautiful and moving than before.
And her cultivation was very strong—even somewhat stronger than his, despite his having obtained the Everchanging Demonic Arts.
This brought him some comfort and relief. It seemed that for now, Xiao Ruoyin was safe and living quite well, and had not fallen victim to Gu Changge’s poisonous hands.
Just now, Jiang Chen had very much wanted to go up and reunite with her, to make her see Gu Changge’s true face.
But his reason made him hold back, and he silently watched Xiao Ruoyin leave.
“If I reunite with her now, it would not only harm me, it would harm her too. Those sect Elders by her side would surely strike to kill me at the first moment.”
Jiang Chen thought to himself, having already calmed down.
Noticing his abnormality, Monk Pu Du’s smile became somewhat meaningful.
“Benefactor Jiang, could it be that you know that fairy from just now? You should know that group just now was from Skyward Schloss.”
“The fairy that Benefactor Jiang knows must have an extraordinary background.”
He could not help but say with a laugh.
Jiang Chen glanced at him and shook his head. “Extraordinary or not, it’s all the same. Before that, I think we’d better first help Jiang Luoshen find her ancestor’s true tomb. Otherwise, neither of us will live.”