This Gives Me No Sense of Accomplishment at All — Wang Zijin's Speculation
This Gives Me No Sense of Accomplishment at All — Wang Zijin’s Speculation
“Gu Changge, you...”
“Give my Stone Engraving back! I was the one who found it!”
Gu Xianer couldn’t help grinding her teeth, hating Gu Changge so much her teeth itched.
“Who says finding it makes it yours? Right now it’s in my hands, so it’s mine. What, are you planning to snatch it back?”
“You’re welcome to try.”
Gu Changge shook his head slightly, wearing an expression of utter self-righteousness, completely unbothered by the way she looked like she wanted to take a bite out of him.
“You’ve gone too far! How can you be so despicable, stealing my things! You big jerk!”
Gu Xianer was about to explode with rage, her delicate body trembling.
Too bad her washboard-flat, dirt-poor figure showed no change whatsoever.
She had never imagined she would actually fall for Gu Changge’s trick.
The way he had spoken just now... was all to get her to take out this Stone Engraving.
And she had actually been stupid enough to believe his nonsense.
“You’re the one who’s too stupid. How is that my fault?”
Gu Changge sighed lightly and shook his head.
“Gu Changge, give my stuff back right now, or I’m really going to get angry — the kind that can’t be coaxed back...”
Gu Xianer glared at him indignantly, gnashing her teeth, looking absolutely furious.
As a money-grubber, how could she tolerate having a treasure that was already in her hands snatched away right in front of her? To her, this was simply... a humiliation.
Gu Changge chuckled. “Well, aren’t you... dreaming big. You even expect me to coax you?”
“Wuwuwu... Gu Changge, you’re bullying me again, why are you so awful...”
Seeing that he was impervious to both soft and hard tactics, Gu Xianer suddenly burst into sobbing.
However, Gu Changge reached out and pinched her nose, shaking his head slightly. “If you’re going to fake cry, at least make it convincing. Crying like this gives me no sense of accomplishment at all.”
Of course, returning this Stone Engraving to her was out of the question.
It contained, after all, a sliver of Godly Illusion Source — aside from artifact refinement, it was completely useless to Gu Xianer.
Gu Changge, on the other hand, could devour and refine it for his own use.
“I’ll give you a Sacred Lord Grade Artifact as compensation. That thing is useless to you anyway.”
Gu Changge then added.
“No way. At least five, or I’ll never talk to you again.”
Gu Xianer sniffled.
“Two at most. If you don’t want them, you get nothing.”
Gu Changge shook his head.
“Two? Are you trying to shoo away a beggar?”
Gu Xianer was displeased.
“Fine, then now you get zero.”
Gu Changge smiled.
“Alright then, since you insist on giving them, two it is.”
Hearing him say that, Gu Xianer, afraid he would go back on his word, hurriedly agreed.
Though on the surface she still put on a reluctant look, as if she had suffered a tremendous loss.
She could also tell that no matter how extraordinary that Stone Engraving was, it couldn’t compare to a single Sacred Lord Grade Artifact.
After all, Sacred Lord Grade Artifacts were treasures that could be passed down as hereditary sacred weapons among many ancient orthodoxies — extremely precious and exceedingly difficult to forge.
That Stone Engraving at most contained some special substance.
No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like Gu Changge was the one getting the short end of the deal.
Of course, since Gu Changge had promised to give Gu Xianer two Sacred Lord Grade Artifacts in exchange, he naturally wouldn’t deceive her.
Under her eager, expectant gaze, he casually picked out two Sacred Lord level weapons for her, and Gu Xianer’s perpetually furrowed little face finally broke into a smile.
“At least you have some conscience.”
She huffed, in quite a good mood.
She returned to her previous aloof, transcendent demeanor, that immortal-like air of not caring about anything in the world.
Perhaps because she had grown up poor, she had a natural obsession with... all kinds of divine weapons and treasures.
Whenever faced with such things, and whenever in front of Gu Changge, she couldn’t help revealing her true colors, transforming into a money-grubber.
Afterward, Gu Changge took her to rendezvous with Yue Mingkong of the True Immortal Academy, while the members of the Longevity Gu Family all followed behind him.
Since Gu Changge had appeared here, he was naturally the one in charge.
The disciples and Elders of the True Immortal Academy all looked at Gu Changge with somewhat unnatural expressions.
Although they had feared him before, it had never been to today’s degree.
The King of Six Crowns Jun Yao, the Phoenix Lady, and the others all subconsciously avoided Gu Changge’s gaze, not daring to meet his eyes.
“Brother Gu was truly magnificent just now. What a pity we didn’t get to see the show of you suppressing Jiang Luoshen and forcibly abducting the princess. Such a shame.”
Wang Zijin spoke with a beaming smile.
She wore a water-blue long dress, her face devastatingly beautiful. As she spoke, her lovely eyes curved into crescent moons, making her look exceptionally charming and alluring.
It had to be said, in terms of appearance alone, she was beautiful to near perfection, enough to rival Yue Mingkong’s flawless beauty.
The difference lay in their temperaments.
She was like an orchid in a secluded valley, a clear mist in the forest, possessing a serene and moving grace — yet the words she spoke contained an unbelievable boldness, like a seductive enchantress.
“That was just a joke earlier. I’ve made a fool of myself before Zijin-guniang.”
Gu Changge seemed long accustomed to her teasing words and paid them no mind. After smiling faintly, he glanced at Jiang Chuchu.
Seeing her calm expression, as still as still water, he didn’t take the initiative to greet her either.
To him, such social niceties were, by now, dispensable.
It was just that his public persona couldn’t be allowed to collapse.
Wang Zijin’s smile didn’t fade. She gave Gu Changge a deep look but didn’t say anything more.
Although Gu Changge now carried the identity of the Reincarnation of the Mortal One...
In her view, it was nothing more than some kind of agreement reached between Gu Changge and Jiang Chuchu.
Of course, in the eyes of the other orthodoxies, this was a transaction between Gu Changge and the Mortal Palace — the identity of the Mortal One’s reincarnation was merely a means for the Mortal Palace to stabilize people’s hearts.
How could Gu Changge suddenly become the Reincarnation of the Mortal One? Not many would believe it.
This was an unspoken secret among the supreme orthodoxies standing at the very peak of the Beyond.
However, after witnessing Gu Changge’s power today, Wang Zijin suddenly felt that the speculation she had casually made before... might actually be true.
Given her understanding of Gu Changge, she naturally knew he had absolutely nothing to do with the so-called Mortal One.
So... the fact that Gu Changge possessed the Mortal One’s World-Nirvana Azure Lotus Body was truly intriguing.
Of course, this was only Wang Zijin’s speculation. She herself felt nothing toward the Mortal One — in fact, she even harbored a faint disgust toward him.
What she was curious about now was how Gu Changge had managed all of this.
“Any gains?”
Just as various thoughts flashed through Wang Zijin’s mind, Gu Changge walked over to Yue Mingkong’s side and asked with a smile.
“There may be something hidden beneath that palace.”
Yue Mingkong nodded slightly, pointing at the crack not far away that was spewing forth radiant light.
From this angle, one could clearly see brilliant splendor emerging within — an ancient palace, as if cast from seven-colored immortal jade, rising and sinking there.
Earlier, quite a few big shots had sensed the disturbance within and charged in, but no word had come back out since.
At this moment, the leaders of many great sects were staring fixedly at it without blinking.
A bit farther away, the members of the Godly Illusion Clan were also watching carefully, carrying some worry and tension.
As for Sky Emperor Mountain, the Ancient Ye Family, and other powers, they had also dispatched experts to wait nearby, with divine lights of every color interweaving across the sky.
Ancient Battle Chariots and white jade immortal carriages had landed in various places, with numerous blurry figures standing atop them.
Even farther away, more Cultivators and living beings were still rushing over.
The Godly Illusion Tomb was simply too vast. Where they were now was only a small area deep within it, and the disturbance here had drawn everyone over.
“Real tombs and fake tombs mixed together — one careless step and you die.”
A strange gleam flashed through Gu Changge’s eyes as he noticed Jiang Chen’s movements over on the Godly Illusion Clan’s side.
Jiang Chen and a mysterious monk had blended into the Godly Illusion Clan’s ranks — the Demonic Puppets had already reported this to him earlier.
So Gu Changge didn’t really mind.
What he wanted to know now was... whether the Godly Illusion Clan had gone to such great lengths to come here truly just for that Founding Ancestor’s relics, or whether some unknown secret was hidden here. Of course, what he cared about most was their Divinity Crystal.
That was something comparable to a Sacred Emperor Realm Dao Fruit.
At his current level, if he wanted to break through, it was already hard to find suitable targets. If he could obtain a Divinity Crystal, that would be an unexpected delight.
“Young Master Gu.”
At that moment, a voice filled with pleasant surprise reached Gu Changge’s ears.
He looked over and realized that, without him noticing, the Elders and disciples of Skyward Schloss had already arrived.
The one who had spoken was none other than Xiao Ruoyin.
They hadn’t seen each other for some time.
Now, her pure white dress fluttered gently in the wind, giving her an otherworldly air untouched by mortal dust.
Perhaps due to her cultivation, her skin now shimmered with a crystalline luster, snow-white and delicate, like congealed cream or fine jade.
Her entire being radiated astonishing beauty.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge.”
The Elders and disciples of Skyward Schloss all saluted, showing exceptional respect toward Gu Changge — after all, Gu Changge held another identity.
The Successor of Skyward Schloss!
“Xiao-guniang, why have you come here?”
Gu Changge put on a slightly surprised look, as if he had only just noticed her.
The disciples of the True Immortal Academy were also quietly sizing up this white-dressed woman, and many male disciples couldn’t help but flash looks of amazement in their eyes.
It was the kind of astonishment one felt toward beautiful things or people, stunned by their beauty.
Jiang Chuchu’s brows furrowed slightly, then she imperceptibly returned to her original expression.
Wang Zijin observed with great interest, especially sensing on this woman a feeling entirely different from everyone else’s.
This white-dressed woman’s attitude toward Gu Changge was clearly different from that of other Cultivators — she lacked that awe rooted deep in the bones.
Still, she could sense the woman’s nervousness; she wasn’t as natural as she appeared on the surface.
“Quite the schemer.”
She smiled inwardly, feeling that things were getting interesting.
Scheming against a sea king — tsk tsk.
“Gu Changge, who is she?”
Gu Xianer’s cool voice rang out, very direct and blunt.
But right after asking, she felt the atmosphere turn a bit strange, and subconsciously looked toward Yue Mingkong. “I’m asking on Mingkong-jie’s behalf.”
Yue Mingkong smiled faintly, took her little hand, and said, “This should be the Xiao Ruoyin, Xiao-guniang, whom Changge mentioned saving outside the Forbidden Area of the Ancient Celestial Continent.”
“Changge has told me about her before.”
Hearing this, the King of Six Crowns Jun Yao and the others were all somewhat astonished.
Someone saved outside the Forbidden Area of the Ancient Celestial Continent? As far as they knew, the Celestial Ancient Continent had only been opened to the outside world in recent years, but the Forbidden Area of the Ancient Celestial Continent within it had existed since ancient times.
Some said Remnant Immortals slumbered within; others said it hid secrets of the Celestial Ancient Era’s collapse.
Opinions varied.
This white-dressed woman actually came from that place.
They subconsciously assumed she was a visitor from the Forbidden Area.
However, Yue Mingkong’s words also made many people understand — as Gu Changge’s fiancée, her introduction seemed casual and natural, but in truth she was informing everyone:
Her relationship with Gu Changge was very close.
Gu Changge had hidden none of these things from her.
Under normal circumstances, Yue Mingkong would never bother to involve herself in such matters, let alone explain things to everyone like this.
But today she faintly sensed something off about the atmosphere.
Whether it was Wang Zijin or Jiang Chuchu, both seemed to have countless tangled threads connecting them to Gu Changge.
Even Jiang Luoshen, the Godly Illusion Clan princess who had left with her people earlier, had an enormous connection to Gu Changge in her past life.
And now yet another tool — Xiao Ruoyin — had popped up.
It gave her a bit of a headache. Why was Gu Changge surrounded by nothing but orioles and swallows in this life?
So by doing this, she was also asserting her status.
She was Gu Changge’s rightful fiancée, his future wife yet to wed.
With Yue Mingkong’s introduction, everyone now knew Xiao Ruoyin’s identity. Though slightly surprised, they didn’t ask further.
Gu Changge casually asked Xiao Ruoyin about her recent cultivation progress, showing his concern.
Xiao Ruoyin answered truthfully, saying she had been cultivating diligently and would not disappoint him.
“That’s good. I truly hope the day your cultivation bears fruit comes soon.”
Gu Changge smiled.
While talking with Gu Changge, Xiao Ruoyin was also carefully trying to blend into this circle.
She knew that every young man and woman before her had an extraordinary identity, with terrifying backgrounds behind them, enough to look down upon countless orthodoxies of the Beyond — people she normally could never hope to even meet.
And Gu Changge was clearly the central figure of this circle.
So while greeting Gu Changge, she also wanted to make herself familiar to this group of young elites.
Xiao Ruoyin wasn’t stupid; she had her own selfish motives and little calculations.
In her old world, she never had to consider such things — she was surrounded by people fawning over her.
But now it was completely different. A powerless, weak woman like her had only one reliance... her tenuous connection with Gu Changge.
She knew Gu Changge, but to say she was close to him was simply impossible.
Although she had once thought about getting closer to Gu Changge, it remained just a thought.
Her only capital was... the body and beauty she had kept pure for over twenty years.
But these... were utterly worthless before Gu Changge.
In the distance, Jiang Chen watched Xiao Ruoyin trying to blend into that circle of young prodigies, his fists clenched deathly tight, his heart twisting in agony, an indescribable feeling of powerlessness and pain.
That was the aloof goddess he had always admired.
Now she was so humble and cautious, working hard to please the great enemy he hated and detested beyond measure.
And Xiao Ruoyin had no idea of the other party’s true face and sinister intentions.
“Benefactor Jiang, why do you keep staring over there...”
Beside him, Monk Pu Du noticed this and asked with interest.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen’s heart jolted, and he hurriedly withdrew his gaze.
He feigned nonchalance and explained, “Among the younger generation, how many can be like Gu Changge, surrounded by devastating beauties? It’s truly enviable.”
He didn’t dare let Monk Pu Du know about his feud with Gu Changge.
The lesson he had suffered at the hands of the Ji siblings last time — he still remembered it clearly.
Hearing this, Monk Pu Du smiled and said, “Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Pink-cheeked beauties are but piles of withered bones. What is there to envy? Benefactor Jiang, take it easy.”
Above the golden clouds, the cold-faced Jiang Luoshen heard the conversation between the two below. Her brows furrowed, and her gaze couldn’t help turning toward Gu Changge’s direction.
“Gu Changge, I will not forget this grudge.”
She bit her silver teeth, unable to forget Gu Changge’s threatening words from earlier.
That bone-chilling killing intent and coldness still lingered, refusing to dissipate.
From childhood until now, it was the first time anyone had threatened her like that — one could even say it was the first time she had ever known what fear was.
That feeling made her very soul tremble, unforgettable.
To her, it was likewise a humiliation.
“Jiang Chen, if you can’t find the Ancestor’s relics this time, you can wait for death.”
Then, Jiang Luoshen coldly swept a glance at Jiang Chen below, delivering his final verdict of life or death.
If not for him, how could she have clashed with Gu Changge, even getting Jiang Ming and a peak Sacred Lord Realm Elder killed?
If Jiang Chen weren’t still useful to her, she would have long since slapped him to death to vent her hatred.
Hearing this, Jiang Chen cursed inwardly — where was all this toughness when you were in front of Gu Changge just now?
But he didn’t dare show the slightest disrespect on his face, hurriedly replying, “Please rest assured, Princess Luoshen, I’m very confident this time.”
Boom!!
Just then, a tremendous commotion suddenly came from the crack where the many experts had rushed in earlier.
That dazzling palace trembled, and thick blood-red light gushed out from within.
For a moment, all the Cultivators and living beings turned their attention over, deeply shocked.
The next instant, several screams rang out. An old man in a purple robe flew out from within, covered in blood, his injuries unspeakably severe.
While still in midair, he seemed to be struck by a terrifying force and exploded on the spot, body and soul annihilated.
This scene shocked everyone. Many even froze where they stood, not daring to move.
Of the many experts who had entered earlier, not a single one had survived.
“This place holds great peril. The younger generation should not enter rashly.”
The experts of the True Immortal Academy, Skyward Schloss, and the Longevity Gu Family all stared at the spot with wary eyes.
“Princess Luoshen, the entrance is beneath that palace. They all looked in the wrong place just now.”
After his shock, Jiang Chen communicated with the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation in his mind, then sent a voice transmission to Jiang Luoshen.
Jiang Luoshen frowned and glanced at him and Monk Pu Du. “You two go in first.”
Hearing this, Monk Pu Du’s expression changed, and he was about to refuse, only to see Jiang Chen agree with a face full of solemnity.
“Very well, this little monk shall trust you once today.”
Monk Pu Du sighed helplessly, then he and Jiang Chen transformed into divine light, heading straight toward the crack from before.
Seeing this, Jiang Luoshen’s expression shifted slightly. She hesitated no longer and ordered her people to follow.
“Are they trying to get themselves killed?”
A young disciple of the True Immortal Academy frowned, quite puzzled.
Yue Mingkong looked at Gu Changge and said softly, “Are we going in?”
Gu Changge held her soft, slender hand and said casually, “No rush. Let’s wait a while first.”