If You Can't Learn, There's No Need to Stay Alive — Heading to the Demon World to Find Someone
If You Can’t Learn, There’s No Need to Stay Alive — Heading to the Demon World to Find Someone
The moment Jiang Luoshen sat down, she felt something was off.
Why should she listen to Gu Changge? He told her to sit, and she just sat? With that thought, she stood back up again.
Her face wore an icy-cold expression as she stared at him and spoke directly, “Gu Changge, this time I’ve come to make a deal with you.”
“I know.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge lifted his eyes to glance at her, then unhurriedly went back to fanning the fire beneath the tea stove.
The pale purple flames carried a terrifying quality, as if they could incinerate all things. Even the void itself seemed to blur, as though it might collapse at any moment.
Clearly, this was an exceedingly rare flame.
“You know?”
At those words, Jiang Luoshen’s brows furrowed. She hadn’t expected Gu Changge to say that.
Before coming, she had made thorough preparations, which naturally included guessing at Gu Changge’s many possible reactions and the things he might say.
But now Gu Changge was saying... he knew.
It gave her the feeling of having miscalculated.
For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.
“It’s nothing more than... wanting me to keep my mouth shut and not expose your Godly Illusion Clan’s so-called explanation.”
“And the condition in exchange is... that you guarantee you won’t reveal that those four cult leaders died at my hands, right?”
Gu Changge smiled casually. “After all, quite a few people witnessed everything with their own eyes back then. As long as you’re ruthless enough to seize the divine souls of the clansmen who fled alongside you, you can naturally reconstruct the scene of what happened.”
“That’s my so-called leverage against you.”
“Tell me, am I right?”
Hearing this, Jiang Luoshen’s expression couldn’t help but change, her eyes looking at him with some disbelief.
She truly hadn’t expected that Gu Changge not only knew her origins, but could even speak the words she was about to say before she said them.
It suddenly gave her the feeling of being seen through from head to toe.
Everything Gu Changge said was correct.
There had been no shortage of people who witnessed Gu Changge slay the four cult leaders back then.
Besides her, several of her clansmen had also witnessed it all with their own eyes.
So in her view, this was the confidence backing her in coming to make a deal with Gu Changge.
If Gu Changge exposed their lie, then they would naturally make this matter public as well, going down in mutual destruction with him.
But from the looks of it now, Gu Changge seemed to have long known of their intentions, and didn’t care in the slightest.
“It seems I was right.”
Watching Jiang Luoshen’s slightly changed expression, Gu Changge smiled and continued, “From the looks of it, you all seem to have been a bit too naive. Since I dared to kill those people, I naturally don’t fear their retaliation. Besides, how credible do you think those words would be if spoken now?”
“Gu Changge, then what exactly will it take for you to agree?”
Jiang Luoshen’s face darkened slightly as she asked.
Before coming here, she had never imagined the situation would develop like this.
Matters like this were all one-sided claims from their Godly Illusion Clan.
Although they had ways to seize their clansmen’s divine souls and reconstruct the scene from back then, there would absolutely be sects who suspected it was all fabricated by them, with the goal of merely diverting disaster eastward.
Anyone with even slightly higher attainments in divine soul techniques could easily tamper with memories.
It wasn’t a very good method at all.
Full of holes.
Gu Changge clearly wasn’t worried — he surely had other countermeasures.
Thinking this, Jiang Luoshen felt the matter growing increasingly... thorny.
“My condition is actually very simple. You stay. I need a hostage from the Godly Illusion Clan by my side — and the kind I can order around at any time... Otherwise, I can’t trust you. After all, with deals like this, both sides need to show sincerity.”
“Don’t look at me with that expression.”
“Right now, I’m holding your entire clan’s lifeline in my hands. Believe it or not, with just one word from me, the other sects would absolutely be blinded by hatred and send armies to march against your clan.”
“When that time comes, I doubt the Godly Illusion Clan could hold them off... Tsk tsk, that’s eight cult leaders, representing eight great sects behind them...”
Gu Changge leisurely brewed himself a cup of tea, then spoke casually, as if discussing nothing more than a trivial matter.
Jiang Luoshen thought of the possibility he described, and her face paled somewhat, but she still gritted her teeth, cold as ice.
“Gu Changge, don’t go too far. I can agree to any other condition, but this one is absolutely out of the question.”
“If you want a hostage, I can send word to my royal father and have him send my younger sister over.”
She thought of a compromise.
Didn’t Gu Changge want a hostage and sincerity? Then her sister would work just as well! With her status, how could she possibly stay by Gu Changge’s side as a hostage?
Much less the kind that could be ordered around at any time...
Not to mention Gu Changge was incomparably dangerous. Staying by his side, who knew when she might accidentally lose her life — she’d have to stay vigilant at every moment.
That bone-deep fear from before still surfaced in her heart from time to time, impossible to erase.
Like a haunting nightmare.
“Your sister? Is she the future Divine Emperor of the Godly Illusion Clan?”
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow, then unhurriedly blew on his tea.
“Although my sister isn’t the future Divine Emperor, she’s still a prodigy with powerful talent in the Godly Illusion Clan. Even if she’s not my equal, her future achievements won’t be low...”
Jiang Luoshen’s eyes fixed on Gu Changge, her heart deeply uneasy.
Gu Changge chuckled, “What’s the use of saying all that? As her older sister, you’re selling out your own sister just like that? What a pity, though — I only want you.”
“If you can’t agree to this condition, then there’s nothing more to discuss.”
With that, he began sipping his tea, appearing quite at leisure.
Gu Changge was in no hurry.
He was certain Jiang Luoshen would agree in the end. Keeping her by his side as a hostage would, on one hand, make the Godly Illusion Clan wary of acting rashly.
On the other hand, he happened to be short a maid to order around lately.
The future Divine Emperor of the Godly Illusion Clan — that status was barely acceptable.
Of course, if Jiang Luoshen insisted on opposing him like she had back in the Godly Illusion Tomb...
Then Gu Changge wouldn’t mind killing her once more.
He refused to believe she had that many Death Substitution Puppets on her.
“Gu Changge, you... can you change the condition...”
Jiang Luoshen’s silver teeth clenched tight. Proud and strong-willed as she was, her heart was now filled with utter humiliation.
Although Gu Changge’s words “I only want you” sounded somewhat strangely ambiguous...
They brooked no refusal.
“My patience isn’t great, and I don’t like repeating something a third time.”
Gu Changge shook his head slightly, then took another slow sip of tea, waiting for her to agree.
This kind of walking-straight-into-the-trap situation struck him as rather laughable.
She was the future Divine Emperor of the Godly Illusion Clan, after all, yet so naive.
At the end of the day, he had overestimated Jiang Luoshen’s methods.
“You... why does it have to be this condition...”
Jiang Luoshen’s face was full of unwillingness, her jade hands clenched tight.
Before coming to the True Immortal Academy to find Gu Changge, she had already steeled herself to endure humiliation.
But she never could have imagined that the condition Gu Changge proposed would be so excessive! And yet, right now, she could hardly refuse! It was exactly as Gu Changge said — they thought they held leverage over him, that they could force him to submit and reach a deal with them.
But as it turned out, this leverage was utterly insignificant to Gu Changge. He simply didn’t care.
On the contrary, Gu Changge held their entire clan’s lifeline in his grasp.
Eight cult leaders dead! It might not sound like a big deal, but the implications behind it were terrifying.
Eight great sects — though each one individually was inferior to the Godly Illusion Clan...
Added together, no matter how deep one’s foundations or how powerful one’s heritage, anyone would have to think twice and weigh it carefully.
Even if she relayed Gu Changge’s words to her royal father...
Her father would surely make her agree! “Why does it have to be this condition?”
At her question, Gu Changge actually pondered it seriously for a moment, then looked Jiang Luoshen up and down carefully. “That, you’d have to ask yourself. Although your personality is quite nasty, your looks barely pass muster in my eyes.”
As the princess of the Godly Illusion Clan...
Jiang Luoshen’s appearance was naturally devastatingly beautiful.
Golden hair cascading like a waterfall, a tall figure, long and straight legs...
Exquisite, flawless features that set off skin as white as ice, so delicate it seemed a breath could break it, with a sculptural, three-dimensional quality.
Gu Changge said this frankly and directly, without any attempt at concealment, which instead left Jiang Luoshen stunned.
She had never heard anyone speak of her like this.
She was long accustomed to all kinds of flattery, but coming from Gu Changge’s mouth, it seemed to carry a different feeling.
He knew she was beautiful? Then why had he struck to kill her back then, so ruthless and merciless? “Hmph!”
“Gu Changge, you say my personality is nasty?”
“And how much better is yours?”
Jiang Luoshen couldn’t help but sneer. “Though at least your eyes aren’t blind.”
“Such nonsense is useless. In my eyes, if your beauty can’t please me, I might kill you at any time.”
Gu Changge took an unhurried sip of tea, then glanced at her and said leisurely, “I’ve given you the choice. It’s up to you what you do.”
“Hmph, I can agree to your condition, but you must guarantee you won’t force me to do anything I don’t want to do.”
“Furthermore, you can’t harm the interests of my Godly Illusion Clan.”
Seeing Gu Changge’s appraising gaze sweep over her from top to bottom, Jiang Luoshen wasn’t coy like other women.
Instead, she met his eyes coldly, openly displaying her devastating beauty and proud figure.
“Oh? And what if I do force you?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge seemed quite intrigued, chuckling as he asked.
“Then I’ll definitely go down in mutual destruction with you.”
Jiang Luoshen’s gaze was ice-cold, her jade hand gripping tightly around a page of the Golden Decree.
“Fine then. Start by calling me Master.”
Gu Changge glanced at her sleeve and said nonchalantly, clearly not taking her conditions seriously at all.
“You...”
Jiang Luoshen’s beautiful eyes flashed with fury, and she nearly couldn’t stop herself from summoning her artifact.
But considering she was far from being Gu Changge’s match, she forcibly suppressed that surge of anger.
She hadn’t come here to take revenge on Gu Changge, nor to oppose him.
“That is something I cannot do.”
She said coldly, turning her face away.
“Then pour my tea and massage my shoulders. Surely you can do that much?”
Gu Changge’s expression remained unchanged, appearing especially calm and casual.
“I cannot.
I have never served anyone.”
Jiang Luoshen’s voice was icy, without the slightest fluctuation.
As the princess of the Godly Illusion Clan, she had always stood high above all, overlooking everything with noble bearing.
When had she ever served anyone, let alone poured tea and massaged shoulders?
“So you’re toying with me, then?”
Gu Changge smiled, showing no sign of anger. “This you can’t do, that you can’t do—then what exactly can you do?”
“Or do you truly want me to kill you?”
He spoke lightly, appearing not the least bit angry.
Yet Jiang Luoshen felt a terrifying chill and killing intent rushing toward her, practically suffocating her and making her tremble.
“I...”
Jiang Luoshen’s expression shifted slightly. She couldn’t help but clench her silver teeth, a faint cold sweat breaking out on her back. She knew these words of Gu Changge’s were his final warning.
If she continued to act willfully...
Today’s matter would likely not end peacefully.
“In front of me, you’d best put away that princess temper of yours. Otherwise, one day when I’m in a bad mood, I might just spill the affairs of your Godly Illusion Clan to the world.”
Gu Changge glanced at her. “Not knowing how to serve people is fine. You can learn.”
“And if you truly can’t learn... then there’s no need for you to keep living.”
He said it simply, but his words carried a terrifying killing intent.
Jiang Luoshen’s face paled. In a daze, she seemed to see a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood rushing toward her, and her whole body couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Her jade hands clenched tight. Her heart was filled with unwillingness, yet she didn’t dare go against Gu Changge.
“I... I understand. But Gu Changge, don’t push things too far.”
Jiang Luoshen gritted her teeth and took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She laboriously moved her feet, walking toward Gu Changge.
Serving someone for the first time...
She appeared extremely clumsy at it.
Seeing Gu Changge’s brow furrow in apparent displeasure, her hand couldn’t help but shake, nearly spilling the tea.
Gu Changge shook his head slightly, quite disdainful. “You can’t even pour tea properly. You really are useless.”
Jiang Luoshen’s face remained cold, but her heart was filled with humiliation. In all her years of life, this was the first time anyone had called her useless.
She very much wanted to splash the tea in his face, throw down her hands, and quit—let whoever wanted to serve him do it.
But such words she only dared say in her heart.
After entering the True Immortal Academy, Jiang Luoshen never left again, instead remaining there.
When the many Heavenly Talents and Elders later discovered this, they were all shocked.
They had assumed Jiang Luoshen had come to find Gu Changge for some particular business.
But who would have thought that once she came, she wouldn’t leave—instead staying by Gu Changge’s side.
What did this mean? While the many young Heavenly Talents burned with envy and jealousy, they deeply felt that the gap between people was so vast it could hardly be described even as a chasm.
“She’s staying and not leaving?”
Upon receiving the news, Yue Mingkong felt a faint twinge of sourness in her heart.
She didn’t know Jiang Luoshen’s purpose in seeking out Gu Changge. Rather, Jiang Luoshen’s current actions were oddly consistent with her previous life.
Only, in the previous life, she had gone to the Gu Family to visit Gu Changge.
In this life, she had come to the True Immortal Academy to find him.
Still, she didn’t go make trouble for Jiang Luoshen. There was no need to concern herself with such a matter.
Jiang Chuchu and Wang Zijin, due to business at the Mortal Palace...
...had also left the True Immortal Academy and were unaware of this matter.
Otherwise, their reactions would certainly have been no better than Yue Mingkong’s.
And in the period that followed, the various Daoist lineages of the Beyond were all searching for traces of Jiang Chen and Monk Pu Du.
In addition, the Eternal Overcast sites appearing from time to time in various places had caused considerable panic.
Beyond that, things were... relatively calm.
During this period, Gu Changge had been continuously sending people to search everywhere for the locations of the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’s branches.
And it was precisely this matter that drew the attention of many Daoist lineages and forces.
Although the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion, as an assassin organization, fell far short of long-established assassin organizations like Pagoda, Humanness, and Neraka...
In recent years, it had risen to fame across the Beyond, and the Heavenly Talents and Cultivators who had died at its hands were beyond counting.
Gu Changge dispatching numerous Cultivators to search everywhere for the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’s whereabouts shocked many people, who didn’t understand his reasons for doing so.
Could it be that the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion had offended Gu Changge? Moreover, Gu Changge even issued a bounty.
Any Cultivator who could capture a Nephrite Breeze Pavilion assassin could come to him to collect a generous reward.
For a time, many Cultivators of the Beyond sprang into action at the news, beginning to search everywhere for the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’s locations.
Quite a few branches were annihilated.
Although the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’s assassins hid themselves in various places, quite a few were still captured and delivered to Gu Changge.
Though these assassins were tight-lipped and would rather die than yield...
Under Gu Changge’s many interrogation methods, they still confessed some of the things that had happened within the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion recently.
“It seems Bai Lian’er has already left the Beyond, taking quite a few of the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’s experts to the Demon World. She must be planning to deliver the Brocade Bag first, then discuss the matter of rescuing Bai Kun.”
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow slightly.
In that case, there was no need for him to remain at the True Immortal Academy any longer. His original plan had been to wait for Bai Lian’er to show herself.
Now it seemed Bai Lian’er was considerably smarter than he had imagined, and had not rushed to this place.
“It seems I can only have Bai Kun escorted back to the Gu Family first.”
Gu Changge gave the order.
After that, he left the True Immortal Academy, bringing no followers with him.
Because the followers of the younger generation were now of little use to him.
The gap in strength was too great; at most they could only act as lackeys and throw their weight around.
So Gu Changge set his sights on experts of other levels.
Their cultivation had to be at least at the Sacred Realm to be qualified to follow at his side and handle matters for him.
He had Jiang Luoshen return to the Godly Illusion Clan to bring some manpower, while he himself made a trip to the Chaotic Star Territory.
The Chaotic Star Territory was just as its name suggested—utterly chaotic, as if composed of many shattered continents.
Vast and boundless, with endless surging starlight, dotted like stars across a board, scattered with many star remains and islands.
Every day one could see many Cultivators and merchant caravans coming and going.
“Gongzi.”
In an ancient city deep within the Chaotic Star Territory, he met Ji Qingxuan.
She was lecturing a group of people inside a palace.
Her face was lustrous and fair, her features delicate and beautiful, her hair smooth, dressed in a long purple gown, carrying an air of cool, bright elegance about her.
Ji Qingxuan had not disappointed him.
Under her governance, the Chaotic Star Territory appeared orderly and well-managed.
In terms of order, it was considerably more stable than when Bandit Thirteen had ruled.
Moreover, she had gained the aura of someone in a position of power.
Having tasted the flavor of authority, that flame called ambition had begun to show an unstoppable, sky-scorching tendency.
Upon seeing Gu Changge, Ji Qingxuan appeared very excited, grabbing his arm and reporting her gains during this period to him.
Wearing an expression that said “Gongzi, hurry and praise me.”
“The revenue during this period is at least thirty percent higher than when Bandit Thirteen ruled. The many merchant caravans are all very smart—they don’t dare not pay the tolls, and there have been far fewer casualties...”
“Give me three more years, and I’m confident I can double the scale of operations!”
She was very confident, naturally possessing a talent for management and governance.
“Well done.”
Gu Changge nodded and reviewed her accomplishments during this period.
Then, from among the many bandits, he selected quite a few experts to take with him—the weakest among them at the Sacred Realm.
There were even several beings of the Sacred Lord Realm, all of whom had offended other Daoist lineages and fled here, living lives on the edge of a blade.
This was a group of desperadoes, powerful in strength and rich in combat experience.
They naturally knew Gu Changge’s identity, and upon learning they could follow him, they were naturally wild with joy.
With this layer of status, what did their former enemies matter? In a single transformation, they went from being bandits who had once slaughtered wantonly to becoming Gu Changge’s subordinates.
The various clans of the Immortal Ancients and the Longevity Gu Family also received Gu Changge’s instructions and sent quite a few experts.
After accomplishing all this, Gu Changge led his group of subordinates to the agreed-upon location, waiting for Jiang Luoshen’s arrival.
“You’re going to the Demon World to find someone—what does that have to do with me?”
From far away, Jiang Luoshen’s voice came over. She rode upon golden clouds, radiance soaring to the heavens, with many Godly Illusion Clan experts following behind her.
Her face was quite cold, her tone laced with displeasure.
During this period, she had truly suffered quite a bit at Gu Changge’s hands, her pride harshly ground down.
Moreover, Gu Changge treated her entirely like a laborer to be ordered about.
Even for going to the Demon World to find someone, he had instructed her to fetch manpower from the Godly Illusion Clan.
Purely treating her as a tool.
Yet... she found it hard to believe that she had actually gradually grown accustomed to being ordered around by him like this.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge.”
The many experts of the Godly Illusion Clan respectfully saluted Gu Changge.
Although they knew Gu Changge intended to use them as laborers, they didn’t dare voice any complaint.
“Then why did you come along?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge swept a faint glance at Jiang Luoshen.
“I... naturally came because I’m worried you’d send my clan’s experts to their deaths.”
Jiang Luoshen said coldly.
“Is that so? That’s just as well—I’ll have a maid to order around on the journey.”
Gu Changge didn’t particularly care about the matter, and afterward headed directly for the Space Tunnel leading to the Demon World.
Unlike other worlds...
The Demon World was quite special, located in a relatively central region of the Beyond, with Space Tunnels that could easily traverse the World Barriers.
By now, across the various heavens of the Beyond, Gu Changge’s fame had reached an unprecedented peak.
His every move drew close attention.
Many people were even speculating when he would assume the position of Master of the Gu Family.
With his strength, he could absolutely accomplish it with ease.
The master of a Longevity Family at merely twenty-some years of age! And his sudden departure for the Demon World with a large force of experts drew the attention of many Daoist lineages.
Many Cultivators and living beings were shocked, all speculating about his reasons for doing so.