So perfect it feels unreal—what is he after from her?
So perfect it feels unreal—what is he after from her?
The Black Jade Carriage came to a stop above the Sacred Mountain, while the numerous knights and great armies following behind it spread out in all directions, vigilantly scanning their surroundings, their auras powerful and their blood qi astonishing.
This was an elite force under Empress Yao Xi’s command.
Over the years, they had campaigned in every direction, their murderous aura soaring to the heavens. From afar, they resembled an unstoppable, all-crushing flood.
“Her Majesty the Empress has arrived!”
“She even brought the Asura Guards along. It seems Her Majesty the Empress is also quite wary about... this Banquet of Prodigies.”
At this moment, the gazes of nearly everyone in the Demon World turned in unison toward that direction—some filled with awe, some with reverence, some with admiration, some with dread, every emotion imaginable.
Empress Yao Xi rarely left the imperial palace on ordinary days, and the beings of the Demon World who had ever seen her true countenance were fewer still.
No matter...
what kind of important affairs or imperial decrees there were, they were all issued from her hands and delegated to the female officials under her command to carry out.
Now, countless eyes stared over with curiosity, everyone wanting a glimpse of the Empress’s peerless phoenix visage.
Rumor had it that Empress Yao Xi was the number one beauty of the Demon World in over six thousand years, beautiful as a celestial maiden, her looks eclipsing all in the eight directions.
Although such rumors carried a hint of disrespect, for the ordinary citizens of the Demon World, they held an unparalleled allure.
At the foot of the Sacred Mountain, all the prodigies raised their heads to gaze up at the Black Jade Carriage halted at the cloud’s peak.
Regardless of...
whether they were young men or women, all wore expressions of awe and reverence.
Quite a few young men even harbored other thoughts, stirring restlessly in their hearts.
For over six thousand years, no man had ever been heard of appearing by Her Majesty the Empress’s side.
Even her closest confidants were all women.
Toward an Empress whose power reached the heavens, who ruled the Demon World, whose beauty crowned the eight directions—it was impossible for them to have no other thoughts in their hearts.
And this Banquet of Prodigies today—wasn’t it also a chance for them to shine before Her Majesty the Empress? Thinking of this, their auras grew even more aggressive, their fighting spirit soaring.
“Yao Xi, did you ever imagine that our first meeting after six thousand years would be under circumstances like these?”
Jun Fan stood amid the crowd, his figure tall and straight, his features handsome, carrying a distinctive charm.
At this moment, his fists clenched tight as he stared fixedly at the Black Jade Carriage above. A cold smile flitted across the corner of his mouth before he quickly returned to his previous calm confidence.
Atop the Sacred Mountain, clouds and mist swirled, making it seem like a celestial realm—magnificent and vast.
Soon, Empress Yao Xi’s four female officials—Qing Zhu, Qing Mei, Qing Ju, and Qing Lan—briskly walked up to the carriage.
Qing Zhu’s expression was deferential as she extended a pair of jade-like hands and lifted the curtain of the Black Jade Carriage.
The next moment, Empress Yao Xi, dressed in phoenix robes with peerless grace, stepped out from within.
Her dark hair was like ink, her figure tall and slender, a touch of rouge adorning her brow, exuding immense majesty.
Yet her face could not be seen clearly, as though veiled by a layer of chaotic mist. Her exposed eyes were cold, carrying nobility and an air of looking down upon all.
“Young Master Changge, please.”
However, as she spoke, her expression abruptly turned cool and gentle, like melting snow, carrying an unexpected charm.
“Then... I must trouble Empress Yao Xi for such a welcome. Changge is truly overwhelmed by the favor.”
Accompanied by a light laugh, a man in black robes stepped out of the carriage after her.
His every movement carried an air of transcendent otherworldliness, as though all things under heaven revolved around him.
Even between the strands of his hair, brilliant divine light flickered, making him seem like a young deity. His aura was abyssal and unfathomable, leaving many beings of the Demon World unable to meet his gaze, their hearts trembling in shock.
“Young Master Changge... he actually shared a carriage with Her Majesty the Empress.”
This scene caused the expressions of many great figures of the Demon World to shift slightly.
To emerge from the same carriage as Her Majesty the Empress—just how much regard did that require? Although they knew the carriage contained a world of its own within, not nearly as cramped as it appeared from outside, so it wasn’t as if they had been pressed intimately together...
But one had to know that even the female officials closest to Empress Yao Xi were not qualified to share a carriage with her.
Let alone a young man—and especially stepping out of it before the eyes of all the great figures and citizens of the Demon Race under heaven.
In the past, this would have been simply... unthinkable.
However, thinking of Gu Changge’s status, position, and strength, they couldn’t help but smile bitterly in silence.
On careful reflection, there was nothing improper about such a matter at all.
It was only because, before this, Her Majesty the Empress’s temperament had always been cold and heartless, keeping all strangers at bay.
Suddenly witnessing such a scene truly struck them as world-shaking.
However, unlike the shocked, disbelieving expressions of the Demon World’s people, Jun Fan’s expression as he watched this scene appeared somewhat gloomy.
Although he disguised it well, he still could not fully conceal the coldness between his brows.
He had not expected that, seeing Yao Xi again after six thousand years, he would witness her walking so closely with another young man. Though there was nothing intimate in their conduct, it still made his heart deeply uncomfortable.
It was true that he wanted to kill Yao Xi and take his revenge—but as his former fiancée, how could she walk alongside another man? That said, Jun Fan’s temperament was no simple matter either; his expression quickly returned to normal, without the slightest change.
Not far from him, Song Youwei noticed Jun Fan’s expression just now, and her own expression grew slightly puzzled.
But she didn’t ask anything further. With light lotus steps and fluttering skirts, she walked toward him.
“Jun Fan-xiong.”
She spoke with a smile, by way of greeting.
Jun Fan looked at her, a smile appearing on his face as well. “Youwei.”
“I had thought you would return to the Black and White Academy during this time, but I never expected you to stay at the Grand Tutor’s residence and only come over now.”
Song Youwei smiled faintly. “It couldn’t be helped. My father assigned me some matters and I couldn’t get away. Could it be that Jun Fan-xiong had some business with me?”
As she spoke, she appeared poised and generous, exceedingly gentle and natural, as though she treated everyone this same way.
Hearing this, Jun Fan smiled and said, “I had originally planned to ask you about that great figure from the Beyond these past few days, but it seems that won’t be necessary now...”
As he spoke, he looked toward the young man seated at the summit of the Sacred Mountain, chatting merrily with Empress Yao Xi, like a deity descended to the mortal world.
Song Youwei was somewhat surprised, then said frankly, “So Jun Fan-xiong wanted to ask about Young Master Changge. Although I’ve only met him once, the first impression he gave me was excellent. He is a perfect man... perfect even to the point of feeling unreal.”
Hearing Song Youwei say this, Jun Fan felt a twinge of discomfort in his heart.
But on the surface, he remained natural and casual. “Is that so? It’s rare to see you give someone such high praise.”
He had previously asked Song Youwei for her opinion of him, and while her assessment had likewise been high, it had never reached the level she accorded Gu Changge.
By comparison, he now seemed utterly dim and lackluster.
Song Youwei pursed her lips in a smile. “Before this, I truly had never seen such a perfect man. He gives me a feeling like flowers in a mirror or the moon on water—an unreal sort of feeling.”
Jun Fan nodded and did not dwell further on the topic.
No matter what, even if Gu Changge stood at Empress Yao Xi’s side today, he would still choose the path of assassination.
This was a matter of the Demon World; Gu Changge was, in the end, merely an outsider.
If Gu Changge didn’t interfere, then things would be easy to handle.
If Gu Changge did interfere, he wouldn’t mind a bit more trouble.
Besides, if anything untoward happened to Gu Changge in the Demon World, that was a responsibility Empress Yao Xi absolutely could not bear.
Afterward, Jun Fan and Song Youwei continued chatting, and he indirectly inquired about how many men her father had brought along this time.
He and Song Youwei were quite familiar with each other, sharing something of a kindred-spirit friendship.
They had once trained together and had also crossed hands in the academy’s competitions, with neither able to best the other.
Because the two were well-matched in family background, appearance, and cultivation, quite a few busybodies believed their relationship ran deep.
However, Jun Fan knew very well that Song Youwei was like this with everyone—seemingly gentle and gracious, measured in her advances and retreats, yet always maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
It was true that his heart stirred for Song Youwei, but as for what attitude Youwei held toward him, he wasn’t entirely sure.
Hearing these questions, Song Youwei didn’t suspect him and told him everything in full detail.
“Is that so? Then I can rest easy.”
Jun Fan nodded slightly in his heart and began pondering how to make his move in a while.
For him and his subordinates, this was a rare opportunity, one not to be missed.
“I wonder, in Young Master Changge’s eyes, how do the prodigies of my Demon World compare to the prodigies of the Beyond? How far do they fall short?”
Meanwhile, at the summit of the Sacred Mountain, Empress Yao Xi and Gu Changge sat at the same table.
Pointing at the vast, surging mass of Demon World prodigies below, she couldn’t help but ask with a smile.
She didn’t ask how they compared.
Because she knew that no matter how one compared them, the prodigies of the Demon World ultimately could not match the prodigies of the Beyond.
Whether...
in talent, or in background and foundation... they fell far short in every respect.
Still, she wanted to know—in the eyes of Gu Changge, the number one of the Beyond’s younger generation—just how the Demon World’s prodigies measured up. Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled, then let his gaze fall, sweeping over that vast expanse of young figures, and said, “In Changge’s view, the only difference between the Demon World’s prodigies is... their cultivation environment. After all, one’s environment determines one’s horizons and the people one comes into contact with... If judged by cultivation alone, this group of Demon World prodigies could at most rank in the middle-to-lower tiers of the Beyond, or even at the bottom.”
Hearing this, Empress Yao Xi nodded thoughtfully. She didn’t find Gu Changge’s words harsh at all—on the contrary, they rang very true.
How could the prodigies of the Demon World compare to those... disciples born into Longevity Families and Cults of Immortality? “That is precisely why I want to change the Demon World’s environment. Yet there are always people who stand in my way, choosing to rest complacent and shut themselves off.”
She sighed softly, a faint trace of melancholy between her brows.
Gu Changge glanced at her and smiled. “Right and wrong, merit and fault—posterity will judge them all. Besides, I believe that with Your Majesty’s ability, you can accomplish all of this. There’s no need to dwell on these things...”
“Does Young Master Changge believe in me that much?”
Empress Yao Xi’s eyes gazed deeply at him, her dark hair dancing lightly in the mountain wind, her features like a painting, without a single flaw to be found.
Gu Changge smiled, then sighed as if with regret, saying, “Why not believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way?”
“In my eyes, Her Majesty the Empress is... exactly that kind of person. What her heart yearns for, that yearning can fill mountains and seas.”
“It’s just a pity that I’m ultimately an outsider, unable to meddle in the affairs of the Demon World. Otherwise, I’d truly want to lend Her Majesty a hand.”
Hearing these words, Empress Yao Xi stared at him blankly, an inexplicable sense of melancholy welling up in her heart.
He understood her so well, yet in the end, he was merely an outsider.
Seeing her expression, Gu Changge continued with a smile, “Right now, this vast Demon World is like a handful of shifting sand. The harder you try to grip it, the more it slips through your fingers.”
“Beset by troubles both within and without, for Her Majesty to single-handedly achieve what she has today—how could that not inspire admiration?”
The corners of Empress Yao Xi’s lips curled up slightly, though that arc quickly faded.
She asked with some interest, “So, Young Master Changge, are you flattering me?”
Having grown accustomed to all manner of flattery, praise, and sycophancy, she had long since grown weary of it.
Had anyone else spoken such words before her, she would have long since ordered them dragged away and beheaded.
Yet hearing it from Gu Changge’s lips, she couldn’t help but feel her mood lift.
This emotion struck her as strange. She clearly loathed having any man near her.
Yet with Gu Changge, she had never once felt that aversion.
Whether it was now, or back when they first met at the True Immortal Academy, it had always been so.
“Flattery? If Her Majesty the Empress sees it that way, then so be it. I rarely say such things to anyone, unless I have designs on them...”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled, remarkably frank and candid.
Empress Yao Xi’s gaze fixed on him once more, seemingly intrigued by his simple and direct attitude. “Then what designs does Young Master Changge have on me?”
“Nothing more than two things: first, power; second, the body. This question doesn’t seem hard to answer.”
Gu Changge still smiled as he spoke.
Hearing him say this, Empress Yao Xi’s heart suddenly fluttered with panic, though her face maintained its usual composure.
“The Banquet of Prodigies is beginning...”
She changed the subject, her gaze falling upon the many prodigies below the Sacred Mountain, seemingly beginning to watch with rapt attention.
Gu Changge smiled and said no more.
As far as he was concerned, this Banquet of Prodigies was nothing more than... a grand show to watch.
Under his earlier observation, he had already located Jun Bufan.
If only he had kept a lower profile.
Unfortunately, he was far too ostentatious. With so many prodigies present, if Gu Changge had to examine each one’s Fortuity points one by one, who knew how much time that would take.
Yet Jun Bufan just had to reveal himself, deliberately flaunting his powerful talent and cultivation.
Of course, the main reason still lay with Song Youwei.
Gu Changge had been watching her movements all along. Seeing her walk toward a man in blue robes, he immediately formed a guess in his heart.
Then, upon checking the Fortuity points—
Jun Bufan’s identity in this life was instantly laid bare. However, Gu Changge didn’t alert the snake in the grass, intending to watch this play through to the end first.
The waters of the Demon World ran murky.
Even Empress Yao Xi, in Gu Changge’s eyes, was nothing more than a pawn being used by others.
While she and Jun Bufan played their game against each other, countless eyes in the shadows were in fact fixed upon her.
In this contest, she appeared to hold the upper hand, but in reality, that was not so. Even Jun Bufan could easily learn of her many movements and whereabouts.
Let alone those... big fish still lurking in the dark.
The Five Demon Overlords of the Demon World’s past, who ultimately vanished without a trace—had they truly perished? In Gu Changge’s view, Jun Bufan’s greater value lay in drawing out the big fish hidden behind him.
And while Gu Changge and Empress Yao Xi conversed—
The Banquet of Prodigies below the Sacred Mountain had already begun. The many prodigies displayed powerful techniques, unleashing their mightiest divine abilities, climbing ever higher.
The mountain cliffs towered majestically, with countless Array Patterns and runic lights flickering, radiating a formidable pressure.
Those whose cultivation was even slightly weaker found themselves unable to hold on after a few steps and would fall.
And this was merely a single checkpoint left within the Sacred Mountain.
To reach the summit and stand at the peak, one not only had to endure the trials of this place but also guard against sneak attacks from others—no small feat.
Below the summit, there were one hundred and eight white jade steps, upon which various colored auspicious lights surfaced, swirling with terrifying auras.
All the prodigies of the Demon World were racking their brains to ascend quickly, each employing their own methods.
There were also pairs who had clashed in the past now fighting here, their terrifying shockwaves sweeping in all directions, drawing everyone’s attention.
Scenes like this were simply too numerous to count...
The Demon World’s Banquet of Prodigies, held once every twenty years, almost always saw conflicts and battles. The number of young talents who had perished here was beyond counting.
Even the families and powers behind them dared not intervene.
Over time, many came to regard this Banquet of Prodigies as an opportunity for fair duels, a place to settle matters of life and death.
Gu Changge himself, naturally, had no interest whatsoever in such things.
According to the usual tropes and plotlines, an event like the Banquet of Prodigies—clearly a stage for the Fortuitous One to show off—would generally proceed without any surprises.
At the moment, although Jun Bufan had encountered several opponents claiming to be Young Prodigies of the Demon World and was locked in battle with them, the terrifying fluctuations causing a commotion all around, drawing countless shocked gazes—
Gu Changge knew that such battles wouldn’t last long.
As the reincarnated son of a Demon Overlord, Jun Bufan’s methods and strength would crush prodigies of the same realm without question.
Moreover, with the Fortuity halo upon him, hiding his true strength and playing the pig to eat the tiger was perfectly normal.
So after glancing at Jun Bufan a few times, he lost all interest in watching.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the surroundings, speculating where the chaos would begin if it erupted later.
The Grand Tutor, the Quelling Chaos King, the Marshal of the Demon Race... all of these figures commanded heavy troops, concealed nearby.
Beyond that, the great Demon Race clans of the Nine Realms had also flocked to this place, and how could their retinues lack powerful experts? But whether those experts were truly their own people—that much was unclear.
Looking at it now, Empress Yao Xi was truly beset by dangers on all sides.
“Bai Lian’er, the master behind the Nephrite Breeze Pavilion, has likely rushed here as well. I just don’t know where she’s hiding now.”
“It seems that besides... Empress Yao Xi, Bai Lian’er and the others also don’t know Jun Bufan’s true identity, so they’re still watching and waiting.”
“That Brocade Bag in her hands—what exactly could it contain, to be worth the Solar Demon Overlord entrusting it so to the Demon Master Bai Kun...”
Gu Changge narrowed his eyes, sweeping his gaze in all directions. From his current vantage point, the living beings near the Sacred Mountain were simply too numerous—a dense mass, mountains and seas of people.
To actually locate Bai Lian’er would truly be difficult.
If she were smart, she would absolutely have altered her appearance, impossible to easily reveal before outsiders.
As the daughter of the former Demon Master Bai Kun, her face was likely no secret in the Demon World.
Thinking thus, Gu Changge’s eyes flickered. He waved to summon his subordinates and issued an order: “Keep an eye on the surrounding movements. If you see anyone with a suspicious aura approaching, seize them directly.”
“Yes, Gongzi.”
Tian Ze and the other experts quietly melted into the void, swiftly vanishing.
Witnessing this scene, Qing Zhu, who stood in attendance behind Empress Yao Xi, felt her expression grow somewhat unnatural, though no one paid her any mind at the moment.
She knew that something earth-shattering would definitely happen today.
Whether for Empress Yao Xi, or for the entire Demon World, it would likely cause an impact beyond words.
By now, her palms were drenched in cold sweat.
A few days ago, when Jun Fan handed her that vial of elixir powder, she had returned home anxious and deeply unsettled.
But considering that this matter concerned her very life and death, she calmed down and began to carry it out.
Ordinarily, the many cultivation resources Empress Yao Xi used, as well as the spirit tea and immortal fruits she consumed daily, were all managed by them.
So she easily mixed the elixir powder into them, and Empress Yao Xi noticed nothing amiss.
Just as Jun Fan had said, the components contained in the elixir powder possessed no toxicity whatsoever.
Even if Empress Yao Xi eventually grew suspicious, she would never suspect her.
So Qing Zhu set her mind at ease, waiting for Jun Fan to execute the final step of the plan today.
Yet now, with Gu Changge at Empress Yao Xi’s side, she felt matters had become somewhat tricky.
And just now, Gu Changge had even dispatched his subordinates to eliminate those... suspicious individuals.
Could it be that Gu Changge had noticed something? Qing Zhu felt a pang of unease. Especially from the conversation between Empress Yao Xi and Gu Changge just now, she could tell that if anything unexpected happened, Gu Changge would certainly not stand idly by.
If that were the case, how many chances of success would Jun Fan’s plan still have?
“What is it? Did Young Master Changge notice something?”
Empress Yao Xi had been watching the many young prodigies below when she suddenly heard Gu Changge issue such orders. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and ask.
Gu Changge smiled and said, “It’s nothing. I just... suddenly felt a bit uneasy, that’s all.”
Empress Yao Xi knew what he meant by those words. Waves of warmth flowed through her heart, and she smiled without asking further.
At every Banquet of Prodigies, she would in fact face assassination attempts—whether from the Remnants of the Five Demon Overlords or from other great demons.
Such things, she had long since grown accustomed to.
Barring any surprises, at this Banquet of Prodigies, there would definitely be many in the shadows unable to hold back, choosing their moment to strike.
And Gu Changge sending out his subordinates to search for suspicious persons was, without a doubt, protecting her in disguise.
This caused that strange emotion from before to rise in Empress Yao Xi’s heart once more.
For over six thousand years, no matter what crisis she faced, she had resolved it all alone.
Sometimes, the Grand Tutor would help her devise ideas and strategies.
But more often than not, she faced everything alone, relying on iron-blooded methods and cultivation to control and purge all threats.
In the end, it had left her utterly drained, mentally and physically exhausted.
Now, after meeting Gu Changge, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of dependence stirring in her heart.
But in the end, she shook her head and dispelled this feeling. She was the Empress of the countless subjects of the Demon World, and Gu Changge was ultimately just a young junior.
“What does Empress Yao Xi think of this person?”
Just as Empress Yao Xi’s thoughts churned in complexity, Gu Changge spoke up, his gaze falling upon Jun Fan, who stood out far ahead of the rest below the Sacred Mountain, asking with keen interest.