Of Course She Chooses to Forgive Her? So That's How This Trick Works
Of Course She Chooses to Forgive Her? So That’s How This Trick Works
The palace was grand and magnificent, spiritual energy surging like a tide, treasure light faintly gleaming, with numerous divine weapons hanging on the walls, flickering with brilliant divine radiance.
Bai Lian’er wore plain hemp clothing, yet it could not conceal her naturally stunning beauty. Her features were exquisite and flawless, her face ice-cold.
Though she was alluring and enchanting, she exuded a frosty aura like an ancient iceberg that would never melt.
“I accept.”
Her voice carried an astonishing allure, yet held not a trace of emotion, giving off an intensely jarring feeling.
Gu Changge stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a smile on his face, looking at Bai Lian’er and Bai Hua.
Radiance flowed across his black robes, embroidered with countless patterns—the sun, moon, and stars, mountains, rivers, and vast seas—all seemingly encompassed within, revealing an air of nobility and mystery.
“I knew Lian’er-guniang was a smart person. Talking with smart people is just... simple.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled faintly, then instructed toward the outside of the hall, “Luoshen, serve tea for Lian’er-guniang.”
At the palace entrance, Jiang Luoshen—who had been quite curious about the identities of this man and woman Gu Changge had suddenly brought back—rolled her eyes at his words.
But since Gu Changge had already noticed her, she couldn’t be bothered to hide her presence any longer and walked in from outside the hall.
Her golden hair shimmered, her figure tall and slender with graceful curves, her bright eyes dazzling, carrying an air of nobility.
“You really do treat me like your maid.”
She huffed softly, then walked over to the tea set and began activating the True Godly Illusion Flame to brew tea for Gu Changge, appearing quite practiced at it.
Bai Lian’er glanced at Jiang Luoshen. She knew her identity and was somewhat puzzled as to why she was by Gu Changge’s side, but she didn’t ask further.
She looked coldly at Gu Changge and said, “I hope you’ll keep your promise. Also, I’m much older than you, so there’s no need to call me guniang. Just call me by my name.”
Gu Changge smiled nonchalantly and said, “What does age matter to cultivators like us? Why should Lian’er-guniang fuss over such trivial things?”
“Besides, the two of us are on the same side now. There’s no need for you to be so distant.”
“Hmph, I wouldn’t dare be on the same side as Gongzi Gu. Gongzi Gu flatters me too much—I at least have that much self-awareness.”
Bai Lian’er’s expression was cold, her attitude completely unyielding.
Gu Changge didn’t mind and continued, “That... Brocade Bag—I think perhaps Lian’er-guniang can hand it over to me now.”
Bai Lian’er sneered, “Didn’t you just say you weren’t interested in the Brocade Bag? That thing isn’t on me. I left it in a hidden place.”
She was very cautious. Knowing the Brocade Bag was no ordinary item, she hadn’t carried it with her.
Instead, she had hidden it elsewhere—precisely out of fear that if Gu Changge captured her, she’d have no bargaining chips to negotiate with.
“Is that so? Then I’ll have to trouble Lian’er-guniang to fetch it for me. During this time, I’ll have people take good care of this junior brother of yours.”
Hearing this, Gu Changge put on a look of sudden realization, then smiled.
“Lian’er-jie...”
Hearing these words, Bai Hua’s expression changed. He was filled with awe and terror toward Gu Changge.
The dread of facing a life-and-death crisis just moments ago still haunted him—he felt as though he had taken a trip to the gates of the underworld and back.
If Bai Lian’er hadn’t stopped it, he would probably already have been killed by Gu Changge by now.
“Since I’ve agreed to your terms, I won’t go back on my word so easily. I at least have that much credibility.”
Bai Lian’er naturally understood the meaning behind Gu Changge’s words—he was worried she would take the opportunity to escape.
“I naturally trust Lian’er-guniang. But the care that ought to be given should still be given.”
Gu Changge said with a smile.
Bai Lian’er gave him a cold look, feeling not the slightest bit of goodwill toward Gu Changge.
This was a man who put profit above all else, cold and heartless. To obtain his guarantee...
Before that, one had to ensure they held sufficient value for Gu Changge to exploit.
Otherwise, everything was off the table.
So she didn’t count on Gu Changge keeping his promises in the future either.
Then, her figure moved, heading toward the outside of the hall. Gu Changge watched her figure disappear with a smile, not ordering anyone to stop her.
“You’re just letting her go like that?”
Jiang Luoshen had already faintly guessed Bai Lian’er’s identity, and her heart was somewhat shaken.
Gu Changge glanced at her. “I told you to brew tea, so brew your tea properly. Why so many questions?”
“I... would it kill you to answer me?”
Jiang Luoshen’s brows furrowed, her face full of displeasure. Gu Changge purely treated her as... manual labor, and now he wouldn’t even answer a single question.
“Do you think everyone is as brainless as you?”
Gu Changge shook his head slightly, then ordered people to take Bai Hua away and keep him under good watch.
Jiang Luoshen stared at him coldly, wanting nothing more than to splash the boiling tea water onto his face.
However, after Gu Changge glanced at her, she still chose to obediently lower her head and continue brewing the tea.
On Empress Yao Xi’s side, although she had sent people to ask him about the Quelling Chaos King dispatching troops to purge the Life Forbidden Area, Gu Changge hadn’t explained much.
He knew Empress Yao Xi was already suspicious of Jun Fan. Her suspicion of the other prodigies was far less deep than her suspicion of Jun Fan.
However, even if Empress Yao Xi knew that Jun Fan was... Jun Bufan, it would be useless right now.
Because she had no proof. If she made reckless accusations, it would instead chill the hearts of many.
After all, at the summit of the Sacred Mountain, Jun Fan and his father, the Quelling Chaos King, had rendered great meritorious service in saving Empress Yao Xi.
Without any evidence, claiming that Jun Fan was the biological son of the former Solar Demon Overlord would instead drive a wedge between ruler and subject, making many believe the Quelling Chaos King’s achievements overshadowed his sovereign and had aroused Empress Yao Xi’s wariness.
So right now, what Empress Yao Xi wanted most was certainly to investigate Jun Fan, to see if she could find any clues.
“Your Majesty, based on the reports from that day, Young Master Changge did indeed pay a visit to the Quelling Chaos King’s residence.”
In the imperial palace, Qing Mei looked at Empress Yao Xi, who was reviewing memorials behind her desk, and reported respectfully. “In that case, the Quelling Chaos King’s sudden departure with his troops must have been at his behest?”
Empress Yao Xi rubbed her brow, feeling her head in a muddle.
“In the current Demon World, besides... Young Master Changge, I’m afraid no one else could order the Quelling Chaos King to do anything.”
Qing Mei answered respectfully.
Empress Yao Xi nodded, her eyes thoughtful, and said, “What exactly does he mean? That Life Forbidden Area was occupied by Jun Ruoxi as early as six thousand years ago.
Back then, she even signed a pact with me—that we would stay out of each other’s affairs and not interfere with one another.”
At that time, she had just unified the Demon World and her foundation was unstable, while Jun Ruoxi, as the eldest daughter of the Solar Demon Overlord, had cultivated for many years with unfathomable cultivation, making her difficult to provoke.
Very few people knew of this matter, and Empress Yao Xi had never announced it publicly.
Now, the Quelling Chaos King had dispatched a great army there, which would very likely make Jun Ruoxi believe that she had unilaterally torn up the pact from back then.
Though Empress Yao Xi didn’t care much about that, what she cared more about was—why was Gu Changge doing this? Because Jun Ruoxi was Jun Bufan’s older sister? “Among the army sent out this time, Jun Fan is also prominently among them... Could this be Gu Changge’s test?”
Empress Yao Xi’s slender, delicate fingers tapped on the desk.
Over these days, her investigations into the many young prodigies had yielded no evidence, but had ruled out quite a few suspects.
Now, the people she suspected most were... Jun Fan, and Zhao Tian, the only son of the Marshal Who Guards the Nation.
Among them, Jun Fan was the most suspicious, while Zhao Tian—because he held military authority and had much contact with Qing Zhu—was also under her watch.
But now, the Quelling Chaos King had suddenly dispatched troops to a certain Life Forbidden Area in the Demon World, even claiming it was by her decree, which had stunned her at the time. She then realized it must have been Gu Changge’s decision.
Now, after inquiring, it was indeed so.
“It seems I’ll need to keep an eye on this matter for a while.”
“If it really is Jun Fan...”
Empress Yao Xi’s expression turned cold. But even now, she still couldn’t figure out Gu Changge’s purpose in descending to the Overworld this time.
At first, she thought Gu Changge had come to help her, but then she realized she had overthought it—completely and utterly wrong.
To Gu Changge, whether he helped her or not actually made no difference.
A change of ruler in the Demon World had no effect on Gu Changge, because he simply didn’t care about the Demon World.
From the very beginning of their contact, Gu Changge had carried an intense sense of purpose.
She hadn’t seen through these things back then, but now she understood.
She had nothing to complain about regarding this—it was inherently a matter of mutual give-and-take.
What she wanted to know more now was what purpose Gu Changge had in descending upon the Demon World.
“Could it be related to the Six Demon Overlords who vanished back then?”
Empress Yao Xi frowned. Because of Gu Changge, the Demon World had been... much more peaceful these past few days, with far fewer rebellions.
Yet unease still lingered in her heart—not because of Jun Bufan’s faked death, but because of the Six Demon Overlords who had disappeared.
Could they be Gu Changge’s true final objective?
Meanwhile, on the other side, Bai Lian’er went and returned, not disappointing Gu Changge—she handed that mysterious Brocade Bag over to him.
However, Gu Changge did not open it in front of her. Instead, he smiled and brought up another matter. “Besides... the Brocade Bag, there’s actually one more thing I’d like to trouble Lian’er-guniang with.”
“Speak.”
Bai Lian’er’s eyes fixed on him, her words terse. She was actually quite curious about what was hidden inside the Brocade Bag.
It was just that Gu Changge hadn’t opened it in front of her, leaving her somewhat disappointed.
“Jun Fan, as one of the Remnants of the Five Demon Overlords from six thousand years ago, has been secretly plotting an assassination, attempting to overthrow Empress Yao Xi’s rule over the Demon World. I imagine that Lian’er-guniang, as a former member of the Demon World, surely wouldn’t want to see such a thing happen...”
Gu Changge continued speaking with a smile, wearing a grin as warm as a spring breeze.
Bai Lian’er sneered, “No, that’s exactly what I hope to see.”
“No, you don’t. How could someone as upright and kind-hearted as Lian’er-guniang possibly wish to see that? So I’d like to ask Lian’er-guniang to help me find evidence of Jun Fan secretly plotting to assassinate Empress Yao Xi.”
“I know you can do it.”
Gu Changge waved his hand and cut her off before she could finish, his tone brooking no argument.
“You...”
“Understood.”
Bai Lian’er’s expression froze. She hadn’t expected Gu Changge to say something like that with such a perfectly straight face.
So shameless and hypocritical—could he at least pretend to have some dignity? But she also knew that this was something she couldn’t refuse right now.
“In that case, Lian’er xiaojie should go check on that junior brother of yours first.”
“Rest assured, just like your father, he’s eating well and sleeping soundly. You needn’t worry.”
After that, Gu Changge dismissed Bai Lian’er, telling her that when the time was ripe, he would naturally notify her.
Bai Lian’er’s face was cold. She had thought she was already hypocritical enough, but before Gu Changge, she was still far from his level.
Soon, after dismissing everyone from the hall, Gu Changge finally began to examine the Brocade Bag in his hand.
From the outside, it was just an ordinary brocade bag, embroidered with some simple patterns, without any runes or Array Pattern fluctuations.
Even the material was common cloth that could be seen anywhere.
Yet within it, he sensed an extraordinary aura—mysterious and profound, supreme and vast.
Weng!! In Gu Changge’s eyes, black and white colors emerged, and faintly, the scene of the Six Paths of Reincarnation could be seen evolving within them.
He intended to see through the mysteries of this Brocade Bag. Although judging by appearance alone, there really was nothing to see.
But he knew that if anyone else tried to force it open...
This Brocade Bag would absolutely destroy itself, erupting with terrifying power, never allowing its contents to leak out.
“Left specifically for Jun Bufan, huh? No one but him can open this thing.”
Gu Changge’s brows furrowed slightly. It seemed the Solar Demon Overlord had indeed laid quite a few contingency plans back then.
This Brocade Bag contained something unimaginable—perhaps it even involved the secrets of the Demon World.
If he forcibly opened it, he would definitely trigger the Restrictions within and destroy its contents.
“Could it be that only Jun Bufan can open this thing?”
“I don’t believe it.”
Gu Changge made another attempt. Black light flickered in his palm, then devoured down toward the Brocade Bag.
Chi chi chi... Wisp after wisp of pale cyan smoke drifted out, and dazzling radiance suddenly lit up upon it.
Streak after streak of patterns became clear—one could see that on its surface, through special means, numerous ancient demon script characters had been written.
The moment these demon scripts touched the power in Gu Changge’s hand, they burst forth with terrifying force, as if coming alive.
Vermilion Bird, Qinglong, White Tiger, Pixiu, Black Tortoise... Demon scripts of all shapes transformed into powerful phantoms, letting out deafening roars in the void, surging and raging, nearly blowing this place apart.
“Forcing it open is a bit troublesome, but it’s not impossible.”
In the void, the Grand Flask appeared, bobbing up and down, shedding boundless black light that enveloped the Brocade Bag.
In an instant, the Brocade Bag went still, as if imprisoned there, with some inexplicable power and domain field emerging.
Gu Changge began to open it.
Then he felt a vast and heavy aura pour out from within, like the power of heaven and earth itself suddenly crashing down upon him.
The void began to collapse, black holes appeared, and great cracks spread out nearby. This power was more terrifying than chaos itself, heavy as the firmament.
Weng!!! But as the Grand Flask trembled lightly, this terrifying power became calm and peaceful, flowing quietly there like starlight.
“This is a strand of World Source...”
“And it’s a World Source in the midst of metamorphosis, evolving toward a higher level.”
Gu Changge raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised in his heart.
He possessed an Inner Universe—though it hadn’t fully evolved and was only an embryonic form, he was all too familiar with this kind of World Source aura.
“The Demon World is undergoing metamorphosis, attempting to evolve into a higher-level world. Is this the real reason the Six Demon Overlords disappeared?”
“Could they be planning to use the Demon World’s evolution to make a breakthrough into the Celestial Realm?”
Almost instantly, Gu Changge guessed the Six Demon Overlords’ objective.
Over six thousand years of deception, all just to hide in the shadows and set all this up. That being the case, during the Demon World’s evolution, its aura would inevitably leak out—yet the various orthodoxies and great sects of the Beyond had never noticed, leaving the Demon World unchecked...
“The Six Demon Overlords must have concealed the aura in secret, jointly covering up this secret. Their cultivation is unfathomable, and given the Demon World’s own Fortuity, it couldn’t possibly produce six True Daoists.”
“This plan must have begun a very long time ago...”
Gu Changge narrowed his eyes, thinking of the Solar Heavenly Blade—that was a genuine, bona fide Nirvana Grade Artifact.
Given the Demon World’s original Fortuity, producing even one Nirvana Realm existence would have been difficult, let alone forging a Nirvana Grade Artifact.
Thinking carefully about it, there were indeed quite a few clues and flaws.
If he hadn’t descended upon the Demon World this time, he probably wouldn’t have noticed this problem.
“This is a world-shaking grand scheme—the Demon World as the chessboard, all living beings as the pieces, and Jun Bufan and Xi Yao are merely two pieces in their hands to deceive the world...”
“They just happened to use the six thousand years of chaos in the Demon World to cover up the truth of the Six Demon Overlords’ disappearance, pinning all the blame on Empress Yao Xi. She thought she’d picked up a bargain, never realizing she was just an unlucky scapegoat.”
“What... exquisite calculation.”
Gu Changge couldn’t help but chuckle. Now that he had seen through the Six Demon Overlords’ plans, he naturally wouldn’t let it slide...
From the very beginning, when he descended upon the Demon World, he had felt that Empress Yao Xi was nothing more than a chess piece—only by controlling her could he place his own pieces on this board.
Now it seemed he held even more of the initiative.
“To the outside world, the Six Demon Overlords have long been missing, and many even believe they’re already dead. So if the Six Demon Overlords truly died, no one would notice.”
“The Source of the Six Demon Overlords, the evolving Source of the Demon World... how truly mouthwatering.”
Gu Changge didn’t believe all six had reached the Nirvana Realm either. Though the Demon World was evolving, it ultimately hadn’t reached that step yet.
For him, wasn’t this a perfect opportunity?
Afterward, Gu Changge used the Grand Flask to devour the strand of World Source before him.
Though somewhat to his surprise, within this strand of World Source, there was actually a wisp of the Solar Demon Overlord’s Dharma Body hidden.
Of course, before the Grand Flask, though this wisp of Dharma Body erupted with terrifying divine might, it was all to no avail and was quickly devoured completely.
The Solar Demon Overlord hadn’t just left Jun Bufan a wisp of Dharma Body as a life-saving measure—it even contained part of the truth.
After devouring this wisp of Dharma Body, Gu Changge noticed these memories, and his expression immediately turned intrigued.
“Tell Jun Bufan that all of this was a misunderstanding—that the reason Xi Yao poisoned him six thousand years ago was actually the Six Demon Overlords pulling strings behind the scenes, and persuade him to let go of his hatred.”
“Then have Jun Bufan use the key the Solar Demon Overlord left him to go find where he is...”
“Tsk tsk tsk, so this is the real script?”
Gu Changge couldn’t help but stroke his chin, feeling he had underestimated just how melodramatic this was.
Six thousand years later, the Demon Overlord’s son Jun Bufan is reborn for revenge, only to discover the truth in the end and cry out to the heavens—so it was all a misunderstanding.
The reason Empress Yao Xi poisoned him was also a trap laid in advance by the Six Demon Overlords, deliberately orchestrated.
The goal was to create a chaotic situation where the Demon World fell into turmoil, Empress Yao Xi ruled the Demon World, and Jun Bufan sought revenge from the shadows—thereby muddying the eyes of the Beyond’s various orthodoxies and great sects, buying time for their secret schemes.
He had to admit, he had underestimated the Six Demon Overlords’ methods—especially the Lunar Demon Overlord and the Solar Demon Overlord, who would even scheme against and use their own offspring.
Now Gu Changge was rather curious about Jun Bufan’s reaction upon learning the truth. Would he choose to forgive her? Or would he steel his heart and sever everything?
“The key mentioned in the Solar Demon Overlord’s wisp of Dharma Body...”
“He said he left it to Jun Bufan, so it seems only Jun Bufan can obtain this key.”
Thinking of this, Gu Changge separated a strand of Morphing Demonic Conscience, evolving it along the aura of the World Source from before, restoring the Brocade Bag to its original appearance.
Though the aura was similar, compared to the true World Source, it was still far inferior.
As for the various Restrictions and runes upon it, he merely restored them somewhat based on how they looked before—he couldn’t guarantee a perfect reproduction.
“Let’s see if Jun Bufan can see through all this. Though even if he does, it doesn’t matter—after all, the one delivering this thing to him is Bai Lian’er.”
“If he suspects anyone, he’ll only suspect Bai Lian’er. And Bai Lian’er won’t dare expose my existence, so she’ll have to bite the bullet and carry on.”
Gu Changge narrowed his eyes, a playful glint flickering within them.
He didn’t much care about these things... Then he summoned someone to fetch Bai Lian’er and handed the Brocade Bag to her.
“What exactly is inside this?”
Bai Lian’er asked, very direct, quite curious about the contents of this Brocade Bag.
“Just follow your father’s instructions and deliver this Brocade Bag to Jun Bufan. I don’t know what’s inside either—I can’t open it as I am now.”
Gu Changge shook his head, his expression perfectly composed.
“Oh really?”
Bai Lian’er didn’t believe him.
Back then, she too had tried to open this Brocade Bag, but found it contained incomparably terrifying power—once opened, it would surely be destroyed.
By all reason, Gu Changge shouldn’t have been able to either.
Yet her instincts told her that Gu Changge knew what was inside—that he had not only looked through it, but had casually restored it to its original state.
Such methods—he absolutely had them.
“Would I need to deceive you about something like this, Lian’er xiaojie? We’re on the same side now, after all.”
Gu Changge said with a smile.
“You really are hypocritical. Fine, don’t tell me then.”
Bai Lian’er let out a cold laugh, took the Brocade Bag, and then her figure flickered, stepping into the void and vanishing.
Jun Fan was currently not in the Imperial Capital—he had gone with his father, the Quelling Chaos King, to purge his former sister Jun Ruoxi.
She knew of this matter, so finding Jun Fan wouldn’t be difficult.
As the Successor of the Killing Emperor, her own concealment and ambush techniques were of the absolute pinnacle—even ordinary Sacred Emperor Realm beings could never hope to detect her aura.
Watching Bai Lian’er leave, Gu Changge set down his teacup.
His gaze was deep and distant as he began considering another chess piece. He had now figured out the Demon World’s current situation and the Six Demon Overlords’ schemes.
In this chess game of the Demon World, it was time for him to declare checkmate!
“Jun Yao...”
...
(Author’s note: Not feeling it today, just one chapter tonight. I’ll try to wrap up the Demon World arc tomorrow.)