Just a Means to an End, the Life Spirits of the Ancient Mystic Mountains
Just a Means to an End, the Life Spirits of the Ancient Mystic Mountains
Lin Tian was dead. What remained was nothing but an empty shell.
As things stood, Gu Changge had several methods for dealing with a Fortuitous One. The first was to kill him outright—the simplest approach, but it would only yield a portion of the Fatums, and it would never trigger the drop rule for zeroing out his Fortuity, meaning no extra Heavenly Gift.
Many of a Fortuitous One’s opportunities were difficult to seize before they had been triggered.
The other method was what he was doing now: continuously suppressing the Fortuitous One to earn Fatums while snatching away his opportunities along the way.
Once the Fortuity hit zero, he could then kill him for the additional Heavenly Gift drop.
It was more troublesome, but it was also the most profitable approach.
Which method to choose—Gu Changge knew perfectly well in his heart.
With that, his expression calm, he walked out of the dungeon and summoned his status interface once more.
It could be said to be completely transformed compared to before.
Master: Gu Changge.
Aura: Fated Villain.
Identity: True Disciple of Skyward Schloss.
Physique and Bloodline: Demonic Heart, Daoist Bone.
Cultivation: Mid Honoured Lord Realm.
Spells and Abilities: Skyward Ascension (Seventh Level), Demonization (Innate Talent), Nature God’s Chant (Innate Talent), Immortal-Devouring Demonic Art...
Fatums: 4,500.
Fortuity: 450 points (Black).
System Shop: Opened.
Storage: Domain-Shattering Talisman ×1, One-third Fragment of the World Seed ×2, Fortuity Plundering Talisman ×3, System Reward Crit Talisman ×1.
“After harvesting this wave, I’ve made quite the profit.”
Gu Changge couldn’t help but smile.
“With 4,500 Fatums in hand, there’s a lot I can do now. Besides, it’s about time for the Eight Barren Demon Halberd to emerge into the world. I should also settle Ye Chen’s matter while I’m at it—after all, he no longer has any value to exploit...”
“I should also make some preparations for matters in the Beyond... otherwise, when I return, the situation will probably be a bit nasty.”
With that, Gu Changge’s brows furrowed as he began pondering the affairs of the Beyond, planning out how to resolve them.
Just as he had thought before, although he had the Family of Immortals backing him and had joined the Cult of Immortality, his circumstances in the Beyond were actually not good at all.
After all, his purpose in joining Skyward Schloss in the first place had never been pure.
The reason he had always remained a true disciple of Skyward Schloss rather than its successor was also tied to Gu Changge’s other identity.
Many of Skyward Schloss’s higher-ups had always been wary of him.
He needed to find a way to secure his position first after returning to the Beyond.
Otherwise, before he could even play the Fortuitous Ones to death, he would end up playing himself to death first.
As a colossal, immortal orthodoxy of the Beyond, Skyward Schloss had endured through the long river of ages virtually unbroken—its terrifying nature went without saying.
Countless ancient clans and supreme celestial dynasties would stop at nothing to send their disciples and kin into its ranks, hoping to obtain its opportunities.
Although Gu Changge had the support of the Family of Immortals behind him, taking control of the Cult of Immortality would still be enormously troublesome.
Of course, those were problems to consider only after he returned to the Beyond.
For now, he would set them aside.
“Young Master Gu...”
Outside the dungeon, Lin Qiuhan had been waiting for Gu Changge all this time. Seeing him emerge, she couldn’t help but speak up.
Her eyes were still slightly red; she hadn’t yet recovered from her grief.
“It’s all right now. I’ve already resolved Lin Tian’s matter for you. The remnant soul of the mighty being that possessed his body—I’ve destroyed that for you as well,” Gu Changge said with a gentle smile, comforting her.
“Thank you, Young Master Gu. To trouble you even with such a trivial matter,” Lin Qiuhan said, deeply moved.
“It’s nothing. A mere lift of the hand.” Gu Changge’s voice was warm and refined, his smile never changing in the slightest.
Even if Lin Qiuhan had wanted to kill Lin Tian with her own hands, Gu Changge would never have agreed.
If he didn’t do it personally, how would the extra Heavenly Gift drop?
But being able to farm a wave of Lin Qiuhan’s goodwill in the process, so that she would serve him wholeheartedly in the future—why wouldn’t Gu Changge do it?
“Let your little brother be laid to rest soon. His body was possessed for so long, but perhaps his soul hasn’t fully dissipated—there may still be a chance for him to reincarnate...” Gu Changge then said with a smile.
In truth, the moment the Body Possession occurred, Lin Tian’s soul had been fused together with the Heaven-Slaying God King’s—otherwise, there would have been no such thing as his lingering obsession.
Speaking of which, Lin Tian’s soul had actually just been devoured by Gu Changge along with everything else.
Reincarnation was, naturally, just something nice to say.
But at a moment like this, he naturally had to put on an appearance and comfort Lin Qiuhan a little.
“I understand. I’ll have someone arrange for Xiao Lin’s burial right away...” Lin Qiuhan hadn’t expected Gu Changge to still be thinking of her, and her heart swelled with gratitude as she hurried off to give the orders.
Watching her walk away, Gu Changge’s smile vanished, and he said nothing.
A simple-minded woman was naturally easy to handle—a good-looking face, refined speech, and a touch of gentleness was all it took.
In the time that followed, Gu Changge wasn’t in any particular hurry. First, he spent three thousand Fatums to raise his cultivation once more, to the late Honoured Lord Realm.
Compared to the mid stage, the late Honoured Lord Realm was only a minor realm higher.
But for a Young Prodigy, it represented an enormous increase in battle prowess—the two simply couldn’t be compared.
Although Gu Changge rarely took action, that didn’t mean his combat strength was lacking. It was simply that he never needed to act; his aura alone was enough to suppress everyone.
If he truly fought, he was confident he could easily slay even beings of the Honoured King Realm.
Of course, breaking through a single minor realm came at a considerable cost.
Gu Changge estimated that breaking through to the peak of the Honoured Lord Realm would consume an even more terrifying amount of Fatums—at least five thousand points to start.
But it was worth it.
By now, his progress in Skyward Ascension was already pushing toward the eighth level.
In Gu Changge’s memory, none of the other true disciples of Skyward Schloss in the Beyond had reached that stage.
Of course, he didn’t know whether they had made any breakthroughs or encountered any opportunities during this time.
But it had been nearly half a year since he descended to the Overworld.
By his own reckoning, Gu Changge’s progress was already extremely fast.
...
There were less than three days left until the Great Conference of Middle State’s young elites was held.
Moonward Metropolis grew livelier by the day. The streets were packed with the figures of cultivators and living beings from every sect and faction, the clamor rising to the heavens.
After the annihilation of Karura Holy Land, the various sects and powers held even greater awe and reverence for that young lord from the Beyond.
But by the same logic—
As long as they could curry favor with that young lord, wouldn’t power and influence be theirs for the taking?
Just look at the Lin Family now—their noses were practically pointed at the sky. Wherever they went, they carried an overbearing, arrogant air, yet not only did no one dare offend them, everyone had to obediently go and ingratiate themselves.
In this world where strength reigned supreme, power meant authority.
Many factions harbored exactly such designs.
At this moment, in Moonward Metropolis.
Within a divine hall wreathed in drifting spiritual mist, several young beings of varying appearances were conversing.
Some had wings sprouting from their backs, some bore purple scales on their foreheads, some were as beautiful as gods, and some had flames coiling around their arms.
Every one of them was wreathed in divine radiance, their auras immensely powerful. Even the successors of the various Holy Lands across Middle State would be unworthy of notice before them.
They wouldn’t even qualify to stand as equals.
The weakest among them possessed cultivation at the Mighty-Transcendent Realm, enough to look down upon many experts of the older generation.
Moreover, around these young beings stood old servants and attendants with terrifying auras, waiting upon them.
If any cultivator from outside were present, they would surely cry out in shock, their faces draining of color, frightened pale.
The Ancient Mystic Mountains!
These young beings all hailed from the Ancient Mystic Mountains—origins of unimaginable terror.
And right now, they were discussing matters here.
“I never thought Karura Holy Land would actually be destroyed. Just what is the background of that young man who came from the Beyond...”
The winged young being shook his head, putting on a look of regret.
Of course, that regret was merely an act.
In his heart, he held the same disdain for Karura Holy Land and didn’t care about it in the slightest.
“Whatever his background is, I will make him pay the price.” A breathtakingly beautiful young woman with a cold expression and piercing killing intent spoke, her hand resting on the snow-white longsword atop the table.