Collecting the Reward — It Seems Qianbei's Mind Has Grown Muddled
Collecting the Reward — It Seems Qianbei’s Mind Has Grown Muddled
Gu Changge’s sudden appearance cast a shadow over Jiang Chen’s heart.
Especially now, hearing the words Gu Changge had just spoken, his heart skipped a beat with a sense of dread.
He knew that although Ji Shengchu was meditating to recover, he had actually been paying attention to the commotion over here all along.
Gu Changge’s arrival should not have escaped Ji Shengchu’s notice.
The accusation that he was the Successor of Demonic Arts — that, he could argue against.
But the fact that he had released the Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage from the Mysterious Jade was an indisputable truth.
After arriving here, Gu Changge had been surveying the surroundings, especially the Platform at the head of the area.
This left him feeling rather peculiar.
In truth, he had arrived quite a while ago; he simply hadn’t stepped inside, waiting for Jiang Chen to break the Restrictions around Ji Shengchu.
Gu Changge actually knew that the True Dragon Clan dwelled within Kun Mountain.
What’s more, he knew exactly why that Dragon King of the True Dragon Clan had died.
This matter was deeply tied to him by karma.
Though, to be precise, it was tied to Chan Hongyi — after all, that Dragon King had been slain by her own hand.
The reason her Wooden Comb had been lost here was also connected to that battle.
Before the Immortal Epoch, Kun Mountain and Nian Mountain were known as the two divine mountains of the Beyond — until Lun Mountain was single-handedly annihilated by the Demon Lord.
To emulate the Demon Lord, Chan Hongyi had come to Kun Mountain to challenge the Dragon Clan’s master of that era, the “Eight-Seven-Zero” Lord, attempting to destroy the mountain.
As for how that battle ended, fragmentary records still survive in ancient texts to this day: the Immortal King of Kun Mountain fell, this place became a Life Forbidden Area, and across countless epochs, no living being has ever unraveled its secrets.
His thoughts returning to the present, Gu Changge gazed at the pools of blood not far away, his expression somewhat complicated.
Above the Platform, hazy Chaos Energy cascaded down, while vast swathes of violet radiance rose and fell around it, like the stars of the heavens revolving in orbit.
Ji Shengchu sat cross-legged there, his figure already blurred and withered, devouring the spiritual energy surging in from all directions to restore his strength.
At that moment, his eyelids twitched, and his once-shriveled face began to fill out, regaining its color.
In the darkness, it was as if lanterns had suddenly appeared, dazzlingly bright, illuminating everything in splendor.
He looked over in Gu Changge’s direction, his brow furrowing slightly, seemingly puzzled by Gu Changge’s words as well.
“What is going on here?”
Ji Shengchu was somewhat confused and asked Jiang Chen.
At first, he had taken Jiang Chen for a junior who had come to rescue him; he didn’t yet know anything else.
Nor had Jiang Chen told him much — only that he was on good terms with the Ji Family’s young lady, Ji Chuyue.
But from what he was hearing now, there seemed to be more to the story.
The Successor of Demonic Arts... releasing the Ancient Feather Supreme Being from the Mysterious Jade...
Neither of these things sounded like anything good.
Although Ji Shengchu had never heard of the Successor of Demonic Arts before entering Kun Mountain,
anything in this world that could be branded with the name “Demonic Arts” was presumably connected to the one who had slain the master of Kun Mountain’s Dragon Clan.
Moreover, earlier, he had sensed the Mysterious Jade stirring restlessly and had warned everyone outside.
Faced with Ji Shengchu’s question, Jiang Chen was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to explain.
The thigh he had finally managed to cling to — how could he allow Gu Changge to sow discord with just a few words?
“Here’s what happened, qianbei. What occurred outside the Dragon Cavern back then was unavoidable. If we hadn’t broken open that Mysterious Jade, we would have had no way to come in and rescue you.”
“You must believe that this junior is no villain who commits evil deeds. On the contrary, the one before you is the true wolf in sheep’s clothing, a vicious monster who has committed every atrocity imaginable, utterly deranged.” Jiang Chen took a deep breath and spoke, his gaze toward Gu Changge carrying a trace of hatred.
However, Ji Shengchu was no fool who could be fobbed off with a few words.
He could clearly sense that Jiang Chen’s words seemed evasive, that he wasn’t telling the whole truth.
He sighed and said, “Young friend, you may rest assured. Since you are this old man’s savior, once I escape this predicament, I naturally will not treat you poorly. As for whatever identity you held before, this old man does not care.”
Hearing Ji Shengchu say this, Jiang Chen finally let out a long breath and set his mind at ease.
“This junior is Gu Changge of the Longevity Gu Family. Greetings, Ji Shengchu qianbei.”
At that moment, Gu Changge stepped forward, a light smile on his face, and saluted Ji Shengchu.
The Longevity Gu Family?
Ji Shengchu’s expression shifted slightly. Then, as if something had occurred to him, he asked, “Are you the current Young Master of the Longevity Gu Family?”
He spoke in a tone of certainty.
For he could sense that Gu Changge’s cultivation was unfathomably deep, despite a bone age that was clearly not great — at most, about the same as the Jiang Chen before him.
His tone softened considerably. Compared to Jiang Chen, Gu Changge’s status and position clearly commanded more of his respect.
Gu Changge smiled and cupped his hands slightly. “This junior is indeed he. When I heard that qianbei was trapped here, I discussed the matter with Clan Head Ji Hao and others, and we gathered the various orthodoxies and powers of the Beyond to come rescue qianbei.”
“Unfortunately, along the way we fell victim to a villain’s schemes and machinations, which released the Daoist Sage within the Mysterious Jade, resulting in heavy casualties among all the orthodoxies.”
“This junior was lucky to escape with his life, and only thus did I arrive here.”
“Is that so?”
Ji Shengchu’s expression suddenly turned uncertain.
He had lived for countless years and was naturally no fool. He did not fully believe either Gu Changge’s words or Jiang Chen’s.
From what Gu Changge had just said, Jiang Chen was guilty of monstrous crimes.
Yet from Gu Changge himself, he inexplicably sensed a chill that left him vaguely alarmed and uneasy.
This Young Master of the Gu Family was absolutely not as simple as he appeared on the surface — the depths he hid were unimaginable.
At Ji Shengchu’s level, while he couldn’t directly peer into people’s hearts,
judging whether someone’s words were sincere through subtle changes in expression or speech was a simple matter.
In his view,
Gu Changge claimed to have narrowly escaped with his life, yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of injury on him; from beginning to end, he exuded an air of casual ease.
As if everything, all of it, was within his control.
Jiang Chen, on the other hand, had been extremely uneasy and vigilant ever since Gu Changge appeared, wary and fearful to the extreme.
“It seems qianbei does not believe in my good intentions.”
While all these thoughts raced through Ji Shengchu’s mind, Gu Changge smiled and spoke again.
Jiang Chen’s expression changed drastically, his heart pounding wildly as a terrible premonition arose within him. Could it be that Gu Changge intended to make a move against Ji Shengchu?
Could this be Gu Changge’s true purpose in venturing deep into Kun Mountain?
He had never come to rescue Ji Shengchu at all — he had come to kill him?
He could hardly believe it. He couldn’t imagine where Gu Changge got such audacity. This was an incomparably ancient, invincible existence!
One who had roamed the world unchallenged in his day, powerful beyond imagination.
Ji Shengchu’s brow furrowed, and then he said, “Young Master Gu, this old man appreciates your kind intentions. Once I escape Kun Mountain, I will surely repay the kindness of all involved.”
Somehow, just like Jiang Chen, he too had developed an ominous premonition.
This Young Master of the Gu Family before him seemed to be the one who truly harbored ill intentions.
Gu Changge shook his head and chuckled lightly. “Qianbei actually needn’t wait for that moment. You can repay this kindness right now. I fear that by the time that moment comes, you might refuse.”
Hearing this, Ji Shengchu’s face darkened. “What do you mean by that? If you want a reward, this old man can give it to you right now.”
At this point, anyone could feel Gu Changge’s profound malice.
“It seems qianbei has been trapped for so long that his mind has grown muddled.”
“The reward I want — I’d rather take it myself.”
Gu Changge smiled faintly, his words carrying a trace of nonchalance.
Ji Shengchu’s face sank completely.
And just as Gu Changge’s words fell, the sound of something tearing through the air rang out once more not far away.
Accompanied by a terrifying stench of blood and baleful aura, a blurred figure sped over, streaking across the void and appearing here.
It was none other than the Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage who had escaped from the Mysterious Jade. His sleeves were now stained with quite a bit of blood, evidence of how brutal the earlier battle had been.
“The Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage? Why is he here?”
Jiang Chen had never expected the old Daoist from the Mysterious Jade to appear here. He froze for a moment, utterly astonished, and then delight surfaced on his face.
He still remembered that the old Daoist in the Mysterious Jade had sworn on his Dao Heart, promising him that once rescued, he would kill Gu Changge.
In Jiang Chen’s eyes, this old Daoist had rushed here to hunt down Gu Changge.
But in the next instant, the delight on his face froze. Finding it hard to believe, he stood there dumbstruck.
“The matter this old Daoist promised you has been done. I hope you will honor your end of the bargain.”
The Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage descended from the sky, completely ignoring Jiang Chen’s expectant expression. With a strange “jie jie” cackle, he spoke to Gu Changge.
“You killed them all?” Gu Changge appeared entirely at ease, asking indifferently, as if not the least bit surprised that he had come.
The Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage shook his head. “Some managed to flee; this old Daoist couldn’t catch them. But I still slaughtered the majority, so I’d say I’ve done what you instructed.”
“Good.”
Gu Changge nodded, revealing a faint smile. “You can rest assured — I keep my word. After leaving Kun Mountain, not only will you regain your freedom, you will also gain a new identity. From then on, the world is vast and yours to roam; no one will be able to restrain you.”
The Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage yearned greatly for such a life.
Hearing these words, his eyes burned with undisguised fervor.
After all, he was ultimately not the true Ancient Feather Supreme Being — merely a wisp of intelligence born within its corpse.
Within Kun Mountain, he could move about freely, but once he left this place, he would be like a rootless mayfly, his foundation unstable, liable at any moment to invite the Nine Heavens Tribulation Lightning down upon himself, with the risk of being scattered into nothingness.
Gu Changge had promised to impart to him the heavenly art of cultivating the Path of the Dead, allowing him to regain full control over the Ancient Feather Supreme Being’s corpse.
Even recreating the Ancient Feather Supreme Being’s peak glory was not out of the question.
“So when you secretly transmitted your voice to me back then... it was all arranged by Gu Changge?”
Jiang Chen stared at the Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage, his face turning incomparably ugly, as if he had swallowed a dead fly.
By now, he could see it too — the Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage and Gu Changge had struck a deal long ago.
Only he, like a fool, had been smugly pleased with himself, thinking he had Gu Changge in the palm of his hand.
Little did he know that all of this had been part of Gu Changge’s scheme and calculation from the start.
Releasing the old Daoist from the Mysterious Jade had itself been one link in Gu Changge’s plan.
“It seems you’re not entirely stupid, little brat.”
Seeing Jiang Chen address him, the Feathered-Robe Daoist Sage sneered coldly, not taking him seriously in the slightest.
Jiang Chen’s face was ugly as he said, “Back then, you swore on your Dao Heart and promised me... Aren’t you afraid of the Heavenly Path’s backlash, of your path forward being severed?”