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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Dhael Ligerkeys & Silavin
It was only after Gu Changge had settled the matter of the Ancient Sky Prodigy that he had the time to assess the Eight Barren Demon Halberd in his hand. The blade was entirely obsidian, and there were traces of black light that coursed through it, coupled with an icy, demonic energy that made it all the more terrifying.
He could feel the heft of it, too. It weighed about ten thousand kilograms, and its hilt was cold to the touch, like it had been carved of some mystical black gold.
The more Gu Changge stared at the weapon, the more pleased he was with it. He had always been physically superior to his peers in the Beyond, but he would be lying if he said he did not feel the weight of the weapon. Then again, this had something to do with the fact that the Demonic Heart, Daoist Bone and the Eight Barren Demon Halberd were interconnected to a certain extent.
Most cultivators would not be able to get near it, much less pick it up; they would be obliterated within seconds.
The only reason he felt the weight of it now was because the Eight Barren Demon Halberd wanted him to familiarize himself with it. In other words, this was just a fraction of its unimaginable actual weight.
When they said the weapon could crush worlds, they probably meant it literally.
“Well, I guess you’re coming with me, seeing as we’re like two peas in a pod,” Gu Changge declared happily as he retracted the Grand Flask above his head.
After he had absorbed the spirit of the Perfect Prodigy, his cultivation was more refined than before, and he could feel its essence coursing through his limbs. Naturally, he considered this his ‘other’ power, one that he would not show on normal days. It went without saying that a prodigy like him had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, and this was just one of them.
However, upon hearing what Gu Changge said, the Eight Barren Demon Halberd in his hand seemed to understand him and quivered slightly, indicating its joy, affection and excitement. It was unlike the formidable, murderous and world-destroying weapon that it was made out to be.
In fact, it felt a lot like a familiar to Gu Changge, almost as if it was part of him.
This strange sentiment was admittedly bewildering, but it wasn’t all that surprising, either.
Rumor had it that the Eight Barren Demon Halberd was not crafted, but born. Its very first owner seemed to have had the Demonic Heart, Daoist Bone as well. However, the rumor had started so long ago that there was no telling if it was true, and Gu Changge thought of it as just an entertaining backstory for the weapon in his hand. Besides, all things in the world were soulful to some extent, and he didn’t think weapons were exempt from that, particularly one that had existed for so long and imbued with so much mystical energy that it eventually gained some sort of consciousness.
If one could awaken the consciousness within ancient weapons that had been left idle or sealed, then surely they would unleash formidable and insurmountable powers as well.
For a weapon like the Eight Barren Demon Halberd, which had been sealed for heavens knew how long, it was not surprising that it had a mind of its own.
At that moment, Gu Chengge’s curiosity was piqued. “Do you understand what I’m saying?” he asked tentatively, then stared at the Eight Barren Demon Halberd expectantly.
It quivered slightly in his hand, but instead of articulating its response, it merely expressed its happy affirmation of Gu Changge’s suspicion.
“So you do,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be your master from now on, get it?”
Granted, he would still have to train with the weapon before he could wield its full powers. He suspected that his capabilities now were far from adequate for him to control the Eight Barren Demon Halberd at its peak.
The weapon thrummed in his hand like it was purring happily.
It was as if it wanted to let its new master know how happy it was, for there was a steady flow of demonic energy emitting from it to indicate its excitement.
“It hurts me to know that you’ve been sealed in here for years and years on end. You’re a beautiful piece of weaponry, and from now on, I’ll take you along with me. We’ll take down enemies together, and if someone pisses you off, you’ll just have to let me know,” Gu Changge crooned, treating the weapon like a newly-adopted pet. He realized that its consciousness had only just developed not too long ago, for other than expressing its emotions through various vibrations and thrums, it did not seem to pack any intelligence.
Meanwhile, the weapon grew even happier when it heard Gu Changge’s coaxing words. As though comforted, it let out a low thrum that pulsated through the tip of its blade, causing the air in the domain to tremble.
“How about if I give you a name? You’re a gorgeous obsidian shade, so I guess I’ll call you Obby from now on,” Gu Changge suggested.
Upon hearing this, Eight Barren Demon Halberd fell silent. It was probably affronted.
At the sight of this, Gu Changge chuckled. [It’s like a vain young lady], he thought.
…
Not long after they left the court, Ye Liuli trudged behind Gu Changge with a grim expression on her face. They returned to where they had started the journey and headed out toward the underground ancient city.
Along the way, a notification sounded in the system in Gu Changge’s mind. <Ding! Congratulations to the host for retrieving the Eight Barren Demon Halberd! You have successfully activated the arsenal!>
The sudden notification stunned him. [The arsenal? Sounds like a storage space or something.]
He summoned the virtual interface and saw the details.
<Master: Gu Changge.
Aura Band: Fated Villain.
Weapon: Eight Barren Demon Halberd.
Identity: Skyward Schloss Disciple.
Bloodline: Demonic Heart, Daoist Bone.
Cultivation: Honored Lord Realm
Spells: Skyward Ascension (seventh level cultivation at seventy-five percent); Demonization (Talent); Nature God’s Chant (Talent); Nommening…
Fatum: Nine thousand
Fortuity: 1810 points (Onyc)
System Shop: Activated
Storage: Domain Shattering Talisman (1); One-third Fragment of the World Seed (3)(can be compiled); Fortuity Plundering Talisman (3).>
Under the Aura Band, Gu Changge could see where the weapon was.
According to the system, it would only record extraordinary Spells on the virtual interface, which meant anything ordinary would not be reflected on the interface even after Gu Changge had obtained it, because the system did not deem it qualified for such an acknowledgement.
In other words, the Eight Barren Demon Halberd had quite the impressive background, for the system had activated the weapons catalog just to accommodate its presence.
The other weapons that Gu Changge had amassed such as knives, swords, furnaces and such did not appear on the interface. They were all kept in the storage ring.
Just then, he had a thought. The Eight Barren Demon Halberd he placed in the storage ring immediately disappeared, and simultaneously, a gray, hazy abyss appeared in his mind.
A loud whirring sounded, and the Eight Barren Demon Halberd materialized in the abyss. It seemed shocked by its new surroundings, and its hostil demonic energy spiked at once like it was a kitten on edge. Thankfully, it sensed Gu Changge’s comforting presence, and settled down at once.
[This space doesn’t belong to any particular domain, and I’m the only one who can summon it. This works out well, seeing as the existence of the Eight Barren Demon Halberd is not one that is easily shielded from the outside world. If other cultivators sensed its presence, they might disregard me and try to snatch it away.] Gu Changge paused and as he let this sink in.
The rebirth of the Eight Barren Demon Halberd would definitely stir up the greed of other ancient creatures. They would not care that it was a destructive weapon. As far as they were concerned, it was an imposing mystical weapon that could elevate their powers to new heights if they had it.
More importantly, the arsenal was like a void that hid the Eight Barren Demon Halberd’s presence well from other warriors.
This could keep it safe, and at the same time, it would become Gu Changge’s trump card. Now that he thought about it, he had an awful lot of trump cards up his sleeve, though he certainly had his plights as well. Nommening was one of them, and he had geared himself up to face the wrath of all those he offended like the Fortuitous Lady.
He would have to deal with all this after he returned to the Beyond.
…
“I ask for your forgiveness, Prince Gu. I was unable to hold Lady Liuli back because I was distracted by her forces.”
Now that the unrest had been placated in the Ancient Underground City, Ming Lao fell to his knees and apologized guiltily.
However, he was stunned when Ye Liuli, who hated Prince Gu, followed him without bickering. He wondered what had happened in between.
“It’s fine. Even if she had rushed over, she couldn’t possibly have stirred up much trouble,” Gu Changge pointed out nonchalantly when he heard this. “Let’s go. Now that everything is settled in the Overworld, I should be getting back.”
“Yes, Prince Gu,” Ming Lao replied solemnly.
Judging by Gu Changge’s tone, the purpose for which he had come to the Overworld had already been achieved, which meant it had not been a challenging endeavor. At the thought of this, Ming Lao couldn’t help feeling relieved and elated for the young master.
Ye Liuli, on the other hand, did not look happy at all as she conversed with her entourage. There was even a dejected look on her flawless, delicate face, like she had been greatly offended. This left Xue Yi and the others somewhat confused.
“Lady Liuli, whatever happened to Ye Chen?” Xue Yi asked curiously.
“He’s dead. Gu Changge killed him,” Ye Liuli answered glumly.
“What?!” Xue Yi faltered, but relief flooded her after that. She had been worried that Ye Liuli would go head-to-head with Gu Changge over this, but it looked like things had turned out differently after all.
[Good riddance,] she thought of Ye Chen’s death. [But I suppose Lady Liuli’s sadness has something to do with this.]
At that moment, she felt a rush of sympathy for the girl, but she was sure that time would heal all wounds.
…
Outside the Ancient Underground City, Ye Liuli and her entourage did not leave alongside Gu Changge, but this did not bother him at all. With the Demonic Manipulation Urn chaining her, she could go anywhere in any realm and it wouldn’t make a difference.
“By the way, Prince Gu, I’d like further instructions on what we should do about Lin Qiuhan. Will you bring her along with you when you return to the Beyond?” Ming Lao asked as they made their way out of the Ancient Sky Domain.
He figured that he could help out in the Beyond if he were to bring her along, and at the same time, she would be the one to help him out in the future. Regardless of which world they were in, it was much easier for beautiful women to succeed than men.
However, he was not envious of Lin Qiuhan seeing as she was his subordinate. All he needed to do was to serve the young master well and he would be awarded accordingly.
“Of course we’ll bring her along; I do have a soft spot for her,” Gu Changge mused. He had plans for her to shine as a rare talent in the Guild of Alchemy, too, which would be an advantage for him.
It so happened that among the few Guilds of Alchemy he knew of, there was one that had been searching for a remarkable disciple. They did not lack resources, but disciples who could carry on their legacy. For someone with such incredible talent as Lin Qiuhan, he was sure that she would be a hit among these guilds.
After all, it was rare to come by someone who had grown up in a tribe so closely associated with nature in a Guild of Alchemy. More importantly, the Beyond was brimming with potential and resources, what with it being the hub that connected to the Basic, Intermediate and Advanced Thousand Worlds.
However, its population lacked diversity. Ten thousand tribes were but a fraction of the numbers in the Beyond, and the alchemists as well as the weapon forgers were far superior to cultivators, not to mention they had a wealth of resources and connections to their names.
All Gu Changge needed to do was to send Lin Qiuhan to the guild and have them train her. With their abundant resources, he was sure that they could bring out her full potential. That way, he would have done them a favor, and Lin Qiuhan would still be loyal to him.
A top alchemist and a favor from a powerful guild—who could pass these up?
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