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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
After everything was planned, Gu Changge remembered about Yin Mei’s side and that extremely unlucky person, so he became interested in knowing about his true identity. Immediately, he put away the two puppets and all the deception formations inside the palace.
*Hum!* He took a step forward and quickly disappeared in the void as he headed towards the palace complex where the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan was currently resting in.
Soon, inside a grand palace, Yin Mei, who was cultivating with her eyes closed, felt a fluctuation in the void, so she suddenly opened her eyes. As ripples spread out, a portal appeared in the void alongside an aura that she was familiar with.
Gu Changge walked out of the portal.
“Master.” She immediately revealed a face of joy.
Seeing him suddenly appearing in her palace in the middle of the night, she couldn’t help but blush a little while many thoughts popped up in her mind.
Then, Gu Changge nodded his head and maintained the same expression he had when facing the public, but this time, she didn’t dare to disrespect him like how she said those gloomy words to him during the day in the grand hall.
“It seems like you haven’t been slacking off. I can see that you are working very hard with your cultivation.” He smiled before casually finding a place to sit.
“Master, why are you here this late… Is it because of Chu Fan?” She quickly figured out that he obviously wasn’t here for her.
However, he smiled and answered, “Can’t I be here for you?”
With that, he pulled her into his arms and felt her soft body that was like gentle water. At the same time, her nine white puffy fox tails gently rocked back and forth with a strange charm.
“Master…” Even though she knew that these were only his casual words, she still couldn’t help but feel happy in her heart. At least it meant that he wasn’t as indifferent towards her as before.
“Chu Fan. Is this that young servant’s name?” he asked with intrigue.
[Chu Fan. A really standard protagonist name. It’s so mundane that it suits such a shitty plot.]
“Yes. Back then, I saw him dying of hunger in the street, so I felt compassion and took him in…” Listening to him, she understood that he was talking about something serious, so she explained to him solemnly about Chu Fan’s past. After leaving the banquet hall, she followed Gu Changge’s orders and kept an eye on Chu Fan’s movements. At the same time, she went through his past once more as she knew that Gu Changge would ask her about it later on.
“Oh, I’m surprised to hear about such a past from him. It’s also interesting that you are his life-saver. Looks like this Fortuitous One should have something to do with you.” He squinted his eyes.
Now, he finally had a picture of why this so-called Fortuitous One would oppose him. The key was still Yin Mei. To be honest, he realised that the new Fortuitous Ones more or less would have a connection with the people around him, such as the invincible yet foolish Long Teng and Ye Ling, who rose up as a loser… and now, he was about to face the ‘taking over an expert’s body’, Chu Fan.
[Does that mean, I have to pay attention to the people close to me from now on to find Fortuitous Ones?] He furrowed his brows slightly. Even though he liked to actively provoke people, he also understood that a Fortuitous One would imperceptibly appear, as if the fortunes of countless worlds converged and changed at a certain time. For some reason, the trajectory of those Fortuitous Ones would just so happen to intersect with his, which was why the System notified him.
Now that he had figured out everything, he somehow found a way to search for new Fortuitous Ones, giving him the opportunity to create more of such situations on his own accord.
“Master, did you notice any changes in Chu Fan?” Yin Mei couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Of course, she knew that she shouldn’t ask about such things, but she couldn’t contain her curiosity since Gu Changge seemed to say that it had something to do with her.
“The current Chu Fan isn’t the real him.” He smiled faintly and ordered her to summon Chu Fan.
In all fairness, the current Chu Fan was on the same side as him because they both had conflicts with the new Fortuitous One… but Gu Changge didn’t think that he was worthy for him to take seriously. The only value he had was to let Gu Changge know what was the true origin of ‘Chu Fan’.
Just as Gu Changge was thinking about it, Chu Fan was brought forward by Yin Mei while his face was filled with many mixed emotions such as confusion, disbelief, nervousness, apprehension and anticipation…
“Master, I’ve brought Chu Fan to you,” Yin Mei said respectfully while closing the door of the palace behind her so that the noise here wouldn’t alarm anyone else.
*Hum!* Instantly, the entire palace became so silent that even the drop of a needle could be heard.
“I don’t know anything… Young Master Changge, why have you summoned someone as little as me this late at night?” Chu Fan stood there and stuttered, as if he was about to collapse on the floor.
His trepidation and anxiety vividly demonstrated the humility and carefulness of a servant. The expression on his face was so seamless that if an outsider were here, they wouldn’t have been able to see any cracks on his performance. One must say that he had controlled his emotions accurately, which showed that he wasn’t an ordinary character.
However, only Chu Fan himself knew that the expression on his face was actually real. When Yin Mei personally came to the compound where he was resting and told him that Gu Changge wanted to see him, he immediately froze.
Everything happened so suddenly that he didn’t even have time to react!
For a moment, he was left stunned as if he was struck by lightning, putting him at a complete loss. During the day, he could already feel that Gu Changge had noticed his abnormalities… and even though he didn’t know how he managed to do so, it was enough to astonish him.
At that time, Chu Fan comforted himself by saying that it was just his own imagination, but unexpectedly, he received a notice at night all of a sudden to meet Gu Changge. Immediately, his back was almost covered in cold sweat as he felt his spine and legs shivering.
[Why would Gu Changge want to see me for no reason? It’s not hard to see what his goal is.] He wanted to escape, but with his current cultivation and abilities, even Yin Mei in front could easily suppress him and render him motionless, let alone the Immortal Gu Family.
There was no escape, so in the end, he had no choice but to brace himself and come to the palace to answer Gu Changge’s summoning.
[What am I hearing now? Did Yin Mei just call Gu Changge ‘master’? That isn’t what she called him in the hall before. It seems like Gu Changge’s secrets are far more than I imagined.] When he remembered most of the rumours, he suddenly felt a shiver down his spine as he figured out some truth behind the Successor of Demonic Arts, which terrified him even more. Although he was now just a horse-feeder, he couldn’t help but admit that even with his previous identity, he still wouldn’t be able to stand his ground in front of Gu Changge.
At the moment, Gu Changge was savouring all of Chu Fan’s emotions while he unhurriedly finished his cup of tea with a faint smile on his face. Then, he finally spoke. “I wonder how I should address you, Brother Shuang.”
As soon as his words came out, Chu Fan’s pupils instantly shrunk as his expression changed. At this moment, it felt as though his entire body was being cut open, exposing his every secret to the world without the slightest bit left. Even though he didn’t wish to have such a secret, he was still stunned by how simple and direct Gu Changge explained his origin, making him feel a bit bitter.
[Up till now, I still haven’t figured out why I became like this, so how was he able to see through everything?] Thinking about it, he suddenly had some sense of hope since Gu Changge might help him. After all, with his status and power, Gu Changge’s words carried a huge weight that even the Ancient Immortal Clans today would respect.
“Brother Gu, you really are perceptive. I’m surprised you’ve seen through me. I wonder how you did it,” Chu Fan couldn’t help but say bitterly while using his strong willpower to force himself to calm down. However, when facing Gu Changge, especially under such horrific circumstances, it was already enough for him to not stutter, let alone keep his cool. However, when he spoke, a long-standing and superior aura still slipped out of his mouth naturally.
“It seems like they actually swapped souls.” Yin Mei was stunned. Before this, no one knew that her young servant had suddenly become a totally different person, which was shocking.
“It doesn’t matter how I see through you.” Gu Changge maintained the smile on his face and continued, “Brother Shuang, aren’t you going to introduce yourself to us? I feel that you don’t want to be in this body forever.”
It must have felt bad for someone to have his identity taken away. After all, no big figure would be willing to suddenly turn into an insignificant character for no reason.
“Brother Gu, do you have a way of helping me?” Listening to him, Chu Fan’s voice suddenly became loud and filled with excitement.
He could no longer remain calm.
[If Gu Changge can really help me regain my original identity, I’ll do whatever he says.]
“Brother Shuang, you haven’t answered my previous question.” Gu Changge faintly glanced at him and withdrew his smile.
Immediately, Chu Fan’s expression changed as he felt a shiver down his spine. He finally came to the realisation that now wasn’t the time to ask for Gu Changge’s help because he definitely wouldn’t choose to help him so easily. In this world, no one would be willing to do something unbeneficial to themselves, unless the person was an idiotic good person who wouldn’t ask for any favours in return.
Obviously, Gu Changge wasn’t that kind of a person, and Chu Fan knew about it very well.
In order to let Gu Changge see his worth, Chu Fan must let him know about his true identity, so he began to speak and revealed his entire background with reservation. He was clever enough to realise that he had nothing at the moment, except for his original memories. That was why in front of Gu Changge, he had no place to negotiate at all, and he was doomed from the start to have his destiny decided by him.
“Brother Gu, I’m not going to lie to you. My name is Ying Shuang. I’m actually the son of Sky Emperor Ying, and I’ve been forced to be hidden in retreat since ancient times until now. During this period, I have been cultivating inside the Sky Emperor Palace and never left the place… Usually, I would hear a lot of rumours coming from the outside world, which allowed me to know more about you… I admired you so much that I couldn’t wait to follow you once I came out of my isolation. I’m willing to do anything for you, Brother Gu…”
Listening to his words, Yin Mei, who was standing aside, was clearly shocked and disbelieving while her gorgeous eyes widened. She would never expect the son of Sky Emperor Ying, who once ruled the Ancient Immortal Clans, would end up like this today. [If news of this gets out, it will definitely cause a shockwave.]
No one would dare to believe that this was real, unless they saw it with their own eyes, which was why Yin Mei’s head was now buzzing with disbelief.
“This man is actually the Sky Prince…” The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan backing her was an Ancient Immortal Clan, so she learned a lot about the Sky Prince, the son of the Sky Emperor, who had once ruled an entire generation with his talent. However, he was forced into retreat by his father afterward so that he could focus on his foundation, and grow in the future, compete with many prodigies, command support, and become a top elite among the Ancient Immortal Clans.
However, Yin Mei didn’t expect to meet the Sky Prince in such a state that he was treating Gu Changge with a humble, almost flattering attitude. In front of the Ancient Immortal Clans, the identity of the Sky Prince was no different from a prince of all humans, an extremely honoured status.
“I can’t believe he is the Sky Prince…” Gu Changge’s thoughts were almost the same as hers, but he had put more consideration into it.
[This means that the Sky Prince who is currently cultivating inside the Sky Emperor Palace is actually the young servant whom Yin Mei once saved. Such a drastic change of identity does suit the ‘taking over an expert’s body’ cliche that I know. It’s a shame that he didn’t snatch the identity of an ancient emperor and cause a ruckus. However, this is quite interesting. After suddenly becoming the Sky Prince, I assume that the young servant is starting to have thoughts towards Yin Mei of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan that he didn’t dare to have before. In this case, it’s inevitable that I’ll be involved in this matter. In the end, it is still just a cliche plot, but an ant will always be an ant. Even if he has changed his identity and now dreams of becoming a dragon, it is still laughable. Even if the original host stands in front of me, he is nothing but a mere bug to me.]
After he understood the entire situation, his eyes started to grow colder. In his eyes, these were the only things Chu Fan could offer to him. Once he had gotten the answers from him, he was certain that other than his memories, Chu Fan had nothing else up his sleeves. Otherwise, Gu Changge wouldn’t have wasted so much time on him.
Instantly, Chu Fan also noticed that something was wrong, causing his expression to change.
[Oh no…] His face was full of despair as he prepared to back away.
*Hum!* However, the moment Gu Changge’s palm landed, the void immediately collapsed and an enormous balck palm fell, covering everything and grabbing him in an instant.
“Where do you think you’re going, Brother Shuang?” Gu Changge asked faintly.
“Gu Changge, can you please not kill me? I swear that I’ll listen to your every order. No matter what—” Chu Fan’s face had turned pale and was filled with despair. Even though he guessed Gu Changge’s secret, it didn’t pose any threat to him at all!
*Poof!* However, before he could finish his words, Gu Changge landed his palm, and Chu Fan’s body exploded instantly.
However, among the mist of blood, a black Grand Flask emerged and was floating up and down before rooting in the middle. Gu Changge was refining and absorbing Chu Fan’s soul so that he could read through his many memories. These soul fragments contained the accumulation of his heritage as the Sky Prince as well as techniques, scriptures, perception of the World Principles and more.
To Gu Changge, it was better than nothing, and the thing that intrigued him the most was Chu Fan’s memories. After all, with these memories and the soul fragments that he had absorbed, he could easily create another puppet Sky Prince under his complete control.
Even without the methods of taking over an expert’s body, he could still achieve the same thing. As for the Chu Fan in front of him, he was just a useless servant who probably guessed Gu Changge’s secret, so naturally, there was no point in keeping him alive.
As for the young servant who had stolen the identity of the Sky Prince, Gu Changge couldn’t care less since he only saw him as a perfect candidate to continue taking the blame for him.
“If anyone asks about your young servant, tell them that he has gone insane and is now missing.” He ordered Yin Mei before leaving the palace.
“Yes, Master.” She nodded her head and began cleaning up the scent that remained in the palace. This was something that she was beyond familiar with.
[Now, the current Sky Prince must be looking everywhere for the young servant so that he could kill him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to live in peace. So, why don’t I just so happen to lend a helping hand? Though, the true reason is to not inadvertently alert him. Or else, the Sky Prince wouldn’t show his face once he gets scared.]
[The many inheritances of the Sky Emperor need to be matched with his bloodline, but the same can’t be said about his other divine abilities.]
After returning to his palace, Gu Changge couldn’t help but squint his eyes. Soon, he combined the soul fragments of the Sky Prince and refined a mysterious rune that emitted a hazy light before inserting it into the Sacred Lord Realm puppet. The rune contained the remaining energy of the Sky Emperor Mountain, which made it even more perfect.
Then, he nodded his head with a slight satisfaction since he didn’t hope for everyone to believe his act, but most importantly, he needed to cause confusion. Whether the people chose to suspect or believe, it wouldn’t be traced back to him no matter what.
“It didn’t take up much time. It’s still not too late.” Quickly, he looked at the light of the moon outside. [By the looks of it, now is a good time.]
Thinking about it, he gazed at the palace complex that the Immortal Wang Family was resting in tonight. In his eyes, a vague black and white rune flowed as he quickly determined the location of Wang Zijin’s palace.
*Hum!* Suddenly, he raised his hand and the Sacred Lord Realm puppet just now instantly appeared in the void. Its tall figure and ruthless gaze was engulfed by a layer of strange light and runes, as if there wasn’t a sign of life at all.
“Go,” Gu Changge murmured while a palm-sized rune landed on the puppet’s hand.
“Yes, Master!” The next moment, the puppet followed his orders and instantly penetrated through the void. A frightening energy converged and quickly slashed its way towards Wang Zijin’s palace like a black mist.
“Wang Zijin, you better not disappoint me. I need you to hang in there until I come to save you.” Looking at the direction, Gu Changge seemed to be intrigued.
The rune that he just gave to the puppet was a Concealment Talisman that he bought from the System Shop. For a period of time, it would easily conceal everything and ensure that no energy would leak out. That was why Gu Changge wasn’t worried that the aura of a battle would leak out because of a terrifying fight and drew the attention of other powerful experts who might rescue her before him.
After all, he had timed everything perfectly.
[Wang Zijin is in the Quasi-Sacred Realm, and she is facing a puppet in the Sacred Lord Realm, so she should have some abilities to protect herself and not be killed that quickly.]
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