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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
*Swoosh* This was a surging power so vast and amazing it was far beyond the strength that Ying Shuang could usually display. It was an ancient and mighty power that lay dormant in his blood, and was now being awakened.
As a multi-coloured glow appeared in his eyes, a terrifying phantom condensed behind him, and it seemed to be an unparalleled emperor with an imposing aura like no other standing behind him.
The entire tea house began to shake to the point where it seemed like it was going to crumble. His whole body felt like it was on fire at this moment. Even his hair was dazzling as his eyes turned as sharp as swords!
“I was waiting for you to make a move,” Gu Changge smiled. He didn’t seem all that surprised by the sight as he calmly set down the teacup in his hand.
Upon seeing this, Yin Mei, who was behind him, immediately understood what he meant.
*Fwoosh* She suddenly took a step forward and raised her slender arms as streaks of dazzling radiance turned into stretches of shining silk that fell in front of Ying Shuang. It shone with extreme brilliance that seemed to touch Heaven. Unfortunately, these shining silks weren’t very powerful, as they had broken apart before they got close to Ying Shuang.
Ying Shuang, too, was unlike his old self, because he had mastered the control of his powers. With just the wave of a hand, he had countered Yin Mei’s attacks, and even sent the woman flying across the room. She had landed outside the tea house with red staining her white dress.
“What…” Ying Shuang was slightly taken aback by how weak Yin Mei was. She was already defeated by an attack that wasn’t even intended for her.
Many outside were still in shock at the abrupt outburst of energy, when they suddenly saw a silhouette with blood in her mouth flying out of the building before falling to the ground. They hadn’t even had time to process what was going on when they saw the storeyed building turn to debris when a frightening wave of energy erupted in what used to be a tea house.
“Isn’t that… Yin Mei, the Gifted Lady of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan?!” One of the young prodigies with keen eyes exclaimed in shock after immediately recognising her.
“What happened? Why is Lady Yin Mei suddenly injured? Was she fighting against someone?” Many of the young prodigies were shocked. They couldn’t make sense of why anyone would fight against Yin Mei at a time like this.
“What did Lady Yin Mei have to go through, for her to have turned so pale…” Another young prodigy couldn’t help but feel sympathy when he saw the blood drain from Yin Mei’s beautiful face. However, the prodigy quickly snapped back to reality when he realised that it was probably due to her Charm, a power exclusive to the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, that he felt such emotions.
When members of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan were in danger, they would automatically reveal their Charm. It could be regarded as their unique ability to save themselves. However, that would mean that Yin Mei was already on the brink of death.
“Damn it! How dare someone hurt a beautiful woman like a Lady Yin Mei. Her opponent must have been the Successor of Demonic Arts!!” A young prodigy, with anger written all over his face, clenched his fists tight as he roared. He wanted to be the hero to save this beauty damsel in distress. He might even win Yin Mei’s heart by doing so at a time like this. In fact, there was more than one young prodigy that had the same thought. After all, it wasn’t every day that they got to see someone whose appearance had been blessed by the gods themselves like Yin Mei.
Right then, Yin Mei’s body shook as she coughed up blood. Her pale face only made her look more pitiful than before. *Cough*
“It was… the Sky Prince! The one I fought with was the former Prince Ying, the Successor of Demonic Arts! He’s right inside!” Her trembling voice was laced with fear as she exposed the perpetrator’s identity.
“What? It was really the Successor of Demonic Arts? What is he doing in Black Tortoise Empire? Isn’t Sky King Zhi Yang supposed to be after him? Why is he here? Could it be, that Sky King Zhi Yang had never gone after the Successor of Demonic Arts… So, he got away while tricking everyone else!” As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned for a moment before they finally understood what was going on. The faces of many had fallen, with some looking frightened and horrified.
After all, the Successor of Demonic Arts was someone who had escaped from Gu Changge multiple times! They figured they would only be walking into the lion’s den if they were to go in now, considering how even Yin Mei was so badly injured by him.
At the thought of this, the few young prodigies who were about to act, started to hesitantly retreat.
Yin Mei took a deep breath then. Eyes fixated on the ruined tea house as she growled, “I would have fallen victim to him if I hadn’t reacted quickly enough.”
As she spoke, her gaze began to turn murderous. “Bai Lie, the Young Master of the White Tiger Clan, lost his life to the Successor of Demonic Arts. I didn’t think he would come for me as well.”
The looks on the faces of many of the young prodigies started changing again when they heard her words.
“No! Yin Mei is doing this on purpose. She wouldn’t possibly get gravely injured from just one punch from me!” Ying Shuang, who was covered in dust, was still inside what remained of the tea house when he heard those words. His face quickly fell when he realised what she was up to.
Quietly, he cursed at her for using the acting skills of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan to deceive others.
He himself wasn’t aware that he had been tricked by Yin Mei in the past. His expression soon changed again as he turned to look around, his chest filled with thick unease.
“Where is Gu Changge…” he asked. He had been on guard against Gu Changge earlier, but he didn’t think the man would disappear in the blink of an eye! [Didn’t he say he is going to end himself?]
“Come out, Gu Changge! You dare frame me but not face me?” Enraged, Ying Shuang bellowed in anger as he rose into the air. Many had started to recognise him despite the fact that he had hidden his real identity with a disguise.
Ultimately, everyone in the world was familiar with the aura of Sky Emperor Ying’s bloodline.
“Is he really picking a fight with Young Master Changge right now? He has gone crazy.”
“It really is him! It really is the former Prince Ying! The one who has caused too many young prodigies their lives, and the one who had devoured all their Sources! Die!”
“Damn it! It was him who stole my Senior’s Source! For my Senior!”
“I will not hold back anymore. It is all cultivators’ responsibility to eliminate evil and defend the Great Dao. He is only one man. There is nothing to fear!”
Many of their eyes were ablaze when they saw Ying Shuang appear. It was as though they had gone crazy from rage and had the urge to kill him.
They started brandishing all kinds of weapons, which dazzling divine light shone so bright it was painful. It was an intimidating sight to behold as their weapons slashed through the air.
Since they were all people who held a grudge against the Successor of Demonic Arts, they didn’t care about anything else, and gained courage from their number as they charged ahead to subdue Ying Shuang!
“Don’t let him get away!” Yin Mei, too, didn’t forget to yell out loud. Her exquisite face showed her deep hatred and murderous intent for Ying Shuang.
“Damn it!” Ying Shuang watched the scene, his expression changed again, and he planned to make his escape. He knew that he would be in great danger when more people came his way.
Right then, he already had a rough guess of what Gu Changge and Yin Mei’s true motive was. They wanted him to expose himself on his own accord, and act as bait for the young prodigies to come after him.
If their plan worked, Gu Changge would be able to kill him without even having to dirty his hands.
“Where is the Successor of Demonic Arts?!” An angry roar came from the east, right before colourful diving lights and a dazzling golden glow shone. A young man as heroic and outstanding as a god came riding in his Four-Spirit Battle Chariot. He looked imposing, with mighty beasts, such as the Azure Dragon, The White Tiger, the Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise and so on surrounding him.
It was Sky Emperor Mountain’s other heir, Prince Shen. Even he had rushed over to Black Tortoise Empire!
Meanwhile, Chosen Monk, Jin Chan, soon appeared riding on a Golden-Winged Roc behind Prince Shen.
“Amitabha,” he called out with a calm and compassionate face. “The Successor of Demonic Arts has committed many grave sins and must be punished.”
After his chant, golden rays shone and the Aura of Buddha shone throughout the land. Everyone could vaguely see many figures, such as Buddha, Vajrapani, and Bodhisattva sitting cross-legged behind him. They were here to show compassion and release the people from suffering.
Sacred Realm’s might was slowly engulfing the place, and there even appeared a purplish-gold bowl. A humming sound could be heard from the sky before suddenly, thousands of rays of golden light shone from the aura of Buddha.
Prince Shen had started to make a move as well. A blinding Holy Sword that looked like it belonged to the gods had condensed and taken shape in his palm. It was a weapon that was sharp beyond comapre.
At that moment, the sky in the eastern area seemed to be covered by both Prince Shen and the Chosen Monk’s figures. Their Dharma Bodies were overflowing with energy that caused a great number of Sacred Principles to fall.
“Prince Shen!”
“Chosen Monk Jin Chan!”
“This is great! With these two Ranked Disciples here, it will be impossible for the Successor of Demonic Arts to escape!” Many below had regained their spirit, and were extremely excited when they saw the duo’s arrival.
Even the few young prodigies who shrank in fear earlier, were now yelling at the top of their lungs, as though they had some unresolved grievances with the Successor of Demonic Arts.
[Damn it! Gu Changge and Yin Mei! What a vicious scheme…] Ying Shuang’s face was twisting with rage, but he didn’t have much time to think as he transformed into a divine rainbow and rushed towards the other direction. He knew that he would end up dead by the hands of the young prodigies present if he were to stay here for longer.
He proceeded ahead quickly, without stopping for even a second.
However, Prince Shen and the Chosen Monk didn’t fall behind at all. With each step they took, various runes flashed across the soles of their feet. They both put their divine abilities to good use as they chased after Ying Shuang.
“I knew it was you, Ying Shuang! Stop! I will kill you today to make up for the embarrassment you cause Sky Emperor Mountain!” Prince Shen was staring at Ying Shuang’s back with cold eyes as his divine light surged. For some reason, he got excited.
After all, on the day he exited his retreat, he had declared to the outside world that he would find Ying Shuang and personally kill the traitor who had practised Demonic Arts. Personally eliminate the stain that had betrayed Sky Emperor Mountain.
In order to find Ying Shuang, Prince Shen had spent a lot of energy to no avail. Still, he had never thought that his rushing to Black Tortoise Empire to watch Gu Changge and Sky King Zhi Yang’s altercation would end up with him meeting Ying Shuang. [What a fruitful trip! If I can kill Ying Shuang here, it would mean that I’m stronger than Gu Changge. After all, he had let the Successor of Demonic Arts escape during their fight.]
“Amitabha, you have killed too many innocent lives. I advise you to leave your old ways and follow the rightful path,” Chosen Monk Jin Chan said with a calm face.
The purplish-gold bowl behind him suddenly smashed towards Ying Shuang like a shooting star, and the mountains in front continued to expand, as they tried to stop Ying Shuang from escaping.
Although the energies let out by him and Prince Shen were both that of the Sacred Realm, the strength they displayed was by no means weak. Their power could even be described as earth-shattering.
Many watching the battle promptly had a change in their expressions. This was the first time they felt how terrifying the Ranked Disciples were. Even those in the Sacred Noble Realm were not their opponents.
Just as the young prodigies were staring at the three men, a tall and slender woman with silver hair appeared in front of Yin Mei. When she saw how bad Yin Mei’s injuries were, she couldn’t help but ask out of concern, “Lady Yin Mei, are you alright?”
Hearing that, Yin Mei shook her head and wearily replied, “I am fine. I just need to rest.”
The silver-haired lady was Ying Shuang’s younger sister, Ying Yu.
With a conflicted look on her face, she glanced at Ying Shuang, who was running away. She couldn’t help but comment, “How unexpected of Ying Shuang to end up hiding here. He even changed his whole appearance.”
She then curiously asked, “Lady Yin Mei, how did you meet him?”
Yin Mei only answered when her blood returned to her cheeks after she took a Recovery Pill. “I didn’t know he was the Successor of Demonic Arts at first. He has been tailing me these past few days, and there were times when he didn’t even bother hiding himself from me. I wanted him to come clean with me today… I didn’t expect him to get rough with me.”
She ended her sentence with a resigned sigh.
“Mistress! Mistress! Are you alright?! I knew that stalker was up to no good!” Right then, a young maid came rushing to Yin Mei from the crowd. She had worry and concern written all over her face.
Yin Mei shook her head in reply. “I am alright. I am glad I acted quickly, or else I would have been seriously hurt by his hands.”
Ying Yu also let out a small sigh. From these words alone, she could already guess the whole story. [Ying Shuang must have wanted to lay his hands on Yin Mei. However, those who play with fire can only expect themselves to get burned. He had finally made a mistake this time. Although Yin Mei said it as her simply evading his ploy, it mustn’t have been that simple. However, only those who were present knew about the real situation. Still, it seems like Yin Mei cannot be underestimated. With how strong the Successor of Demonic Arts is, it must not have been an easy feat to escape from his clutches. Much less, twice. She truly is more than meets the eyes.]
“Ying Shuang, it is time to come back to your senses!” Soon enough, Ying Yu’s gaze started to turn cold as a silver glow surrounded her. She was about to make a move on Ying Shuang herself.
“I heard that the Successor of Demonic Arts has made an appearance? Where is he?” Right when Prince Shen and Chosen Monk Jin Chan were on Ying Shuang’s heels, a loud rumbling sounded throughout the place, and the sky trembled as dazzling and extraordinary fluctuations appeared.
The next thing everyone saw in the sky was an expanding golden rune exuding glaring celestial beams and celestial energy. There was a young man standing on it before he started walking over. With his bright eyes and fluttering hair, he looked as though he stood above all. This young man was none other than Gu Changge.
Yin Mei was caught off-guard at first, but she soon smilingly call out, “Brother Changge…”
“Brother Changge!” The surprised Ying Yu quickly greeted him. “You came right on time!”
Gu Changge also had a smile on his face when he answered, “I came immediately when I heard about it from my subordinate. It seems that the Successor of Demonic Art didn’t leave Black Tortoise Empire after all.”
As he spoke, he didn’t go after Ying Shuang, and instead came down from the rune and went to Yin Mei. His voice was as caring as it was alarmed as he urged, “What happened to you, Yin Mei!? You are badly injured.”
*Cough* Upon hearing his words, Yin Mei let out a few uncontrollable blood-filled coughs that stained her clothes. She only looked more ashen and pitiful after that. Her legs seemed to have lost their strength then, and she was about to fall when Gu Changge quickly held onto her. Just like that, Yin Mei leaned against his torso.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Brother Changge. I met the Successor of Demonic Arts earlier, and was injured by him… But this is nothing. I will be fine after recuperating,” she answered while winking in a way that only Gu Changge could see.
He let out a relieved sigh as his eyes turned cold and murderous. “Be at ease, Yin Mei. I will avenge you.” He promised her.
[What a vixen…] Ying Yu unknowingly pouted when she saw Yin Mei’s actions. She could tell that Yin Mei was interested in Gu Changge.
[Wasn’t she doing pretty well just a while ago? Why is she suddenly so weak that she can’t stand the moment Gu Changge came?] Even when she cursed in her heart, she didn’t bring this up.
*Boom!* Gu Changge didn’t linger after that. He soon let go of Yin Mei, and in a flash, his figure was already chasing in the direction the fluctuation came from. Many young prodigies along the way recognized him immediately.
Shock, surprise, excitement; they were all much more relieved than when Chosen Monk Jin Chan and Prince Shen were about to act earlier.
“It’s Young Master Changge!”
“Young Master Changge has made it!”
“Thank goodness! It will be hard for the Successor of Demonic Arts to run away this time. He shall meet his end today!”
“Now that we have Young Master Changge to defeat him, with Chosen Monk Jin Chan and Prince Shen supporting Young Master Changge, the Successor of Demonic Arts will definitely meet his doom today. We won’t have to fear coming in contact with the Successor of Demonic Arts anymore from now on!”
Both elated and excited, the young prodigies quickly followed along to watch with their own eyes the battle that would ensue.
[Gu Changge? Are you sure you are worthy of being known as the best of the younger generation?] Ying Shuang, who noticed Gu Changge behind him, inwardly cursed him out for his shamelessness while maintaining his speed. He wouldn’t have gotten exposed if it wasn’t for Gu Changge ploy. And now, Gu Changge was chasing after him, looking like he hadn’t got a clue about what had happened. This made Ying Shuang blow his top, but he could only curse out Gu Changge in his heart.
“The Successor of Demonic Arts. You’ve finally shown youself,” Gu Changge calmly said.
His robes fluttered as he chased after Ying Shuang, with his hands behind his back. In the blur of the void, he was so fast he looked as though he had appeared out of thin air.
However, he seemed unusually indifferent. As he shot forward, he had many runes flickering and Principles falling in his palm. The runes swiftly erupted in a dazzling sword glow as it exploded like a star.
The glow instantly scattered into hundreds of millions of beams, falling from and to all directions. The loud explosions that it made were terrifying.
*Boom!* The sky was shrouded in darkness the moment those beams fell. It a power no one would have believed existed if they hadn’t witnessed it.
All the mountains crumbled into ashes.
The scene made the faces of many who had rushed over drop in fear and awe. They couldn’t even begin to imagine how powerful Gu Changge was to be able to flip the sky upside down with just a wave of his hand.
“As expected of Young Master Changge!”
“Even when he displayed the power of the Sacred Realm, it is as strong as the Sacred Emperor Realm!”
“Young Master Changge’s skills have never let me down. He already shows signs of mastery over Sacred Emperor Principles…”
Many keen-eyed young prodigies kept showering Gu Changge with praises, faces full of admiration.
*Boom!* Facing Gu Changge’s terrifying blow, Ying Shuang quickly lost the colour in his face. A dazzling brilliance then appeared above his head as his Golden Ancient Bell appeared once again. A Sacred Emperor Grade artifact!
It would always awaken by itself to take a blow for Ying Shuang whenever it sensed that its owner was in a predicament. This time was no exception.
Spurting a few mouthfuls of blood, Ying Shuang kept running ahead to make his escape.
The Golden Ancient Bell became as terrifyingly large as a mountain range. As it shone a golden light and floated in the air, it seemed like it could shatter the universe with a waterfall of Sacred Emperor aura fell.
“Amitabha. We will leave this to you, Young Master Changge. We go after the Successor of Demonic Arts, lest he makes his escape.” Seeing Gu Changge hurrying over, Prince Shen and Chosen Monk Jin Chan both had different emotions written on their faces. Even so, Chosen Monk Jin Chan was the one who spoke up first. He had a feeling that Gu Changge could match against this Sacred Emperor Grade artifact.
He, on the other hand, would hunt Ying Shuang down with Prince Shen.
“I wouldn’t say no since you have faith in my strength, Brother Jin Chan,” Gu Changge smiled lightly without rejecting.
Prince Shen proceeded to peer at him with an odd look in his eyes as strange thoughts came to mind. Still, it wasn’t a bad idea to leave the subduing of the weapon to Gu Changge. It would save him a lot of trouble. He then left to chase after Ying Shuang, without saying a word.
However, Ying Shuang was quick. He had already travelled tens of thousands of kilometres away, to a place far from the Black Tortoise Empire as mountains and rivers passed by under his feet.
His speed brought a frown to Chosen Monk Jin Chan and Prince Shen’s faces as they chased after him. After all, they needed to focus on their artifacts to launch an attack, which would slow them down. Thus, they could not catch up to Ying Shuang, whose sole focus was to escape.
Seeing this, Prince Shen asked as an unusual light flashing across his eyes, “He seems like he is planning to go into the place where the Eternal Overcast crisis has stemmed from. There is a big cloud of grey mist, thick with Yin Qi, ahead of us. We might lose him if we charge in like this. How about we chase after him from another direction?”
Chosen Monk Jin Chan nodded in agreement. He didn’t care about what Prince Shen’s other intention was.
“Be careful, Prince Shen,” he reminded before darting into the fog.
Prince Shen’s gaze was rather emotionless when he turned the other way.
Even though Ying Shuang was the Successor of Demonic Arts, the energy that he gave off was still that of Sky Emperor Mountain. It was exactly because of this that Prince Shen wasn’t afraid of losing to Ying Shuang.
“I will definitely end the Successor of Demonic Arts this time. As great as Gu Chengge’s reputation is, I will make him beneath me!” His eyes were shining bright. Despite knowing that the Successor of Demonic Arts wasn’t going to be an easy opponent, he was still confident, and wasn’t at all worried.
“Chosen Monk Jin Chan and Prince Shen have gone into the Eternal Overcast Mist, and they have even parted ways! Isn’t it too dangerous to do that!?”
“Indeed! It would have been better if they worked together.”
“And Young Master Changge has stayed behind to subdue the Sacred Emperor Grade Artifact…”
Many young prodigies, who followed behind, couldn’t help but show complicated expressions as they watched the scene. Even though they were worried, they didn’t dare chase after them at will.
“One Sacred Emperor Grade artifact isn’t going to stop me.”
A number of them were looking at Gu Changge when they saw him chuckle. All of a sudden, a Sacred Emperor Realm aura emerged from behind him.
It was like an endless range of mountains and rivers that slowly rose. The power it held was endless. This was no longer a power that could be described using words! Even the sky looked like it wasn’t able to withstand such boundless might!
The Great Seal of Mountains and Rivers! It was carved with countless intricate, but ancient patterns, and seemed to be alive, as an overwhelming force came from it. This was also a Sacred Emperor Grade artifact!
*Boom!* The shockwave from the impact the moment two Sacred Emperor Grade artifacts collided was too terrifying. It was as though many stars were exploding, and the afterglow was so blinding it was hard for anyone to keep their eyes open.
However, Gu Changge took this opportunity to quickly slide under the Golden Ancient Bell. As the Great Seal of Mountains and Rivers floated and dripped with splendour, it protected him while he swiftly disappeared into the Eternal Overcast Mist.
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