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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
Jiang Chen knew that the Ancient Divine Tomb was completely different from other tombs. After all, there were few clans that could title themselves ‘Godly’ and this tomb belonged to them. It was a far cry from the graves of those in the Partial-Enlightened Realm and True Enlightened Realm.
The opportunities contained in this kind of tomb were beyond imagination. He believed that he could gain considerably with help from the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation.
As Jiang Chen dwelled in his daydream, a jolly-looking monk suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Kind sir, where did you get your items from?” he asked while pointing at the fragments of weapons on display on the floor. The monk who stood there with his oily face wasn’t very young. He also had on a tattered cassock as he held a broken alms bowl.
Jiang Chen didn’t even need to think before he blurted out, “I picked them up from here and there, of course.”
“Is that so?” the monk asked again, in which Jiang Chen nodded. “Of course.”
The monk chuckled when he heard Jiang Chen’s confident answer. “Heh, in that case, why don’t you follow this poor ol’ monk, since you and I are fated to meet”
Jiang Chen’s head immediately shot up as he peered at the monk wearily. “What do you want?” He quietly held the weapon in his sleeve.
He had carefully selected the items he had on display for sale, and he was confident there would be nothing odd about them. However, the monk in front of him must have noticed something, otherwise he wouldn’t say this to Jiang Chen.
When the monk heard this, his eyes fell on Jiang Chen’s face. He seemed very interested when he noticed Jiang Chen’s cultivation level. “You are a skilled young man. I just happen to have a job that I can have your assistance with. And don’t worry, you will be compensated fairly.”
Jiang Chu’s heart sank, and he felt that the cultivation level of the monk in front of him was unfathomable. [What kind of assistance does he need?]
“Monks don’t tell lies, please rest assured. I have never deceived anyone in my life.” Seeing Jiang Chen fall silent, the monk reassured him. “I will have to apologise beforehand if you still find it hard to trust me.”
Jiang Chen immediately knew what the monk meant. The monk was going to get violent if he continued to reject.
Jiang Chen couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh. “I am but a normal person reselling these trinkets. Why do you have to do this, sir?”
“No, no. You are no simple person to me. Your cultivation level might not be high, but you managed to enter tombs with such terrifying Yin Energy and find these weapon fragments. No ordinary person can do what you did.” The monk ignored Jiang Chen’s self-depreciation as he laughed and went straight to the point, pointing out what made Jiang Chen stand out.
Hearing that, Jiang Chen felt his heart sink again, but still his expression remained the same. In fact, he did get into trouble many times when he went to raid tombs. The danger in it was what would scare ordinary cultivators out of their wits, and even put them in harm’s way. Even though Jiang Chen had gathered a good amount of loot after such raids, he had nearly lost his life more than once. He wouldn’t have escaped unscathed if it wasn’t for the help of the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation.
[This monk must be someone skilled.] As Jiang Chen thought that, he had no choice but to leave this place with the monk. He had also abandoned his stall, which was fine. After all, nothing there had high value.
The monk led him on a confusing path before they arrived at a magnificent mansion. There, he saw a powerful monk in charge of guarding the gate. The monk’s body was covered in divine brilliance, and he had frightening vitality and aura.
After arriving here, the attitude of the first monk was visibly a lot more cautious. He dared not be as casual as before.
He muttered in a low voice, “Please don’t run your mouth later, kind sir. Even I can’t help you if you cross someone here.”
Jiang Chen’s expression also turned solemn. He felt aggrieved for suddenly getting involved in such a thing for no reason. Still, he couldn’t help asking in an equally quiet voice. “Who are we meeting?”
The monk turned to glance at him, and only explained in order to make sure Jiang Chen was more mindful of his behaviour.
“Godly Illusion Clan.”
Jiang Chen’s pupils shrank when he heard that. His face soon fell when he suddenly thought of something. Over the past few days, news that an Ancient Divine Tomb was about to appear, had caused a commotion everywhere. He had also heard that the so-called Ancient Divine Tomb actually buried a Master from the Godly Illusion Clan.
The Godly Illusion Clan was a mysterious clan. They were an extremely rare clan in the Upper Realm, and the number of clansmen in it was not large. However, one could easily imagine how strong they were to be coined a Godly Clan.
It was not impossible for them to become the strongest clan in the Upper Realm if they had more members in their clan. Furthermore, the person he was meeting now was part of the Godly Illusion Clan.
This made Jiang Chen’s heart skip a beat as he was taken over by overwhelming nervousness.
The monk must still be worried as he turned his head to Jiang Chen again and reminded him, “Don’t talk nonsense when we go in.”
Jiang Chen only nodded in reply, his palms were now drenched in cold sweat.
Faintly, he saw divine light shining in the depths of the mansion, and there was an incomparably noble and slender figure sitting upright in there. The figure’s gaze seemed to penetrate through him, seeing through him completely.
Seeing Jiang Chen step into this place, the elderly man in black robes who had been hiding in the sky all this time only looked on without following him.
…
When Gu Changge was dispatching a terrifying army to search for the remnants of Bandit Thirteen in Immortal Academy, within the academy somewhere else, there were numerous Elders with blurred faces shrouded in Chaos Energy in a palace discussing some matters.
“The appearance of the Ancient Divine Tomb of the Godly Illusion Clan this time is a good training opportunity for the prodigies of our academy.”
“The Trial of resolving the Eternal Overcast crisis was ruined by the Successor of Demonic Arts last time. I hope everything goes smoothly this time.”
“How about we appoint the King with Six Crowns as the team leader this time? Gu Changge has grown so much the Immortal Academy can no longer accommodate him. He probably won’t take this kind of trial to heart.”
The Elders started to discuss who would be the leader for the Trial this time.
It wasn’t because Gu Changge was unqualified that they had excluded him from the list of candidates. The problem was whether or not he was willing to take the role.
This Ancient Divine Tomb was a precious opportunity to the rest of the disciples, but it was not worth mentioning to the current Gu Changge.
Soon, the decision was made, and as soon as the news came out, it immediately caused a stir among the disciples of Immortal Academy.
The appearance of an Ancient Divine Tomb naturally meant opportunities and dangers. Furthermore, the leader of the trail this time was the King with Six Crowns and not Gu Changge.
The news surprised many. They were wondering if Gu Changge had been overly showy recently that prompted Immortal Academy to suppress him so that he wouldn’t be too powerful a figure in the academy. However, the speculation was soon proven wrong when an Elder announced that Gu Changge wasn’t participating in the trial this time.
The many disciples only realised then that Gu Changge was on a whole other level compared to them now. He could no longer be treated as any other disciples of Immortal Academy. Unknowingly, there was now an invisible gap between them and Gu Changge.
Gu Changge’s status in the Immortal Academy had reached the point where he was on equal footing with all the Elders, who were in the Sacred Emperor Realm. Over the next few days, Immortal Academy was overflowing with sky-piercing divine rainbows, filled with excitement.
The disciples had started training for the Trial.
The King with Six Crowns, Phoenix Lady, Yue Mingkong, Gu Xianer, Jiang Chuchu, Wang Zijin, Chosen Monk Jin Chan and others would all enter the Ancient Divine Tomb this time and compete for their own opportunities.
Gu Changge didn’t care when he heard the news. Just as the Elders thought, he would refuse even if they let him participate in the Trial.
A Trial of this level was only a waste of time to him.
What he was more interested in was the whereabouts of the remnants of Bandit Thirteen. Of course, it would be an entirely different matter if there were great treasures inside the Ancient Divine Tomb.
Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong were in a palace when she asked out of curiosity, “Are you really not interested in the Godly Illusion Clan’s Ancient Divine Tomb?”
From her memory, the Ancient Divine Tomb of the Godly Illusion Clan had a Divinity Crystal, which is equivalent to a Sacred Emperor Grade Dao Fruit. Gu Changge wouldn’t usually let an opportunity like this slip.
He smiled when he heard her question. “For the time being, I am more interested in catching that remnants of Bandit Thirteen. I will drop by if something good appears in the tomb.”
“I will help you keep an eye out.” Yue Mingkong nodded.
He felt relieved after hearing her reply. “I will leave it to you then,” he smiled.
She lightly shook her head. “It is only natural that I do this.”
Even though they weren’t officially married yet, she already considered herself his wife.
She then left, and not long after that, Gu Changge received another news from a follower who respectfully reported,
“Young Master, we have tracked down the mysterious military advisor running Bandit Thirteen. Our forces have been dispatched to stop them.”
Upon hearing that, Gu Changge stood up, his eyes narrowed. “Where?” he demanded.
“They are now in Northcreek Ancient City. The teleportation arrays around the area have been blocked by us, and everyone has been prevented from entering or leaving the city.” The follower then confidently added, “They won’t be able to run away from us even if they grew a pair of wings.”
“Alright. Well done.” Gu Changge nodded, waved his sleeves, and stepped away from this place. Afterwards, his mighty figure rose into the sky before he opened a Space Tunnel and hurried into the void.
The terrifying momentum that resounded in the air shocked all the disciples and Elders of Immortal Academy, who watched this scene speechless. They soon started to guess amongst themselves where Gu Changge had gone.
“There must be news of the whereabouts of the remnants of Bandit Thirteen,” Wang Zijin stated.
Jiang Chuchu, who was beside her, glanced at her before she calmly replied, “You seem to know Gu Changge very well.”
“Instead of saying that I know him well,” Wang Zijin smiled, “it is more like I can guess what he is up to.”
She seemed to be provoking Jiang Chuchu with her dimpled smile when she teased, “You are realising now that I know him better than you do, huh?”
Ignoring her provocation, Jiang Chuchu turned around and left.
Gu Xianer, who had just broke through to the Sacred Realm, dazedly stared at Gu Changge leading people away before she lowered her melancholic eyes.
…
Northcreek Ancient City. This was a majestic and magnificent Ancient City with a population of several billion. Its circumference was nearly one hundred thousand kilometres like a beast crawling on the ground, whereas the city wall alone stretched like mountains without bounds.
At this moment, dark clouds covered the outside the four gates of Northcreek Ancient City. Among the clouds were colourful feathers on wings that flapped. Likewise, scales that flickered light when they bouncing off.
All kinds of powerful and terrifying beings were in the sky, completely blocking all directions.
Soaring through the clouds and riding the clouds, their bodies alone were like hills. The purple lightning and red rays of sunlight only made them look more intimidating.
At this moment, it was difficult for anyone to take a step out of or into the city. Anyone who put up a fight was killed right there and then.
It was only a while ago that someone had resisted out of dissatisfaction, but was slapped to death in the sky, and his body and soul disappeared on the spot. This left everyone else terror-stricken.
No one knew why there was suddenly such an army up in the sky.
Even the City Lord of Northcreek was now outside the city wall, carefully wiping the cold sweat from his forehead without daring to utter a word. He could tell who the leader behind the terrifying army in front of him was. Thus, he needed to deal with them carefully, not daring to offend them.
Meanwhile, those behind the City Lord were all famous figures in Northcreek Ancient City. They, too, were cautious as they huddled together. None dared to let their dissatisfaction show on their faces.
The huge ancient city was dead quiet now, as everyone was crippled by worry that they would receive a blow that would annihilate them all. After all, the force outside the city was so terrifyingly mighty it had covered the sky and blocked out the sun.
Not to mention an Ancient City, even a small Sect could be easily destroyed.
At this moment, someone with the appearance resembling a Yaksha stood up among the red rays of light. As he opened his mouth and sneered, his voice echoed in the sky. “My Master has issued an order. Anyone who dares to shelter remnants of Bandit Thirteen will be regarded as enemies, and you will have to face the consequences of your actions.”
“Damn it! Bandit Thirteen!”
“How dare those accursed bandits drag us down with them!”
Many only understood what was going on after they heard this person’s words. [It’s all because of Bandit Thirteen]!
The Upper Realm had been in an uproar because of Gu Changge’s hunt of Bandit Thirteen. Thus, they could easily guess who was the ‘Master’ this Yaksha looking person was talking about.
Many smiled wryly. There was no one other than Gu Changge who was so powerful in the Upper Realm. He had even dispatched such a terrifying force in order to hunt down and kill a single person.
They also started to relax more after finding out this mighty force’s intentions. Surely it had nothing to do with them common folks if Gu Changge was only here to catch the bandits. Since they weren’t hiding the bandit, they had nothing to worry about. Still, they hoped they wouldn’t be harmed for something that had nothing to do with them.
Relieved, the City Lord of Northcreek reassured the people, “Don’t worry, everyone. Since remnants of Bandit Thirteen have appeared in Northcreek Ancient City, I will cooperate with you to search them out and ease Young Master Changge’s worries.”
The City Lord also despised Bandit Thirteen.
[Of all the places those rotten bandits could go, he just had to come to Northcreek Ancient City. What a jinx!]
After hearing the City Lord’s words, the important figures behind him also started to voice out about how they had no intention to cover for Bandit Thirteen. “I would have sent people to search everywhere if I had known that such trash was in this city. That way, I wouldn’t have bothered Young Master Changge with dispatching such a large force to to deal with them. If someone is protecting the remnant of Bandit Thirteen, we will definitely capture them and kill them without mercy.”
Many youths were shocked after hearing this. They couldn’t even see these important people on a normal day. But today, they had all appeared, and even made promises because Gu Changge wanted to search for the remnants of Bandit Thirteen.
Likewise, the force sent over to this city was so formidable no one would have imagined they would one day witness this.
Seeing how sensible the leaders were, the Yaksha-like person showed a faint smile and hummed, “Now that we have heard the words of the City Lord of Northcreek, I can assure everyone that we are not unreasonable people. Our Master ordered me to come here only to catch the remnants of Bandit Thirteen. We hope not to cause trouble for everyone in Northcreek Ancient City.”
The City Lord of Northcreek firmly stated again, “Please, don’t worry. We will cooperate with the investigation as best we can. We won’t let go of anyone who is suspicious.”
Afterwards, the imposing army descended Northcreek Ancient City and began to search through every building. The entire ancient city was in a commotion as everyone grew anxious, for fear that someone they knew was hiding the remnants of Bandit Thirteen.
…
Meanwhile, in Raindrop Pavilion at Nephrite Breeze Pavilion.
It was a brothel in Northcreek Ancient City. It was usually a lively place overflowing with beautiful young women, along the fragrance of makeup and powder. However, it was exceptionally quiet today.
In a private room on the inside of the building, a middle-aged man with a pale complexion couldn’t help coughing up blood as he sat in a wheelchair. He had a black cloth over his eyes. Other than that, his lower limbs were useless, as he had lost his mobility.
This is no ordinary physical injury. It would be difficult to heal even with Sacred Herbs.
Just like his eyes, this was the repercussion from peeking into too many of Heavenly Secrets. It would be difficult to heal in his lifetime. Behind the middle-aged man, a young man with a sad expression couldn’t help but lament, “Master, is there nothing we can do other than let fate take us?”
They had been living in hiding these days. Not a second had passed where they didn’t fear for their lives. They had to be on their toes and live like street rats in the dark. This kind of life made him despair. He didn’t understand why his Master, who could predict the future with great accuracy, would be hunted down one day.
There was no longer a place for them in the enormous Upper Realm.
Those words must have agitated the middle-aged man so much he coughed up blood again. He only lightly shook his head. It was as though he had expected this to happen.
“I didn’t think Gu Changge would get to us so soon,” the older man sighed in a calm voice. “I thought we could hide for a few more days. All of this is my fault. None of this would have happened if it wasn’t for my greed.”
“Leave me, child. Take Lian’er with you. I am the one Gu Changge is after. This has nothing to do with you and Lian’er.”
He then took out 2 items from his torso. “This is a secret treasure I refined back then. After the two of you use it, hide in the void and leave quietly. No one will be able to notice your traces. I want you to take the opportunity to escape to the Demon World, find a man named Jun Bufan, and give him this kit.”
They were a very ordinary kit and a very ordinary jade talisman that had nothing unusual about it. No one would notice even if they were thrown on the ground.
But now, the middle-aged man was handing over these two items to them.
Behind the young man was a woman with a graceful figure. With her skin as white as snow, hair as dark as coal, she had an enchanting appearance. Despite the unwilling look on her face, she chose not to say anything.
Hearing this, the young man’s eyes started to turn red, and he looked as though his heart was breaking. It was as though he would start crying anytime now.
“What will you do if we leave, Master? You are gravely injured now. You will die once you are caught by Gu Changge if we leave.”
“My disciple,” the middle-aged man let out a relieved smile. Still, his words were firm, not giving any room for doubt. “You have already learned what you should from me. You will live well even without me. There is no need for you to sacrifice your life here because of me.”
He then turned to the exquisite woman, and his voice was now laced with guilt. “Lian’er, I have wronged you and your mother, but you have to understand that I had no other choice. I stayed away for so many years not because I didn’t want to see you. I didn’t want to get you involved in all this mess. It must have been difficult for you, having to build Nephrite Breeze Pavilion by yourself from the ground up.”
Even though his eyes could no longer see, he knew that his daughter was looking at him. This reassured the middle-aged man somehow.
Who would have thought that the Master behind the well-known assassin’s guild, ‘Nephrite Breeze Pavilion’ would be the daughter of the Demon Master, Bai Kun?
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