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Translator: Fate
Translation Checker: Silavin
“Please spare me, Young Master Gu… I will do anything as long as you spare me…” Lan Yifei’s face had turned pale, and he couldn’t hide the fear in his eyes as he begged for mercy. He was the Immortal Dao Alliance’s Chosen One and was not stupid. Even a True Daoist had no way out in front of Gu Changge. So, what more could he do in this situation?
Dark Net Hall might have the Immortal Dao Alliance’s backing, and there were many experts from Immortal Dao Alliance here, but Lan Yifei wasn’t confident that those experts would be much of a threat to Gu Changge. Since Gu Changge dared to show up here, he undoubtedly had complete confidence and assurance.
“You have cultivated the Forbidden Demonic Arts. However, that part of the Demonic Arts is not complete,” Gu Changge calmly stated as he glanced at Lan Yifei. He wasn’t worried that Lan Yifei would attempt anything.
“I know. That was why I wanted to find out from your maid about the identity of the real Successor of Demonic Arts.” Lan Yifei took a deep breath to keep his voice from trembling.
He wasn’t sure what sort of enmity there was between Gu Changge and Su Qingge. However, he wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to know the identity of the Successor of Demonic Arts. He only wanted to have the complete technique.
“I shall give you the complete Forbidden Demonic Arts right now,” Gu Changge said with a faint smile on his lips. He didn’t give Lan Yifei a chance to refuse as he flatly put one hand out.
*Zoom!*
The next moment, the void trembled as black light emerged, after which a dense and indissoluble seed of darkness intertwined with the terrifying aura of the Great Dao, which suddenly shot at Lan Yifei’s forehead.
“What is this…” Lan Yifei was extremely frightened. He had no way to evade it at all. All he could feel was a cold and terrifying energy that suddenly penetrated his forehead and was entrenched in the deepest part of his soul. A strange force continuously spread downward from between the eyebrows as it penetrated his skin, organs, and bones, and finally, it fell into and even seemed to have taken root in his Spiritual Sea.
This was a black seed of exceptional mystery and complexity. In it were many Grand Runes where perplexing scenes evolved, and even the collapse of the universe and the shattering of stars could be seen. Instead of a seed, it was more like a terrifying black hole that devoured all surrounding matter in one bite.
Lan Yifei felt as though his soul and even his life were being swallowed up by this dark seed. Neither his life nor death and thoughts were in his control. It felt like a pair of hands was tightly holding onto his soul.
“Young Master Gu… what is this?” Lan Yifei asked in a shaky voice. His heart was filled with fear and anxiety as he forced himself to calm down.
“Of course, this is the complete Demonic Arts you wanted. You are the Successor of Demonic Arts from now on. Do not disappoint me.” Gu Changge had a faint smile on his face.
In terms of identity, Lan Yifei was the Chosen One of the Immortal Dao Alliance. There were barely any rumours about him as he had been extremely low-key over the years. Therefore, Gu Changge planned to temporarily let him take on Su Qingge’s identity to confuse the various Forces of the Upper Realm. Even if this matter was exposed someday, he didn’t have to worry about being involved and exposed.
“The Successor of Demonic Arts? Young Master Gu, this…” Lan Yifei’s face suddenly fell when he realised what Gu Changge meant.
This dark seed was by no means the complete Forbidden Demonic Arts. Instead, it was a Demonic Seed that grew by absorbing nutrients. Gu Changge could use this dark seed to devour young prodigies’ Sources to achieve the effect of cultivating the Forbidden Demonic Arts. However, the Sources were only the property of the Demonic Seed, not Lan Yifei’s. He was just a tool for Gu Changge to achieve what he wanted.
He was just a host to the parasitic Demonic Seed. Moreover, this dark seed could control his thoughts of life and death. Gu Changge would come and harvest the Demonic Seed by the time it had matured after devouring and refining his Source.
“I think you can do it. Even if you can’t, you have to consider yourself and the Force supporting you,” Gu Changge mentioned with a faint smile.
Lan Yifei’s face became even paler when he heard that, and he weakly plopped down as if the backbone that supported him had been pulled out. Although the Immortal Dao Alliance was powerful, and it was the strongest and most ancient Force in the Ashen Immortal Star Domain, there was only one possible outcome for them if they clashed with Gu Changge: destruction.
“I understand. I won’t let you down, Young Master Gu,” choked Lan Yifei with a weary and bitter expression. Too timid to refuse, he had no choice but to accept his fate. He couldn’t joke around with his own life and the Immortal Dao Alliance backing him. The events tonight were too shocking for him. The fact that Gu Changge and the mysterious Successor of Demonic Arts were the same people was unbelievable. Moreover, he had inadvertently become a fake Successor of Demonic Arts and was about to attract the attention of various Forces of the Upper Realm for Gu Changge.
…
After Gu Changge returned to the palace in Vermilion Bird, he ordered someone to send Su Qingge to the Chaos Star Territory. The Chaos Star Territory was her sister, Ji Qingxuan’s territory. Gu Changge sealed Su Qingge’s cultivation with a Forbidden technique so that she would stay put in the Chaos Star Territory.
As for the matter of Chan Honyi, he had a vague idea of what was going on. He was worried that she would make a move during his wedding to Yue Mingkong a few months later. However, he had to put this matter aside for now, as there were still issues with Neraka and Pagoda that needed to be resolved.
“Ah Qing, I would like you to keep an eye on the young man from Blue Flood Ancient World,” he called Ah Qing and asked her to dispatch more people.
Gu Changge could tell there was a connection between Lu Ming and Neraka, but it was probably a secret that wouldn’t be easily revealed. Without the Fortuity Aura Band, Xue Yan was just an ordinary girl and Lu Ming wouldn’t necessarily let her know about his whereabouts.
“Yes, Young Master Gu.” Ah Qing left after receiving the order. She had just arranged for a group of Masters to go to Blue Flood Ancient World to complete Gu Changge’s request to control all of Lu Ming’s relatives and friends. The matters concerning the two ancient assassin guilds, Neraka and Pagoda. It was too significant to have any mistakes happen.
…
At the same time, under the arrangement of the Third Treasurer, Xue Yan returned to the temporary residence in Blue Flood Ancient World while holding the Enlightenment Tea that Gu Changge had given her. As the strong aroma of the Enlightenment Tea filled the air, various anomalies began to appear. There were chants of gods and Buddhas, a small golden cauldron floating in the air, a large bell that trembled, and Dao Swords that clashed. The scene was magnificent, and the radiance was dazzling, giving people a sense of wanting to ascend to heaven and becoming an Immortal. The pores on everyone’s bodies began to relax as they greedily absorbed the Dao Energy and world energy from the tea.
“What is this?”
“What a thick aroma! Just sucking in a breath has given my cultivation a sign of breakthrough…”
Shocked, all the young prodigies gathered around her and stared at the tea pot in her hand.
“Could the tea Xue Yan is holding be the legendary Enlightenment Tea?” Even the Elders who came with them to the Upper Realm widened their eyes in disbelief.
Although they had never seen an Enlightenment Tea before, and they had only read fragmented records from ancient books. Still, they were almost completely certain that what Xue Yan was holding was the Enlightenment Tea from legends. According to the historical records, not many in Blue Flood Ancient World had tasted this tea. And yet, Xue Yan had brought back such a large pot of it. It was simply too unbelievable.
“Junior Xue Yan… Is this really…” The breaths of all the young prodigies grew heavy as passion filled their eyes. Even their voices trembled. The Elders could not sit still either as they stared at Xue Yan with eager eyes.
Xue Yan was not surprised by their reactions. Even she was unable to remain calm and had to take a long time to calm herself down when she saw this item for the first time.
“This was gifted to us by Young Master Gu. He wanted me to bring this back for my fellow Seniors and Juniors,” she explained, nodding slightly as she mentioned Gu Changge seeking her out. Of course, she didn’t say anything about Gu Changge wanting her to keep an eye on Lu Ming.
There was a sudden silence at the mention of this. Everyone was shocked beyond words. They would never have imagined that it was Gu Changge who had told Xue Yan to bring them this gift.
“We are not deserving of such generosity. Young Master Gu must have bestowed this onto us because of you, Xue Yan.” An Elder spoke up after a long moment of silence. The myriad of emotions he felt were written all over his face. From this incident, everyone could see how much Gu Changge valued Xue Yan. Even they were able to benefit from it by getting a chance to taste Enlightenment Tea.
Lu Ming was watching everything closely with his fists clenched as a huge wave of emotions stirred in his heart. The mysterious stone fragment beneath his sleeve was gleaming. Soon, the voice of the middle-aged man, filled with regret and nostalgia, rang in his ears. [That is a treasure. A true treasure. I have only had a few chances to taste it even at my peak.]
[Is this really Enlightenment Tea?] Lu Ming inwardly asked after a short pause.
<Of course it is. That Young Master Gu is truly generous and extravagant.> The middle-aged man sighed admiringly with a nod.
Lu Ming fell silent once again.
Although nothing had happened after Gu Changge summoned Xue Yan in the middle of the night, Lu Ming’s unease had only grown stronger. It was as if something that originally belonged to him was slowly slipping away.
Tonight, almost everyone in Blue Flood Ancient World had their turn to have a sip of the tea. Grateful to Gu Changge, they probably could worship him like a living Buddha. However, Lu Ming refused to have the tea when it was his turn because he thought it felt like it was charity from Gu Changge. Even though he knew that the Enlightenment Tea would greatly benefit his cultivation, he didn’t want to accept it.
“Forget it if you don’t want it, Senior Brother Lu Ming.” Xue Yan shook her head, not insisting that he took the tea. She was still thinking about what Gu Changge had instructed her to do. She used to hold a strange affection for Lu Ming, whom she thought was more mature, resolute, and dependable than other young prodigies of his age. But now, it seemed that Lu Ming was hiding many secrets no one else knew.
For the next few days, Lu Ming immersed himself in cultivating according to the Secret Techniques of Neraka given to him by the middle-aged man. These were techniques that only the higher-ups in the core of Neraka would cultivate, and they could resonate with each other through them. And so, he used this method to locate the rest of the people from Neraka who were hiding in the Battlefield of Hundred Worlds.
He was unaware that Xue Yan had been keeping an eye on him and reporting his actions to Gu Changge using the jade talisman.
Half a month quickly passed by.
The Great War of Hundred Worlds grew even more brutal, and not even the people of Blue Flood Ancient World could avoid being attacked and killed. Many weaker disciples died tragically in the midst of all that fighting.
Meanwhile, Lu Ming would go to the various arenas in Vermilion Bird during his rest time every night and participate in battles to hone his combat and killing experience and skills. After all, the Secret Techniques given to him by the middle-aged man were all related to assassination. They required a lot of fighting to accumulate experience.
During this process, Lu Ming finally found a contact person from Neraka through the Secret Techniques taught by the middle-aged man. However, instead of calling them a ‘contact person’, they were someone who participated in battles in the arena just like him. In their fight, they sensed the familiarity of each other’s techniques.
The battle ended in a draw. They chose not to continue to fight as the two of them found a deserted courtyard to meet without interruption.
“Which palace do you belong to?” Asked the lean and vicious-looking man across from Lu Ming in an incredibly hoarse voice. Despite his unassuming appearance, this man was extremely cruel and terrifying. Many death-row prisoners in the arena had been cruelly killed by him just so he could obtain their points.
Lu Ming remained silent for a moment as he recalled what the middle-aged man had said about Neraka. Aside from the mysterious Ruler of Neraka, there were ten other palaces.
“I do not come from any particular palace. I just happened to acquire the Legacy of Neraka. That was what led me to this place,” he replied before explaining everything in detail as the middle-aged man had instructed. After his downfall thirty million years ago, the middle-aged man was unsure if there were still trustworthy people in Neraka.
“Your technique does indeed resemble the Legacy of Neraka. Then again, the techniques differ greatly between each of the palaces,” uttered the lean man, frowning. Although he was somewhat suspicious of Lu Ming’s words, he was not worried that Lu Ming had any ill intentions. After all, he was far stronger than Lu Ming.
Seeing this, Lu Ming breathed a sigh of relief. He had been worried that the man would be suspicious. Neraka had always been mysterious, and outsiders could hardly meet them. [I can now try and see if this person can bring me there.]
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