Chapter 991, I Want to Unify the Expanse Domain; Recruiting Troops and Horses in the Talent Gathering Village

Translator: Fate

Translation Checker: Silavin

 

“Have some tea, Sir.” The Spirit Empress respectfully refilled the cup in front of Gu Changge with tea.

 

After listening to him, she felt as though the distance between them had gotten much closer. She was no longer as scared and fearful of him as before.

 

Furthermore, she had heard some things. The existences, who had established the independent Forbidden Area in the Boundless Expanse, were people who once watched the destruction of their homeland and the loss of their homes. They then witnessed their Family and friends dying consecutively in front of them, but they were powerless to do anything.

 

Compared to a ‘lunatic’ like the White Bone Ancestor King who had abandoned everything and thrown away all his emotions, the so-called Lord of the Forbidden Area seemed more like a lonely ghost wandering the Boundless Expanse because of his indelible obsession.

 

Some of them wanted revenge, and some of them wanted to revive their Family. There were also some who wanted to repeat the course of time and return to the past… Although they seemed similar, they were fundamentally different.

 

For better or for worse, a lunatic like the White Bone Ancestor King could throw away anything for the sake of survival. He was willing to abandon his pride and serve under Gu Changge. There was nothing he cared about anymore, so freedom and servitude was of no distinction to him.

 

On the other hand, Gu Changge was an existence who lived alone in the Boundless Expanse because of a single obsession. His temperament was more likely to resemble a normal person. It was just that he was willing to do anything necessary when it came to his obsession.

 

After understanding this point, the Spirit Empress realised that Gu Changge was not that frightening anymore. Even her mood inexplicably became much more relaxed as a result.

 

When she first came into contact with Gu Changge, she had thought of him as an extremely moody and emotionally unstable monster. He was willing to initiate a massacre that swept across the Boundless Expanse and feed upon the blood of countless living creatures just to restore his own vitality. That was why she had been so deeply afraid and fearful of him.

 

Now that she understood his reasons, she discovered that she and the Ancestors were completely mistaken about him.

 

“You don’t seem to be as afraid of me as before.” Gu Changge smiled faintly and picked up his cup.

 

Likewise, the Spirit Empress responded with a smile. “I used to have a terrible misunderstanding of you, but I’ve suddenly thought things through. To be honest, I was so scared and afraid of you because of the White Bone Ancestor King’s behaviour when he first boarded the ship back then…”

 

As soon as the White Bone Ancestor King boarded the warship, he immediately attacked and killed the Founding Ancestor. He soon devoured the Founding Ancestor down to the bones.

 

That incident was no secret to the Spirit Empress. It was also why she had always been equally afraid of the White Bone Ancestor King. Even the Grand Ancestor was powerless against an existence like the White Bone Ancestor King. He could only watch helplessly as the White Bone Ancestor King did whatever he wanted.

 

On the other hand, Gu Changge was several hundred times more terrifying than the White Bone Ancestor King. Faced with such an existence, how could she not be afraid at the beginning? Especially since the Ancestors were hoping for her to curry favour with Gu Changge. It was fortunate that she was quite strong-minded even though she was simply trying to appear calm on the surface most of the time.

 

Gu Changge took a sip of tea, neither denying nor confirming her statement. He knew that he had already achieved the outcome he wanted.

 

In the end, ruling with fear instead of virtue was not the best method to control one’s subordinates. It was impossible for him to do everything himself, but he had planted a seed in the Spirit Empress’s heart with these words. By doing so, there was a higher chance that she would work wholeheartedly under him in the future.

 

A confidant with the strength of a Dao Realm cultivator, not to mention the possessor of extraordinary Talent…

 

If he gave her some Indomitable Matter and some Life-Extending Matter, it would be possible for her to break through to an even higher Realm. She would be comparable to the current Founding Ancestor of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family in terms of strength.

 

At present, Gu Changge was indeed lacking some capable subordinates. The White Bone Ancestor King might be respectful toward Gu Changge, but he was also afraid of Gu Changge’s strength. As an ancient monster himself, he was very intelligent and shrewd. It was impossible for him to sincerely work for Gu Changge.

 

In comparison, the Spirit Empress was much more immature and innocent.

 

“Sir, you are fundamentally different from the White Bone Ancestor King. He is a true madman, unscrupulous and lawless. On the other hand, you have the courage to stick to your own heart and not be shaken by the world,” the Spirit Empress said with sincere respect.

 

She was not flattering Gu Changge. That was simply her judgement after their constant contact during the recent period coupled with everything she heard today. Gu Changge was that kind of person in her eyes.

 

“Is that so? The courage to stick to my heart? But, how long can my heart persist? A thousand years? A million years? A billion years? Eternity?” Gu Changge gave a non-committal chuckle.

 

She was taken aback by his words. It felt like he was talking about his obsession. How long could his obsession last?

 

“Sir, I would like to take the liberty to ask… Can you tell me what you plan to do?” After pondering for a moment, she couldn’t help blurting out the question. If it was in the past, she would not have dared to ask such a question even if she was beaten to death.

 

When Gu Changge heard her question, he glanced at her strangely before he gave a soft laugh.

 

“I told you, there’s no need to be so nervous and rigid in front of me. I’ve never liked those cumbersome rules and etiquette. Most of the time, I prefer to communicate with the people around me on an equal footing instead. Besides, just taking off your veil earlier has frightened you so badly. What do you plan to do if I try other things next time? From now on, you can stop calling me ‘Sir’. Just call me ‘Young Master Gu’.”

 

“Yes, Young Master Gu.” The Spirit Empress was not disgusted by the almost servant-like title that she was asked to use. On the contrary, she was happy for some reason. In a way, was this that a sign that the distance between them had gotten closer again?

 

“If you wish to do something else, Young Master Gu, I will not dare to stop you. But, I don’t think you will do that.” She replied, feeling as though the mental state she had cultivated for so many years had gotten completely messed up.

 

The Empress of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, who ruled over countless universes and billions of living creatures, was acting like a little girl at this moment. Even her words had gotten inexplicably coy for some reason.

 

Gu Changge smiled and joked, “You seem to understand me very well now.”

 

“I just have the feeling that you won’t force me. But, if you want me to sleep with you, then you only need to tell me. I am actually quite willing.”

 

Now that she no longer felt scared and worried, she dared to speak her mind boldly. Putting aside the differences in their statuses, he actually met her criteria as a suitable partner.

 

“Don’t mention this topic again.” He continued to smile but waved his hand to interrupt her.

 

“Yes, Young Master Gu.”

 

For some reason, she felt inexplicably disappointed and discouraged. Although she did not dare to claim that she was the most beautiful woman in the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, she was definitely one of the most beautiful women in all the universes under her jurisdiction. Her beauty was peerless, and not many women could compare with her.

 

However, he seemed to genuinely have no interest in her.

 

Sighing sadly in her heart, she raised her head and glanced at him. He was quietly sipping his tea. His face was handsome and elegant, like an unmarried young man who had walked out of a painting. He seemed untainted by worldly affairs and free from the secular world.

 

“Weren’t you curious about my purpose? In that case, I’ll tell you right now.”

 

Putting down his now-empty cup, Gu Changge decided that the timing at this moment was just right. After all, the Spirit Empress no longer had any wariness toward him.

 

The Spirit Empress immediately became energetic when she heard those words and listened attentively. Her eyes, which were filled with unconcealed curiosity, stared fixedly at him.

 

“I want to unify the Expanse Domain.” In the meantime, he leisurely finished what he planned to say earlier.

 

“What?!” She was absolutely stunned by his answer. In fact, she initially wondered whether she had heard him wrongly. It was not until she saw his expression that she realised he did not seem to be joking.

 

Upon the realisation, she froze in place for a moment. Her small mouth fell open in astonishment, and her entire expression was shocked. She was filled with utter disbelief.

 

The Boundless Expanse was so vast that nobody knew where the boundaries were or how many Civilisations and epochs were produced, much less how wide the Spacetime and latitudes.

 

Even though the Spirit Ruin True World claimed to be an Ancient True World with tremendous power, it was nothing more than an insignificant speck of dust in the Boundless Expanse that could be shattered to pieces at any time.

 

Be that as it may, he wanted to unify the entire Boundless Expanse. She had never heard of such absurdity in her life, much less imagined such a scenario. It was a complete fantasy! However, these words had come from his mouth directly.

 

“Young Master Gu…” A long time passed before she recovered from her shock. Her mouth was dry, but it was not because she doubted his strength. It was just that the entire situation was too much of a fantasy. Nobody could ever achieve such a feat. Not even the beings who were said to have created the Immortal True World from the ancient rumours could succeed at such an undertaking.

 

Not to mention, just how many Immortal True Worlds were there in the Boundless Expanse? Aside from the Immortal True Worlds, there might also be many powerhouses living in seclusion or hiding deep in the world. There might even be some existences who stood at the peak of the Ninth Decay in the true sense.

 

In any case, the Boundless Expanse contained far too many mysteries and unknown secrets which were simply beyond their ability to guess and imagine.

 

“If I can’t even do something like that, how can I slay Heaven?” Gu Changge smiled. He seemed to have expected the Spirit Empress’s reaction, so he was not astonished in the least.

 

“Slay Heaven?” The Spirit Empress was once again shocked by his words.

 

The Heavenly Dao was not benevolent. Faced with the Great Purge that threatened to purge all living creatures, many True Worlds would choose to rebel against Heaven. That was why many Heavenslayers would emerge during those times.

 

However, who could actually slay Heaven? That was simply the result of their desperate decisions when their lives were on the line. If not because they were too powerless to resist the Great Purge, how could there be so many so-called Heavenslayers in the world?

 

Besides, it was obvious that the ‘Heaven-slaying’ Gu Changge mentioned earlier was not the same ‘Heaven-slaying’ that took place during a Great Purge.

 

“Young Master Gu, are you genuinely planning to quell Great Purges and destroy the Heavenly Dao?” The Spirit Empress composed her emotions with some difficulty, but she could not help feeling shocked nevertheless.

 

In a sense, Gu Changge was an even more terrifying ‘lunatic’ than the White Bone Ancestor King. How could he dare to say such things and even regard the idea as his obsession?

 

‘Slaying Heavens and Achieving Dao’ was not something that could be achieved simply by having great perseverance and decisiveness. The true ‘Heaven’ was located in the Land of Truth. It was not something they could ever hope to touch.

 

Gu Changge ignored the Spirit Empress’s reaction. The reason he told her about his ambition was simply to give her more time to be mentally prepared for the future. Naturally, it was better to speak about his intentions to slay Heaven as soon as possible. It was normal for the Spirit Empress to feel shocked and incredulous.

 

When he first mentioned his ambition to Gu Wuwang in the Prosperous Dao True World, Gu Wuwang had been equally as shocked and incredulous. After all, not everybody had the courage to face such a situation, even if they were simply in the know of the plans.

 

Gu Changge said nothing more and calmly admired the undulating mountains outside the window.

 

Meanwhile, the Spirit Empress gradually calmed down. She was not an ordinary person after all. Once she recovered from the initial shock, she began to contemplate the matter carefully and meticulously.

 

Even she had been shocked and speechless after learning about Gu Changge’s ambition. It could be conceived just how astonishing and incredulous the situation was. She was certain even the Ancestors would be stunned and frightened to learn the truth. And yet, Gu Changge had spoken in such a calm and nonchalant manner. It was as though he had been talking about a trivial matter that was not worth mentioning.

 

“Young Master Gu, what should we do about Chu Lian? Do we allow him to continue growing, or?”

 

The Spirit Empress did not dare to continue the conversation regarding the Heaven-slaying topic. In fact, she blamed herself for inquiring about the matter earlier. That was why she hastily changed the subject and asked about Chu Lian instead.

 

“Let him continue to grow. If there’s a chance, I would like to have a conversation with the object in his possession,” he nonchalantly said.

 

Judging by the current situation, Chu Lian remained unaware of the Spirit Empress’s true identity.

 

Gu Changge could not help feeling curious about the Supreme Treasure that was in Chu Lian’s possession. Since it was an object with its own consciouness, he might as well consider his next step after having a conversation with the Supreme Treasure.

 

Unless it was necessary, he had no intention to seize the object by force. Besides, the current circumstances indicate that the Supreme Treasure was already bound to Chu Lian. If he seized the object by force, he might cause unnecessary trouble instead. It just so happened that the Spirit Ruin Royal Family would need some more time to finish gathering their troops.

 

At the same time, Chu Lian, who was straggling at the back of the group, was feeling equally uneasy.

 

[Artifact Spirit…] No matter how he tried to communicate with his mind, there was no response from the Sphere of Ambition’s Artifact Spirit whatsoever. It seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber. Therefore, he was very frustrated by the situation. He did not know the reason for the sudden change either. The only bright side was that the current situation did not affect the Sphere of Ambition’s abilities.

 

His strength was slowly and steadily improving, but he did not dare to be too obvious about these changes. He was worried that the Elderly man in black robes beside Gu Changge would notice something unusual about him.

 

A few days later, Chu Lian followed the Spirit Empress to a mountain village called the Talent Gathering Village. The mountain village was nestled deep within a mountain with lush green foliage. Moreover, the architecture was built with great style.

 

There were many disciples from various Clans whose strength was mysterious and unfathomable. The place gave off a secretive feeling, almost as though there was a Qilin hidden in the mountains.

 

Both Chu Lian and Ming Xiu were astonished by the sight.

 

Afterwards, the Spirit Empress gave them a brief introduction. This place was apparently a covert Force that her Cousin had been building in secret. It was designed to recruit various strange talents from all over the country and discuss their plans to overthrow the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. At the same time, they were planning to recruit troops and purchase mounts which would be extremely beneficial for the future.

 

Chu Lian was shocked by the explanation, but he could not help feeling incredibly emotional at the same time. Weren’t these plans what he had always been planning and aiming for all this time? He was surprised to learn that the Spirit Empress’s mysterious Cousin had already been scheming such things for a long time. It was simply beyond his expectations.