Chapter 113: Chilled Back; Gu Changge’s Plan!
[Two days after Gu Changge was ‘injured’ by Gu Xian’er.]
The Elders and the Palace Master made gu Changge the Heir of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace, and even the Great Elder accepted and supported the proposition.
The incident quickly spread throughout the Palace and caused an uproar.
It shocked all the disciples.
Who in the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace didn’t know about the friction between the Great Elder and Gu Changge? The two had some dispute just a while ago, and the Great Elder’s rage had darkened the sky above the Palace to the point that they feared it might fall upon them.
But now, Gu Changge was given the position of Heir out of nowhere!
This left the disciples in disbelief, but they didn’t dare question the decision of the higher-ups even if the hasty settlement of the Heir’s position left them disgruntled.
Who dared to ask for the position from Gu Changge? They didn’t even think about taking it away from him.
Even the True Disciples didn’t dare to stand in Gu Changge’s ways and either went out for adventure or hid in the name of secluded cultivation, so what could the rest of the Inner and Outer Palace Disciples do?
What’s more? Gu Changge could cover the sky of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace with one hand, so who else besides him would be worthy enough for the position of the Palace’s Heir?
No one dared raise a voice of disagreement.
The news about Gu Changge’s injury at Gu Xian’er’s hand also spread throughout the Palace, and people realized that Gu Changge didn’t show his face outside even once after that.
Gu Xian’er’s name sent waves throughout the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace once more.
After all, she was the only disciple who dared to challenge and attack Gu Changge.
Many people, however, heard that Gu Changge was seriously injured because he didn’t resist her attack at that time.
For a while, people fell into speculation about the grudge that existed between Gu Changge and Gu Xian’er. Everyone watched the excitement, and countless rumors floated around. No matter where one went, some people would always love to speculate and gossip about anything and everything.
Gu Xian’er’s great strength also attracted the attention of countless disciples.
After all, she was taken in as a disciple by the Great Elder, and her performance on the Heavenly Road was no worse than Gu Changge’s either.
Many felt that she had a promising future and would one day become a mighty figure in the Upper Realm!
Before long, the Elders also announced that the Succession Ceremony for the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace’s Heir would be held in seven days.
At the same time, the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace informed the various mighty Heritages of the Upper Realm regarding their plan to open the Ancient Immortal Continent to everyone and let all of them explore the Continent for the immortal opportunity that would soon appear.
All the Dao Heritages of the Upper Realm stirred as soon as they received the news, including many Ancient Immortal Families, Immortal Dynasties, and Ancient Immortal Races. So much so that even descendants of elusive Heritages that hadn’t seen daylight in eons also showed up.
The Ancient Immortal Continent didn’t contain just some ruins; it held various Secret Realms with greed-evoking opportunities too.
Back then, the Continent was forcefully moved to the depths of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace by a terrifying existence.
The Continent held countless immortal opportunities and even more dangers; even the Elders of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace dared not set foot into areas shrouded by mystical mist.
In addition to all these, there were also many native races and creatures living on the Ancient Immortal Continent. They were protected by the ancient monstrosities that usually hid in the depths of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace.
Once the Ancient Immortal Continent opened to the outside world, numerous young geniuses would flood into it, and no one would be able to guarantee their safety — the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace specially put forth requirements for all Heritages for this sole reason.
Each force could only send ten young talents, and they also had to guarantee a supervisor who would overlook them.
This news caused a ma.s.sive sensation as soon as it spread.
Of course, the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace made sure to lift this restriction when it came to cultivators not affiliated with any force — loose cultivators, in other words — to keep it fair for everyone.
This was the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace’s bottom line; after all, they couldn’t just let in every single person currently staying in the Heavenly Dao Ancient City, right?
And since all the forces were in the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace’s territory right now, they had no choice but to accept the Palace’s terms.
At the same time, everyone also figured out why the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace suddenly instated Gu Changge as their Heir — it was to deal with this particular situation.
“The Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace is smart! Who in the younger generation can match the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family at present times? Once all the young ’uns step foot into the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace’s territory, it’s inevitable that they will compete with each other. But, with the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family keeping an eye on them, they would have no choice but to act with restraint.”
“One can say that it’s a phenomenal move by the Palace!”
“That might not be the case, though. Many Young Supremes recently broke through to the Conferred King Realm, so I am afraid that there will be earth-shaking battles breaking out soon.”
“I heard some rumors saying that Ye Langtian, the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Ye Family, and a mighty Young Supreme known as the Reincarnation of an Ancient Emperor, has been getting chummy with the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family…”
“There’s also that guy named Ye Ling from the Ancient Immortal Ye Family; although he was said to be worse than Ye Langtian, he was still able to reach a tie in an exchange with him!”
“That might be the case, but I don’t think that Ye Ling will be able to make any waves in front of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family’s Young Master…”
“I heard some people say that the Young Heavenly Genius called Ye Ling has plans to challenge the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family! I wonder when an enmity developed between the two.”
……
[Inside a divine tower in the Heavenly Dao Ancient City.]
A depressed expression masked Ye Langtian’s face as he listened to the conversation of the cultivators outside.
“Brother Gu, I never thought I would implicate you in this matter…”
He raised a gla.s.s towards Gu Changge with an apologetic expression.
Gu Changge’s peerless visage showed an indifferent and calm expression as he raised a jade gla.s.s full of fragrant wine to his lips and took a sip.
A smile appeared on his face as he listened to Ye Langtian’s words, and he said, “It’s just a little gra.s.shopper prancing around that can be stomped to death at any time, so why let him bother you so much, Brother Ye?”
The purple-clothed girl beside Ye Langtian nodded in agreement and added, “Gu Changge is right, Brother; why do you care so much about that guy? Ye Ling is just a tricky fool from the collateral branch jealous of your achievements and only knows how to use tricks and conspiracies.”
In her opinion, Ye Ling was definitely not Ye Langtian’s opponent if they fought head to head. No matter how strong Ye Ling might be, his strength depended on trickery and external support, after all.
What’s more? There was an insurmountable disparity between the ident.i.ties of the two! Even if the Elders held some hope for Ye Ling, they couldn’t change anything.
Ye Langtian was overthinking the matter, she believed.
She completely agreed with Gu Changge, and also thought that Ye Ling was nothing more than a little gra.s.shopper that could be stomped to death at any time.
The purple-clothed beauty’s pretty little face showed some disdain as she thought of this, and her lips curved up to form a faint smile.
She was Ye Liuli!
Ye Liuli and her brother, Ye Langtian, had been staying in the Heavenly Dao Ancient City to wait for the time when the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace would open the Ancient Immortal Continent.
By chance, they came across Gu Changge today.
To be precise, they came across Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong.
The woman beside Gu Changge had a picturesque, immortal-like bearing, with an aloof and n.o.ble aura. Although her phoenix eyes were in a relaxed state, she still gave off an indescribable pressure to those in her surroundings.
She was the Crown Princess of the Supreme Immortal Dynasty, Yue Mingkong, the Future Empress of the Dynasty.
Ye Liuli felt envious of the relationship between the two. No matter how she looked at them, the two appeared to be a perfect pair of immortals made for each other as they sat side by side.
Gu Changge’s minor movements under the table didn’t escape Ye Liuli either.
Although Yue Mingkong was also drinking wine with them, her other hand was gently held by Gu Changge, and she couldn’t see any discomfort or other signs from Yue Mingkong’s expression.
Her letting him hold her hand in such a way meant that the relationship between the two was going great.
Why else would someone with Yue Mingkong’s temperament let someone touch her so easily?
Ye Liuli couldn’t suppress the envy in her heart.
Certain unexplainable emotions towards Gu Changge had long taken root in Ye Liuli’s heart, especially after she returned from the Lower Realm.
But from the sight in front of her, she could tell that Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong were incredibly close — they weren’t, in any way, estranged like the rumors outside said.
“Brother Gu, you are right. Alas! I thought the same as you and considered Ye Ling to be nothing much, but that’s exactly what caused me to suffer such a setback at Ye Ling’s hands.”
“I have no idea what’s going on with the rumors that claim that Ye Ling wants to challenge you, though, Brother Gu.”
Ye Langtian shook his head and said with a sincere tone.
Although his words sounded sincere indeed, those with a keen mind would be able to see through his true thoughts.
Since he and Ye Ling were from the same family, he couldn’t arbitrarily attack Ye Ling, or he would dissatisfy the Elders, and they might decide to remove him from his position.
It just so happened that Ye Ling decided to court death, and started to bark around that he wanted to challenge Gu Changge, so Ye Langtian decided to get rid of him with a borrowed blade.
Ye Langtian didn’t become the Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Ye Family because he was a kind numbskull, after all!
He was also a shrewd youth who carefully considered many matters.
Of course, there was nothing he could do if Gu Changge didn’t want to bother playing along with him.
Gu Changge’s expression still showed no change as he listened to Ye Langtian’s words.
“Oh! Your words make it seem like Ye Ling has some capability, Brother Ye.”
This made Ye Langtian wonder if Gu Changge couldn’t see through his subtle hint?
“There’s only a collateral branch of the Ancient Immortal Ye Family behind Ye Ling, so there’s no way he could have arrived at this step with just their help…Brother Ye, have you heard any news recently?”
Gu Changge suddenly changed the topic and mentioned Ye Ling’s origin with indifference.
Gu Changge wasn’t surprised about Ye Ling wanting to challenge him.
After all, not only could he achieve great fame throughout the Upper Realm by challenging him, but he could also let the world know how ‘mighty’ he was if he succeeded.
What’s more? He had good enough reasons to go against him.
After all, Ye Ling’s sworn brother, Bai Lie, the Young Master of the White Tiger Family, suffered great humiliation at his hands, while his fiancee, Yue Mingkong, almost killed Ye Ling himself.
That being said, it was expected for Ye Ling to pin all his hatred on his head instead.
After all, Ye Ling was a Favored Son of Heaven who was born to go against him.
The inheritance of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor of Reincarnation had greatly boosted Ye Ling’s confidence.
Even Ye Langtian, who was said to be on par with Gu Changge, didn’t think too highly of Ye Ling, so how could Gu Changge give him any attention?
Of course, Ye Langtian’s desire to kill with a borrowed knife didn’t evade Gu Changge.
For him, the higher Ye Ling jumped right now, the harder he would fall.
What’s more? Gu Changge had already thought of a method to deal with Ye Ling that would not only ruin him completely but would also let him reap the benefits without putting in much work.
Gu Changge’s smile deepened as he recalled his plot, and he couldn’t help but tighten his grasp on Yue Mingkong’s delicate, little hand.
Her dainty hand was like a piece of flawless immortal jade that made him not want to let go of it.
His actions made Yue Mingkong glare at him with a cold snort.
It’s just that she was too lazy to fall out with Gu Changge in the presence of outsiders. Also, she knew that Gu Changge was just trying to get a response out of her with his actions.
As for Gu Changge’s injuries left behind by Gu Xian’er’s attack? They had already been healed thanks to her bitter effort.
By now, Yue Mingkong’s att.i.tude towards Gu Changge had eased up a lot, and she was no longer as indifferent to him as before.
Him holding her hands and such couldn’t make her lash out at him anymore.
As for why they were together right now?
Out of nowhere, Gu Changge decided to leave the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace for the Heavenly Dao Ancient City, so Yue Mingkong thought of following him to see just what he was up to now.
As soon as Gu Changge sensed Ye Liuli’s location, he put on a show of coming across her by chance. After that, they all went to this divine tower to eat, drink, and chat about the current situation.
Gu Changge’s followers already reserved the divine tower, so they didn’t have to worry about causing a stir or someone bothering them.
The short exchange between Gu Changge and Yue Mingkong didn’t escape Ye Liuli’s eyes. It intensified her guess about Gu Changge having a great relationship with Yue Mingkong, which only increased her envy.
Ye Langtian, on the other hand, fell into thought after listening to Gu Changge’s words and then said, “I have thought about this matter before, Brother Gu, and I believe that there might be an expert guiding Ye Ling from the shadows. It’s also possible that he chanced upon some inheritance. When I exchanged moves with him, I realized that his moves were truly bizarre, and he could also neutralize a lot of my Mystical Abilities…”
He had investigated Ye Ling but came across nothing unusual, so he believed that there was either some expert guiding him from the shadows, or he might have chanced upon some powerful, ancient inheritance.
“It seems that Brother Ye’s guess is the same as mine. Since Ye Ling dares to be so high-profile, there’s a high chance that there’s someone strong backing him.”
Gu Changge said with a smile.
Ye Langtian nodded at his response and asked, “Brother Gu, do you also think that he might have acquired some kind of inheritance?”
Yue Mingkong, on the other hand, couldn’t help but stare at Gu Changge with a strange light in her eyes.
Was Gu Changge going to reveal the fact that Ye Ling got his hands on the Ancient Heavenly Emperor of Reincarnation’s inheritance?
Why else would he lead Ye Langtian in this direction?
But soon, Yue Mingkong shook her head.
With Gu Changge’s character, there was no way he would share Ye Ling’s secret with anyone else.
If it wasn’t for her special relationship with Gu Changge, she was sure that he would have already silenced her to keep the secret just to himself.
There was no way that Gu Changge would take the initiative to reveal the secret before killing and robbing Ye Ling of his inheritance.
Just what was he plotting?
Right when Yue Mingkong fell into thought about this matter, she heard Gu Changge’s faint voice, “By the way, Brother Ye, I heard that many outstanding disciples of various Heritages disappeared into thin air recently. What do you think about this?”
Yue Mingkong was stunned as soon as she heard his words.
Her pupils shrank, and she felt a chill go down her back even though the inside of the tower was warm enough, and it was also daytime.
She instantly figured out Gu Changge’s plan.