Chapter 153: Sowing Discord In Exchange For My Life; I Thought Master Didn’t Want Me Anymore.
The bones above the Tanliang Gai[1] underwent a complex transformation at once, turning translucent as they became enshrouded with an aura similar to that of a True Immortal!
[1. A part of the skull.]
One could even feel the terrifying and radiant haze of light and blood, like a mighty dragon, a surging sun that could shatter the very heavens.
Gu Changge felt that his essence had been refined and improved many times over what it was before.
In terms of strength alone, it gave off a great impression. Even if the universe had collapsed, he alone would be left standing.
This was precisely the benefit that comes from the Transcendent Bones.
This kind of enhancement was comprehensive, but the position of the cranium is where the Sea of Consciousness is located, where the Primordial Spirit resides.
At this moment, he felt a vague metamorphosis take place in his Innate Spirit.
Transforming… from a deity to an immortal, the power of the Primordial Spirit took on a nine-coloured glazed hue.
Not only that, but his spine, his bones, his hands, and even his legs underwent similar mysterious transformations.
The spine resembled a magnificent Dragon, piercing through the four limbs as the drop of rainbow-coloured True Dragon Blood began to resonate with it, emitting a dragon roar that shook the sky!
“What a good way to spend money!”
Gu Changge opened his eyes and spoke with satisfaction.
He intuitively sensed his strength growing several times over what it was.
He was able to see all the various rules and mysteries of both Heaven and Earth with great clarity.
In the palm of his outstretched hand, hundreds of thousands of Dao laws congealed, linking into an endless chain. Seamless and perfect, to the point where it formed a blade made purely from the natural law and order of the world.
‘I could already slaughter Quasi-Sacred Realm cultivators within mere seconds before this. But now, it seems that most average Sacred Realm Cultivators will also easily perish by my hand.’
‘If I were to breakthrough from the G.o.d King Realm to the Quasi-sacred Realm, then I might even be able to compete with Great Sacred Realm cultivators ‘
Gu Changge’s claims were not without reason. His ability to control the Dao Law and his ability to utilise the Rules were superb, possibly unmatched by most Sacred and Great Sacred Realm existences.
Among all the major clans and even the major sects, those in the Sage Realm were considered to be ancient monsters, demons of the oldest generations.
Peers? What even was that?
It was impossible for them to even grasp his shadow.
‘With such a variable as myself, I am afraid that the Heavenly Dao will ensure that future Favoured Sons of Heaven will become even more powerful. That’s fine with me though. After all, they are nothing but leeks waiting to be harvested.’
When he thought of this, Gu Changge remembered Ye Ling.
After giving him more than a month’s time, he should have found the Immortal Cave reserved for him by the Ancient Deity of Reincarnation.
Thus, Gu Changge followed the traces Yin Mei had left for him, heading towards Ye Ling and the others’ current location.
……
“Brother Kong, what do you think those Black Heavenly Eagle and Ancient Serpent clansmen have been doing all this time? They seem to be searching for something?”
“Do you think it could be related to Ye Lin and the others? It’s been more than a month since Miss Chi Ling and the others left, and yet no news has come through.”
In the middle of a mountain range…
A group of young cultivators were camped around a campfire, discussing various matters.
They were the followers of Chi Ling and Yin Mei.
Among them were both male and female, from the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Family and the Vermilion Bird Clan, as well as various other places of the outside world.
They were all of different cultivation levels, with the weakest being at the Conferred Lord Realm, and the strong being at the Conferred King Realm.
The person who spoke was also one of Chi Ling’s followers.
In front of him was a handsome man with a gloomy expression, it was Kong Yang of the Peac.o.c.k Clan, an admirer of Chi Ling and her follower at the same time.
Upon hearing this, Kong Yang spoke with an unpleasant look on his face, “Ye Lin has no good intentions, he clearly knows what is hidden here, yet he did not tell us. Instead, he took only Chi Ling and Yin Mei with him!”
“It’s obvious that the intention of a drunkard is no more than wine, don’t you understand that? Now that a month has pa.s.sed, apart from seeing some creatures searching around, does anyone have any news of them?”
The more he spoke, the angrier he became.
While he was more at ease with Chi Ling, it was a different story with Ye Lin by her side.
Given Ye Lin’s background, considerable strength, and the fact he looked as though he knew every nook and cranny…
How could he not be suspicious of Ye Ling?
“As a matter of fact, I suspect that this Ye Lin is related to the Forbidden Demonic Arts inheritor who appeared some time ago…”
At this moment, Kong Yang suddenly opened his mouth, his voice holding a deep bitterness that immediately attracted the attention of all those present here as they looked over.
After all, the matter of the Demonic Arts Inheritor has recently caused a great deal of turmoil.
And even the Young Master of the White Tiger Clan, Bai Lie, had lost his life.
Even now, the White Tiger Clan was still in the midst of frantically searching for the Demonic Arts Inheritor.
“Brother Kong Yang, this is not something you can say casually, please think carefully.” Upon hearing this, a man from the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox Clan – Yin Mei’s clan – spoke with a grave expression.
The matter of the Inheritor of the Demonic Arts was a very serious one, and if Ye Lin really was the one, then their Young Lady would be in great danger.
When he heard this, Kong Yang’s face held an expression as deep as the ocean. “I think you’ve all seen what Ye Lin is capable of. He holds strange and mysterious methods, no weaker than some of the Young Supremes. And most importantly… doesn’t the name ‘Ye Lin’ sound familiar to you?”
“Ye Lin… Ye Lin…”
“The name is quite familiar, could it be… that Ye Ling?”
When they heard Kong Yang’s words, they felt uncertain. But after a bit more thought, his words rang true.
The entire group was frozen, their eyes wide as a chill ran down their backs.
It was true that Ye Lin did not look like much at first, but the way he showed off his skills, later on, had shocked the crowd. That strength was equal to that of an upper-level Young Supreme.
At the time, they didn’t think much of it, but now that they thought about it again, why would a man with the power of a Young Supreme become a follower of Chi Ling?
And what were his intentions?
Furthermore, combined with Kong Yang’s words now, it suddenly sent a chill through their bodies, from head to toe.
“The name Ye Lin… Ye Ling… it’s not a coincidence…”
Their voices trembled. All those gathered here naturally knew that Bai Lie’s “good brother” was called Ye Ling, the same name that was suspicious to be the Forbidden Demonic Arts Inheritor.
In the beginning, when Ye Lin introduced himself, they thought the name was familiar and somewhat resembled a common sound.
But now that Kong Yang had mentioned it, everyone was stunned.
This was probably deliberate on Ye Ling’s part, thinking he didn’t care one bit whether he was discovered or not.
After all, Ye Ling could easily change his appearance and ident.i.ty and keep on fleeing.
‘How arrogant!’
They shuddered at the very thought.
“It was too dangerous for Miss Chi Ling and Lady Yin Mei to trust Ye Lin so much.”
“Make no mistake, they are now with Ye Ling, and I am afraid that they are in grave danger. There is no telling what evil plan Ye Ling has that he took both of them with him!” Kong Yang showed an expression filled with guilt, his fists clenched as self-hatred boiled within for his failure to recognize the truth earlier.
“It looks like we can only send out a message that Ye Ling is here so that the rest of the cultivators will come. If not, the consequences would simply be unimaginable!”
The group discussed this for a while and came up with such a solution.
They could only hope that this would make Ye Ling wary of attacking Chi Ling and Yin Mei so easily!
Kong Yang also slowly nodded his head and said, “There is no time to lose. If we let Ye Ling’s whereabouts be revealed, Chi Ling and Yin Mei will be safer!”
Afterwards, everyone started to take action, using various transmitting talismans to spread the news about the place, with the intention of attracting other cultivators to come and fight against Ye Ling.
Everyone who has inherited the Forbidden Demonic Arts will be killed.
…
At the same time, while Kong Yang and others were spreading the news of Ye Ling’s location…
The three of them hurried towards an ancient city in front of them.
The trees on the mountain were tall and ancient. They had vines like clouds, allowing them to remain unnoticed as they hurried along the mountain.
Compared to a month ago, the three of them were now in a bit of a mess, their faces stained with blood, thanks to the pursuit of the Black Heavenly Eagle and other major clans along the way.
Eventually, their whereabouts were discovered.
Due to the slave mark, some Experts of the Black Heavenly Eagle Clan were able to sense Ye Ling’s vague location and determine the direction he went in.
Moreover, among the three of them, there seemed to be a hidden wave coming from them, surprising and confusing them at the same time.
It was as if someone was transmitting Ye Ling’s exact location to everyone.
For this reason, the three of them had spent all this time avoiding the pursuit.
However, by chance, Ye Ling was able to make a breakthrough in his cultivation and find some good items along the way.
Such good fortune left Chi Ling at a loss for words.
On the contrary, she and Yin Mei had many dangerous encounters and were so physically and mentally exhausted along the way that they were almost severely injured several times.
They were not as lucky as Ye Ling, and on their journey with Ye Ling, they had only come across a few relatively good herbs.
Apart from that, they did not get anything.
Instead, they suffered many injuries.
Chi Ling was a righteous and trustworthy person. And since she had promised to accompany Ye Ling, she would not easily go back on her promise.
However, she couldn’t understand why they were always found, no matter where Ye Ling was hiding with them.
She suspected that there was something on Ye Ling’s body that allowed everyone to track the three of them.
Yet when she said this, Ye Ling didn’t believe her at all.
And Chi Ling could do nothing about it… Ye Ling had let her down.
“Old Turtle, I have a feeling that the Immortal Cave is located in the Ancient City ahead.”
At that moment, Ye Ling’s face showed a faint sign of excitement as he communicated with the Old Turtle inside his pendant.
He had relied on this hunch to avoid many dangers, even managing to gain several benefits during his search.
Now, he was even more convinced.
“By the way, Old Turtle, what do you think this is about? Why is it that no matter where I hide, those creatures always find me?”
Ye Ling asked another question afterwards.
He was frustrated by the fact that Chi Ling had mentioned this to him.
At that time, Ye Ling simply ignored it because he had asked the Old Turtle and learned that the creatures could only vaguely sense where he was. That said, they shouldn’t be able to pinpoint his actual location.
So why? Why had these creatures always found him?
Ye Ling even suspected that Chi Ling was deliberately leaking his whereabouts.
He had suspected Yin Mei as well, but she was the one who suffered the most on this journey. Currently, she looked so pale and exhausted that he couldn’t even bring himself to be suspicious of her.
Besides, he truly trusted her.
He understood from her previous actions that, deep down, she was an incredibly strong woman.
Even in the face of Gu Changge’s oppression within the Sect, she had the courage to resist.
Moreover, Ye Ling was convinced of Yin Mei’s feelings for him.
However, suspecting Chi Ling wasn’t easy either… after all, he considered Chi Ling to be an old friend, and she was someone who readily believed him after he was framed as the Inheritor of the Forbidden Demonic Arts.
At that moment, the Old Turtle’s voice had reached Ye Ling’s ears as he felt a buzz in his mind.
“This situation can only mean that one of the two is definitely a suspect, so Ye Ling, you should be careful and decide based on your own judgement.”
The Old Turtle’s words plunged Ye Ling into a state of silence.
In truth, he had already guessed it himself, but he just didn’t want to accept it.
Among the two, one of them had chosen to betray him.
“Old Turtle, I want to hear your opinion.” It was then that Ye Ling asked with a very solemn expression.
“Ye Ling, I shall try to exclude my emotions, but know that this is just my opinion. You can listen to it, but in the end, the final decision is yours.” In response, the Old Turtle inside the pendant pondered for a moment and spoke slowly.
Ye Ling gave a nod and said, “Go on, Old Turtle, I trust what you have to say.”
“In my opinion, Chi Ling is the biggest suspect. If the person who betrayed you was Yin Mei, then what are her intentions? It’s hard to say. You were the one who came to her rescue. If it weren’t for that, your paths would’ve never crossed.”
“If your paths never crossed, you wouldn’t have been able to bring her here. Thus, her being here can be said to be nothing more than coincidence, an accident.”
The Old Turtle spoke up, a.n.a.lysing the situation according to its point of view, without the slightest emotion.
Upon hearing these words, Ye Ling fell silent.
He was already well aware of this.
What could Yin Mei possibly have in mind for him? In all honesty, he was the one who desired Yin Mei’s beauty.
If he had not saved her in the first place, she would not have come to this place with him now.
It was far too coincidental.
If Yin Mei had deliberately set it all up, then… it would be too terrible to imagine.
Most importantly, Ye Ling suspected that Gu Changge was the Inheritor of the Forbidden Demonic Arts, who Yin Mei had offended.
They were both in the same situation.
“Old Turtle, continue.” Ye Ling said with a serious expression on his face.
“On the other hand, Chi Ling is incredibly suspicious. Since the beginning, she has firmly believed in you and even said that she found someone who would be able to help you clear the suspicion of being the Inheritor of the Forbidden Demonic Arts…”
“Because she had helped you voluntarily, I had nothing to say. However, at this very moment, someone is leaking your whereabouts. And what’s more, Chi Ling should be aware that you are the successor of the Ancient Deity of Reincarnation. She has been following you all this time… and it’s quite obvious what she’s up to.”
The Old Turtle continued, stating the things it thought to be suspicious.
Naturally, Chi Ling was also likely to know the true ident.i.ty of Gu Changge.
Ye Ling repeatedly warned her to be wary of Gu Changge, but in the end, Chi Ling was unconcerned.
Who knew what went on in her head?
Ye Ling nodded, his heart heavy from the words.
He could see the reason behind Old Turtle’s statements.
Ye Ling looked at Yin Mei, who was resting on a green stone with her eyes shut.
Her face was as white as pure jade, her eyebrows curved, her nose straight, her red lips dotted, her teeth crystal clear, and her hair smooth as silk.
However, at this moment, she appeared very pale, frail even.
Her dress was stained with blood.
On the other hand, Chi Ling’s delicate face and her eyes which shone like jewels, looked undisturbed as she appeared to have sustained minimal injuries.
By now, he had already made up his mind.
As he thought of this, Ye Ling stood up.
Both Chi Ling and Yin Mei were recuperating at the moment, and when they saw Ye Ling suddenly get up, they both looked at him with a bit of surprise.
“The rest of the journey will be very dangerous, so why don’t we split up? Since Yin Mei is very badly injured, I’ll go with her, it’ll be dangerous if she goes alone…”
“Since you’re not that injured, we should meet up at the Ancient City ahead.”
The fact of the matter was, he wasn’t prepared to tear face with Chi Ling just yet.
Thus, he tried to use natural and reasonable words.
When the time comes for them to meet up once more if he didn’t show up, what could Chi Ling possibly do?
In his opinion, if Chi Ling truly was after his opportunities, then she would simply accept his absence, even if she didn’t want to.
When they heard this, both Yin Mei and Chi Ling were stunned, their eyes widened.
Especially Yin Mei, who could not help but speak with some measure of concern and anxiety, “What are you saying, Ye Ling? How can we split up now? It’s better for us to stay together.”
Chi Ling stared blankly at Ye Ling, her expression gradually turning colder and stranger by the moment.
‘What does Ye Ling mean by suddenly proposing to split up at this point?’
‘Could it be that he wants to take all the opportunities for himself because he saw that the place of opportunity is about to arrive?’
‘Is that why he wants to split up?’
Chi Ling couldn’t help but feel a bit cold for a moment.
She wasn’t greedy for Ye Ling’s opportunities.
If she hadn’t promised Ye Ling that she would help him, she wouldn’t have come to this place.
There were numerous opportunities in the Ancient Immortal Continent, and she had already wasted a lot of time coming here.
Now that Ye Ling had suddenly said that, she was too shocked.
She had been suspecting that there was an abnormal relationship between Ye Ling and Yin Mei for more than a day or two, and now that Ye Ling had suddenly made it clear, she could not help but want to laugh.
“All right, since Ye Ling has said so, let’s split up.”
Chi Ling casually spoke with a cold, arrogant, and indifferent face.
She did not explain anything, nor did she ask any questions.
From today onwards, the relationship between her and Ye Ling as friends should be concluded.
“I found you!”
And at that very moment, a terrifying pressure suddenly came from the sky.
There were several powerful figures from the Black Heavenly Eagle Clan and the Ancient Serpent Clan.
Even the weakest among them were in the Heavenly G.o.d Realm, and there was even an existence in the G.o.d King Realm.
For the sake of taking down Ye Ling and the others, all the major clans had mobilised an extremely powerful force.
“Not good!”
Ye Ling paled at this scene. Without any time to react, his body quickly morphed into a divine rainbow and disappeared into the distance.
At the same time, Yin Mei heard a voice from afar saying, “It’s too late, let’s each escape first and meet up at the ancient city.”
Originally, he had intended to bring Yin Mei with him, but the situation was so sudden that he was unable to do so.
The target was him, so he might be able to draw his opponents away.
He thought it might also help to lessen the burden on Yin Mei.
Ye Ling suspected that these powerful men were, in fact, suddenly drawn in by Chi Ling; otherwise, how could the other side have discovered their whereabouts so quickly?
However, he could not settle the score with Chi Ling right now.
“Why are you just standing there? Run!”
Seeing how Yin Mei was frozen in place, Chi Ling frowned and then quickly fled, crushing a Divine Traversing Talisman at the same time, ready to leave the scene.
Ye Ling had disappointed her so much that she already planned to draw a line between her and him.
As for Ye Ling’s opportunities, she didn’t care about them at all.
Soon, both Ye Ling and Chi Ling disappeared, quickly escaping from the mountain range.
The worried look on Yin Mei’s face as she sat on the greenstone disappeared, showing calm, even relief, though it was mixed with a bit of reluctance.
“Master, the task you gave me has finally been accomplished.” Yin Mei whispered softly.
She had never forgotten the mission that Gu Changge had a.s.signed to her, to sow discord between Chi Ling and Ye Ling.
And today, it finally came to pa.s.s.
However, along the way, she has drawn many powerful people, and she herself was indeed severely wounded. She wasn’t as lucky as Ye Ling and Chi Ling.
After all, her opponents were all Heavenly G.o.ds, and there were even many G.o.d Kings.
She had only broken through to the middle stage of the Conferred King Realm, so the gap between them was too great.
To have survived several times was already the result of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox’s good fortune.
To put it bluntly, she had succeeded in fulfilling Gu Changge’s orders to sow discord between Ye Ling and Chi Ling… in exchange for her own life.
She was now severely injured. Even if she escaped, she wouldn’t get very far.
Yin Mei was at peace with the situation.
But somehow, the fact that she wouldn’t see Gu Changge again before she died made her feel sadness and regret.
There was… something unspeakable in her feelings.
After all, she was just a p.a.w.n in Gu Changge’s hands, the kind that he would throw away as soon as he was done with, the kind he wouldn’t give a second glance.
“Oh, this fellow is not running away, are you waiting for death? After running away for so long, it seems that she has given up on her fate. But upon closer inspection, she appears to be a pure and beautiful girl…”
In the sky stood two mighty beings.
One was a Heavenly G.o.d and the other was a G.o.d King, their auras were terrifying, powerful… so powerful that their auras crushed the sky and caused tremendous fluctuations of Qi and vitality, causing the mountains in all directions to fall dead silent.
The one who spoke now was the G.o.d King creature with a snake’s tail, most likely a member of the Ancient Serpent Clan.
He stared at Yin Mei with a l.u.s.tful gaze, somewhat tempted.
“How about this? If you willingly submit to me, I will spare your life.” He opened his mouth and spoke.
As she looked at the expressions of the two mighty beings before her, Yin Mei held a calm face as she indifferently replied, “Stop dreaming, I wouldn’t let you have your way even if I have to blow up my own body.”
Although she did not want to die, she would not live in such a disgraceful way either.
After all, it still depends on the individual.
She may have submitted to Gu Changge and recognized him as her master, but that didn’t mean she’ll submit to just about anyone else.
At this moment, Yin Mei would rather die.
“Hmph, talking tough even though you’re on the verge of death!”
Yin Mei’s words made the G.o.d King Realm being in the sky furious, not expecting this girl to be so ungrateful.
Boom!
Right then, he immediately struck out, and his powerful aura fell in the sky, turning into a big palm to grab Yin Mei.
Yin Mei’s face remained cold and unafraid as she chose to self-destruct.
Buzz!
All of a sudden, an even more terrifying aura appeared in front of her, transforming into a radiant and unparalleled sword Qi, exploding and splitting the Heavenly G.o.d Realm being in front of her into two halves with a single slash.
“Who is it?”
The other being in the G.o.d King Realm reacted with immense anger and looked in the direction where the sword ray came from, his killing intent soaring.
“Master…”
Yin Mei was also frozen at this moment, her beautiful eyes wide open, unable to believe what had just happened… as she looked at the young man who suddenly stepped out of the void in front of her.
Then she suddenly jumped into Gu Changge’s arms, “You are so mean, Master, I thought you didn’t want me anymore…”