Chapter 184: Not Daring to Admit Past Matters; Acting as a Good Man Requires a Foundation!
[Translations – Blurry]
— — —
“Young Master Gu? What is the meaning of this?”
“Do you plan on covering up for her even now?”
The sudden appearance of Gu Changge not only caused Commander Hao Miao’s complexion to change and his brows to wrinkle, but also resulted in the rest of the observing cultivators and creatures widening their eyes in disbelief.
Many of those present understood that there was quite some trouble between Gu Changge and Gu Xian’er; the two had… conflicting ‘interests‘.
Furthermore, this was a fact that they’d known since the very beginning when Gu Xian’er first stepped into Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace.
Yet, at a time like this, Gu Changge still stood up to support Gu Xian’er?
Such a scene stunned the ma.s.ses, as all kinds of thoughts and theories briefly flashed through their minds, keeping them in their state of extreme shock.
It was especially so for all the disciples and elders of the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace itself.
They had predicted that someone might eventually stand up to cover for Gu Xian’er, but they had never expected that this person would be Gu Changge.
So long as a person practised in the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace, they would understand it was best not to get too close with Gu Xian’er. Otherwise, they risk offending and even provoking Gu Changge.
Hence... Gu Xian’er didn’t have a single friend in the entire sect.
They watched as the young man in white robes with wide sleeves leisurely floated in the sky.
Those young female disciples with rotten brains quickly imagined countless scenarios and possibilities, their gazes quickly growing ever stranger.
They all felt envious of Gu Xian’er.
“You’re asking me that?”
Gu Changge’s tone abruptly shifted into arrogance and indifference, and he laughed as if he’d heard the funniest joke in the world.
“At this point in time, you still don’t understand? Xian"er is my family member. I can bully her, but if you dare to try, then you can go to h.e.l.l!”
Buzz!
As soon as these words fell, the earth and sky darkened, and the mighty sound of ancient warships rang in all directions. From the Supreme Peak, the image of ancient copper warships emerged, incomparably large and domineering.
A grand demonic energy and killing intent reverberated throughout the world.
Boom!
The Primordial Divine Sect’s elites had arrived with these ancient warships, blocking the area within 8000 miles outside Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace.
The terrifying divine light flowing from the ancient warships intertwined, gathering as if a brilliant galaxy of stars were forming beneath the sky.
And between heaven and earth, the Dao Dharma body behind Gu Changge also made a startling move! It was Large and boundless as if it could encompa.s.s all of creation and cover the entire universe with a single palm. Facing an existence of the Great Sacred Realm, it possessed no fear, and moved for a direct attack!
A mighty strike. The white-robed youth whose cultivation base had only reached the False G.o.d Realm on the surface... took a shot at a Great Sacred Realm cultivator.
It was tantamount to a mayfly attempting to shake a tree.
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
This was too crazy, right? To directly ignore the horrifying aura of a Great Sacred Realm cultivator and brazenly take action instead.
“Young Master Gu, you...”
“For just a mere Gu Xian"er, you really plan on fighting my clan?”
Commander Hao Miao’s face turned ashen. Anger raged through him. He never antic.i.p.ated that Gu Changge would strike out of nowhere. This had completely exceeded his expectations.
[PR/N: You know, this guy’s expectations have been exceeded quite a number of times now. Perhaps he should just stop having them.]
Moreover, the s.p.a.ce within an 8000 miles radius had been blocked. This was no doubt the Forbidden Technique previously used by the Primordial Divine Sect to trap large numbers of cultivators and slaughter them all at once!
Gu Changge didn’t intend on leaving any survivors.
Boom!
The great commander naturally ignored Gu Changge’s strike, merely utilizing the power of rules that the Great Sacred Realm wielded. The rules morphed into a huge grinding disc to erase his attack.
The gap in cultivation between the two was as large as the distance between the heavens and the earth. Immense and impossible to cross.
No matter how terrifying Gu Changge"s talent was, he had no way to bypa.s.s such a gap.
Nonetheless, the great commander was still in utter disbelief over the fact that Gu Changge had really attacked the Sea King Palace for a measly Gu Xian’er.
This meant that the two Daoist forces would tear all face and had a high likelihood of becoming enemies.
This moment might have ushered in a b.l.o.o.d.y war that never happened in the past millennia!
It was true that the Sea King Palace was afraid of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family.
That was why they chose to target a n.o.body, Gu Xian’er. They intended to seek justice for the Seventh Princess without risking the possibility of an all-out conflict.
Otherwise, how would they ever raise their heads when facing their ancestors?
They knew that the biggest reason why Gu Xian"er was able to kill the Seventh Princess was because Gu Changge intervened.
But... was this Gu Xian’er really worth such trouble?
In Commander Hao Miao’s opinion, Gu Changge should have been overjoyed. He should’ve been cheering at this turn of events! So why was he stopping them now?
He was both furious and confused all at once.
‘This guy and his words are irritating, but – ugh – why do I feel this way...’
Gu Xian’er listened to Gu Changge’s words, watching him stand in front of her once more. It gave her a sense of peace, putting her at ease for a brief moment.
The scene was very similar to that time in the Ancient Immortal Continent, where he descended from the skies to shelter her from the creatures of the Sea King Palace.
However, this time was even more direct.
He spoke to everyone present. Strong, domineering, and steadfast.
‘Gu Changge is just pretending…’
‘But I’m glad he is.’
‘No, this could be all part of his plan. To anger the Sea King Palace, to cause a big sensation, and to attract the attention of all the forces in the Immeasurable Heaven, he avoided killing the Seventh Princess himself… did he truly do all of this to give me a big opportunity?’
She wasn’t stupid; Gu Xian’er pondered the situation.
Combined with what Gu Changge said before, she instantly thought of this possibility.
Could she still hate Gu Changge if all of his actions had been for her?
It would be an understatement to say she had mixed feelings on the matter.
“And why not?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge smiled calmly and said, “I just want to take advantage of today’s situation to let the world know.”
“Xian"er, as this Gu"s sister, is also the little princess of my Immortal Gu family. Over the years, this Gu has made her suffer, and for that has always felt guilty, but there was no chance for this Gu to make up for it.”
“That said, if the Sea King Palace dares to bully her, then I will just flatten your Sea King Palace to the ground today as my atonement!”
[Zain: I got gooseb.u.mps! *Samael yells at the slave to get back to work*]
He didn’t shout, yet his words echoed throughout heaven and earth.
His words were like a thunderstorm, rendering countless creatures and cultivators stunned even more, as they were left speechless for quite some time.
No one had expected such an outcome.
The many Daoist forces who knew about the hidden story were flabbergasted. For ‘the’ Gu Changge to do such a thing was near impossible!
Once the incident of that year was exposed, then not only Gu Changge, but also the entire Immortal Gu Family’s name would be disgraced.
Did Gu Changge really want to force the issue here?
And he wanted to level the Sea King Palace as well?
What a bold and powerful statement! As expected of Gu Changge!
If it were anyone else, it would’ve sounded unnatural, foolish, or even crazy.
His tyrannical nature was unparalleled!
“Gu Changge...” Gu Xian"er was stunned by Gu Changge"s words once more.
Judging from his current actions, did he really intend to expose the ‘bone digging’ tragedy from back then to the whole world?
This development was completely useless to Gu Changge!
If he wanted to admit her ident.i.ty, there were dozens of different ways to do so.
‘Gu Changge, you idiot. This isn’t like you at all...’ Gu Xian"er could not help muttering, her crystalline eyes absent and murky.
“Flatten my Sea King Palace? Young Master of the Gu family, your tone is quite big. Since you wish to favour this little girl, don’t hold it against me...”
“For the Sea King has decreed it! Gu Xian"er will be arrested, and justice will be given to the Seventh Princess no matter the cost.”
The ashen great commander stated coldly.
The terrifying pressure of the Great Sacred Realm swept across the sky. The void shuddered, as even the stars above began to shake.
The commander had stormed in with tens of thousands of sea clansmen. If he ordered them to flee and retreat simply because of Gu Changge’s oppressive words, where would the Sea King Palace’s face be placed?
It was impossible to forget the many cultivators and creatures watching them.
Everything that happened today would definitely become a sensation.
The Sea King Palace would be humiliated!
In the distance, the complexion of those watching changed drastically, as they quickly fled the scene. They understood what war was, and they knew that this situation could easily escalate into a battle to the end that could overturn everything in its path.
“Who the h.e.l.l is the Sea King? This Gu will lay his words down again. If anyone dares to touch even a hair of Xian’er’s, then my Gu Family will destroy their entire family line... until not one trace of them remains.”
“If you dare, then you are free to test the authenticity of my words.”
Gu Changge stood tall in the sky with his hands behind his back.
He merely gave a light smile at the commander’s words, treating them as a joke, giving him an incredibly contemptuous and carefree image.
‘The Sea King Palace looks impressive, sure. But when compared to Gu Xian’er’s true backing, it was basically nothing but free EXP.’
‘If Sea King Palace truly made a move against Gu Xian’er, then her masters wouldn’t stay silent. In fact, they’ll probably show up and cause a great ruckus.’
‘How could the Sea King Palace not realize that there must be even one hidden expert behind the Gu Xian’er they love to underestimate? Becoming so strong so fast is not an easy feat, after all.’
Gu Changge’s choice to stand up now was in his best interest, no matter regardless of how he looked at it.
Everyone couldn’t help but take a deep breath after hearing Gu Changge’s words, feeling a heaven-shattering deterrence and killing intent.
Even the ruler of the Sea King Palace was n.o.body to him.
This made all creatures of the Sea King Palace glare at him in anger, wishing for a chance to kill him and feed his flesh to the dogs.
In the Infinite Sea, they were used to being respected and worshipped, so how could they handle being despised and humiliated like this?!
This was not as simple as a mere provocation anymore.
“The Young Master of the Gu family has always been confident in his abilities, but for him to disregard the Sea King Palace? However, his might justifies such a stance. If we look at today"s younger generation, is there anyone who can truly compete with him?”
“Hah! That aside, how many are there who can match his courage? Talking and laughing freely, as he competes with the Sea King Palace’s Great Sacred Realm cultivator!”
Many cultivators couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
Even the elders and disciples of Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace fell silent.
Behind Gu Changge, the shadow of a person appeared.
After all, Gu Changge wasn’t just the Young Master of the Gu Family. He was the heir of the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace!
His actions today have truly convinced many elders, giving birth to a heart of true admiration within the younger generation.
“It would be great if I had such a brother.” Many young girls fantasized in their hearts, their eyes filled with intoxicated brilliance.
They practically went green when thinking of how fortunate Gu Xian’er was.
Was Gu Changge truly ready to deal with the entire Sea King Palace in one fell swoop, all for her?
“Heh. So ridiculous. You’re too arrogant, Young Master of the Gu Family. The Sea King’s sacred decree is here, so what if there is an ancestor of the Gu family backing you? Do you really think you can compete with my family with just that?”
“The foundation of our Sea King"s Palace is far beyond your imagination!”
Commander Hao Miao smiled coldly, revealing his indifference and ruthlessness.
He knew everything that had transpired in the Ancient Immortal Continent. He knew about the Tiangou Family and their Quasi-Supreme Realm ancestors, and how they were easily slapped to death by an ancestor of the Gu Family.
So he carried the Sacred Decree of the Sea King just in case. He did so because the decree was not simply a piece of paper. It was something that the Sea King personally refined for a long time, an artifact that contained one full-powered attack from his peak state.
Even if an ancestor of the Gu Family in the Supreme Realm came, they could still compete!
[PR/N: These people really love using artifacts. *Kannat: Looks like they missed the info that all of this started cause of an artifact*]
Not to mention, the force backing them was the vast and powerful Endless Sea Clan, one of the most prosperous and long-standing clan with the largest number of clansmen.
That meant that they had nothing to fear even if a war of attrition broke out!
“If the Sea King Palace wants to die, then I shall fulfil its wish.”
Gu Changge, with his hands behind his back, smiled faintly.
Falling together with his words—
An aura of destruction emerged within the void. The ancient warships of the Primordial Divine Sect shone with densely packed runes, glimmering and spewing immortal light.
Following his orders, a terrifying blow brewed, sinking the entire world into a stupor.
The Primordial Divine Sect had connections to the Immortal Gu Family, and this was no secret in the entire Upper Realm.
An extremely splendid and dazzling brilliance condensed and interwove. A divine splendour that ran through the primordial origin, enough to smash everything into ashes.
“You dare!”
The great commander"s complexion changed as he shouted loudly.
In his desperation, he sent out a giant palm that covered the sky and sun, pressing forward a couple of tens of thousands of feet. The heavens shook as the oppressive nature of the blow swept the entire Heavenly Dao Ancient City with a fierce pressure.
At this moment, not to mention the cultivators around, even many old antiques who didn"t know about the situation were awakened from their slumber.
“The majesty of the Great Sacred Realm. No wonder it is categorized as a power that can overturn the skies.” An old man said with a heavy expression.
In today"s era, a Great Sacred Realm cultivator was practically invincible.
After all, those in the Quasi-Supreme or higher realms were usually the final bastion for all races and lineages, being ancient ancestors that paid a big price whenever they woke up.
How could one possibly see them unless a grave situation was afoot?
“Intent of the Origin, come forth.”
[PR/N: d.a.m.n IT, MORE TERMS?! *explodes with the fury of a thousand suns*]
Gu Changge’s eyes flashed slightly as he softly spoke.
With his true strength at the boundary of Quasi-Supreme, he had several ways to contend with this Great Sacred Realm fool.
Unfortunately, now was not the time to expose his real cultivation.
Gu Changge, therefore, needed another way to counter him.
The secret method of the Primordial Divine Sect.
It just so happened that many of their ancient warships had been gathered in all directions, making their energy easily accessible to him.
Of course, ordinary people would not be able to control such power. In fact, the attempt itself may very well cause their body and soul to burst.
However, Gu Changge wasn’t ordinary. His true cultivation was already far beyond his current realm.
And if anyone became suspicious, he could always use his own talent as a means to explain away the unbelievable performance.
In the next moment, rune after rune dripped from the ancient copper warships, gathering like an endless ocean and splashing onto Gu Changge, who consumed everything like some ma.s.sive, hungry star.
His Dao Dharma body suddenly surged, growing several times larger, becoming even more magnificent and intimidating than it was before.
Gu Changge’s Qi kept rising.
Strands of Sword Qi bloomed as he shook his fingers and raised his hand, emitting dense sword lights, before forming a peerless immortal sword that clanged loudly in his grip.
The rumbling sound seemed to push away the mountain and rivers, causing the moon and sun to spiral from their paths, a force strong enough to cut down the stars far away!
The Sword Intent was unstoppable, turning into Sword Qi spanning several hundreds of meters, before cutting right into the huge palm.
In an instant, terrifying fluctuations erupted as countless stars exploded in tandem.
The void burst as endless brilliance soared into the sky.
“What?!”
There was a hint of surprise on Commander Hao Miao’s face. He felt his palm get blocked as a sharp Sword Intent began to penetrate his skin.
“The secret technique of the Primordial Demon Sect. I never expected Gu Changge would have the means to contend against someone in the Great Sacred Realm!”
Many cultivators in the older generation were shocked, for they recognized that the method Gu Changge had just used was an ability originating from the Primordial Divine Sect.
Otherwise, with Gu Changge’s strength, it would be impossible to fight head on against the Great Sacred Realm commander.
It was a secret technique that only a select few disciples from the Primordial Divine Sect had mastered and fully comprehended.
if it wasn’t controlled properly, then one faced the possibility of Qi Explosion.
At this moment, Gu Changge"s strength had risen to the point where he can compete with an existence of the Great Sacred Realm.
This made countless hearts tremble, especially the younger generation, whose eyes were almost about to pop out of their sockets.
“As expected of a Young Asura. The average Young Supreme could never handle such an insane amount of power, not to mention the control needed to activate and maintain it. Is this the terrifying gap between a Young Asura and a Young Supreme?”
“The gap between us and Gu Changge is so big that we’re not even at the same level anymore!”
They couldn’t help but tremble. Although one could argue that Gu Changge did all this by trickery, it was already enough to show his strength and ability.
Even if you gave this trick to someone else, they might not be able to do it.
Because alas, it was impossible for everyone to be Gu Changge!
“A mere Great Sacred Realm cultivator dares to seek justice?”
Gu Changge spoke in ridicule, calmly resisting the blow of a Great Sacred Realm like it was nothing.
He was just short of insulting him outright.
“But since you want justice, I"ll let you know today…”
“What justice really is.”
He continued his speech.
After hearing this, the great commander’s face was as ashen as the ashes of his fallen ancestors. He jumped in anger, the blue veins on his forehead seemed fit to burst, a face so gloomy it seemed ready to drip water.
“Conniving b*****d! You snake! Gu Xian"er killed the people of my Sea King Palace first! There is a price to pay for every action. Even if you are strong, Gu Changge, isn"t it too unreasonable to act like this?”
It was the first time he had seen someone so rude and unreasonable, to blatantly disregard morality and logic so thoroughly.
To make matters worse, he did not even place the Sea King Palace in his eyes.
He did not even care about the Great Sacred Realm!
Arrogant, strong, but also domineering and unreasonable!
“In the territory of the Heavenly Dao Immortal Palace, you only need to remember one thing: what I say and do is justice. Nothing else matters.”
“So if I say now that I allowed the Seventh Princess to be killed by Xian’er, then it means that I killed her myself. Anything to say about that?”
It was almost time to aggro the hatred.
A strange colour flashed in Gu Changge’s eyes as he mocked the commander.
Indifference and strength beyond all reason.
Hum!
With a wave of his robe, a terrifying sword light descended from the edge between heaven and earth. Tremoring ground and quaking sky, it was as if hundreds of millions of immortal swords fired in unison with an audible clang!
At this moment, everyone stared blankly, and an indescribable feeling circulated.
From his body, they felt the extraordinary and invincible demeanour of an Emperor.
“Gu Changge...”
Gu Xian"er didn’t know how much truth Gu Changge"s words contained.
But the truth behind his words didn’t matter.
Because it was undeniable that it was Gu Changge who was standing in front of her now.
“Gu Changge is right! The Sea King Palace is nothing more than that! Back then, they saw Gu Xian"er as an easy target and decided to hunt her. Now it seems that they’ve accidentally gotten on a tiger and can’t get off!”
“If we look at it closely, Gu Changge is too domineering, so much so that Sea King Palace does not dare to take another step forward...”
Suspicion and guessing flocked from person to person.
Gu Changge raised his palm once more, as an unfathomable number of sword lights fell from the sky!
He stood against the Sea King Palace and an invincible Great Sacred Realm cultivator by himself like a lone wolf, he was the type of person to charge forward even if surrounded by enemies.
Those who admired Gu Changge before were in a frenzy.
“Gu Changge, think about it clearly. Once you tear face with us, won’t the entire world know of your secrets?”
“That the Gu Family isn’t as clean as it seems?”
“Do you dare to admit it?”
A strong cultivator of the Sea King Palace with killing intent and hatred in his eyes couldn"t hold it any longer, as he shouted loudly.
Puff!
But before he could have another breath, Gu Changge turned to stare at him, as a light flashed forwards, slashing his body and soul directly in half.
The sword was so fast that not even Commander Hao Miao was fast enough to react.
The sword light continued on its trajectory, instantly breaking through the sky, illuminating the distant galaxies from far away.
Countless cultivators felt chills all over their bodies.
“Try to say one more sentence.” Gu Changge spoke casually.
A ray of bright light gleamed as he spoke, a sword light that seemed capable of rending s.p.a.ce-time itself erupted from behind him.
Death. Destruction. Destiny.
No one could accurately describe the divine power contained in this sword light, which seemed to threaten even a true immortal.
With neither beginning nor end, neither cause nor effect.
The cycle of karma had stalled.
“You...” The great commander was frightened for a moment.
Immediately afterwards, his face became more murderous. However, he knew that there was an ancestor of the Gu family hiding in the dark, so he did not dare act rashly.
“Don’t pretend to be innocent Gu Changge!” He sneered.
“What did that person say just now? What did Gu Changge do in the past?”
“Is there really something hidden? It seems that there’s more to the grudge between Gu Xian"er and Young Master Gu.”
In the distance, many cultivators widened their eyes in shock. They were extremely shocked at what the strong cultivator in the Sea King Palace said before he died.
‘Could it be that he was killed because of what he said?’
‘What is going on? A secret that would make the Immortal Gu Family lose face?’
His outburst clouded everyone’s heart with endless doubts.
Many hidden cultivators who had vaguely learned about these secrets abruptly paled.
Saying it aloud was equivalent to offending the entire Immortal Gu Family to death.
Who dared to speak of it so lightly?
For a time, the expressions of the many people watching Gu Changge changed, as if they wanted to know what he had to say.
Gu Xian"er herself opened her mouth, but she still didn"t say anything in the end.
She was the victim. It was a stone-clad truth.
The Gu Family would undoubtedly be damaged by this truth once it was exposed; the Sea King Palace wasn’t wrong on that point.
But since Gu Xian’er still possessed deep-seated feelings for the Gu Family, she would much rather conceal this matter than make it a public issue.
In Gu Xian"er"s view, Gu Changge was most likely trying to admit to what he did back then.
‘Even as the Young Master and future heir of the Gu family, he’d do this...’
Gu Xian"er couldn"t help but tremble.
She couldn"t find any reason to hate Gu Changge anymore.
“Why don"t I dare to admit my wrongdoings? If one wishes to act like a good person, one must have the foundation and confidence to at least speak of their mistakes.”
Gu Changge could not help showing a strange smile as he took in all the wary gazes.
He had arranged all for this exact moment for a long time.
Keeping the Dao Bone that was useless to him was also for this day.
Gu Changge swiftly exchanged for a bone detacher from the system, before he then used it to take the position of the Dao Bone.
“However, this matter has nothing to do with the Gu family. It was of my own doing. Not everything can be blamed on the family. I"m not as shameless as you...” He spoke slowly.
“Let me take advantage of today"s opportunity to return this bone.”
Everyone, along with Gu Xian’er, and Gu Nanshan, who was hiding in secret, were scared half to death by his words.
Gu Changge"s dazzling Sword Qi suddenly lifted up between his fingers, and then fell!
It pierced through his chest with a horrifying puff!
A dazzling amount of blood splattered all around, intertwined with an awe-inspiring amount of Divine Energy. His blood was so splendid that it seemed to reflect the starry sky!
And that sight was reflected in a young girl’s eyes.