Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin “You may leave.” The smile on Gu Changge’s face waned as he dismissed the female entertainers. “Young Master Changge…” Revealing a frown, Jiang Chuchu grew alarmed as she was confused by his action. Right now, the remaining mysteries were whether the Immortal Gu Family knew of his identity as the Successor of Demonic Arts and how they reacted to it. “You can stop playing dumb with me at this point, Saintess Chuchu. It’s getting dull,” Gu Changge faintly said with a teasing grin. Unlike his amicable self, he seemed to have turned into another person. At once, Jiang Chuchu was dumbfounded as she was unable to retain her composure. Wondering if Gu Changge decided to confront her, she felt a chill up her spine as she felt danger arising. Nonetheless, before she realised it, Gu Changge swung his hand towards her and a terrifying shockwave was shot at her. The next moment, everything before her turned hazy as a speedily expanding space rift occurred and engulfed her. Whoosh! Her entire body instantaneously disappeared as she was transported to Gu Changge’s Inner World, and the space rift swiftly vanished, as though it never appeared. [Coming to me on her own, what an idiot.] Gu Changge subconsciously let out a chuckle. Soon afterwards, a beguiling figure appeared out of thin air before him. It was Yan Ji. “How’s the aura imitation coming along?” Gu Changge turned to her. Among the legacies of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being, many of them were abilities to shapeshift and even conceal one’s true power. Given that Jiang Chuchu had always worn a veil and cast a mist to cover her face, it needed no effort to imitate her aura and figure, and Yan Ji didn’t even need to reshape her face. Hearing that, Yan Ji nodded and replied, “Prince Gu, the secret technique you’ve provided me is indeed wondrous. I’ve only studied it for a short while and the disguise is already nearly perfect.” At the same time, her body started gleaming as she began her transformation into an entity that bore no difference with Jiang Chuchu, including her voice and intonation. Furthermore, her actual cultivation level was Sacred Lord Realm, which no ordinary person could see that through, and not even beings in the Sacred King Realm could sense anything strange from her. In response, Gu Changge nodded in satisfaction. “From henceforth, the Mortal Palace shall be yours.” As a matter of fact, the only reason he entertained Jiang Chuchu for so long was merely to allow Yan Ji a chance to observe and refine her disguise. “However, Prince Gu, can we really deceive everyone in Mortal Palace?” Yan Ji was somewhat baffled. Although she bore no suspicion towards Gu Changge’s plan, she feared that her facade might be seen through if she were to face those from the Mortal Palace. “Worry not. You don’t have to return to Mortal Palace. All you need to do is be seen by people of the Upper Realm, while I handle the rest,” Gu Changge assured with a casual smile. Yan Ji then nodded in response. She was no actress, hence the task given by Gu Changge was rather troublesome. Nevertheless, thanks to Jiang Chuchu’s taciturn, emotionless nature, it was rather easy for Yan Ji to imitate her. Unless she bumped into those acquainted with Jiang Chuchu, she was confident that she wouldn’t fail the task. Followingly, Gu Changge departed and teleported to his Inner World. In order to perfect Yan Ji’s guise as the Successor of Mortal Palace, one thing remained to be acquired: Jiang Chuchu’s Mortal Commandment Token, which was absolutely necessary. Meanwhile, in his Inner World, Jiang Chuchu was no longer as calm as she initially was. At Gu Changge’s sudden swing of a hand, he used his Power of Space and summoned a space rift to engulf her, after which she was trapped in this mysterious, unknown world. Everything happened so fast and she couldn’t even keep up, and when her vision finally became clear, she found herself in a thick, ancient forest. At first glance, the scenery was filled with enormous mountains and ancient trees, as well as lakes that were as vivid as a jadeite. Spiritual energy was wafting everywhere, forming a greenish atmosphere. Far away, there was an ancient, extravagant sky palace floating in the sky, carrying utmost sacredness as though its pillars could hold the skies up. It was as if the palace of the gods landed in the mortal realm. [What is this place? How did Gu Changge move me here?] Jiang Chuchu tensed her brows, unable to regain her composure. [Why can’t I sense the aura of the outside world here? What’s with that mighty sky palace up there? Perhaps a ruined site of ancient Immortals? To think that Gu Changge possesses such a place…] In fact, Jiang Chuchu was aware that there were innumerable portable artifacts in the world that could create a miniature world. There were even those refined by Absolute Beings and could contain a mystical fantasy world. For instance, a flower that harboured a world and a seed that possessed a circle of life. Those artifacts were uncountable, and each of them were more magical than the next one. A moment ago, when she had her guard down, she was ambushed by Gu Changge, but she remained certain that she was trapped by some sort of space manipulation artifact possessed by him. [Regardless, him doing this must mean that the Immortal Gu Family is clueless about his true identity. And him doing this so discreetly… He’s hiding this from the entire world…] With a scowl, Jiang Chuchu pondered. Accordingly, she looked for a spot to sit down. Soon, glowing runes surged on her body, vibrant and intimidating, as if it was raining light. Instantly, her surroundings turned into a heavenly place where sun rays and runes scattered. There was even thunder that echoed through the forest as gleams took the form of different entities. Then, intimidating anomalies in the shape of axes, swords and lances wafted in the air. There were also the True Dragon sharpening its claws, the Celestial Phoenix spreading its wings, the Black Tortoise stomping the ground, and the White Tiger roaring aloud. Such frightening power continuously arose as they were summoned to tear the space apart. Zoom! Gradually, Jiang Chuchu’s cultivation level of the Quasi-Sacred Realm surged. Thinking that the space could only contain so much energy, she was assured that breaking through its threshold in order to shatter it would hardly break a sweat, just like any other miniature world. Alas, her continuous attacks were shot through the barrier of the space, causing no damage at all. “How is this possible?” She was in disbelief. Her full might was stronger than those of the Sacred Realm, which could overwhelm and devastate numberless defences, yet it proved futile in the space of Gu Changge’s artifact. [Is his space artifact perhaps more powerful than I expected?] And so, she tried attacking once more, only to no avail. Forget causing damage, she could even feel that the defensive measures and arrays of the outside world were all inferior to that of this world. [I can’t believe this! I’ll be trapped here forever if this keeps up!] Jiang Chuchu then summoned a crystal clear and was about to attack. Whoosh! All of a sudden, the space before her turned blurry and a rift occurred. “Stop wasting your time. You’re going to die of old age here unless I let you out,” Gu Changge faintly stated as he walked out of the rift upon sensing Jiang Chuchu’s movement. “Gu Changge…” Jiang Chuchu stared at him with eyes filled with hostility and dread. Zoom! The next second, having been tricked by Gu Changge, she attempted to draw the first blow. Since she was unable to destroy the space, killing Gu Changge would definitely get her out of here. In that instant, alarming purplish energy appeared behind her forming a figure covered in heavenly lights. Holding a fly-whisk, the figure slashed it forward with power that could obliterate the world. Undoubtedly, that was the true might of the Quasi-Sacred Realm. “What gives you the confidence to strike me?” Unaffected, Gu Changge let out a snicker. As he raised his arm, blinding light dispersed and formed a moon before plummeting. Seeing his overbearing power of Sacred Realm, Jiang Chuchu was thoroughly dumbfounded as she was stripped of all her calmness. Instantly, the moon-like beam landed and completely destroyed the fly-whisk. Nonetheless, it was still pressing down on her. “You’ve already reached the Sacred Realm? How much of your true strength are you hiding!?” Jiang Chuchu was extremely anxious and she intended to use one of her very terrifying techniques, Lightspeed. She had cultivated this technique to a level where it allowed her to travel across multitudinous dimensions and evade Gu Changge’s attack. Given her peerless Talents, she should be able to subdue him easily, but little did she expect, the gap in their might to be this unbelievably massive. At the same time, Jiang Chuchu cast a series of marks that emitted godly rings and glowed amid violet energy that concealed the skies. Consistently expanding, the marks then aligned into an ancient ‘Dao’ word. World Principles neatly intertwined with power that could effortlessly slaughter someone in the Quasi-Sacred Realm. However, at a lift of a finger, Gu Changge cast his golden sword-like beam that resembled the blade of a god and swung it upon Jiang Chuchu. Boom! The marks she summoned were instantaneously penetrated and disintegrated. As she was also injured, she spewed a mouthful of gory fresh blood. Judging by her true strength, she was clearly no rival of Gu Changge, which she could have been if the man wasn’t one Major Realm above her. Besides, Gu Changge was pulling his punches from the beginning, like a cat toying with a rat before killing it. “Saintess Chuchu, are you still not aware of the distance between our strength?” Not hasty to subdue Jiang chuchu, he blandly asked as condescension surged in his eyes. In Gu Changge’s Inner World, unless one’s cultivation level was significantly higher than that of him, there was no way they could escape the space. Accordingly, a black and white gleam appeared in Gu Changge’s eyes, turning into the flow of time and devastation. Swiftly, the void twisted and became a Sword of Reincarnation. “The Power of Reincarnation…” Jiang Chuchu mumbled with a glower as she summoned a Sacred Realm robe, which was quickly torn apart by the black and white sword as it couldn’t even withstand a single strike from the latter. Once again, blood came gushing out of her mouth as Gu Changge shot a palm towards her. Filled with force, the enormous palm left a grimace on her face. Zoom! All of a sudden, a mysterious palace amid vibrant lights surged on her forehead. Covered in the heavenly rings, she seemed like a goddess that sat in the ambiguous, blinding glow, evidently showing that she was truly the Ancient Immortal Reincarnate. Whoosh! As Gu Changge sensed a slight danger, a Grand Flask occurred and let out black lights to suppress the divine being in Jiang Chuchu’s mind. The divine being opened its eyes and shot endless godly beams that then condensated. Out of nowhere, the Eight Barren Demon Halberd appeared in his hand as its demonic energy beaconed through the sky. As coldness surged in his eyes, he swiftly swung his weapon and tore the godly beams apart. At once, feeling the damage on her divine being, Jiang Chuchu was deeply dazed as a trace of blood flowed out of the corner of her lips. [Gu Changge is too strong! His attack obviously exceeds the strength of the Sacred Realm and might even be equivalent to the Sacred Lord Realm! His weapon is profound too… There’s no way I could beat him with my current cultivation level.] “Stop resisting, let me imprint the Slave Mark, and I just might let you live.” Gu Changge’s voice was monotonous. “Not even at my death! But if you dare kill me, Mortal Palace will surely sense it, and by then, your identity will be exposed to the world,” she replied. Unless Gu Changge was a fool, he would understand better than to murder her. If her Life Talisman she left behind in Mortal Palace were to break, the people of Mortal Palace would certainly investigate the cause and trace it back to the Immortal Gu Family. By then, regardless of his desire, Gu Changge would be unable to conceal the fact that he killed her. “What a smart woman. You recognise your own value. But fret not, I won’t kill you just yet,” Gu Changge faintly said, paying no attention to Jiang Chuchu’s words. “Surrender your Mortal Commandment Token.” “Mortal Commandment Token?” Jiang Chuchu was taken aback. [Why does he want that? Is he looking for an imposter to pose as me?] Indubitably, as a tactful woman, she easily figured out Gu Changge’s motive. “Impossible. The Mortal Commandment Token is of utmost significance. There is no way I’ll hand it to you.” After regaining her calm, Jiang Chuchu sat on the ground, and from her storage ring, she summoned a miniature tower that emitted golden lights that shielded her. “I may not kill you, but I’ll have you know that I’ll make you wish you were dead,” Gu Changge blandly stated, intending to coerce her. Indeed, it would be a bad time for him to kill her now. Moreover, she would still prove useful. Once he subdued her with a Slave Mark or the Demonic Manipulation Urn, he would be able to access her conscience, her Knowledge Sea. A moment ago, he could sense the forbidden, mysterious palace in Jiang Chuchu’s Knowledge Sea and the vast power concealed within it. Although she was unable to use it, it wasn’t entirely useless to her. If Gu Changge were to infiltrate her mind, him accessing the palace might kill her. Therefore, the process was quite bothersome given that he couldn’t kill her, and neither could he imprint a Slave Mark or use the Demonic Manipulation Urn on her. Essentially, if Jiang Chuchu were dead, Gu Changge would be slammed with headaching issues. On the other hand, Yan Ji’s disguise would become troublesome, affecting his future plans. Thus, he could only compromise and resort to torture to make her understand the difference in their strength and give up trying to escape. Either way, she wouldn’t be able to go anywhere since she was trapped. Ultimately, he remained as the one who decides. It was solely up to him whether he wished to let her out of the Inner World. Upon those words, Jiang Chuchu immediately understood what he meant, gazing at him with her stone cold eyes. For some reason, she believed Gu Changge wouldn’t be able to pull off such a stunt. “I’ll allow you the time of three breaths to think it through,” he coldly stated. Undoubtedly, Jiang Chuchu had no intention of dying or submitting to him. Nonetheless, as a Saintess of Mortal Palace, she most certainly held her own reputation and virtue in high regard. Compared to the previous factors, this was the biggest obstacle stopping him from nearing the forbidden palace in her conscience. Though, he could use it as a leverage to coerce Jiang Chuchu into giving him whatever he wanted. “You insufferable scum, Gu Changge!” Unable to remain calm, she clenched her teeth as her eyes grew colder. Whoosh! Wordlessly, the man swung his weapon. Then, the golden shield before her trembled as cracks occurred on it, after which the shield instantaneously exploded. Seeing that, Jiang Chuchu’s face turned pale. “My patience is thinning,” Gu Changge blandly blurted. “I’ll never surrender the Mortal Commandment Token. You wish to trap me here while having an imposter out there to deceive the people of the Upper Realm? Dream on! I won’t have a hand in your atrocious deeds!” Jiang Chuchu coldly stared at him with no fear on her face. She would rather commit suicide than allowing the Successor of Demonic Arts achieve his goals and harm the people of the world. “Fool, you’re asking for it.” With that, Gu Changge’s eyes turned darker. Covered in his overflowing demonic energy and godly runes, he sent a world-devastating palm to subdue Jiang Chuchu. Boom! In that instant, the air was suppressed by overwhelming energy, as though it stopped wafting and was solidified. “I won’t let you have your way, Gu Changge!” Coldness was all over Jiang Chuchu’s face. At that moment, intending to suicide, she concentrated all her power in her dantian as vibrant runes surged while World Principles intertwined. Right now, the biggest burden she could give Gu Changge was killing herself as that was the only way the people of Mortal Palace could unearth her situation before tracking the problem to Gu Changge. “Ludicrous. Why do you think you’re the master of your life in my world?” Seeing that, Gu Changge let out a belittling scoff as he was prepared for such a fearless individual. Jiang Chuchu might have yet to discover that Gu Changge was only afraid of the forbidden palace in her Knowledge Sea since a delicate touch of it would wreak havoc within, eventually causing her death. Nonetheless, she was aware that given her current strength, she was still unable to channel the power harboured within the forbidden palace. Unless she could break through the palace and destroy the Original Soul living within, her effort would be futile. [How persistent…] As the palm was landing, Jiang Chuchu was shocked to find the Principles she solidified with so much effort were shattered so easily. She didn’t even have control over her life and death. “Stop! The Mortal Commandment Token, I’ll give it to you…” Seeing as Gu Changge was going to murder her, Jiang Chuchu was extreme anxious. She was no longer the composed woman she once was. “It’s too late.” Apathetic, Gu Changge said with an emotionless expression. … Followingly, Gu Changge walked out of thin air outside the palace. “So this is the Mortal Commandment Token?” He observed the golden token. Dense life force was floating above it. Accordingly, he handed it to Yan Ji who was beside him. “Master, have you killed the Saintess from Mortal Palace?” Yan Ji was quite curious about Jiang Chuchu’s fate. “No, she can’t die just yet.” Gu Changge shook his head. “A persistent woman like her could still prove useful.” Meanwhile, in his Inner World, Jiang Chuchu was clutching to her knees as stupefaction arose in her icy eyes. She peered at her right arm, where her Purity Mark once was for twenty years, but the mark was no longer on her arm. As a Saintess of Mortal Palace, it was her obligation to keep her body pure and chaste. “Gu Changge…” She tensely gritted her teeth.