Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin The divine light surged while the sky rumbled! “Master, our aim this time is the Vermilion Bird Empire. We’ll head in the direction of the Vermilion Bird Empire. Much of its territory has been overtaken by Eternal Overcast creatures.” On the ancient battleship was a stunning woman in red. She was in the midst of reporting to Gu Changge. The faction behind her has strong ties with the Vermilion Bird Empire. A faction that was itself strong. Nonetheless, she became one of Gu Changge’s followers. “Vermilion Bird Empire? Then, where are all the other teams headed to?” Gu Changge nodded with a slight squint as he rested comfortably against the furniture that was made from vines that were over 800,000 years old. On the other side of him was Su Qingge, who peeled the spirit fruit before popping it into his mouth. The ancient battleship was filled with the disciples from the Immortal Academy whose origins were shocking. Each disciple’s capabilities had surpassed those of the Vermilion Bird Empire. Any prodigy who walked out of here had enough power to move the winds and clouds with just their aura alone. They were Successors or Heirs of their respective factions. “Lady Xianer will be heading to the Azure Dragon Empire while Princess Yue Mingkong is moving to the White Tiger Empire and Sky King Zhi Yang will be in the Black Tortoise Empire…” The woman in red was concise with her report. “Black Tortoise Empire.” Gu Changge nodded with interest. The names of the empires had little to do with the Ancient Immortal Races when they were founded. They were just named that way for the sake of convenience many eons ago. At that time, he had been keeping tabs of Ying Shuang’s whereabouts as he suspected that Ying Shuang would look for Sky King Zhi Yang. After all, the enemy of one’s enemy was always a friend. As long as the man was intelligent enough, he would know what to do. Naturally, Gu Changge expected all these to occur. [Now, Ying Shuang, the current Successor of Demonic Arts in the eyes of others, will be mingling with Sky King Zhi Yang. There is no need to rush their meeting. The most important part is arranging it and keeping up the performance. Once that is over and Purple Mansion finds out, Sky King Zhi Yang would definitely bring great shame to them. At that point, if Purple Mansion still moves to protect him…] Gu Changge continued to think over this. He felt that making pivotal moves was the best. “Qingge, it looks like your cultivation level has improved drastically.” After that, he gestured to the woman in red to leave and couldn’t help but comment. “The Immortal Academy is indeed a great place to cultivate. Such an improvement is something I wouldn’t dare to think about.” She gently placed her hand on his shoulder and nodded. “I see. So, how about the Seven Tools of World Domination? How’s the investigation going?” Gu Changge continued to ask, without probing more and making things too difficult for her. “We are getting close to seeing results. If my guess is correct, Qing Xiaoyi and Qing Feng, the two siblings, should have a Tool of World Domination,” She answered. “Another one, huh?” Gu Changge raised his eyebrow slightly as he unearthed an ordinary-looking jar on his palm. As the jar floated above, the body of the jar was obviously slightly rusty with a simple texture. Although the Jar of World Domination in his hand looked strange, he felt that it contained an oppressive power comparable to a Sacred Emperor Grade artifact. However, if it were to be compared to the rumoured mystical items hidden in the Immortal Palace Treasury, it was not worth much. Nonetheless, this answered his question. Qing Feng’s Fortuity had been steadily increasing, which could now be attributed to him having a Tool of World Domination. The Jar of World Domination that Gu Changge had resembled an inferior version of his Grand Flask. When he uses it to devour, its effects were subpar compared to the Grand Flask he created from runes. Thus, Gu Changge only saw worth in them after he had collected all seven and converted them all into something like a key. “I think the young man named Qing Feng has it. Qing Xiaoyi doesn’t look like she’s keeping it, whereas her brother seems to be more than meets the eye.” Gu Changge said. Su Qingge nodded upon hearing this. The Tools of World Domination had the ability to locate each other. That was the reason why she did not bother to take the initiative to search for Qing Xiaoyi and Qing Feng. Before she gave the Jar of World Domination to Gu Changge. She had used it as a weapon and even used it to devour Sources. Even divine soldiers could be devoured by using it. Thus, its power need no explanation. “That’s good. He’ll give it to me on his own accord.” Gu Changge smiled when he saw the confusion in Su Qingge’s eyes, but he didn’t bother to further explain. It was a given that he would strike sooner or later, but it was not the right time yet. After all, Qing Xiaoyi had a soft spot for him, so there were some things that he did not need to intentionally arrange. … “During this period of time, Saintess Chuchu hasn’t killed the Successor of Demonic Arts or even looked for the Mortal One’s reincarnation. This is out of character for you.” When Gu Changge left his palace, space blurred as soon as he made a move. It was not long before he appeared at a nearby palace. The Immortal Academy ancient battleship was large enough to accommodate multiple palaces and pavilions without being crowded, which was why every young prodigy at least had their individual pavilion. Seated cross-legged on the jade bed was Jiang Chuchu, cultivating. When she heard the noise, her eyes shot open as she glared at Gu Changge for a moment with a calm and unwavering expression. She thought that Gu Changge would not bother with her during this trial and be indifferent like before, but what she never expected was for him to suddenly show up at her palace when she was alone. Her calm heart was now in a state of chaos as she looked directly at Gu Changge. “I don’t need you to manage my every action. Gu Changge, what do you want by coming here?” Although a familiar question was asked again, it now carried a different undertone. [Gu Changge trapped me in his Inner World when I had asked this questioned] “Then, what do you think I’m here for?” he asked casually. Jiang Chuchu bit her lip and forced herself to remain calm. “Didn’t you mention before that you won’t care about my life and death?” “Have you forgotten, Jiang Chuchu? It was me who saved you from death in the Eternal Overcast Battlefield.” Gu Changge could not help but sneer. “Is this how you treat your saviour? You should know that you’ll be dead meat if it weren’t for me.” “You have no right to comment about me. Gu Changge. You are as shameless as ever. What sophistry.” Jiang Chuchu coldly retorted. “I didn’t need you to save me.” “Even if you were to die now… I won’t care.” Now that Gu Changge was in front of her, he did not hide his mockery as he walked closer to her When Jiang Chuchu saw this, she subconsciously took a deep back as she remembered the time when she was imprisoned. [What a hateful bastard!] She glanced coldly at him. “What do you want?” “I’m not interested in you now.” He shrugged and added, “Don’t flatter yourself, Jiang Chuchu.” “Liar! Gu Changge, you are always spewing lies,” she barked as she met his gaze. If Gu Changge never cared about her, why did he save her? Furthermore, why did he deal with the Eternal Overcast crisis back then? Since she knew a lot of his secrets, why would he leave her off the hook instead of ending her life? “Suit yourself.” A composed Gu Changge then continued, “There is one reason I came.” Jiang Chuchu glared at him. “What is it? If it’s to side with the enemy, forget it. I’ll never agree to it…” At that, Gu Changge interrupted her and laughed. “Did you know that you’ve been helping the enemy since you’ve kept quiet about my identity? How many people have you killed indirectly because of your choice, Saintess Chuchu? Is this what you call being responsible and righteous?” “I have nothing to do with it. It wasn’t me who did it.” The current Jiang Chuchu no longer fell for his tricks. “Aren’t you ashamed, though? You know that I’m the culprit, but you can only watch in despair. Is this reaction worthy of your noble status? Are you even worthy of the Mortal Palace?” Gu Changge smiled and suddenly reached out to squeeze her immaculate chin as those words were filled with mockery and contempt. “Gu Changge…” “You are just a mean and shameless bitch!” When Jiang Chuchu heard that sentence, she was stunned and coldly looked at him as tears fell from the corners of her eyes. The emotions that she felt during this period of time exploded like the waves crashing into the rocks. [I don’t understand. Why is he purposefully rubbing salt into my wound by bringing that up?] She thought that she could be carefree and suppress her emotions, but now that Gu Changge had brought it up, she felt even more aggrieved. [At the end of the day, is this all my fault? Isn’t this all caused by him?] “Keep it. Your tears are worthless to me.” Gu Changge released her chin as he spoke with indifference. “Sob… You bastard! You are irresponsible, shameless, and despicable! I want to tear you into pieces!” Yet, there was no sign of Jiang Chuchu’s tears stopping. As she had been in cultivation for more than 20 years, she was aloof and never cried for anyone until she met Gu Changge. She was crying over a man. “Go ahead and cry. It’s alright. I’ve used the photographic stone to record it. You’re the Successor of the Mortal Palace, yet you still have your weak moments. I’m sure there are many who are still interested in such photographic stones.” Gu Changge wore the same expression and took out a photographic stone from the storage ring. “Gu Changge… You are too cruel…” When Jiang Chuchu heard his statement, she stopped crying, but she still glared at him with swollen eyes. As the Successor of the Mortal Palace, if such a scene was exposed, Mortal Palace would be disgraced and be the laughingstock of all factions. Gu Changge appreciated how rapid his one statement had stopped her from crying and continued, “can you be better than this? If you don’t increase your cultivation level, will there ever be a day when you’ll kill me for revenge? It’s not like you to cry like this.” At this time, his indifference had dissipated a tremendous amount, but it was now replaced by something akin to mockery. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d have done so earlier,” Jiang Chuchu retorted coldly. “You know I hate you so much that I can’t wait to tear you apart!” “Suit yourself. Look, I don’t have the time to waste on you. I’m only here today because I need your help to look for the main source of the Eternal Overcast crisis.” Gu Changge looked las though he did not want to talk to her anymore. “You want to resolve the Eternal Overcast crisis this time?” Jiang Chuchu was shocked. [As the Successor of the Demonic Arts, Gu Changge wants to put an end to this disaster?] “Then, will you be the one to solve it?” Gu Changge mocked. He was still waiting to use her as his tool. If she was not agreeable to the idea, then he would have to change gears. Nonetheless, he believes that she would consent. “Fine. I can help you. I can promise you that.” Jiang Chuchu agreed in almost an instant as she did not take long to think things through. Although Gu Changge had the means to deal with the Eternal Overcast crisis the last time, he had suffered a lot of backlash as a result. Yet, this only proved that he resembled the Mortal One, who possesses the means to suppress the Eternal Overcast. “However, I have a few conditions,” she added. “What conditions?” Gu Changge asked calmly because he knew that if her requests were unreasonable, he would not agree to it. Of course, once he agreed to it, it would not matter whether he fulfilled it or not. “Gu Changge, will you… treat me better in the future? I’m not expecting a person like you to be responsible for your actions, though.” Jiang Chuchu was silent for a while because she had summoned a great deal of courage to express her feelings. Then, she looked at him with anxiousness and anticipation after some consideration. She felt that if she was not clear about her thoughts, she would most likely face the same thing with Gu Changge again, where he would wash his hands off of all matters concerning her.. After Gu Changge heard her words, he was taken aback, but he immediately denied, “No. Such a condition is unreasonable. Suggest another one.” “You…” She gritted her teeth. She was now well aware that he aims to continue bullying her! [What do you mean by my condition being unreasonable?] … The Vermilion Bird Empire was in a state of disarray as the Immortal Academy ancient battleship rode past it. Since the Eternal Overcast had suddenly erupted, it sent its terrifying aura across all the directions. Chaos came at such speed that no one had predicted it! Many Eternal Overcast creatures came out from the Eternal Overcast, which started a sudden massacre. Even the Yin Kingdoms ordered the Eternal Overcast creatures to attack all cities or towns in their path. Thus, many different forces got completely annihilated. It was obvious that there was a rampant grey fog causing chaos and destruction as it tore into the Vermilion Bird Empire and turned it into rubble. Although there were many old and young crying at all corners, the Eternal Overcast creatures were quick to trample them to death and tore them into shreds. There were ruins everywhere, with bloodied broken walls littered all over. Regardless of their gender and age, many had lost their lives. Large portions of the empire soon collapsed and that led to the heavy atmosphere inside the palace at the capital of the Vermilion Bird Empire. The exhausted Emperor of the Vermilion Bird Empire leaned against the Imperial Chair while his ministers below him engaged in a heated argument that created more unrest in the palace. He could not help but sigh in sorrow. “If the Eternal Overcast can’t be stopped, is the Vermilion Bird Empire, which has stood for millions of years, destined to be destroyed? I feel terrible for disappointing my Ancestors!” “Your Majesty, I heard that young prodigies from the Immortal Academy are on their way. Now that the Eternal Overcast has happened, they are the only ones who can stop tragedy from spreading.” “The team is led by a mysterious and powerful young prodigy this time, so we are saved!” One minister below the Emperor hurriedly gave his report with anticipated happiness. Although the Vermilion Bird Empire had stood for millions of years, in the face of this group of young cultivators, it could be saved and destroyed in the blink of an eye. [The young prodigies from the Immortal Academy all have strong, powerful backgrounds, Even their cultivation levels are not to be underestimated. With them at the forefront, they can resolve this, right?] Many ministers present at the palace were elated at this piece of news. “This is merely a trial for the Immortal Academy. Our life and death does not matter to them. Or maybe their aim is to train their disciples. If they meet with any danger, they can withdraw at any time. For us, on the other hand, we can’t leave… If they really intended to stop the disaster, why did they send the disciples over?” Vermilion Bird Emperor’s voice, however, betrayed them. His exhaustion and helplessness could be seen as he gave a bitter smile. He was not the slightest optimistic since it was an extremely grim situation. “Maybe this is when the Vermilion Bird Empire meets its end. Luckily Hao isn’t in the palace. Otherwise, he would have a hard time avoiding his responsibilities as a prince. He might not even have an idea on how to deal with the Eternal Overcast creature…” The corner of the Emperor’s mouth turned upwards at this thought because he felt grateful. It was his most outstanding child, the Third Prince, Chu Hao, who had come to mind. There was nothing much to comment on his spectacular talent. When he was young, he had showcased terrifying Talent which surpassed his peers, but the Vermilion Bird Empire could not provide him with the best environment possible to improve his cultivation due to its weak strength. After that, the Third Prince, Chu Hao, left the Vermilion Bird Empire and travelled around the Upper Realm in search of the best environment to cultivate. There were later periodic correspondences from Chu Hao addressed to the Vermilion Bird Emperor to inform his father of his experiences, which gave the Emperor much delight. Hundreds of years had since passed in the blink of an eye. He had no idea which cultivation level the Third Prince was in now, but he merely hoped that Chu Hao would not return to Vermilion Bird Empire, only to be annihilated by the Eternal Overcast. “Your Majesty, someone saw the Third Prince outside the palace. The Third Prince is back!” At this moment, a guard outside the palace rushed forward with excitement to report the news. “What!? Hao is back!?” The Vermilion Bird Empire was stunned as he could not believe it and almost fell from the Imperial Chair. Then, his smile grew acrid. His worst fear had happened in the end. [Why is Hao so silly? Shouldn’t he have left at first instance when he heard about our empire being attacked?] “Hurry! Come with me to meet Hao!” The Vermilion Bird Emperor quickly regained his composure as he knew that it was useless to blame anyone now. What happened had already happened and it was now a foregone conclusion. As such, a group of ministers were summoned to welcome the Third Prince. “Eldest Senior Brother, this is where you were born, huh? It looks shabby, no? I don’t think there is even an expert in the Sacred Emperor Realm here. Oh, from the looks of it, it only has a history of a few million years…” At this moment, there were three people standing proudly outside the entrance of the Vermilion Bird Empire imperial palace. The person at the front was a disciple in his 20s. He was a handsome and tall person with a sense of tranquillity. When Chu Hao heard such a statement, he was not the least affected and merely shook his head. “A son will never abandon his mother for being ugly. A dog will never abandon its owner when he is poor. One can never forget our roots. I was brought up in the Vermilion Bird Empire and if something as serious as this happens, I naturally have to return to check what is going on.” Although the Third Prince, Chu Hao, also looked like he was in his 20s, his biological age was actually more than a hundred years old. Next to Chu Hao was a male and a female, both of whom looked like they were in his age group. The male was around 20 years old. Covered in a silver attire, he looked like he was wearing something both ancient and contemporary with a young touch to it. It was this young disciple who voiced his comments earlier. He was fair and looked frivolous with scales in the middle of his eyebrows. On the other hand, the female was slightly younger as she looked like she was 16 or 17 with a complexion that was as fair as a creamy jade. She possessed both beauty and charm as she glowed from such lustre. If Su Qingge was around, she would be shocked that Gu Changge’s female companion shared facial similarities of about 70 percent with her. The only difference was that the companion was much younger.