Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin It had been half a month since the start of the Immortal Academy trial, and Gu Changge had maintained a low profile ever since. It was even rare for his followers to see him. Some say he had already gone to the source of the Eternal Overcast crisis, and kill off Eternal Overcast creatures, but some claimed he was actually cultivating a powerful technique in retreat. There were many explanations made, yet no one dared to visit him to verify the truth. Even the Emperor of the Vermillion Bird Empire had maintained his silence, too fearful to do anything else. In a tall grand tower in the Empire capital sat Su Qingge and Ji Qingxuan. “Sister, are you leaving now?” Ji Qingxuan looked surprised. She hadn’t expected that to be the first thing her older sister told her. Did that mean their identity swap had to go on for a while? “Yes, since the Wang Family will never bother you again. I can pretend to be you and go visit mother in the Ji family home. It’s been a long time since I saw her and I can take this as an opportunity.” Su Qingge nodded, expression complicated. “Did Young Master suspect you during this time?” “No.” She shook her head before smiling. “Young Master treats me well, but I haven’t seen him for several days. He has probably left the capital to head towards the source of this Eternal Overcast crisis.” “Really?”Su Qingge nodded, unable to describe her current emotions. Why was she jealous of her sister when Ji QIngxuan was pretending to be her? “Oh, yes. Qingge, I have something to tell you.” Ji Qingxuan’s calm demeanour slipped as she stammered a little. She looked a little shy and embarrassed. “What?” Su Qingge sounded puzzled, getting a bad feeling about what she was going to say. “Um, well…That day, I, uh…” Ji Qingxuan glanced at Su QIngge uneasily. She hadn’t wanted to mention it on purpose to gloat, but in case Gu Changge noticed something after they returned to their own identity. “What?” Su Qingge froze as her mind was filled with static. She soon came back to herself, turning pale as the bad feeling intensified. Gu Changge had never desired her physically before, so why did he do that after they swapped identities? There was something suspicious about this. “Did he actually realise that…” Su Qingge was smart enough to consider that possibility, although she still maintained a sliver of hope that it was a coincidence. “Sorry, Qingge…” Ji Qingxuan apologised to her. “It’s not your fault,” Su Qingge finally said, waving a hand and forcing herself to calm down. However, she felt envious. She suddenly thought of a possibility, [Letting her take my identity and stay with Gu Changge… He is the leader of light while I am the Successor of Demonic Arts. This means I would be on the side opposing him. I need to do this, when he still has not uncovered my real identity. Else, I don’t know how to deal with everything later.] “Qingxuan, I may not return for a long time…” she finally said after calming herself down. “If Young Master sees through you, tell him that I’ve betrayed his trust..” She disappeared after finishing her sentence, having left the tower. “Qingge…” Ji Qingxuan was lost, noticing that her sister seem to have tears in her eyes. [Just what is she hiding? What is causing her so much grief?] … Meanwhile, in an ancient city called the Sacred Spirits Ancient City. It was where citizens of all the empires gathered, with all kinds of people present. There were youths who had just begun cultivating, hermits who hadn’t moved from their seats for millions of years, disciples of great sects, as well as members of great families. It was a grand place which could hold nearly ten million people. In a mighty golden palace, a foxlike woman in white was standing as she ordered the maids before her to flip through something. She was a great flawless beauty with bright eyes, and looked seductive. She hugged her nine white tails, which were all shiny and fluffy, as she frowned. “Hurry up. Does it take that long to check something?” “Please wait a moment, Mistress.” Her maids sounded panicked. “A lot of the information about Chu Hao must have been hidden away on purpose. We just can’t find anything…” “Can’t find anything?” The woman in white frowned in disbelief. “Is there anything that the Alliance of Thousand Merchants can’t uncover?” She had been able to find traces of evidence regarding the Immortal Gu Family’s scandal. Thus, how was it possible for there to be nothing about the third prince of the tiny Vermillion Bird Empire? “It’s fine. There’s no need to investigate anymore, Yin Mei. I already know who’s helping Chu Hao in secret.” The voice of a young man came from behind the curtain. “Master, you already know?” Yin Mei was stunned but did not ask further, dismissing her maids with a wave of her hand. “I know. It is someone from the Alliance of Thousand Merchants.” Gu Changge sat there, silently enjoying his tea. He blew away the steam coming from the teacup, then raised it to his mouth and took a sip. “The tea you brew is still the best,” he praised, sounding like he was in a good mood. Since there was no information about the Empire, he knew that the person helping Chu Hao in secret was no simple person. It must be someone smart, who had concealed all traces of themselves. That was why he was here in this city; where a branch of the Alliance of Thousand Merchants was, and where he could call on Yin Mei. “If Master likes it so much, then I’ll brew it for you every day.” She smiled as she walked over. She hadn’t chosen to cultivate at the Immortal Academy since she knew it would be hard to assist him no matter how much her cultivation level improves. Instead, she chose to take over the power the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan held in the Alliance of Thousand Merchants, as it would help him better. Her clan was the greatest force behind the Alliance, and contained great power since it was part of the Ancient Royal Family. Many forces had joined the Alliance, yet her clan still held the greatest power. “How much do you know about Tang Wan?” Gu Changge smiled as he picked up a jade scroll. It contained his suspects, and he was certain that it was Tang Wan who had been helping Chu Hao after sifting through the list. It wasn’t hard to find out; he just had to find out who was of a similar age as Chu Hao and had lived in the Empire. It was such a cliche romance set up, that one glance of the list was enough for him to narrow it down to her. Nonetheless, Tang Wan was smart and knew how to cover her tracks, but it was hard to conceal the fact that she had been to the Empire. Besides, she didn’t know Yin Mei was his spy. “She seems to hold great power here, having started working for the Alliance a few hundred years ago. The Tang Family holds a lot of weight in the Alliance, and her grandfather is the head of an Alliance branch and leads many influential people.” Yin Mei told him everything she knew about Tang Wan. “So, an Alliance Branch Head, huh? It’s a lot of power indeed.” He smiled mildly. The Alliance was one of the biggest merchant alliances in the Upper Realm and was everywhere. It shows how much power and influence they held. Even Sect Masters would tread carefully around an Alliance Branch Head and not dare to take him lightly. “Did she offend you?” Yin Mei asked carelessly before saying, “I know she has a younger brother named Tang Tian, though. He’s still young and is quite spoiled. He has grown to be quite arrogant and prideful since his family spoils him a lot.” “A younger brother?” Gu Changge smiled meaningfully. “That sounds good to me. Her mistake was choosing to oppose me; do you think she deserves death?” ‘Yes.” She nodded obediently. “Anyone that opposes you deserves death.” … “Master, there’s a new girl in the Drunk Gods Inn. Do you want to go have a look?” A man walked along the busy road teeming with cultivators. His eyes were sunken and his expression looked frivolous as his gaze swept across the many youths around him. His eyes lingered briefly on several young female cultivators as he studied them. A plump man, who looked like his butler, walked beside him, asking him the question carefully with a forced smile. “Who is this new girl I can get in your Drunk Gods Inn?” The young man’s name was Tang Tian, and he sounded scornful. He seemed to be alone, but many strong powerful cultivators were protecting him in secret. “That the girl being sold seems to be from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.” The plump man still had a forced smile on his face. “The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan?” Tang Tian froze after hearing this and asked quickly, “Is that true? That’s a Clan that even we are cautious of. What are they doing? Selling their own women to the Drunk Gods Inn?” He might be from spoiled and a playboy, but that did not mean he was stupid. The Nine-Tailed Fox Clan was of noble status, and it was hard to come by any of their members. However, he did know that most of the women from the Clan were gorgeous. “Don’t worry, Young Master. That the girl in question had been banished from her clan.” The plump man laughed. “You need not worry.” Tang Tian snorted coldly. “I will never forgive you if you lie to me.” The plump man replied immediately, “I will never do that. Who will dare lie to someone with your status?” “Hmph, at least you know that” Tang Tian immediately headed towards the inn and waited in a suite. True enough, he soon met a terrified-looking girl from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, as said by the plump man. Her beauty was rare to come by. Still the sight of her being tied up and even gagged, made him feel a little strange. “Young Master, she’s a little stubborn. Still, there should be no problems. Ahem, so, when the time comes, do please say a few good things about me to your sister,” the plump man quickly added. “I know, I know. Just get out,” Tang Tian said impatiently, feeling bothered by the man yet unsuspecting of him. [He wants me to say a few good things in front of my sister?] “Then I won’t disturb you any longer, Young Master,” the plump man smiled brightly before leaving the suite. “The things they say about the women of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan are true. Your beauty and figure…” Tang Tian felt very excited and was ready to act on his impulses. Suddenly, terrifying energy spread from outside the inn. It was full of rage and coldness, as if ready to destroy everything. “Who dares disturb me?” He felt a little annoyed but then became pale as he heard countless screams from outside. He had a sudden bad feeling, as these screams came from the hidden experts who had been tasked to protect him. “How dare you put your hands on my maid?” A cold yet lovely voice came from outside, Murderous Sword Qi bloomed around the Inn, enclosing it straight away and making it explode. Those on the street looked horrified as they immediately backed away in shock. A woman walked down from the sky, expression frigid, while swords hovered behind her. The light they emitted was blindingly bright as they exuded murderous intent. All the powerful experts in the shadows didn’t have time to react before they were pierced by her Sword Qi. They died immediately, their Souls extinguished. “Innkeeper Zhu? What’s happening?” Tang Tian felt uneasy and walked out with a pale face, trying to look for the plump man from before. He was in panic as he didn’t know what was going on. [Is this some kind of misunderstanding? Is there an issue with that girl from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan?] Tang Tian couldn’t react in time as he exited the suite. He froze with shock for a moment and could not react when he saw the scene before him. However, rage quickly erupted as he roared, face twisted with fury. “You dare frame me!? Stop spouting bullshit…” The plump man was prostrating himself on the floor, ignoring him as he continued anxiously and regretfully, “It’s all under Young Master Tang’s orders. This has nothing to do with me. He said that he will shoulder the blame if anything happens. Otherwise, I won’t dare let him bring the girl here. Please forgive me, I’ve realised my mistake!” “Tang Tian, how dare you prey on my maid!?” The woman in white wore a cold and murderous expression, her sword hovering in the sky with beams swirling around it as it prepared to descend. “I was framed. I don’t know anything! Everything was arranged by Innkeeper Zhu. He’s trying to bring me down with him…” Tang Tian was pale, voice shaking with fury and panic as he tried to explain everything. … He recognised the woman. Who wouldn’t? She was the Gifted Lady of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, Yin Mei. Many would risk anything for her beauty and she had been titled the Gifted Lady by many prodigies. She held great power within the Alliance of Thousand Merchants, so he would never dare offend her. The woman’s expression became cold enough to freeze water. “Who should I listen to then, or are you two tricking me? To think you would kidnap one of my maids when I wasn’t looking? If I hadn’t left a rune on her, she would have been defiled by you.” Her voice wasn’t loud yet it could be heard by everyone on the street. Those present were shocked to hear this, and they immediately assumed what had happened. Tang Tian’s reputation was horrible and many knew this, so it wasn’t a surprise that he would actually do such a thing. Still, they hadn’t expected him to be brave enough to do this to a maid working under the Gifted Lady of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan. “I really was framed. Your maid is still upstairs, Gifted Lady, and you can ask her yourself. The truth will come out.” Tang Tian explained quickly as if he was handed a lifeline. He knew that the plump man would try and pin everything on him. “Really? I’ll give you a chance. If you are lying, the Tang Family won’t be able to protect you.” Her voice was frigid as she walked towards the suite. With a flash of a sword, the girl was immediately freed. “Young Mistress, save me! Tang Tian is extremely shameless and disgusting! He-he sent someone to knock me out and if you hadn’t come in time…” The girl immediately began to cry upon seeing the woman in white, looking so pitiful that many empathised with her. All the onlookers became furious with Tang Tian. Even cursing in their hearts, [what a bastard!] The blood drained from Tang Tian’s face when he heard that, collapsing to the ground as fear swept through him. He had only one thought. [Damn it! I ‘ve fallen into a trap!] “Tang Tian, how are you going to explain yourself now?” Growled the woman in white, looking coldly at him. … [The Eternal Overcast creatures have decreased over the past few days. It seems that the young prodigies from the Immortal Academy are useful after all.] Chu Hao appeared on a mountain far away from the Empire’s territory. The swirling grey fog was dissipating quickly like snow on a hot day as his palm came down. He was just one step away from the Sacred Emperor Realm, which showed how strong he was. It was far too easy for him to deal with the Eternal Overcast creatures. Even so, the Yin Qi contained within them was so troublesome, that he had to exert a lot of energy to extinguish it. He had seen many young prodigies from the Immortal Academy fighting viciously with a group of Eternal Overcast creatures, which he didn’t mind as it was a requirement from the Academy, and was beneficial for the Empire. [At this rate, the Eternal Overcast crisis will be quickly resolved.] Chu Hao exhaled in relief and put on a rare smile. He could see a group of young prodigies in the distance, all enveloped in divine light and showing great strength. [Gu Changge’s followers from that day, huh? He must have arrived as well.] Chu Hao frowned and headed towards another direction, not wanting to see the man. [Chu Hao is really here. Master’s guess was right.] Within the crowd of young zprodigies, a young being resembling a Yaksha sneered once he noticed Chu Hao. He immediately used the Jade Messaging Talisman to inform Gu Changge about this.