Translator: Fate Proofreader: Silavin News of Sky King Zhi Yang kidnapping Qing Xiaoyi quickly spread through the Azure Dragon Empire, soon reaching the other areas, eliciting shockwaves as strong as an earthquake. Everyone who heard it were all in shock and disbelief. After all, no one would dare speak of such a thing without proof. It would be equivalent to framing him. Furthermore, he was no ordinary person. He was a Ranked Disciple of the Immortal Academy, former number one in the Upper Realm, and an ancient monstrosity of the Purple Mansion. making up such a rumour would be the greatest offence to him. Besides, how would anyone survive after offending him? The photography stone examined by the Elders had also become public, and was passed around the towns and cities. Many fought for a chance to acquire it. Anyone would be able to see if it had been faked, and everyone fell silent when the footage was leaked. Young prodigies and gossipy cultivators alike all felt a shiver down their spine, as anyone acquainted with the issue would know it was an undeniable truth. The person who had kidnapped her had obviously planned it in advance. If Qing Feng hadn’t had the Flask of World Domination, he would have been crushed by that attack and died in both body and soul. It could be said that he had Heaven defying luck to be able to have such an artifact protect his life. It was also because of this Flask that evidence was finally found as its power was used to investigate what happened. Not to mention, who else knew who to use Chaos Force except for Sky King Zhi Yang? No ordinary person would have such a great Talent. Furthermore, it was an extremely rare Talent which hadn’t been seen in a long time. Only Sky King Zhi Yang possessed it. Thus, the suspicion was not without evidence, and it was extremely shocking. … “Sky King Zhi Yang was the one who kidnapped Qing Xiaoyi?” Yue Mingkong’s eyes narrowed, immediately knowing it hadn’t been him. [He’s just another scapegoat. Who other than Gu Change could possibly have the means to do this?] “Does the Sky King Zhi Yang have any relation to the Successor of Demonic Arts? I remember Qing Xiaoyi has the Celestial Demonic Body or something like that.” Wang Zijin muttered under her breath as she glanced at Yue Mingkong. They had been put in the same group, but found each other to be a pain in the eye. Wang Zijin, a transmigrator, couldn’t read Yue Mingkong clearly, while Yue Mingkong, as a regressor, had no memory of the other woman. The only topic they could talk about was Gu Changge, as Wang Zijin liked to mention him still owing her a favour. Yue Mingkong would reply mildly that Gu Changge would never return a favour he had earned on merit. This made their rivalry progress further. When Yue Mingkong said Wang Zijin was just Gu Changge’s pawn and could be disposed of at any time, Wang Zijin would retort that she was willing to be his, even as a pawn. The daily arguments left many prodigal damsels, who had chosen to follow them, tormented. … “Does the Sky King Zhi Yang have a connection with the Successor of Demonic Arts? Did Ying Shuang meet him in secret? No wonder. I’ve heard about the Successor’s recent appearance in the Black Tortoise Empire; that must have been the reason.” Prince Shen looked tall and commanding, his gaze sharp as runes flickered around him on his Four-Spirit Battle Chariot. “Amitabha. I will join you in defeating the Successor of Demonic Arts.” The Chosen Monk, Jin Chan, was riding a golden-winged roc, looking respectable while shining with Dhamma light. His original ride, the golden nine-tailed lion, had remained in the Immortal Academy instead of accompanying him. Behind them was a large group of young prodigies. Both Prince Shen and Jin Chan wanted to find the Successor of Demonic Arts, the former to rid the Sky Emperor Mountain of their humiliation, and the other to eliminate evil and defend the Great Dao. … Meanwhile, Young prodigies in the empires discussed this with surprise, unable to calm down because of the news. “No one expected him to possess the Flask of World Domination! He’s extremely fortunate. It wasn’t his time yet to cross the yellow spring.” “Exactly. Sky King Zhi Yang probably didn’t expect this when he attacked him, which allowed him to survive.” “I heard that the news had disturbed Young Master Changge, and he had gone immediately to the Azure Dragon Empire with no concern for his issues in the Vermillion Bird Empire.” “It’s no surprise that he would rush there as Gu Xianer is there. If not for him doing so, the Elders would never make the news public…” “It involves the Sky King Zhi Yang after all, so it’s normal for them to be wary.” “Thanks to Young Master Changge, we got to know the truth. Otherwise, we would have been kept in the dark.” The young prodigies all shared the sentiment. The news had been confirmed by the Elders themselves, and there was no use in the Sky King denying it. They noticed that he had never been in the Black Tortoise Empire as he had claimed to be in pursuit of the Successor of Demonic Arts. Who would have thought it was his alibi for him to abduct Qing Xiaoyi in the Azure Dragon Empire? As for his motive, many guesses had been made. The one which made most people shocked and uneasy was that he was connected to the Successor of Demonic Arts, and both of them were cooperating. He had kidnapped her in order to help the Successor of Demonic Arts gather the Sources from the young prodigies. Others claim that Sky King Zhi Yang had done this to avenge Gu Changge, after being humiliated by him. Gu Changge had confidently promised the Elders to protect Qing Xiaoyi and Qing Feng, so how was he going to explain this to them? These words had ended up backfiring instead, so the young prodigies believe Zhi Yang had this in mind when he committed the act. There were many explanations, yet there was no one who thought he was innocent. Even the disciples of Purple Mansion were shocked by this, refusing to believe the rumours yet unable to give an explanation. If the rumours were all fake, why hadn’t he come out to prove his innocence? … The current Saintess of the Purple Mansion, named Zhi Yan, who had shiny purple hair and a veil over her face. Even her eyebrows were furrowed as she planned to inform Zhi Yang about this via her messenger amulet. Yet, she could not say for certain that he was innocent in all this. After the message had been sent, however, there was no reply. This made her extremely worried and suspicious. [Did he really kidnap the girl and hide her somewhere?] … In the Black Tortoise Empire, the King with Six Crowns, who had been meditating on his rock in his mansion, heard the report from his subordinate and couldn’t help giving praise. “Gu Changge, you truly did not disappoint me. You found out the truth so quickly.” He had been worried about overestimating Gu Changge’s ability and that the latter would be tricked. It was surprising that Gu Changge had discovered the truth so quickly; the Flask of World Domination may have helped things along, but that was enough to prove his ability. That did not disappoint the King with Six Crowns. “Sir, did you already know that it was Sky King Zhi Yang?” His subordinate asked with amazement upon hearing that. He was very respectful of his superior, and would never doubt his words. He hadn’t expected the King with Six Crowns to know everything when the news had caused such chaos outside the mansion. “Naturally.” The King with Six Crowns smiled confidently without much explanation. “You have never disappointed us, sir!” The subordinate looked at him with admiration, not doubting the truth of what he said. His Master’s words were equivalent to law in his mind. After excusing himself, the news also spread from the subordinate to the public. The King with Six Crowns had already known it was Sky King Zhi Yang who had abducted Qing Xiaoyi much earlier than Gu Changge. This shocked the Black Tortoise Empire. Now that Sky King Zhi Yang wasn’t around, Jun Yao, the King with Six Crowns. was now the axis for the young prodigies of the Immortal Academy in the Black Tortoise Empire. His power was more terrifying than the former and the claim was all too shocking. “He knew about it earlier than Young Master Changge?” “How is that possible? Why didn’t he say anything before this? Did he want to remain mysterious or did he have some other purpose in mind?” The other young prodigies began making assumptions yet none of them doubted his words. Instead, they began making up explanations, such as the King with Six Crowns already on guard against the Sky King Zhi Yang or that he knew something else yet chose to observe the latter’s actions. … With all the rumours spreading around, it became widely known that Sky King Zhi Yang had kidnapped QIng Xiaoyi. Because of this, Gu Changge brought his followers to the Black Tortoise Empire from the Azure Dragon Empire. This attracted the attention of many young prodigies, including the usually unruffled Yue Mingkong as well as Wang Zijin and the Phoenix Lady. Boom! Beams of light shone in from all directions, illuminating the skies with their colour and brightness. These were cultivators coming from all directions, some riding clouds or mist and others riding their respective artifacts or mounts. All of them were heading to the Black Tortoise Empire after hearing that Gu Changge was there to join in the commotion. They also wanted to find out Sky King Zhi Yang’s reason for abducting Qing Xiaoyi. They hoped it didn’t have anything to do with the Successor of Demonic Arts. The Empire was now in the public eye, with many cultivators walking to and fro on the streets while young prodigies of different races gathered. Many ancient mounts with great strength and tremendous vitality were pulling numerous wagons as well. It was a bustling scene. There, a tall man with the ends of his hair burning was currently walking. It was Ying Shuang. “So Sky King Zhi Yang had gone to abduct Qing Xiaoyi and not pursue Gu Changge. Why did he do that, though?” Ying Shuang was a little puzzled after hearing the news. He paid close attention to the issue as he had been framed as the Successor of Demonic Arts. He had pondered the issue carefully but still couldn’t understand Sky King Zhi Yang’s motive. If it was related to the Successor of Demonic Arts, then that meant it was related to Gu Changge, the true Successor of Demonic Arts, as well and had no relation to his innocent self. [I will make his actions public sooner or later. I will repay him in full for making me his scapegoat!] Ying Shuang clenched his fists as hatred flashed through his eyes before becoming concealed once again. Gu Changge was the man he hated the most! [I still have some business today. I wonder why Yin Mei invited me to the teahouse. Is it because of the recent occurrences?] Ying Shuang quickly put his thoughts to rest, smiling slightly as he rushed towards a teahouse. There were more important things waiting for him. Yin Mei no longer chased him away after he refused to leave her alone, and he felt like it was an improvement even though she still looked at him with disdain and impatience. He would move her eventually as he had before, and the meeting later was proof of progress in their relationship. Soon, he arrived at the teahouse. On the first floor nearest to a window, a woman in white supported her chin with one hand as she looked out of it, looking thoughtful. She was flawlessly beautiful in a seductive way, with an elegant figure and attractive glowing skin. “Yin Mei.” Ying Shuang opened his mouth helplessly, unable to calm down despite his best attempts because of her beauty. He had only been able to glance at her secretly when he was a horse feeder, while he could now look at her openly and proudly. “You’re here?” Yin Mei frowned before saying lightly, “Do you know why I am meeting you?” “Well…” He was stunned, not expecting her to be so direct upon seeing him, and shook her head. “No.” “Really?” She intriguingly looked at him before drinking her tea. “I know what you’re interested in, though.” He didn’t know the reason behind her deciding to meet him, but he guessed that it was to scare him off so he would leave her alone. That was why he quickly resumed their conversation with another topic after she became quiet. “Oh? What’s that?” She looked at him with some confusion. “About the Successor of Demonic Arts,” he answered. He planned to use this opportunity to talk to her about this since he might not be able to do so in the future. “About the Successor of Demonic Arts?” Her expression shifted a little but she didn’t seem surprised. “How much do you know about the Successor of Demonic Arts?” “More than you do.” Ying Shuang smiled, enjoying the way she was looking straight at him. “I even know who the Real Successor of Demonic Arts is, but you may not believe me when I say it. Even so, I’ll have to say it for your own safety, but it’s up to you whether or not to believe me. After all, I will never harm you.” Yin Mei let out a laugh before saying calmly, “Well then, tell me.” He smiled lightly and said slowly, “The true Successor of Demonic Arts is actually…Gu Changge.” He expected to see her expression becoming shocked, angry, or sceptical as well as her kicking him out of the teahouse. He hadn’t expected to see her looking calm and undisturbed, as if it didn’t surprise her at all. “Aren’t you shocked? Or sceptical?” He was taken aback by her reaction as it was far too strange. Shouldn’t she be shocked and disbelieving? Why was she calmer than he was? “I’m not shocked because I already know.” She nodded truthfully. “What? You know?” Ying Shuang froze at her words, feeling a terrifying chill run up his spine and into his skull. He might be infatuated with her but he wasn’t stupid. “So, why did you want to meet me?” His voice stuttered slightly although he tried to sound unruffled. “Because I wanted to see you.” Another voice came from behind him, sounding as if this person was smiling. The coldness rushed to the top of his skull and his limbs felt like they were freezing. He didn’t dare turn around at all. “Master, you’re here.” Yin Mei let out a smile as she got up to greet him. Ying Shuang immediately realised what was happening, the blood draining from his face. He was rooted to the spot, as his confidence and assurance were replaced by indescribable fear. [So, she has been serving by Gu Changge side all this time. I’ve been kept in the dark and didn’t realise at all!] “Should I call you Prince Ying? Or horse feeder? I can also call you scapegoat? Which do you prefer?” Gu Changge asked with interest, after walking past him carelessly to sit at the table and picking up a teacup to taste the piping hot tea. “You… you know everything?” Ying Shuang’s voice shook. He had tried to remain calm, yet the intense fear had overwhelmed him and made his legs feel weak. “Of course. I knew from the very beginning.” Gu Changge smiled lightly. “I feel guilty for framing you for this long. So, I’ve decided to set you free today.” He said that with ease, even picking up his tea and blowing away the steam. However, Ying Shuang was stunned, shivering in fear and unable to move. No matter how much he disguised himself, he was just a horse feeder, who had gotten lucky. What else could he do in this situation? “Gu Changge, I’ll make you pay!” he angrily roared, refusing to surrender to Gu Changge when the other wanted to kill him. Anger and hatred burst out of him and a terrifying phantom appeared within his gaze. A multi-coloured light shot up into the sky as the power of the Sky Emperor Ying’s bloodline was triggered.