Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin A group of towers and tall palaces rose from the ground, with a grand light flowing in the air. The sounds of birds flying and beasts roaring could be heard. “Don’t worry. I will send someone to escort your companions to a safe place. Just as you said, they may not be able to cultivate but they can remain ordinary mortals. Everyone says being a deity is good, but what do they know of our woes?” Gu Changge walked over with a warm smile, talking to her as if wanting her to relinquish all her worries.. “You’re right. The worlds of mortals and Immortals will always remain separated. Since they cannot cultivate, it’s a good idea to allow them to remain mortal. I hope they will get over this, as the world can be cruel.” Xiao Ruoyin nodded and walked to his side, her gaze filled with an indiscernible emotion. She had already calmed herself down; she had been unwilling to let this happen at first, but things would become much more complicated if she did not make a clean and quick break. Any lingering connection wasn’t a good thing for her nor for the others. From today onwards, she would begin her life of cultivation and that meant she had to sever herself from the mortal world. “From now on, you will train with Yan Ji. She will tell you everything about the world of cultivation. With your Talent, it won’t take a long time for you to become a famous young prodigy in the Upper Realm,” Gu Changge said, a hint of surprise flashing across his eyes as he noticed the extreme change in her Fortuity. [She is truly worthy of being the reincarnation of the High Priestess. Her desire to seek the Great Dao is far greater than others. Now, after severing her connection to the mortal world, her mental state has hardened.] “En.” Xiao Ruoyin nodded, now feeling more relaxed. This might be considered unshackling to her. At the very moment, she now looked more otherworldly with her flowing dress and the flickering light between her eyebrows. Yan Ji walked towards them with light steps, her expression cold and clinical as if it couldn’t be disturbed by anything. She looked to Xiao Ruoyin and said, “From today onwards, you will cultivate with me. I will teach you about some common knowledge in cultivating for this world as well as some easy techniques later.” Yan Ji had been a mentor before, so training a disciple wasn’t hard for her. Besides, Gu Changge had already informed her about Xiao Ruoyin’s background and the woman might be able to awaken some memories of her past life very soon. All Yan Ji needed to do was to act the part. “Thank you, Master,” Xiao Ruoyin replied quickly, feeling respect for the woman. She felt some anticipation towards her future life of cultivating. Gu Changge nodded and motioned for Yan Ji to take her away. Yan Ji understood immediately and took the woman away with the reason of teaching her. Meanwhile, Jiang Chen, Niu Tian and the others were still calling Xiao Ruoyin’s name, yet her expression did not change nor did she turn her head even though she could hear them. As Gu Changge said, her life in the mortal world was already over and she no longer belonged in the same world as them. After a thousand years, they would be dust and buried somewhere unknown while she remained beautiful. It was best that she severed that connection now or there might be regrets. “Come.” Gu Changge glanced at Jiang Chen and his companions, then waved a hand to summon several beings with strong auras and gave them an order. “Yes, Young Master Gu,” The beings replied respectfully, their expressions all solemn. Gu Changge left the place after that, appearing in a palace where Hei Yanyu had already brewed a pot of tea for him. Steam rose from the light green tea, making it look fresh and fragrant. “Prepare the army for battle. Purple Mansion shall be here soon,” Gu Changge said after taking a leisurely sip of tea. He did not participate in the Immortal War. Nonetheless, he knew of the current situation there, and knew that Purple Mansion had secretly sent an army to rescue Sky King Zhi Yang. The Vermillion Bird Empire was falling to pieces but there was still one more step to go before its demise. Gu Changge mainly wanted Chu Hao and Qin Wuya to face each other. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble. The tiny Empire wasn’t worth this much attention after all. “Yes, Young Master.” Hei Yanyu went off to carry out his orders. After she left, Gu Changge began thinking of another issue. The Hidden Ji Family Su Qingge and Ji Qingxuan stemmed from. It could fall under his control with the right scheme in place. It was a formidable force after all. So, it would benefit him to have it as one of his pieces. He had discerned that Ji Qingxuan had an unusually strong desire for power and status. Furthermore, her abilities were on par with that of her sister. It would be truly convenient if she took control of the Ji Family as she greatly feared him yet greatly relied on him. Thus, it would be easy for him to make her move for him. Other than that, Gu Changge had nearly completed his infiltration of the Tang Family in the Alliance of Thousand Merchants. The secret pawn he had placed, Tang Wan’s useless younger brother, should be acting by now. There were not many coincidences in this world and such a great gift from the heaven that he gotten was merely a trap set in advance. With the power of the Immortal Entanglement Spell, Gu Changge could control the clans of the entire Ancient Celestial Continent, much less the Tang Family in the Alliance of Thousand Merchants. He could let Yin Mei control the Tang Family; that way, most of the power in the Alliance would belong to her. As for Tang Wan, he didn’t plan to let her control anything. Her only use was to become a trigger for the enmity between the two Fortuitous Ones. Other than that, she held no other purpose. [During this time, Yue Mingkong should be busy gathering the Seven Tools of World Domination. Except for the Flask and the Jar which are within my possession, she may have gathered most of them. I’ll demand them from her when this is all done.] Gu Changge smiled slightly at the thought. Even if he didn’t demand it, she would bring them to him anyway when she had finished collecting them. After that, Gu Changge remembered something and waved a hand. A black-robed figure enclosed in black fog appeared in the void behind him, expression cold and cruel yet exuding Sacred Lord Realm strength. It was one of his Demonic Puppets! “Greetings, Master!” the puppet said respectfully, a spark of life appearing within its eyes. Gu Changge nodded and waved his hand again, the black fog over the puppet’s face dissipating to reveal the face of a normal middle-aged man. After some thought, an indiscernible smile appeared on his features. “Go. Find him.” In the next moment, the face of the puppet began to change. It soon became a cold-looking old man with a tall nose like an eagle’s claw. It gave an unsettling feeling. “Yes, Master.” The black-robed figure stepped out and disappeared instantly. … Jiang Chen, Niu Tian, and the others were being chased off the ancient battleship to the ground below. “It’s already too late yet you are still engaged in wishful thinking. That’s so amusing! Have you seen your cultivation aptitude? What a useless bastard!” “You are no longer of the same world as Lady Xiao. Go on; do you still want to stay here and suffer?” Around them, several terrifying beings were glaring coldly at them while exuding frightening strength. This made them turn pale and shiver with fear. To them, the beings on the ship had been a little more merciful for Xiao Ruoyin’s sake but when they were proven not to have any talent to cultivate, their true selves were revealed. They became extremely cruel and did not mince their words at all. It just showed how cruel this world was! It had been one of these beings who had spoken, voice mocking and condescending. With a wave of his hand, a terrifying power fell upon Jiang Chen and the rest as he tried to escort them off the battleship. “Ruoyin…” Jiang Chen’s expression was full of disappointment and helplessness. He felt extremely worried but did not dare argue against the mocking words. He didn’t doubt that a slap would land upon his head within the first sentence and with his current stature, he would be reduced to minced meat! “Hmmph, you know how to read the situation.” The being who had spoken snorted when Jiang Chen didn’t reply, his expression becoming emotionless once more. A dark expression flashed across Jiang Chen’s face briefly as he swore vengefully to kill that being when he had the chance. Xiao Ruoyin’s words had been cruel but he knew there was nothing they could do. She did not believe that the test stone had been tampered with. Though, Jiang Chen knew he could cultivate and had immense talent for it, which she didn’t know about. [If she had listened to just a little bit, things wouldn’t have gone this way. That Young Master Gu’s appearance didn’t give me the opportunity to explain…] Jiang Chen’s fists were clenched but he calmed down afterwards, his mind still frustrated. He knew that opposing Gu Changge now was equivalent to suicide. What would he do when Xiao Ruoyin had separated from them and ended up falling prey to Gu Changge? He hadn’t had any chance to confess everything to her. Xiao Ruoyin seemed to have been fooled by Gu Changge and knew nothing at all, not even that the other man had ulterior motives. Dangerous was too mild a description! <What should I do? Mistress is with that scary man and may be harmed at any time. We can’t just abandon her, Jiang Chen…> The Celestial Boat of Creation sounded extremely worried. Jiang Chen had calmed himself down by now. “The most important thing is to improve my strength. Once I’m strong, I can then confess everything to her when I have the chance so she can see him for what truly is. He may have other motives towards her but will not act that soon, thus I should cultivate myself first. Besides, I have you with me, right? I don’t believe I cannot win against him.” Jiang Chen became hopeful as he spoke. This meant that he was in the shadows while Young Master Gu was in the light; this situation was advantageous for him. <That’s all we can do for now. I’ll get you a cultivation technique when we leave this place and if possible, you should enter a Sect. Independent cultivation doesn’t give you enough resources to cultivate.> The Artifact Spirit was quiet for a moment before explaining this, suggesting several strategies for him as well. Their survival now depended on each other; either they succeeded together, or they would fail together. He continued discussing with the Artifact Spirit on the way down from the battleship. Now that he had thought of a way, his mood finally relaxed. However, Niu Tian, Wang Ning, and the others looked dejected, as if they hadn’t moved on from the news. “Jiang Chen, why are you pretending even now? We are all the same and cannot cultivate in this world. We may be killed a thousand times over if we ever encounter two fighting cultivators…” Song Ming, who had laughed at Jiang Chen, couldn’t stand the calm look on his face and spoke to him in a hostile tone. He was annoyed by that expression, as Jiang Chen was still acting unruffled in such a situation. The other man had acted the same way during the test and everyone thought he might create some sort of miracle, yet he had been embarrassed greatly. Didn’t the stone remain unchanged as it had for everyone else? Jiang Chen even dared to say the stone was damaged and asked for another stone to undergo the test again. Only he would do something so undignified! Song Ming already had second-hand embarrassment from that situation. The others joined in as soon as they heard Song Ming’s words, their gazes full of mockery. This might be the only way they could express their frustration. “Shut up!” Niu Tian frowned and glanced around at them. He was tall and stocky and had been shown to have talent. It was average but was still superior to them. Everyone else was fearful and muttered under their breaths before falling silent. “None of you believed me when I said the stone was damaged but you are all blaming me now? How ironic,” Jiang Chen said mildly, letting them say what they want. He knew internally that he had the aptitude to cultivate, meaning he wouldn’t be with these condescending people for much longer. “…” Niu Tian shook his head at Jiang Chen with a sigh, who smiled at him. “You don’t have to worry. The stone was damaged; both of us actually have the aptitude to cultivate.” “Really?” Niu Tian felt confused by his confident expression. Was the stone really broken? He didn’t ask these questions out loud, as there were still these frightening beings around them. Who knew what would happen if someone said something which angered them? “Jiang Chen, was the stone really broken?” Jiang Chen suddenly felt a fragrant-smelling presence sweep to his side. He looked back to see an anxious-looking Wang Ning. She didn’t know why he was so confident and felt there was a reason for his usual behaviour. He definitely knew something. “Mmm.” Jiang Chen looked at Wang Ning and nodded. He had never felt anything for her since all his attention was on Xiao Ruoyin, but now, with some focus on her, he could tell that she was a decent person. Since they were classmates, he didn’t mind telling her. He said in a low voice, “The stone has been tampered with so we could be led off with a justifiable excuse.” Wang Ning’s expression shifted slightly, immediately assuming it had been Xiao Ruoyin who had done this so she could get rid of them. “Do you mean we all actually possess the aptitude to cultivate?” She became excited at the thought as things had become hopeful in such a dire situation. Before Jiang Chen could answer, the being beside him uttered coldly, “We’ve arrived.” “This is a primaeval forest. Are you going to abandon us here? Didn’t you say you would take us somewhere safe? This isn’t safe at all!” One of them looked around, sounding irritated. They were now surrounded by tall ancient trees and sprawling mountain ranges. Ivy and nettles hung from everywhere and heavy fog blocked the horizon. It was truly terrifying when accompanied by the sound of roaring beasts and the sight of flying birds. Where was the difference in abandoning them here carelessly compared to killing them? No cultivators would dare enter this place; how could they survive when they had never cultivated before? “I said we’ve arrived. Didn’t you hear me?” The being who had spoken smiled and showed his sharp teeth, looking extremely savage. Everyone became so frightened that they shook and didn’t dare speak. Jiang Chen, Niu Tian and several others quickly sensed something fishy, as these beings were looking at them coldly and mockingly while remaining silent. <Run! They want to kill everyone!> in Jiang Chen’s mind, the Celestial Boat of Creation shouted at him frantically. Boom! Jiang Chen ran off into the forest the instant he heard the warning, nearly reacting too late. At the same time, a terrifying aura swept towards him from behind as a red light surged and made the nearby mountain range shake almost to pieces. Turning around, his pupils contracted as a panicked Wang Ning was hit by the red light before she could react, exploding into a puddle of blood. Some of the others couldn’t respond in time too as they were targeted by the red beam of light, evaporating before they could even scream. Those who responded quickly were so frightened that they fled into the distance, stumbling the entire time. “Go on and flee then. Let’s see how far you can run.” The beings sneered, gaze playful yet predatory. “Even if you managed to run from us, you can never leave this forest.” Their expressions were cruel, seemingly unpanicked as they disposed of several people before chasing leisurely after them. It was like they were giving Jiang Chen and the others some time to escape. Jiang Chen hid in a dense forest, his heart racing rapidly due to his anxiety and fear. His back was damp with a cold sweat and his limbs felt cold. If he had reacted just a little later, he would have ended up sharing the same fate as Wang Ning and the rest, being blasted into blood puddles. This scared him badly to the point his knees were weak. This was the first time he had encountered such a problem. In this dog-eat-dog world, he would end up being killed as easily as an ant without any life-saving abilities. Besides, Jiang Chen hadn’t expected these beings to be so emboldened and ruthless by taking them here and not allowing them to leave. [This definitely was ordered by Young Master Gu!] Jiang Chen was terrified at the thought. The other man hadn’t killed them in front of Xiao Ruoyin. Doing that was just so he could make himself seem like a good person in her eyes. He had looked so genial and kind during the banquet, yet he had ordered his people to take their lives. [How could someone be so cruel? It just shows how one can never know another’s true intentions from their appearance! Damn it! They probably weren’t be as lucky as me… I doubt they can escape from these powerful beings, who can even easily traverse through sky…] [Niu Tian, please be okay…] He looked towards another direction as Niu Tian had run in a different one from his. Besides, Niu Tian was much stronger than him; if Jiang Chen managed to escape, then Niu Tian might too. [Gu Changge! I will never stop fighting you until you die! If anything happened to Niu Tian, I will never let you out of my sight…] Jiang Chen gritted his teeth, cold with fury. He had known the other man was no decent man but hadn’t expected him to be this savage and wicked. He first pretended to agree to let them go but then secretly sent his lackeys to kill them all. When Jiang Chen first met Gu Changge, the other man had been clad in a shade of white brighter than snow, looking almost otherworldly due to his ethereal and majestic aura. How could he act so cruelly? Did he really want them all dead? There was no hatred between them at all! Jiang Chen had never hated someone so much in his life. If Xiao Ruoyin stayed by his side, the consequences were too frightening to consider. “Ahhh!” Jiang Chen suddenly heard a distant scream which stunned him. He could discern that it had been one of his companions; he was definitely killed. He became scared and didn’t dare to linger any longer, turning round and running deeper into the forest. Beams of light shone from the sky as the beings traversed through the Heavens on clouds which blocked out the sun. After showing their true appearance, they became extremely terrifying and pursued their victims, resembling hills with dark clouds churning around them. The energy they exuded was suffocating. Jiang Chen continued to flee deeper into the forest. The trees around him had become taller and lusher, the branches blocking the sky. [He sent so many people just to kill us mere mortals…] Jiang Chen clenched his fists. He wasn’t sure what drove him to continue running, as the fog and impure aura became thicker and thicker the further he went. He felt as if his body was about to be corroded as it couldn’t stand such energy. [Artifact Spirit, help me think of a way out. If I die, you won’t have a host and will soon die as well…] Jiang Chen gritted his teeth and contacted the Celestial Boat of Creation within his mind. <Continue to run forward. The terrain here is not conducive; as soon as we reach the inside of the forest, I am confident that I could block their sight and path by utilising the mountains and terrains> the Artifact Spirit answered frantically, voice shaking with worry. It hadn’t expected things to go this way; Gu Changge was really too vile of a man.