Translator: Myuu Translation Checker: Silavin “I’m fine. It was merely a minor disagreement,” Gu Changge replied with a small smile and shook his head Amidst everyone’s doubts and confusion, they chose to keep it to themselves and held their questions. Suddenly, a jade jar came flying out from the depths of the demonic cloud and landed in the hands of Master Elder Qinglong. “Cut it open,” Chan Hongyi commanded. Following the demoness’ command, it became clear to everyone that Gu Changge had indeed lent a hundred ‘Immortal Crystals’ to her. So then, why did the two engage in a battle just now? “Yes, Mistress,” Master Elder Qinglong replied respectfully. He handed over the jade jar to the white-bearded old man directly, not daring to even look at what the content was. “Young Master Changge is truly generous.” The white-bearded old man and his companions naturally knew what was in the jade jar. Their eyes glimmered as they received the jade jar. After inspecting the content as they did before, they nodded in satisfaction before presenting the Cursed Rock to those from Devil Mountain. “The Cursed Rock…” Master Elder Qinglong approached the pitch-black stone with a hint of nervousness in his expression. Without further delay, he prepared to cut it open. The crowd was filled with curiosity as they eagerly awaited the unveiling of the hidden treasure within the rock. Master Elder Qinglong quickly produced a silver knife in his hand, crafted from what appeared to be immortal gold. The blade hummed with power and gleamed with a razor-sharp edge, captivating the attention of all who beheld it. With a wave of his sleeve, he skillfully blocked the surrounding area before carefully cutting into the rock. Thanks to his previous experience in major stone-gambing squares, he was somewhat well-versed in the art of stone cutting. Soon after, fragments of stone chips began to fall, emitting an eerie dark glow as if they were corroded by the cursed energy within it. The radiance emanating from it intensified, and demonic energy spread out in all directions, exuding a frighteningly corrosive aura that made ordinary cultivators hesitant to approach it. Crack!! The silver knife in the hands of Master Elder Qinglong made contact with a mysterious object, causing fine cracks to appear on the rock’s surface before it shattered. “The treasure inside the Cursed Rock is coming out…” One of the Sect Masters fixed his gaze upon the rock. As an intense dark light began flooding, everyone fixed their eyes on it, unwilling to divert their attention for even a moment, lest they miss a single detail. As the dark light condensed into a cluster of light, a wooden comb about the size of a palm materialized and suspended within it. It appeared to be crafted from an unknown type of wood. The comb was tainted with a very strong ominous aura, its edges appeared slightly incomplete and stained with ancient blood. “What… it was just a wooden comb in the Cursed Rock?” The revelation left everyone in a state of shock. Even Master Elder Qinglong, who had been cutting the rock open, was momentarily frozen in disbelief. They handled the Cursed Rock with great caution because they thought that there was some sort of cursed object that could bring misfortune upon cultivators hidden in it. However, to their surprise, it turned out to be a broken wooden comb. This was truly an unexpected outcome. “This ancient wooden comb is truly a relic that has withstood the test of time, surpassing countless eras!” “The bloodstain on it seems to be the source of its ominous aura…” The luminaries spoke with solemnity, recognizing the profound complexity of this wooden comb. They believed it to be intricately woven with natural Principles, and in certain aspects, even more precious than any innate treasure. Most importantly, the blood on this wooden comb likely originated from an Absolute Being! To think that such a mere streak of blood could actually cause a disaster in the Great West Holy Land. One could only imagine the sheer terror of this Absolute Being. While everyone was astonished by the origin of this wooden comb, it suddenly broke away from the rock, transformed into a beam of dark light and flew toward Chan Hongyi, who was deep within the demonic cloud. The sight of that stirred up a whirlwind of emotions within the onlookers. “Could this wooden comb originally belong to the demoness?” “So, that’s what was in there.” Gu Changge shook his head lightly as he recognized the wooden comb. To be precise, it was a gift he had personally given to Chan Hongyi. His memories were too fragmented and scattered for him to recall when he had presented it to her. It seemed to be… the very first gift he had given to Chan Hongyi after she killed a group of bandits. “Long time no see…” Deep in the demonic cloud, Chan Hongyi gazed at the broken wooden comb in her hand with fondness before putting it away carefully. She then looked out of her carriage, as though she could sense Gu Changge’s gaze in her direction. “Master… just how can you be this cruel?” she murmured under her breath. “The Immortal King who fell in Kun Mountain back then may have had a significant connection with the demoness in red. Could it be that she was the one responsible for his death? Her strength at her peak must have been unimaginable…” The white-bearded old man and other True Daoists could see the shock and fear in each other’s eyes as they speculated about the owner of the blood on the wooden comb. It was likely that it belonged to the Immortal King who fell on Kun Mountain. Although it was an incident from ages ago, conclusive evidence could still be discovered with careful examination. The arrival of the demoness in red and everyone from Devil Mountain in Dark Kun City caused quite a stir. News that the Cursed Rock had been cut open spread like wildfire in the city, even reaching the ears of those in neighboring ancient cities. Many Forces in Dark Kun City also quickly spread the news that the Immortal Foetus was cut open on the same day as the Cursed Rock, which had long been regarded as a symbol of misfortune, at the Divine Rock Conference. This was beyond the expectations of many people. Most importantly, Gu Changge had expended a hundred Immortal Crystals to cut open each rock. Not only that, the demoness in red went as far as to borrowing Gu Changge’s Immortal Crystals to get the Cursed Rock cut in front of everyone. The impact of this news was just as significant as the previous ones. Many Forces were now speculating about the relationship between Gu Changge and the demoness in red. Various theories were circulating, but the prevailing belief was that Gu Changge and the demoness probably came to some sort of agreement during the battle in Divine City. This would explain why the demoness’ attitude toward Gu Changge differed from that of others. The discussions ignited by this matter were as varied as the conversations surrounding the Heavenly Tome uncovered in the Immortal Foetus. While countless Forces were intrigued by the contents of the Heavenly Tome, common cultivators recognized that this topic held little relevance for them, thus they focused on the rumors surrounding the mysterious relationship between Gu Changge and the demoness in red. It was not surprising, since there were always people who loved to gossip. With numerous impressive titles under his belt, including the most powerful man in the Upper Realm, Gu Changge’s every action incited a flurry of reactions. His recent interaction with the demoness in red left many speculating about the emotions at play—could it be a complex mix of love and animosity? One was a prodigious talent, while the other was a peerless and ferocious demoness whose captivating beauty could bring even the strongest to their knees. The mere mention of this pair sparked an unstoppable curiosity, particularly among the younger generations who were eager to learn more. Gu Changge was in his chamber, unperturbed by the various speculations and hearsay circulating out there. The Heavenly Tome materialized in his hands. Ancient characters appeared on the shimmering silver pages of the tome, radiating with an otherworldly glow. Upon reclaiming her wooden comb, Chan Hongyi left Dark Kun City with everyone else from the Devil Mountain. Her departure immediately brought a collective sense of relief to the residents of Dark Kun City. Over the course of the last few days, the situation on Kun Mountain escalated. The Ji family, along with numerous experts from various Forces had assembled here, seemingly in preparation to storm Kun Mountain. If Gu Changge’s assumption was accurate, in just three days, the Ji family would march to Kun Mountain and that would present a golden opportunity for him. Gu Changge attempted to flip through the pages of the Heavenly Tome, but to no avail. The tome emitted a powerful energy that nearly caused him to lose his grip on the tome. Despite his current state, he found it challenging to open it. As he studied the text on it, he recognized that he had seen this tome somewhere before. There was no doubt that this Heavenly Tome not only concealed a certain secret, but could also be a valuable asset for imposing restrictions. If his assumption that the words ‘Sealing Immortals’ was correct, then they were written in Celestial writing. He could potentially wield this and use it to seal contents that were not anything but ordinary. However, given his current level of power, such tactics are hardly necessary. “Young Master, I have already recruited several Elders who have studied the ancient texts of the Hidden Celestials as you have instructed. They are currently toiling away through the night to translate that Sword Technique,” Yin Mei announced as she arrived outside the chamber. Gu Changge came back to his senses and nodded. “How’s their progress?” “They should be able to complete the translation in about three days,” Yin Mei replied. Gu Changge nodded slightly. Naturally, he only revealed portions of the Sword Technique for these people to work on and intended to piece together the completed translation later by himself. His mind then immediately shifted to another matter and he narrowed his eyes. “By the way, have you arranged with Nephrite Breeze Pavilion for the assassination?” “I have already informed Bai Lian’er of the situation. She has arranged for a team of five assassins, four of whom are in the Sacred Lord Realm, and one in the Sacred King Realm, to execute the task today,” Yin Mei replied respectfully. “The guardian accompanying the Young War Immortal is only in the Sacred Emperor Realm, but I have taken measures to hold him back. The Young War Immortal will definitely fall within fifteen minutes.” Gu Changge nodded. “Don’t leave any traces behind, I trust you to handle things with care.” In the present Upper Realm, many Forces were deeply intimidated by him, making it difficult for him to attack the Young War Immortal openly. If he were to do so, it would provide other groups with a convenient excuse to launch a collective attack against him. The option of hiring assassins to assassinate the Young War Immortal in secret proved to be a much simpler solution for him. Judging from what happened at the Divine Rock Conference, the Young War Immortal appeared to already be aware of Su Qingge’s true identity. As a result, Gu Changge deemed it necessary to eliminate this potential threat. Now that the Divine Rock Conference was over, everyone would have lowered their guard. The Young War Immortal probably did not anticipate that Gu Changge would take his life. As for the War Immortal Manor behind him, Gu Changge had plenty of means to get rid of it. Gu Changge then sent someone to track down Ji Yaoxing and Ji Chuyue. Jiang Chen could still prove himself useful one last time during the upcoming invasion into Kun Mountain. Given Ji Yaoxing’s character, he would not pass up such a good opportunity. Moreover, Gu Changge also hoped to seize the Celestial Boat of Creation from Jiang Chen’s possession. After so long, the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation should have almost fully recovered. Before long, the sound of footsteps echoed outside the chamber. The siblings hurriedly approached, their faces filled with apprehension. For the Ji family, Gu Changge was now a great benefactor. Without his help, it was unlikely that so many other Forces would have aided the Ji family in the rescue of their Prime Ancestor. Thus, upon learning that Gu Changge wished to speak with them, Ji Chuyue reluctantly set aside her reservations and made her way here.