Chapter 280: The World-Ending Demon Lord Isn’t Running Away; The Realms Dare Not Speak My Name.
The news of the Demonic Arts Inheritor’s reappearance inside the True Immortal Academy quickly swept through all the disciples present.
During this period, whether they were Elders, Ranked disciples, Numbered disciples, Inner disciples or even Outer sect disciples, everyone panicked and fell into a frenzy.
A Young Supreme with a special physique had inexplicably disappeared from his own abode.
This incident instilled fear into the people, a spine-chilling sensation enveloping their hearts.
The Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor was hiding right beside them.
Who could be sure that the next disciple to be murdered would not be them?
Even Heavenly Phoenix Maiden and the other Ranked disciples turned infinitely more vigilant, aware of the threat that the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor possessed, hiding so cleverly in the dark.
After all, the Forbidden Demonic Arts Inheritor was an existence capable of escaping from Gu Changge himself.
He also possessed many powerful means and a supreme weapon as well. If anyone were to face the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor, none would be able to guarantee their safety.
“Ying Shuang used to be a descendant of the Heavenly Emperor’s Mountain1Yes, the author had a stroke here. In chapter 278, he said he was the prince of Phoenix Mountain but now he says that he’s the prince of Heavenly Emperor’s Mountain., but he has practised the Forbidden Demonic Arts and betrayed the Mountain. Now, as the new heir to the Heavenly Emperor’s Mountain, this Divine Prince vows to capture him and restore peace to this world.”
Contrary to the fearful disciples, the Divine Prince drove his four-spirit chariot, rolling through the high heavens. His body was shining with brilliance, bright and dazzling, like a radiant, young god.
Following a promise that he would suppress the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor no matter what.
Meanwhile, the remaining Young Supremes in the Heavenly Emperor Mountain, including Ying Shuang’s younger sister, Ying Yu, were searching everywhere in the True Immortal Academy, trying to find clues on the whereabouts of Ying Shuang, who entered in disguise.
Yet even the Elders of the True Immortal Academy were unable to aid them.
Their search seemed fruitless.
“Ying Shuang has already fallen into the devil’s way. In his eyes, you are no longer his sister…”
“Do you think he will show mercy when you two next meet?”
Looking into Ying Yu’s forlorn silver eyes, the Divine Prince’s voice simply grew colder and harsher, leaving no further room for her imagination.
Hearing this, Ying Yu’s expression became even gloomier.
“Rest assured, should our paths cross again, I will not show mercy.”
She nodded and replied, knowing that the Divine Prince was warning her, worried that she would be too emotional when facing off against her own brother.
“It’s good that you understand these things. Making any sudden moves would prove too messy at the moment.” The Divine Prince stated lightly.
His own bloodline was by no means weaker than Prince Ying’s, no it was actually even stronger.
If it were not for Prince Ying’s unexpected betrayal of the Heavenly Emperor’s Mountain, he probably wouldn’t have even revealed himself to the outside world, preferring to stay within the Mountain.
Moreover, his father was an existence older than even the Ying Emperor, and his status among the Ancient Clans could only be higher than that of the Emperor himself.
So, for a member of the Heavenly Family to show up in person and say such comforting words…
It made the many Young Supremes heave a sigh of relief.
Afterwards, Gu Changge, who was universally recognized by most of the younger generation as the number one powerhouse, stood up and spoke his piece as well.
“Everyone who inherits the Forbidden Demonic Arts shall be punished. This Gu will be cooperating with the Elders from the Academy to track down Ying Shuang’s whereabouts and seek justice for the Young Supremes who were brutally murdered.”
As soon as he said this, it was like a divine mandate, a reassurance that relieved much of the tension plaguing the many Young Supremes.
If Gu Changge was involved, the hiding Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor would surely be less active, right?
He was the one who first defeated a Forbidden Demonic Arts Inheritor, after all.
Many people regarded the attack on Young Supremes to be his provocation towards everyone.
So for Gu Changge to speak as such, isn’t this a public response to the perpetrator?
’I obviously said that first… this arrogant guy is stealing the limelight…’
The Divine Prince couldn’t help but frown slightly at this. He came out of seclusion quite late and hadn’t been able to spread his fame across the whole world as Gu Changge did.
Thus, during recent times, he would often hear many young talents comparing him with Gu Changge in every area. Moreover, they’d always state that he was inferior to the other party in the end.
And although he knew that Gu Changge was indeed very powerful, it was truly uncomfortable for a person like him to feel as if he’d been reduced into a mere foil for greener leaves…
’I must be the one to find Ying Shuang. If I do, that Gu Changge will no longer be able to suppress me.’
‘His strength is at least above the Sacred Realm. Even though I am probably not his opponent now……’
The expression of the Divine Prince dimmed a little, not as confident and calm as people might believe.
Ying Yu and the others behind him were also silent upon seeing his solemn expression.
After coming out of seclusion, the Divine Prince displayed iron-blooded and headstrong methods, severely suppressing the Ying Emperor’s lineage. This meant that Ying Yu could only sit quietly and obey the orders and arrangements of the Divine Prince, unable to act on her lonesome.
The True Immortal Academy became more and more restless as the days went by.
Of course, many elders had expected a situation like this to occur. The Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor was a symbol of destruction and anarchy, after all, possessing strange methods and vicious means.
He only needed to hide his true identity to sneak in safely…
This was because the presence of the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor was truly difficult to detect, and even the Human Ancestral Hall, which often fought against the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritors, would have their hands tied trying to find him.
— — —
Several more days passed in the blink of an eye.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
The waking world, accompanied by three resounding bell strikes.
On a high platform, nine-colour clouds flowed and ebbed, as primordial white mist filled the air with a sense of the Immortal Period. An old man, his white hair and beard fluttering in the wind, sat cross-legged in a meditating pose, surrounded by blurry, chaotic air.
This elder possessed an incomparably profound mastery of Great Dao.
He was currently preaching to his many disciples below.
All of a sudden, mystical sounds were echoing everywhere within the miniature world. Golden lotus blossomed, and immortal fauna recited chants of the divine, growing silently in the void of space.
Truly mysterious…
On the nearby mountain peaks, there were flickering figures, densely packed and extremely lively.
Many disciples seemed infatuated, intoxicated by the sights and smells, gasping in amazement at the elder seated below. The infinitely solid foundation of the True Immortal Academy came from exactly this. The might and abilities of the many elders combined.
Just this one daily sermon already contained unparalleled truths.
Many Young Supremes would have surely benefited a lot from this place, having a breakthrough on the spot, their cultivation soaring drastically from the enlightenment they received here.
Before coming to the True Immortal Academy, contacting Supreme-level existences was nothing more than a pipe dream to them. But now? There would be a Supreme preaching the Dao to them daily!
2ED/N: Yeah sure, these Young Supremes from some immortal families and ancient sects, which is like having fairly good background, couldn’t even dream of contacting Supreme-level existence… The author is having quite some plot-holes these chapters.
This kind of treatment was like comparing the Heavens and Earth!
It can be said that only the True Immortal Academy was worthy of giving such treatment, a heavenly school where all younger generation cultivations would kill to enrol in.
“Changge, why does the Descendant of the Human Ancestral Hall keep staring at you?”
“Did something happen between you two?”
Sitting on a large bluestone, Gu Changge meditated in a relaxed manner. The preaching of these Supreme-level elders was of interest even to him.
For disciples who had just entered the True Immortal Academy, daily sermons were almost a part of their practice routine, and one that should never be missed.
And although Gu Changge wasn’t paying much attention to it, at this time, where the concentration of disciples was at its highest… wouldn’t he be able to search for some nice targets?
It was at this moment when he suddenly heard Yue Mingkong’s nonchalant inquiry.
So he lightly replied, “Maybe they know my identity and are thinking about how to expose me?”
However, Yue Mingkong, sitting side by side with him, only grew even more suspicious, “Really? But with the look I’m seeing, why doesn’t it seem like that to me?”
There were two descendants to the Human Ancestral Hall.
One was Wang Zijin, the Wang Clan’s Heavenly Princess.
And the other was the mysterious Jiang Chuchu.
Regarding Wang Zijin, Yue Mingkong and her had met before this, so she knew that she was simply being used by Gu Changge as a pawn, not to be taken seriously.
Having said that… the other descendant was another matter entirely.
In her past life, Jiang Chuchu was the one who’d almost exposed Gu Changge’s identity to the world. As such, her staring at Gu Changge wasn’t something she could just ignore.
Had she realized something?
And yet. Her expression was complicated and evasive, instead of the righteous fury that she should be wearing against the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor, it was almost as if she didn’t want Gu Changge to notice.
That made Yue Mingkong do a double take. She couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled.
‘However, the Human Ancestor has already disappeared, so it is not a cause for concern.’
Soon, thinking of this, Yue Mingkong felt relieved again.
“What’s wrong? Are you worried about what I might have done to her?”
Gu Changge glanced intriguingly towards Yue Mingkong before asking. Jiang Chuchu and Wang Zijin had also naturally become disciples of the True Immortal Academy now.
But he didn’t intend to greet either of them, seeing as they were of little use to him currently.
Gu Changge wouldn’t be able to utilize their strengths for the time being, not to mention, harvesting their luck points was far less important when compared to the recently appearing Ziyang Tianjun.
Whether it was Wang Zijin or Jiang Chuchu, spending too much time on them would be a loss.
“That’s possible.”
Yue Mingkong did not deny his claim.
Gu Changge laughed, “The other party is a descendant of the Hall of Human Ancestors. How would I have the ability to attack her?”
“. . .”
Of course, Yue Mingkong didn’t believe his nonsense. The more Gu Changge denied it, the more that this possibility turned into an inevitability, as per his personality. Something was surely afoot here.
However, she didn’t pursue the topic any further.
Additionally, Yue Mingkong had inquired about the cultivation habits of Qing Xiaoyi and Qing Feng, the now-famous brother-sister pair, and knew that there were many elders around them to guide them in their practice.
She still needed to wait for a suitable time to snatch the Heaven Encompassing Bottle from Qing Feng’s hand.
And Gu Changge’s plan was a big unknown as well.
He intended on letting Ying Shuang take the blame until the end, with no movement towards future plans at the moment.
The Elder’s preaching on the Dao Platform ended soon enough.
Many Young Supremes showed regret and loss, as if they wanted the Elder to stay a bit longer.
But before the Elder left, he notified the cultivators present of one thing.
“After half a month, the True Immortal Academy will conduct the first trial after admission. Based on this trial, we will determine everyone’s respective resources, along with their rankings.”
“At the same time, the various elders will also select disciples based on this trial.”
Upon entering the mountain gate, the many Young Supremes had been divided into ranks according to their realm of cultivation instead of actual combat ability, which might not reflect in their realm.
To separate the strong and weak. The leaders and the followers.
Thus, this was the theory of the entrance trials.
Hearing his words, many people were stunned for a moment, before the mood of the place reached its boiling point! Everyone clamoured, and the buzz of discussion hummed between fellow disciples.
How could the younger generation, so energetic and full of fighting spirit, fear competition?
It was their sole purpose to make a name for themselves in this sacred place.
In fact, most of the cultivators were already holding in their animosity, having nowhere to vent it.
So wasn’t this trial an opportunity for them to show their hand?
News regarding the situation soon spread, causing a ripple of commotion throughout the academy.
Many Young Supremes, and even the Ranked Disciples, were preparing for it without exception.
Everyone wanted to snatch this chance to shine brighter than the others.
‘Although the details of this trial have been withheld… this may be another chance for me.’
Gu Changge’s eyes fell on a distant mountain peak, where regal, purple Qi coalesced into the shape of a throne. Where a purple-robed man stood, his head held high, filled with heroism and grandeur.
Ziyang Tianjun.
During his free moments, he had sent someone to investigate his origin.
Original name, Ziyang, born in the Purple Palace, a great Immortal Sect. He was not a character of this time period, but a Young Supreme from an older era.
He had once beaten all his peers and received the title of number one in the Upper Realm.
Then, after proclaiming his dominance, he entered closed-door cultivation and vanished, leaving the Upper Realm until this particular era, where he finally revealed himself once more.
This meant, logically speaking, he and Gu Xian’er should have nothing to do with one another.
Yet, according to Gu Changge’s memories, on the day Ziyang Tianjun was born, Purple Qi blanketed the surroundings in a 30,000 mile radius, and he seemed to be accompanied by a mysterious Dao Bone. His talent was terrifying from birth, and he was always far more mature and stable compared to his peers or even seniors.
“One born with immense wisdom, accompanied by a mysterious Dao Bone.”
“It just so happens that Gu Xian’er was also born with a Dao Bone…”
Gu Changge’s eyes darkened for a while.
Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.
Coincidence? It was a rare routine, but not uncommon enough for him to never have encountered it.
Ziyang Tianjun and Gu Xian’er…
Might have known each other in a past reincarnation.
In this life, if he hadn’t dug out Gu Xian’er’s Dao Bones, there would’ve been the possibility of her awakening some kind of repressed memory from her previous life.
“Gu Xian’er, this lass, sure has some strange templates added to her character. So now even her past self is some kind of bigshot? How troublesome. What a bother, indeed.”
Gu Changge’s smile grew rather sharp. All these shitty routines… coming one by one… the Heavens really liked to go against him, huh. It seemed he wasn’t the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor for nothing.
However, when new leeks walk towards his door willingly, he could only accept them with a smile.
‘System.’
‘Ziyang Tianjun’s template meets the setting of a Favoured Son of Heaven, and his points are sufficient too…’
‘So why isn’t the corresponding task being triggered?’
Gu Changge asked the system in his heart. This was something he cared about and was puzzled by.
It stood to reason that an existence like Ziyang Tianjun should also be regarded as a reincarnation of an Immortal, fitting the usual template of a Favoured Son of Heaven quite nicely.
He was just relatively rarer compared to the “Thirty Years in Hedong, Thirty Years in Hexi” trope.
Could it be for this reason?
Gu Changge fell deep into thought.
This was when the system actively responded, [The current Fortune Value possessed by Ziyang Tianjun are actually not enough to trigger the system tasks. During this period of time, due to soaring luck, there are too many individuals with Great Fortune around.]
[The Favoured Son of Heaven that the host needs to trigger is someone else.]
“Someone else?”
Gu Changge raised his eyebrows slightly, slightly perplexed.
For the system to prompt him to this point meant that this so-called Favoured Son of Heaven was not far away.
In other words, inside the True Immortal Academy?
“That mysterious stone from the Ninth Heaven?”
Soon, Gu Changge locked onto the target, sorting out the potential suspects. After all, the rest of the Young Supremes did not seem related to the Favoured Son of Heaven at all in his opinion.
This held true even for the Divine Prince, the son of the Golden Cicada Buddha, the Heavenly Phoenix Maiden, and others like them.
“Maybe a powerful entity who returned from the Nine Heavens?”
Gu Changge couldn’t help shaking his head slightly. The consistent style of this routine is to pretend to be a pig and swallow the tiger whole.
He was too familiar with it.
Therefore, the male who walked out of the mysterious stone was definitely stronger than his Heavenly God Realm cultivation would suggest, with him possibly being a very terrifying powerhouse.
He simply looked plain and unassuming, possessing a face that was easy to ridicule and despise.
“That is to say, he should’ve been a reputable figure in this world. However, due to some reasons, he accidentally strayed into the Nine Heavens, stayed within it for many years, before then being sealed inside a mysterious stone, falling back out…”
The scholarly man wasted no time deducing its origin.
Fortunately, things were much simpler this way.
The return of the strong?
This kind of trope was the most common. When the ‘Immortal Emperor’ reincarnates and finds his daughter living in a dog kennel, and with a single order, summons millions of heavenly soldiers from the Immortal World…
[Omitted 500 words of cliche trope]*
3Not us, the author did.
Obviously, the individual whom Gu Changge would meet this time was not some so-called Immortal Emperor, but the strength of that mysterious man should not be underestimated still.
[Ding! Triggering the Favoured Son of Heaven Event: the Senior Brother who returned from the Ninth Heaven.]
By the time Gu Changge sorted out the matter, the system’s voice sounded again, as expected.
“The Senior Brother who returned from the Ninth Heaven?”
He muttered under his breath, before asking:
“What about the system hint this time?”
Buzz!
And as Gu Changge finished speaking, a familiar feeling washed over him, light and shadow flashing in front of his eyes, while a projected screen emerged within his view.
— — —
[Boundless Dao Sect]
In front of the reverberating mountain gate, these three words seemed to weather the infinite flow of time, ancient and everlasting, revealing vicissitudes and antiquity.
Although this name wasn’t written in characters of this era, Gu Changge recognized them at a glance.
How interesting. It made him ponder a little.
“Master, Senior Brother has been gone for too long. I am afraid this disappearance bodes ill. Please accept this disciple’s condolences…”
A young disciple wearing a purple robe approached the old man, standing before the gate.
His eyes were still rimmed red.
“Impossible. Wuya’s soul lamp has not been extinguished, it’s impossible that his life is in danger.”
“He must be trapped somewhere right now. I believe he will definitely come back. As his teacher, I will be waiting for him here!”
But the elderly figure denied his sadness, shaking his head when he heard those words, eyes full of steadfast determination. He would not accept such a reality.
After all, Qin Wuya, was his favourite disciple and also his adopted son.
Mature and stable, shouldering the important task of restoring the Boundless Dao Sect.
How could he have had an accident?
“Father, senior brother, if he is all right, then he will definitely come back.”
“Don’t worry too much.”
A woman with plain, yet graceful features soon appeared as well, persuading the old man.
However, when she mentioned the Eldest Brother, even she couldn’t help but reveal a glimmer of sadness and loss, flashing briefly through starry eyes.
“We still have our Junior Sister, even if Senior Brother is not here…”
“Master, Senior Sister, don’t be too sad. Senior Brother is an auspicious person who has his own luck, I am sure everything will be perfectly fine.”
The young disciple in the purple robe also changed his mind at this time and hurriedly blurted out.
Hearing this, the old man shook his head and sighed, before turning his gaze to the distance.
Sitting cross-legged on one side of the bluestone, a woman in azure clothes meditated intently, her expression cold and apathetic, as lingering Dao Chants enveloped her body, intertwining within.
“Daoxian hasn’t let her teacher down…”
There was a slight relief and satisfaction in the eyes of the old man.
Boom!
But suddenly, in the distant universe, a piercing scream tore the world asunder, causing the people in front of the mountain gate to recoil, stunned by the shockwave.
Immediately afterwards, the dome of the Heavens cracked apart! Pieces of space-time, shattering into unimaginable, monolithic cracks, and then collapsing piece by piece, like the melting of snow.
Amidst the chaos was the scene of ten thousand immortal beings, battling against the void, a sight so terrifying that it even made the sky tremble.
The Immortal Palace standing in the centre of the boundless universe crumbled, turning into dust.
An eternal existence, donning a purple-gold crown on his head, whose mere breath could intimidate the aeons, was abruptly pierced by a familiar black halberd, before being split in half, his organs and blood splashing throughout the realm!
“W-what is this…!”
“All the deities are bleeding, the Palace has fallen, and even the Immortal Master has died…”
This scene shocked everyone, as their expressions turned into despair, fear, and horror.
In the tragic scene, only a single, giant hand was left standing, entangled with hundreds of millions of dead souls, emanating demonic energy that could cover the very Heavens!
Worlds fall as the aeons wither away; I alone am Supreme!
Even the legendary River of Time had been broken into countless fragments!
Innumerable orthodox sects and beast clans were all reduced to ashes under this palm, as hundreds of millions of living beings disappeared from the world.
Destroying eight thousand kingdoms with a touch, killing all within Nine Heavens and Ten Regions!
— — —
The screen’s recollection ended there.
After witnessing all of this, Gu Changge’s expression showed a slight frown.
“Boundless Dao Sect? No wonder I recognize those ancient characters, it turned out to be the era that was buried in the infinite River of Time…” He whispered to himself.
This reminder allowed him to understand quite a few unresolved questions.
The meticulous woman on the bluestone who practised without distraction… should be Gu Xian’er’s previous life as a member of the Boundless Dao Sect.
As for the purple-robed young disciple? It was obviously Ziyang Tianjun.
And thus, the Senior Brother who disappeared when he fell into the Ninth Heaven, could only be that mysterious stone that walked back out in this life.
Things had become more coherent in this way.
“The so-called system prompts are actually all dug out from my own suppressed memories. Maybe even the origin of this system itself has a lot to do with the past me.”
Gu Changge quickly thought of other things in his mind.
Judging from the pieced-together memory, the matter of the Demon Lord’s destruction of the world had not escaped from there.
As for the reason? It didn’t really matter to him.
Speaking of which, it seemed he had caused quite a number of troubles during his tenure as Demon Lord, all of which were now heavily involved in his current life.
No wonder even Lao Shi, the stone monster who was originally his cultivation stone, had become so angry and fearful of him.
“I dare say that the final Boss of that forbidden epoch was, in fact, the Demon Lord, but through the tribulations of time it was eventually forgotten, and even the world itself dares not utter his name…”
“The demise of the Boundless Dao Sect is just a drop in the ocean… Why should I care about the ants I trample when taking a step?”
Gu Changge felt a stabbing sensation from the depths of his soul as these images subsided, as if a hidden memory was resurfacing.
The Eight Desolation Demon Halberd within the weapon space was also trembling slightly, giving off a feeling of joy and excitement.
“Those who should return will return sooner or later. I will face them all.”
“After all, I am the Demon Lord.”
Gu Changge whispered to himself, feeling the beating of his Devil Heart gradually calm down.
Following that, his figure flashed, turning into a divine rainbow as he left the place, wanting to prepare for his next plan.
The Favoured Son of Heaven must be harvested, but this time… the returner involved was far more troublesome than before.
Dealing with Ziyang Tianjun wouldn’t be overly complicated. But unfortunately, that guy was not stupid, and was instead rather patient. He didn’t dare fight directly against Gu Changge.
It was also impossible for Gu Changge to strike him directly when the time was not right.
Let’s not mention whether or not it will work, just the existence of those True Immortal Academy’s Elders would hinder his plans greatly.
And the Purple Palace wasn’t easy prey either.
Therefore, he still needed to take advantage of the situation to thoroughly crush him. As usual and as expected, he would hold the banner of justice and righteousness in his hands, so that the people knew his intentions, and were then helpless to stop him.
Along the way, he’d associate Ziyang Tianjun with the Forbidden Demonic Arts’ Inheritor and ruin him that way, causing even the Purple Palace to think twice before protecting him.
— — —
At the same time, Gu Xian’er, who’d finished listening to the sermon, was rushing towards her personal abode with an expression of enlightenment.
It was in the complete opposite direction of the path Gu Changge took, and was even after his figure had disappeared first.
During this time, she had been avoiding Gu Changge like the plague, not wanting to see or meet him face to face.
However, he was even more straightforward, not bothering to talk to her at all.
This made Gu Xian’er heave a sigh of relief, but at the same time, made her feel a little bit disappointed and hurt.
So, obviously, she became a little pissed at Gu Changge.
It was evident that he had taken advantage of her instead of the other way around, so why was he acting like he had suffered some kind of harsh abuse?
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