Why didn’t Gu Changge dodge?
What the hell was he thinking?
What did he mean by saying that he would consider it payback for her pain?
Did he take her blade to make up for digging out her Dao Bone back then?
Yue Mingkong was stunned on her spot, and her head buzzed; she couldn’t figure out what was going on anymore.
Seeing the blade cut through Gu Changge’s body left her in a momentary daze, and then she felt her heart tighten as if someone had clutched onto it.
She hated Gu Changge, hated his indifferent and cruel personality, but even then, she couldn’t bear to watch him suffer like that.
No ordinary person could bear the pain of having their body cleaved through with a knife, but Gu Changge’s calm expression didn’t show a single frown even after his blood spurted everywhere.
“Ah…”
Yue Mingkong’s mind was in a mess, and she moved her head away with a sigh as she could no longer bear to watch the scene in front of her.
What’s more? This was a grudge between Gu Changge and Gu Xian’er, so she couldn’t get involved, nor was she qualified to.
‘Gu Changge, just what are you thinking? No matter how hard I try, I can’t see through you even in this life. Are you really a changed man who is willing to make up for his past wrongs, or are you plotting something even more sinister…’
‘How did you know that Gu Xian’er would stop midway? If you had guessed wrong, then that slash would have resulted in your death! How could you gamble with your own life…’
‘Are you really trying to repay her for ruthlessly digging out her Dao Bone…’
Yue Mingkong’s hands tightly held onto the sleeves of her dress, and a melancholic expression covered her picturesque visage that would otherwise show her usual indifference and majesty.
She felt that she needed to calm down and think deeply about the recent events.
[Hiss!]
“He sure is a cruel man…”
The Great Elder, who witnessed everything from the Void, couldn’t help but gasp as he watched Gu Changge with horror and disbelief. He asked himself if he could do the same as him, and realized that he couldn’t be so ruthless to himself.
Gu Changge was a complete monster for taking that slash without a shred of resistance!
If it weren’t for the fact that Gu Xian’er had retracted most of the power she put into that slash, then the entire Supreme Peak would have been cut into two once that blade fell in full force.
“Gu Changge, this old man underestimated you.”
The Great Elder kept watching the scene from the Void, and sighed.
Although he didn’t have a good impression of Gu Changge, nor did he like the brat, he had to accept the fact that he still appreciated him somewhat. Be it his means or other aspects, he was, without doubt, a person who would go extremely far in future, and stand at the pinnacle of the Upper Realm.
There was indeed no one in the younger generation who could compare to him in any way.
Even he couldn’t completely see through him!
“Gu Changge, you…”
Gu Xian’er was thoroughly dumbfounded as she stood in a daze outside Gu Changge’s palace.
Her eyes widened, and she couldn’t believe what she saw. Gu Changge could have easily evaded her attack, after all, she had retracted most of the attack’s might, so why didn’t he?
Why didn’t he resist?
Why did he say that he would take that slash as payback?
If she hadn’t stopped just then, then wouldn’t he have died here and now?
Just why?
Just why did he do all that?
Could it be…could it be that he was hiding some deeper plot?
Gu Xian’er panicked when her eyes met Gu Changge’s calm gaze, and she couldn’t bring her mind to settle down.
She yelled at him, glared at him, called him despicable and shameless, and even took advantage of the chaos to sneak such an attack at him, yet Gu Changge said nothing in response, nor did he do anything to her.
This increased Gu Xian’er’s unease, and she felt as if she had done something wrong.
She had almost killed Gu Changge just now, no?
Gu Xian’er’s head buzzed, and she froze on her spot, so much so that she didn’t even notice when Gu Changge pulled the blade out of his body and left without a word.
Gu Xian’er had lost her soul, and stood with a dazed expression on her cold face.
Yue Mingkong couldn’t help but sigh at this result, and went forward to comfort her. Today’s events confused her, too, and she couldn’t figure out just what was what anymore.
……
The calm expression on Gu Changge’s face disappeared as soon as he returned back to his residence. The terrifying pain made him frown, and various thoughts flashed through his mind.
Finally, he showed a mysterious grin.
Of course, everything he did was part of his overarching plot. After all, if he wanted Gu Xian’er to believe him, then he had to take that slash from her like this. Otherwise, with his ability, he could dodge her attack without much effort.
No matter how strong Gu Xian’er might be, or how mighty her weapons, she was still nothing more than a measly cultivator in the Conferred Lord Realm, after all. Not to mention the fact that she had a soft heart, and held back even in the face of her greatest enemy.
This was all within Gu Changge’s calculations, or he wouldn’t have put his life on the line like that.
Yue Mingkong’s disappearance made Gu Changge arrive at the conclusion that she must have gone to Gu Xian’er’s place.
He reckoned that Gu Xian’er must have had a tragic ending in her past timeline. Even with the templates of two protagonists united on her person, he estimated that she couldn’t have won against the Original who was dominated by the Devil Heart.
In the grand scheme of things, she wasn’t a character worth mentioning.
‘What a stupid little girl…’
‘How could you ever escape the palm of my hand?’
Gu Changge shook his head and swept a glance at his injury.
By now, the bleeding had already stopped.
He had a strong physique, so even though not much time had passed, the wound had already started to heal.
The pitch-black blade had a strange aura that could burn someone’s lifeforce, but Gu Changge’s Forbidden Arts easily swallowed it with the pitch-black Great Dao runes he condensed, so it couldn’t affect him in any way.
With his ability, it won’t take him long to heal the injury and return to his tip-top condition.
It’s just that…Gu Changge was in no hurry to do so.
[Hum!]
He subtly put some of his spiritual power into the wound, and that made the wound open up again as blood gushed forth unceasingly.
Right now, the wound looked even more grotesque than before!
It was as if there was a layer of energy on it that was preventing it from healing.
Gu Changge nodded with satisfaction as he watched it.
Since he had already taken harm upon himself, he couldn’t waste the great opportunity that Gu Xian’er ‘graciously’ provided him with.
Gu Changge saw countless cracks on many of his bones as he glanced at the terrifying scar on his body that spread across his upper half.
Of course, the Dao Bone wasn’t so fragile that it would be cracked just like that. Although the pitch-black broadsword was mighty, it couldn’t bring out enough might in Gu Xian’er’s hand. The cracks on it were superficial, and made by Gu Changge to deceive everyone.
Soon, dense Great Dao runes flickered on the Dao Bone, and the cracks healed and disappeared without a sign within moments.
After all, it was the Dao Bone born from the Great Dao, and he still had some uses for it…like making Gu Xian’er dig it out with her own hands.
This was one of his many more cards that he had prepared for Gu Xian’er.
The mysterious and innate abilities of the Dao Bone had long been absorbed by his Devil Heart, so, for Gu Changge, having or not havin the Dao Bone made no difference.
As these thoughts appeared in Gu Changge’s mind, he realized that although painful, but taking that slash was worth it.
It was thanks to his mighty willpower, and sturdy and indestructible Primordial Spirit, that he didn’t reveal a single flaw during his performance.
Soon, Gu Changge changed his expression after noticing the sound of footsteps coming from outside his place.
It was Yue Mingkong, who had sent Gu Xian’er back, and came to check on him.
“Are you alright?”
Yue Mingkong asked with a complicated expression.
One could hear a trace of concern in her tone that was no longer as cold and indifferent as before. Her heart and tone had softened after she saw Gu Changge’s terrifying injury.
Although she had been living with Gu Changge on the Supreme Peak these past few days, and pretended to get along with him all the time, the relationship between the two hadn’t eased up in any way.
Since she had already torn all face with Gu Changge back in the Ancient Immortal Gu Family, there was no reason for her to pretend to like him or whatever before him anymore.
Gu Changge, too, had many things to deal with, so he didn’t bother with her either.
On the other hand, Yan Ji would appear every now and then, and add to Yue Mingkong’s discomfort.
Alas! She was Gu Changge’s personal maid and follower who was responsible for managing most of his daily life’s matters. What’s more? Although Yan Ji looked young, she was extremely powerful.
She was already a mighty master of the Great Sacred Realm!
This left Yue Mingkong in a helpless situation.
Even though she didn’t treat Gu Changge well, she had started to think that he had changed, but the change was that he now treated other women well!
What the heck was that?!
If it wasn’t for her deeply cultivated state of mind, and the fact that her previous life had taught her well that there was no use fighting over something like this[1], she would have never been able to bear Yan Ji’s existence.
[1: fighting other women for all of her man’s love.]
Still, Gu Changge’s actions today puzzled Yue Mingkong even further, and she was at a loss for a while.
Many events that transpired in her previous life had also happened in this one, but something unexpected had happened to Gu Changge.
Could it be that Gu Changge was some sort of a variable?
Could she change Gu Changge, and prevent the tragedies of her previous life?
Yue Mingkong felt that she had to give it a try!
Although she knew Gu Changge well, she never truly understood him.
Just what had he experienced before?
Why could he stand unmoved in the face of such deep pain that would have made others panic and pass out?
Those who walk the path of evil are also just pitiful people sometimes, so perhaps, Gu Changge might also be hiding some secrets that she never even thought about.
“I am alright, Mingkong! On the other hand, the fact that you care about your husband brings me great joy.”
Gu Changge gazed at Yue Mingkong and said with a smile.
Once he finished his words, he began to look through his Spatial Ring for some pills and elixirs that could help him relieve his injuries.
His indifferent expression showed no change as he moved around and looked through his stuff — it was as if he couldn’t see the grotesque injury that went through half of his body.
Yue Mingkong never thought that he would have the cheek to tease her even after all that went down; she stood in silence for a few moments, and then said, “Xian’er’s blade contains the Power of Destruction, so normal healing pills won’t do anything to help you.”
The Power of Destruction could destroy vitality and prevent wounds from healing — even a physique with a strong vitality would have to suffer under its assault.
“Is that so? No wonder I found it so hard to heal this wound.”
Gu Changge was taken aback by her words, but still didn’t seem to care too much about it.
[Hum!]
Right after that, a brilliant light shone from his body, and the rays of light intertwined together to form a terrifying dragon that made a rumbling sound as it moved around.
His mighty, unending aura spread through the surroundings, and made it seem as if a giant was trying to stomp down on Heaven and Earth.
Yue Mingkong couldn’t help but admit that Gu Changge’s strength was indeed outrageous and unreasonable. His cultivation alone was so strong and overpowering when he hadn’t even brought out any of his trump cards yet.
But soon, Gu Changge showed a frown.
The rays of energy fell apart as soon as they touched his injury with the intent to heal it.
“It’s weird; it will take a while for me to heal these injuries.”
He sighed with a helpless tone.
Right then, a faint fragrance tingled his nose.
“Don’t waste your time like this; you have to first get rid of the Power of Destruction, or the wound will never heal.”
Yue Mingkong shook her head and walked over.
Although she looked indifferent, her indifference couldn’t hide the slight distress in her eyes. Taking out an embroidered handkerchief, she started to carefully wipe away the blood near Gu Changge’s wound.
“Mingkong, since when did you care so much about your dear husband?”
Gu Changge couldn’t help but ask with a laugh, as if Yue Mingkong’s actions truly surprised him.
Yue Mingkong’s expression showed no change, and she responded, “When did I not? It’s just that you never felt it before.”
Gu Changge was somewhat stunned by her response, and then softly sighed without a word.
Yue Mingkong immediately caught the change in his emotions, and frowned.
“Gu Changge, what are you sighing for?”
“It’s nothing.”
Gu Changge continued with a smile, “After all, I am a heartless man, so it’s normal for me to not feel anything.”
The statement might sound somewhat bizarre, but it was a fact that he indeed didn’t have a normal heart before, so there was nothing wrong with his words.
Anyway, he could pin all the blame on the Devil Heart.
This was a solution Gu Changge devised a long while ago.
The Devil Heart was his greatest secret beside his Forbidden Inheritance, and it appeared that Yue Mingkong never found out about it in her previous life.
It seemed that…he had to create a chance for her to ‘accidentally’ discover his secret.
Many thoughts flashed through Gu Changge’s mind, but his expression remained unchanged.
“Heartless— Indeed, your heart is made of metal…”
Her words revealed no abnormality, but various unspeakable emotions washed through Yue Mingkong’s heart. She fell silent, and thought of many matters that transpired in her previous life.
In the end, she simply sighed as she couldn’t put into words what she wanted to say.