Chapter 1712
Chapter 1712. Truly a Cruel Kindness; the Script Had Long Been Written
“I have already ordered the many powerful experts of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance to remain at the Immortal-Controlling Palace to guard the entrance to that chaotic spacetime sea. However, I am worried that relying solely on that level of strength may still be insufficient to withstand the dark creatures that are coming.”
“The dark creature I fought back then was extremely terrifying. I estimate that in today’s Xiyuan Civilization, there are not many people who could be its match.”
“Even ordinary Ancestor Dao Realm beings who have survived seven Heavenly Decay Tribulations could very well lose their lives.” Chu Heng spoke with a grave expression.
He had personally fought Wu Yang, so he naturally understood just how terrifying that opponent was.
Although the Heaven-Slaying Alliance was indeed filled with experts, and he himself could be considered among the top ranks, when facing Wu Yang, he had still been severely wounded twice in succession.
“I have already issued an imperial decree, ordering all races to dispatch their experts. Although this dark calamity has arrived suddenly, there is no need for you to worry excessively.”
Gu Changge gently shook his head, his tone still calm and indifferent.
“Alliance Leader, but I’m still worried that this place might become a gateway for the dark creatures to assault the Xiyuan Civilization, and that even stronger dark creatures might appear later on…” Chu Heng’s face still carried traces of concern.
Ever since the destruction of the Immortal Chu Vast Lands, after a period of despondency, he had begun to follow Gu Changge with absolute loyalty.
As for the doctrines and principles of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, Chu Heng did not truly care about them.
From the Demon Court’s ruler, Emperor Kun, as well as from figures like the ancient ancestor of the Jing Clan, Jing Tianyuan, he had learned that the leader of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, Gu Changge, not only possessed an indescribably invincible strength, but also unfathomable divine authority and terrifying power.
Things that Chu Heng himself could not accomplish—Gu Changge could help him achieve them all.
He wanted to resurrect his wife who had died long ago, and this wish was something that only Gu Changge could fulfill.
“Stronger dark creatures?”
Hearing this, Gu Changge’s eyes revealed a trace of contemplation, as if he too was pondering Chu Heng’s words.
“If that’s the case, then let me go and guard that place. Back then, deep within the Immortal-Controlling Palace, because of the great battle fought to resist the dark calamity, the space there was shattered, causing the rift of the chaotic spacetime sea to spread, forming nearly irreparable spacetime fissures.”
“Over time, that place became a gateway connecting the Vast Expanse and the chaotic spacetime…”
Ling Yuling restrained her sorrowful emotions, glanced at Gu Changge, and then spoke softly.
“There’s no need. I will make other arrangements here. You are not suitable to go there right now.”
Gu Changge glanced at her, shook his head, and then looked toward the current Demon Emperor of the Demon Court, Emperor Kun.
“Where is the Demon Ancestor now?”
Emperor Kun stepped forward and replied respectfully, “Reporting to the Alliance Leader, since my father was injured last time, he has been in seclusion deep within the Abyssal Source and has never left.”
Gu Changge nodded slightly, then raised his hand and flicked it. A streak of light landed in Emperor Kun’s hand.
“Take this bottle to the Demon Ancestor and have him lead the Demon Court’s experts to guard the depths of the Immortal-Controlling Palace.”
Emperor Kun was slightly stunned as he looked at the white jade-pure bottle that had appeared in his hand, feeling somewhat puzzled. However, since this was Gu Changge’s command, he naturally did not dare disobey or ask questions.
It was just that the Demon Ancestor was exceedingly proud by nature. Even though he had been severely wounded by Gu Changge last time, it did not necessarily mean he would obey Gu Changge’s orders.
Emperor Kun did not dare voice these thoughts. Gu Changge’s intentions and mindset were not something he could speculate about.
Very soon, Emperor Kun turned into a streak of divine light and departed with the white jade-pure bottle.
The other high-level members of the Heaven-Slaying Alliance within the hall also accepted their orders and withdrew one after another, instructing the experts of their respective races and factions to lead people to the depths of the Immortal-Controlling Palace.
The current Xiyuan Civilization was no longer the disorganized mess it once was.
With the Heaven-Slaying Alliance issuing commands, no orthodoxy or faction dared to defy them. Upon receiving the decree, all forces immediately sprang into action.
“Are you worried about the indigenous people of those floating continents that Chu Heng mentioned?” After everyone had left the hall, Gu Changge finally looked at Ling Yuling, who had composed herself, and asked.
Ling Yuling did not try to hide anything in front of him. Her expression was still somewhat downcast.
She nodded and said, “After all, they were the people that Nan Qing risked her life to send out. I don’t want her efforts to go to waste.”
“The depths of the Immortal-Controlling Palace could be attacked by dark creatures at any time. I will have Elder Jing go there and have everyone in the Immortal-Controlling Palace withdraw for now. As for the indigenous people of the floating continents, let them temporarily stay together with the people of the Immortal-Controlling Palace.”
Gu Changge nodded slightly, then slowly walked out of the hall. His deep eyes seemed to see through distant spacetime.
Ling Yuling looked at him with slight confusion, then walked over and stood beside him.
“But didn’t you suspect that the indigenous people of the floating continents were the real culprits behind the destruction of the Xiyuan Covenant?”
“Are you just letting them go like this?” She asked softly.
Gu Changge suddenly let out a faint chuckle, turned to look at her, and said, “Are you resenting my previous suspicion of you?”
“No. I just suddenly feel a bit unaccustomed to it.”
“Thank you for being willing to trust them. I will use time to prove my innocence, as well as theirs.”
Ling Yuling’s clear eyes rested on Gu Changge’s face. Then her long eyelashes lowered, avoiding the suddenly meaningful gaze he gave her.
Gu Changge said nothing more. He had sent Chu Heng and the others to the chaotic spacetime sea only to confirm one thing. As for how Ling Yuling and the others chose to interpret it, that was not something he cared about.
And now, the entire grand chessboard was proceeding exactly as he had anticipated.
This invasion of dark creatures was an exceptionally perfect opportunity.
“The Demon Ancestor of the Demon Court is a being who has survived eight Heavenly Decay Tribulations. He once fought the Lord of the Tathāgata Buddhist Kingdom and was nearly evenly matched. His temperament is extremely arrogant. How can you be so certain he will obey your command?”
“And what exactly is inside that bottle?”
Ling Yuling tucked a strand of hair that had fallen at her temple behind her ear. Suddenly recalling the white jade-pure bottle Gu Changge had handed to Emperor Kun earlier, she couldn’t help but ask curiously.
Gu Changge hadn’t expected her to ask about this so suddenly.
“That bottle contains the thing the Demon Ancestor desires most. In his current realm, that thing is even more important to him than his own life.”
He smiled faintly.
At the Ancestor Dao Realm level, one could already vaguely sense the existence of that hazy, indistinct substance, though one was still not qualified to truly come into contact with it. It was the purest form of creation substance and immortal substance. Even a single wisp would drive an Ancestor Dao Realm being utterly mad.
Ling Yuling nodded thoughtfully.
“There’s something I need you to do. Because only you are the most suitable candidate.”
“The sudden arrival of this dark calamity is precisely the best opportunity to reorganize the scattered Vast Expanse. However, even now, around the Xiyuan Civilization, there are still many true-realm civilizations that continue to oppose me.”
“The Xudan Civilization, the Yanyang True Realm, the Yin Void True Realm, Kunling Land, Qianming Sea, and Jie Kong Ridge…”
Gu Changge turned around, his eyes calm and unwavering as he looked at Ling Yuling. He reached out and placed his hand on her face, gently stroking it as if caressing a smooth, flawless piece of porcelain.
Ling Yuling was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, but quickly understood his meaning. Her clear, pure eyes lowered slightly as she spoke softly, “You want me to integrate those true-realm civilizations and have them submit to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, don’t you?”
She was ice-snow intelligent and immediately grasped Gu Changge’s intent.
Just as after the Xiyuan Covenant was destroyed, Gu Changge had unified the Xiyuan Civilization in the name of the Heaven-Slaying cause.
Now that the dark calamity had descended once again, bringing unimaginable disaster to the entire Vast Expanse—When all living beings were gripped by fear and panic, what they needed most was someone to step forward, to unite the various civilizations and true realms and jointly resist the dark calamity. And she, as a former great figure who had once resisted the dark calamity, was unquestionably the most suitable choice.
But…Wasn’t such behavior no different from taking advantage of the disaster and deceiving the world to claim false merit?
“I know you feel uncomfortable about this, but doing so will indeed eliminate many meaningless wars and needless slaughter. You should understand my resolve. If this method doesn’t work, then I don’t mind using other means to make the entire Vast Expanse obediently fall in line.” Gu Changge said with a faint smile.
Ling Yuling was stunned once again. She knew exactly what Gu Changge meant by these words. If the dark calamity had not descended so suddenly, he would still have found a way to expand the Heaven-Slaying Alliance and force the surrounding true-realm civilizations to submit one by one.
And the only method would have been boundless warfare and killing. Thus, at that moment, it was far better to ride the tide and absorb those surrounding civilizations and true realms. It would save countless troubles and spare endless bloodshed.
“If you do this, you’ll bear immense infamy and condemnation. You should understand that,” Ling Yuling said, her tone tinged with helplessness.
Gu Changge smiled. “Since when have I ever cared about such things?”
“This really is cruel kindness…”
Ling Yuling gently shook her head, placing her hand over the one resting on her cheek. A different kind of emotion flickered in her bright eyes.
“I’ll help you,” she said softly. “But before that, I want to return to the Immortal-Controlling Palace first.”
“Alright.”
Gu Changge nodded, then smiled slightly. “This matter isn’t urgent anyway. I have plenty of time. The most pressing issue is still to hold back the invading dark creatures. After that, I’ll also have the Xiyuan Sacred Hall assist you.”
“Then I’ll take my leave first.”
Ling Yuling nodded. For now, the Immortal-Controlling Palace didn’t seem to be in immediate danger. What truly worried her was still the group of indigenous people from the floating continents.
After Ling Yuling left, the smile on Gu Changge’s face gradually faded.
His gaze became deep and calm as he looked into the void beside him and spoke indifferently, “How are things confirmed?”
“The indigenous people of the floating continents have long been hunted down and encircled by the Heavenly Multitudes. They were forced to hide within the chaotic spacetime sea. This time, the Heavenly Multitudes suddenly dispatched countless dark creatures to attack them—most likely due to old grudges.”
“However, among them is a man named Zhu Xuan, who is a descendant of the Pan Clan and carries clues related to the Pool of Creation…” The Elder Cold Crow appeared and spoke respectfully.
In fact, he had returned to the Heaven-Slaying Alliance even earlier than Chu Heng and had already informed Gu Changge of everything that happened in the chaotic spacetime sea.
Previously, after learning from Ling Yuling that the indigenous people of the floating continents were descendants of ancient sages, Gu Changge had sent Elder Cold Crow together with Chu Heng and the others to investigate the origins of the floating continents.
This was because Gu Changge had sensed that someone within the floating continents had an extremely deep karmic connection with him.
But now, that thread of karma had been severed and vanished from his perception. Either that person was already dead, or they had concealed themselves through some means.
Gu Changge had no intention of probing that person’s life, death, or whereabouts as he once had with Wuyue.
Doing so would easily cause flaws in many of his current arrangements, attracting unnecessary trouble and attention. For now, that person’s disappearance or death posed no impact on his plans.
“The Pool of Creation was once controlled by the Lord of the Pan Clan. But after the death of the Pan Clan’s lord and the clan’s decline, the Pool of Creation gradually vanished without a trace…”
“The Heavenly Multitudes have spent many years searching for those lost civilization treasures. To that end, they have even destroyed many of civilization’s true realms and obliterated the civilization treasures they forged.” Elder Cold Crow continued speaking respectfully.
In the past, the Eight Followers had also attempted to locate those civilization treasures. Some believed that gathering all six civilization treasures would allow one to break the seal at the source of darkness and welcome back the Substitute Lord of Heaven.
Others believed that the six civilization treasures contained supreme power—obtaining even one would allow dominance over a powerful true realm, while obtaining all six would grant the supreme power to rule the vast Vast Expanse.
According to Elder Cold Crow’s knowledge, there had always been a resolute and terrifying voice within the Heavenly Multitudes that sought to destroy all civilization treasures in existence. This was because they could not determine the nature of the most mysterious of the six civilization treasures.
Thus, during the long ages following the era of dark calamity, they had incited countless horrific upheavals, annihilating many civilization’s true realms that had forged civilization treasures.
Adhering to the principle of “better to kill by mistake than let one slip,” their ferocity had terrified the world for a very long time.
“The Pool of Creation?”
Gu Changge had little interest in the six primordial civilization treasures. After all, the Gate of Eternal Life was already in his possession, along with the Sphere of Grand Aspiration—refined into the Sphere of the World—and the Book of Scavenging.
“My lord, perhaps this is a perfect opportunity to destroy the Pool of Creation.”
Elder Cold Crow’s eyes gleamed as he spoke respectfully. “Among the six civilization treasures, aside from the Disk of Salvation and the most mysterious primordial civilization treasure, the others have all left traces.”
“As long as all six civilization treasures are destroyed, what force in the vast Vast Expanse could possibly threaten you?”
The matter of Zhu Xuan and the Pool of Creation had never been mentioned by the people of the floating continents in front of Chu Heng and the others. But Elder Cold Crow was not like Chu Heng. The Eight Followers behind him shared an irreconcilable hatred with those descendants of ancient sages.
During his two days on the floating continents, he effortlessly extracted the secrets he wanted from the souls of some indigenous people—learning Zhu Xuan’s identity, origins, and the information related to the Pool of Creation.
Gu Changge merely smiled faintly upon hearing this, ignoring the fanatic fervor in Elder Cold Crow’s eyes.
Even if the six civilization treasures had never existed, he would still have abandoned the identity of the Substitute Lord of Heaven through other means. Rather than saying the six primordial civilization treasures sealed the Substitute Lord of Heaven, it would be more accurate to say that he chose to end things in this way.
“However, the emergence of the six civilization treasures can serve perfectly as a ‘trigger’ for the renewed descent of the dark calamity.”
“That way, this grand play won’t seem hollow or monotonous.”
“Only by gathering all six civilization treasures will there be a chance to contend against the soon-to-revive Substitute Lord of Heaven, to seal him once more, and restore peace and tranquility to the Vast Expanse…”
“I’ve already written the script. Now all that’s missing is the protagonists taking their places.”
Gu Changge suddenly smiled with profound meaning.
At the same time, deep within the Immortal-Controlling Palace, vast stretches of palaces, towers, island sanctuaries, and immortal mountains had already been relocated, while every surrounding region of spacetime had been sealed off.
One Dao rune after another flickered—numbering in the tens of millions—colliding with each other and erupting with world-destroying might. At the same time, ancient veins spread through the void in every direction, connecting above and below, interweaving left and right, forming an incomparably powerful barrier and seal.
From afar, it resembled a massive, square prison radiating dazzling divine light, woven together by countless black-red veins. All surrounding star domains were enveloped within it, unable to leak even the faintest trace of aura.
Outside this barrier, various ancient formation patterns were inscribed. Elite forces of all races, already stationed and fully prepared, stared intently at the spacetime rift passage from which black mist was slowly spreading outward.