Chapter 73: Abandoned by the World; Peach Demon of the Forsaken Land!
Gu Changge’s ideas weren’t all that sophisticated. What mattered the most to him right now was to figure out his cousin’s current whereabouts, and also make some preparations in advance. After all, there was a high chance that his cousin was backed by a mighty master, and the other people of the Gu Family were also involved.
For now, he could only command and mobilize some of the forces from his own lineage. As for the other lineages? He reckoned that they would only submit to him after he became the Patriarch of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family. Besides, using the other lineages to figure out the whereabouts of his cousin would only result in more losses than gains, and his subsequent plans will also be affected.
Gu Changge fell into contemplation for a while, and then summoned his retainer who was outside his residence.
“A’Da.”
“A’Da is at your command, Young Master!”
A strong man dressed in black stepped inside with a respectful expression. From his appearance, one could tell that he wasn’t human as fine, light blue scales could be seen covering his arms. A’Da had the blood of the Immortal Dragon Clan rushing through his veins, and the Gu Family had raised him from his birth. Unlike the other foreign retainers of the Family, he could enter and leave the Inner and Outer Regions at will.
He was currently at the False G.o.d Realm, and could be regarded as one of Gu Changge’s confidant.
“Give this letter to Old Ming and tell him to investigate the matter written inside for me…”
Gu Changge commanded. As soon as his words fell, a letter written with Spiritual Sense fell into A’Da’s hands.
Old Ming was a G.o.d King who could be considered a mighty figure even in the Upper Realm, so it would be more convenient for him if he investigated the matter. Before he had gone to the Lower Realm, Gu Changge always instructed A’Da to deal with his matters, but now that he had a strong G.o.d King at his beck and call, everything became much easier for him.
“Understood, Young Master!”
A’Da received his command to leave, and immediately left for the Outer Region to find Old Ming.
The Gu Family was a behemoth with a territory vaster than one’s imagination. To get from the Inner Region to the Outer Region, one had to travel through various Teleportation Formations. If someone accidentally rushed into the Gu Family’s territory, they could easily lose their way and spend the rest of their life looking for a way out.
Of course, that is, if the murderous beasts that roamed all over the Gu Family’s territory didn’t tear apart that person first.
Once A’Da left, Gu Changge called out for his Attributes Panel — he hadn’t improved his cultivation by much after returning to the Upper Realm.
— — — — — —
Host: Gu Changge
Halo: Destined Heavenly Villain
Weapon(s): Eight Desolate Demon Halberd
Ident.i.ty: True Disciple of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace
Bloodline(s): Devil Heart | Dao Bone
Cultivation: Conferred Lord (Peak Stage)
Mystical Abilities:
- Heavenly Immortal Dao Codex [7th Layer (99%)]
- Myriad Changes Demonic Physique (Talent)
- Innate G.o.d’s Spirit Temple (Talent)
- Void Ability (Talent)
- Immortal-Devouring Demonic Art
- …
Destiny Points: 4000
Fortune Value: 2000 (Dark)
System Shop: Open
Warehouse:
- Domain-Traversing Talisman x1
- One-Third Fragment of a World Seed x3
- Fortune Plundering Card x3
— — — — — —
His Fortune Value had risen to two thousand Points without him knowing, and it wasn’t a small rise.
Of course, with two thousand Points of Fortune Value in his hand, Gu Changge wondered if he should break through to the Conferred King Realm right away? Once his cultivation rose to the Conferred King Realm, a sublime change would appear in his body, and his combat power would soar to completely new heights.
It’s just that Fortune Value was something ethereal, and he didn’t know what the consequences might be. Back when his Fortune Value was near zero, nothing happened to him — neither good, nor bad. After thinking about it for a while, Gu Changge guessed that it might be because of his Dark Fortune.
‘System! Since Dark Fortune doesn’t exist in the normal seven levels of Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, and Purple, could it be an anomaly? What will happen if I lose all of my Fortune Value?’
Gu Changge asked in his mind.
As soon as it heard his question, the System responded, [Host, you don’t need to worry about this matter. The concept of Fortune Value is the System’s method of calculating rewards and penalties as actual Fortune is illusory and can’t truly be quantified. It was converted into these easy-to-understand values so you could comprehend it with ease.]
After all, Gu Changge was a transmigrator with a different thought process from the natives of this world, so he could easily understand the concept of values and numbers.
[As Host is an anomaly, the world has long given up on you. In fact, even if all of your Fortune Value disappeared, it won’t impact you in any way. Host, you must have noticed that no matter how much Fortune Value you have, it has no effect on your daily life, the opportunities you can encounter, and the sort…]
[Even if you chance upon a great Fortuitous Encounter and/or Inheritance, you won’t be able to increase your Fortune Value. The only way you can earn Fortune Value is by conquering people blessed with great Fortune, or by killing Favored Children of Heaven…]
The System immediately cleared a lot of Gu Changge’s doubts with its explanation, so Gu Changge couldn’t help but nod in response.
It was no wonder that even though his Fortune Value had reached a level far higher than what Ye Chen started out with, he still hadn’t come across some Heavenly Treasure or Opportunity falling into his lap out of nowhere. He could have never imagined that the world would give up on him like this!
So this was the treatment reserved for the villains! If the villains wanted some Fortuitous Opportunity, they had to go to the Favored Children of Heaven.
Of course, Gu Changge preferred to pick ripe fruits instead of searching for opportunities in every nook and cranny of the world. Finding Leeks to reap was the best opportunity in itself.
‘So the Fortune Value is nothing more than a reserve of Destiny Points for me? Since it’s Fortune Value that I earned by myself, it has an exchange ratio of 10 Destiny Points for 1 Point of Fortune Value?’
Gu Changge was surprised by this realization. His two thousand Points of Fortune Value were like two thousand bricks of gold that he could exchange for wealth at any time. His actual Fortune was an anomaly that couldn’t be quantified or displayed by the System.
He felt relieved after this explanation from the System.
In addition to killing the Favored Children of Heaven, he could also raise his Fortune Value by conquering blessed people like Su Qingge and Lin Qiuhan. What’s more? He also received a small wave of Fortune Value every single day even without doing anything. This entire System could be called a game of farming — he felt as if he was…rearing pigs!
‘Exchange 1000 Points of Fortune Value for Destiny Points!’
Gu Changge no longer hesitated after realizing everything, and immediately exchanged a thousand points of his Fortune Value.
[Ding! Exchange succeeded! Host, congratulations on receiving ten thousand Destiny Points.]
The System’s Prompt sounded in his mind, and he immediately saw fourteen thousand Destiny Points on his Attributes Panel.
“System, jack me up!” (add points to my Cultivation)
[Hum!]
Gu Changge felt a strange energy wash through his body right after he uttered his command. Brilliant rays of Great Dao gushed out of his limbs and bones, and his Dao Bone released a terrifying hum and a splendid brilliance spread in his surroundings. His Devil Heart was immediately restrained, and didn’t make a single peep.
At the same time, the floodgates of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Codex’s eighth layer broke open in Gu Changge’s mind, and myriad insights and comprehension regarding the Heavenly Immortal Dao Codex merged with his memories.
[Boom!]
Gu Changge heard a rumble inside his body, as if a surging river had taken down a dam. A vast quant.i.ty of Spiritual Qi rushed through his meridians to his Dantian, and his cultivation broke through the Conferred King Realm!
‘I still have six thousand Destiny Points left.’
Gu Changge thought in his mind. At the same time, a hazy figure resembling the incarnate of the Great Dao itself slowly materialized behind him, and released a terrifying aura. The hymns of the Great Dao resonated in its surroundings, and brilliant runes intertwined around it, giving it the aura of an ancient and majestic G.o.d looking down on the world.
This was the power contained in the Dao Bone he took from his cousin — it was the Incarnate of the Dao that could suppress everything and anything in its path. For a Young Supreme like Gu Changge, it could be considered to be his strongest trump card.
‘As soon as I broke through to the Conferred King Realm, my strength improved by leaps and bounds, and the feeling I now get is completely different in quality when compared to the feel of the Conferred Lord Realm.’
‘This feeling…tsk, tsk…’
Gu Changge clenched his fist, and the Great Dao Incarnate behind him imitated his action. At the same time, Gu Changge felt as if he was a mighty sovereign who could bring about Heavenly Punishment to obliterate his enemies!
This was the might that would have originally belonged to his cousin, and Gu Changge was very clear about this. After all, someone else’s talent and ability would never truly belong to him. He had to find a way to deal with the issues that were inherent to the Dao Bone as it was right now. He would either need to devour it using the Immortal-Devouring Demonic Art, or he would have to replace it with another Bone or something from the System.[1]
[1: since the Dao Bone didn’t belong to him from birth, it will inherently try to reject his body — just like a transplanted organ — and that might cause him severe losses in the long run. Talent and the sort received from the System(s) normally don’t have such a restriction.]
But not yet. For now, the Dao Bone could help him achieve some of his goals besides providing him with divine might.
Soon, Gu Changge looked through the System’s Shop. After all, he still had six thousand Destiny Points in his wallet, and even a thousand Fortune Value in his reserves. With such ma.s.sive wealth, he would be foolish not to find a way of increasing his strength and trump cards as soon as possible.
Although the Ancient Immortal Gu Family had a lot of treasures in their stash, Gu Changge felt that their catalog couldn’t compare with the System’s offerings. What’s more? He would need to make contributions to the Family before he could take something from them. Although he was the Young Master of the Family, it didn’t mean he could take whatever and whenever — his status only allowed him to choose before the rest. (first dibs)
Other than that, he had already mastered the most powerful treasures of the Gu Family that were suitable for his current cultivation base.
In the end, Gu Changge settled for a Mystical Ability.
[Infinite Immortal Wisdom], worth five thousand Destiny Points.
He already had the [Innate G.o.d’s Spirit Temple], which brought him at the top among his peers when it came to attainments of the Primordial Spirit’s might. Now that he had another powerful Mystical Ability to cultivate his Primordial Spirit, the two would complement each other and raise his power to the next level.
‘Exchange!’
Gu Changge immediately exchanged for it, and the records of the [Infinite Immortal Wisdom] surged into his mind. At the same time, he consumed some of his Destiny Points…
[Hum!]
In the end, Gu Changge’s [Innate G.o.d’s Spirit Temple’s] incarnate[2] rushed out from between his eyebrows, and turned into an majestic Immortal Sword that appeared in his hands. The sword flashed with a dazzling light, and released a murderous aura in its surroundings. It was as if it could cut through thousands of worlds in the Universe!
It was an ultimate soul-killing weapon!
[2: the one who sits inside the Temple and showed itself in the Manhua when he killed the Devil sent by Lin Trash.]
……
Many people in the Inner Region of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family felt his surging aura when Gu Changge broke through to the Conferred King Realm. Although there were Formations to stop outside prying, they couldn’t stop the oppressive might that erupted from his body like a thunderous wave of Great Dao intent. It was a fundamental change in his existence that couldn’t be hidden from the world around him.
“Changge invites all the Family Elders to the Main Peak for a meeting!”
After that, Gu Changge’s voice resounded in the sky above all the peaks of every lineage that dwelled in the Inner Region of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family, and attracted the attention of everyone. The Elders of the Family — who were busy in their own palaces and courtyards — couldn’t help but frown.
‘Gu Changge, just what are your intentions? Don’t tell me you already can’t hold back your desire for the Patriarch’s position after making a breakthrough in your cultivation just now?’
Someone shook his head.
‘What’s the Young Master up to? How could he invite all the Elders to meet him like this?’
Many were shocked by his sudden words.
‘Could it be about the position of the future Patriarch?’
Others couldn’t help but guess.
……
[In an extremely desolate part of the Land of Forsaken Immortals at this time.]
Endless mountains covered in a wild atmosphere could be seen rising and falling everywhere. Chaotic mist surrounded everything, and gave the place an extremely ominous look. The terrifying auras of ferocious beasts surged towards the Heavens.
However, if someone looked past all that, they would be shocked and left to wonder in awe.
There was a small village that seemed to have come out of a fairy tale in this desolate and wild land!
The population of the village didn’t seem to be large, with under a thousand people living there altogether, but those who lived there weren’t simple.
At the same time, an incomparably magnificent peach tree stood at the entrance of the village. Colorful and radiant peach blossoms bloomed on the tree, and all kinds of Dao Truths circulated around it. It was as if the tree had stood rooted on its spot from the beginning of time, and even chaos couldn’t move it from its place.
“Sister Tao Yao[3], I am leaving this place…”
A young girl in blue whispered to the peach tree…
[3: Peach Witch/Demoness/Devil in literal translation, but Sister Peach Witch doesn’t sound as good as Sister Tao Yao. Wait, Peach Witch actually doesn’t sound all that bad.]
[VILFIC: The Willow Tree and Bone-Digging Trope will be explained soon since the characters are showing up now.]