Moonlight poured down like water, cool and clear, scattering mottled shadows through the woods.
The Flood Dragon Horse munched on the grass, bored. Every so often, it glanced at the black-clad young man not far away, its eyes full of confusion, as though wondering what on earth he was doing.
After who knew how long, the young man finally moved.
He slowly opened his eyes. A complicated, inscrutable gleam flashed through his deep, dark gaze.
"The Ninth Destiny, Su Jiuer..."
Gu Cheng murmured under his breath, silently sorting through the vast amount of information he had obtained from the Ninth Destiny's remnant soul.
Su Jiuer held a high position in the Evil King Pavilion and knew many secrets hidden from the world. Through her, Gu Cheng had gained a deeper understanding of this mysterious organization.
As it turned out, all nine Destinies of the Evil King Pavilion were direct disciples of its mysterious Pavilion Master.
And the first eight Destinies were all Spirit Sea Realm Venerables!
Add in the Pavilion Master, whose true strength was unfathomable, and the Evil King Pavilion's core members alone were no weaker than the Flood Dragon Palace!
Gu Cheng's killing of the Ninth Destiny this time was nothing like when he had killed Feng Sanshi, an outer member no one cared about. Back then, he had killed him and that was that.
If the other Destinies learned what had happened, they would surely come after him with a vengeance!
"So I've made yet another powerful enemy for life..."
Gu Cheng's lips curved upward, but there wasn't a trace of fear in his eyes.
His strength was already worlds beyond what it had been. Even against a Spirit Sea Venerable, he could still put up a fight, and besides, he had powerful trump cards like his Flood Dragon demon servant.
Besides, it was "Blood Kirin" who had done the killing. What did that have to do with Gu Cheng?
At the thought, Gu Cheng was secretly relieved. When it mattered most, having an alias really came in handy!
Aside from information about the Evil King Pavilion, Su Jiuer had also revealed quite a bit about the Rebirth Sect.
As far as she knew, the Rebirth Sect was carrying out similar operations in all twelve prefectures of Yunzhou, though the timing varied.
The reason they had been so active lately was likely that they were trying to resurrect their sect leader.
The Evil King Pavilion had joined forces with the Rebirth Sect because its mysterious Pavilion Master was close friends with the Rebirth Sect's leader. The two had even exchanged quite a few magical artifacts and cultivation techniques.
Su Jiuer's Impermanent Ghost Rope and Crimson Ghost Manipulation had both come from the Rebirth Sect.
"Heh. But that was also why the Gray-robed Holy Envoy stabbed her in the back..."
Gu Cheng's expression turned strange. The Evil King Pavilion's assassins were ruthless, but when it came to unscrupulous methods, those madmen from the Rebirth Sect were on another level. No wonder the Ninth Destiny hadn't even let him off after becoming a ghost.
As for Su Jiuer's final request, Gu Cheng naturally wouldn't refuse.
The alias "Blood Kirin" was already written down in the Gray-robed Holy Envoy's little black book. The two of them were already locked in a fight to the death.
What's more, according to Su Jiuer, the Gray-robed Holy Envoy had been behind the Blood Sacrifice in Changle County.
With old and new grudges piled together, Gu Cheng would have been more than happy to kill that Holy Envoy even without Su Jiuer's request.
"Still, Yunzhou's twelve prefectures cover a vast area. Searching for him would be like fishing for a needle in the sea. If I wait until we cross paths again, who knows how many years that'll take?"
Gu Cheng sighed helplessly, set the matter aside for now, and turned to take stock of his other rewards from this round of "opening blind boxes."
As the Evil King Pavilion's Ninth Destiny, Su Jiuer had been raised from childhood as a tool for killing—a cold, merciless killing machine.
So most of the abilities Gu Cheng had obtained were related to assassination.
At his current level of strength, those assassination methods were already of limited use. After all, when sheer power could crush everything, every technique became superfluous. He could simply charge in and mow everyone down.
The secret art called Hidden Origin Art, however, caught his eye.
With his divine sense at the peak of the Innate Realm, his cultivation in the art of spirit refinement let him conceal his aura perfectly. Combined with the secret art Bone-Melding Shapeshifting, he could also alter his build and appearance at will.
But this kind of disguise was ultimately only skin-deep. If he ran into someone with a special ability like Qi Gazing, he would be exposed with ease.
The arrival of Hidden Origin Art, without a doubt, added an impenetrable layer of protection to his disguise.
Unless his opponent was far stronger than Gu Cheng, they would have no chance of seeing through it.
Gu Cheng was delighted. Without hesitation, he spent two hundred years of his lifespan, raising Hidden Origin Art's proficiency straight to the perfected realm.
As for Carefree Wind Riding Art, which had reached the Extreme Intent Realm, it was even more impressive.
A prized movement technique of the Innate Realm was every bit as difficult to cultivate as a Spirit Sea Realm martial art. You could even call it an uphill climb to heaven.
If not for Su Jiuer, a movement-technique master, guiding him, Gu Cheng could have poured in ten thousand years of lifespan and still might not have reached the Extreme Intent Realm.
"Having a good master to guide you really makes all the difference. It beats fumbling around by yourself by a mile."
Gu Cheng sighed with feeling. His gaze fell on the Flood Dragon Horse, leisurely munching on grass nearby, and he stirred his thoughts.
-Ghostly Shadows!
In an instant, a ghostly shadow identical to Gu Cheng emerged from the Flood Dragon Horse's shadow.
The Flood Dragon Horse didn't notice a thing and kept its head down, eating.
Gu Cheng stirred his thoughts again. The shadow suddenly yanked the Flood Dragon Horse's tail.
Startled, the Flood Dragon Horse let out a long whinny, kicked up its heels, and looked around in panic.
The ghostly shadow vanished the instant the horse was startled, leaving it standing there in a daze, as though it had just seen a ghost.
"This Ghostly Shadows is similar to Fox Shadow Traces. Both can create illusions to confuse enemies.
"But the illusions made by Ghostly Shadows are far more substantial. They even have physical form, like shadow clones..."
Gu Cheng's eyes lit up. This ability would be terrifyingly good for making people miserable.
Paired with Hidden Origin Art to block perception, it would be impossible to tell what was real and what was false. His enemies would be left completely bewildered, dancing in the palm of his hand.
After testing Ghostly Shadows' effects,
Gu Cheng gathered his thoughts and focused on tonight's greatest prize.
He turned his palm over, and a pitch-black chain, roughly three zhang long, dropped into his hand.
The chain was as thick as an infant's arm, with ends as sharp as spearheads. He had no idea what kind of material it was made from.
He hadn't infused it with divine sense, so no vengeful spirits appeared on the chain. Even so, it still gave off a chilling ghostly aura. Anyone could tell it was no ordinary object.
With the Soul Hooking Chain's appearance, the air around him seemed to drop several degrees.
Even the Flood Dragon Horse, which had been grazing peacefully nearby, was startled. It snorted uneasily and stared at the chain in terror, evidently cowed by the aura it gave off.
Gu Cheng gently patted the Flood Dragon Horse with his divine sense to calm it, then turned his gaze to the Wuchang Ghost Lock in his hand.
This signature weapon of the Ninth Destiny had once been the life-bound artifact of a Spirit Sea Venerable from the Rebirth Sect. Its power was naturally not to be underestimated.
Not only was it incredibly tough and a formidable tool for restraining enemies, but the vengeful spirits swirling around it were terrifying as well.
Ordinary people would have their souls snatched away the instant they touched it. Even an Innate Grandmaster would be doomed if caught in its coils.
If Gu Cheng hadn't cultivated the Undying Asura Body, whose indestructible physique rivaled the Diamond Glazed Body and made him immune to soul-snatching, he likely would not have escaped either.
"According to Su Jiuer, she hadn't even brought out this artifact's full power.
"If I cultivate Crimson Ghost Manipulation, the technique that goes with it, to grand mastery and unlock the Wuchang Ghost Lock's full might, wouldn't it let me contend with a Spirit Sea Venerable?"
Gu Cheng mused to himself, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Setting aside the special factor of Four Spirits True Intent, this Wuchang Ghost Lock was already as valuable as a Spirit Sea Realm demon servant!
"It's just a shame that the Rebirth Sect's demonic arts are so strange..."
Gu Cheng sighed and rubbed the chain in his hand, his thoughts churning.
Crimson Ghost Manipulation was the key to controlling the Wuchang Ghost Lock, but it had been tailor-made for the Rebirth Sect's immortal Corpse Kings.
Even someone as extraordinarily gifted as Su Jiuer could only reach the proficient realm in this art while alive. She couldn't touch its true peak.
Gu Cheng could cultivate it by spending lifespan, of course, but even if he poured in ten thousand years, he still couldn't break the boundary between life and death.
"Am I really supposed to give up? This is a Spirit Sea Realm method of Weapon Control!"
Gu Cheng was filled with reluctance. He couldn't bear to let such a treasure gather dust.
He furrowed his brows, racking his brains for a way to crack the problem.
Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through his mind like lightning...
I'm alive, so I can't cross the boundary between life and death. But what if I found a "dead person" to act as a bridge and help me cultivate it?
As he gazed at the system interface, at the blinking "Can Condense" option beside his remaining lifespan, Gu Cheng's lips curled into a smile that carried a deeper meaning...
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