Wei Rou lost control of the scroll as soon as she threw it.
The painting was originally a life-saving trump card that her father, Wei Donghai, left her. She'd never used it before today, but she couldn't help using it on Gu Nan.
Not even Wei Rou herself knew that a clone of her father was actually hiding in the scroll.
As if he heard Gu Nan's words, the figure dancing with a sword in the scroll gradually stopped moving and gave a soft sigh, then slowly stepped out of the painting.
It would be an incomparably charming scene if this was a beautiful girl walking out of the painting, but the one who stepped out was a middle-aged man with an average-looking face.
But everyone besides Gu Nan—including San Wei—felt a slight chill in their hearts.
Projecting one's will into a clone… This was already close to the methods employed by Void Cutter Realm cultivators!
On the other hand, Wei Rou's face was full of pleasant surprise. In her eyes, since her father's power had already reached this level, he would certainly be able to suppress Gu Nan.
Gu Nan, however, watched this from a detached point of view. This Wei Donghai was indeed quite strong—roughly equivalent to the power of a player with 300 Evil Value and whose core skill had reached arcana.
But if that was all, then Gu Nan also had a full set of skills and equipment, so he didn't fear the other party. Not to mention, this was just a clone and not the real person.
"This one is called Wei Donghai," the middle-aged man spoke indifferently without the slightest expression on his face, even appearing a little stern.
The cultivation environment in the Sixth Region was far better than that of the Ninth Region, so some ancient customs were still preserved—for example, the existence of Daoist Halls. Wei Donghai was precisely a Dao Lord.
He just quietly stared at Gu Nan, looking at this youth who had emerged as a new force to be reckoned with, as if he wanted to see how Gu Nan would respond to his challenge.
Unlike his daughter, Wei Donghai didn't hold any personal grudge against Gu Nan. At his level, he was able to view matters more objectively. Since Ye Qinglan's death happened in a public duel, Gu Nan couldn't be blamed for that.
On the contrary, Gu Nan's desire to enter White Mist was what he wanted to test.
Since Gu Nan wanted to join as a fighter, then he must show enough power to back that up.
So Wei Donghai continued, "I heard that Young Friend Gu Nan intends to join White Mist. This one will test your strength on behalf of the two commanders."
Gu Nan nodded. "Okay."
The moment his words fell, the Blade of the Sanguine King in Gu Nan's hand had already slashed out!
Wei Donghai's sword was fast; Gu Nan's blade was also fast, but they were fast in different ways—the former used its Prodigious Realm sword intent to freeze the enemy's mind, while the latter… was simply fast!
Gu Nan's attack combined absolute strength and absolute speed without any other embellishments. The explosive power from his body made this strike incredibly fast.
Wei Donghai's expression finally turned serious. He raised his sword, and majestic sword intent instantly enveloped Gu Nan's mind.
However, to his surprise, his sword intent didn't affect his opponent at all. That swift attack continued to approach!
Clang!
Blade of the Sanguine King collided with Wei Donghai's sword, actually making a metal clashing sound.
Although Wei Donghai blocked this slash, the price he paid was that the scroll behind him gave a sudden lurch, followed by a ripping sound as a tear appeared on the painting.
And his sword also stabbed Gu Nan, but the latter didn't even bat an eye.
A hair-raising sound rang out, and Wei Rou's original smile began to stiffen.
Even Wei Donghai's face was stiff. He didn't expect for Gu Nan's divine weapon to actually be this sharp!
This strike almost destroyed the vessel for this clone of his, the scroll. He hurriedly spoke, "Young Friend Gu…"
Rip!
Gu Nan expressionlessly landed another quick slash, right on the clone's forehead. Another tear immediately appeared on the painting scroll.
Comrade Wei Donghai's mouth twitched slightly. He was just a spirit body and lacked pain receptors, but his vessel, the scroll, was frantically warning him that this clone was done for if he didn't run away now!
"Friend, please wait!" Wei Donghai shouted while quickly retreating.
Unfortunately, he was merely a spirit body. How could he run away from Gu Nan, an agility-oriented Evil God?
Gu Nan caught up with him in the blink of an eye and chopped down six consecutive times. The painting scroll, which was already a bit tattered, was directly hacked to pieces.
After losing his vessel, Wei Donghai's clone naturally couldn't exist any longer, dissipating completely after flickering several times.
Just like that, this reclusive powerhouse who had surpassed Domain Stage and was half a step into Void Cutter Realm disappeared completely from Gu Nan's villa, as if he had never existed.
Wei Rou watched everything unfold in shock, her fingertips still trembling slightly.
Killing the Austere Sword Saint? Defeating Feng Zhuotang in a single slash? None of that was as shocking as seeing her father's clone being hacked to death right in front of her eyes.
Gu Nan, however, looked like he'd just done a trivial matter. He casually put his weapon away and smiled lightly, sitting back down on the main seat. His gaze scanned the three guests. "Now we can talk properly."
...
After showing off his power and eliminating Wei Donghai's clone, negotiations between Gu Nan and White Mist began to proceed incredibly smoothly.
Wei Rou kept her mouth shut from then on, and Elder Qin didn't put forward any conditions the whole time. Instead, he repeatedly confirmed Gu Nan's attitude and invited him to visit White Mist's headquarters in the Sixth Region as soon as possible.
Gu Nan, however, expressed that he still needed some time to wrap up matters on Heavenly Enterprise Star.
He certainly planned to visit White Mist's headquarters, but not now. The last mission in the event chain hadn't been completed yet, and he didn't actually obtain the Godstone yet, so he couldn't possibly pull out at this time.
After resolving the matter with White Mist, Gu Nan began to focus all his attention on Heavenly Enterprise Star.
The first thing he set his eyes on was Lan Si.
Of the two sibling apostles of the God of Luxuriant Blossoms, the younger sister's faith was nowhere near as strong as her older brother's. Otherwise, the name of the event wouldn't be "Lan Si's Fall."
"Fall." A strange smile appeared on Gu Nan's face, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
The word "fall" wasn't something that could be used lightly on an apostle. There's only one situation that can be referred to as "falling", and that is to forsake one's original faith.
Gu Nan sat alone by the window, his gaze falling on the distant sky. Nobody knew what he was thinking.
"My Lord," a soft voice sounded beside him. San Wei had walked in at some point and stood respectfully beside him.
She had been following Gu Nan around ever since she saw him strike that day, as if she really thought of herself as a maid, and Gu Nan was also happy to have someone to call on.
A very common characteristic of players was that they were habitually big-hearted and never refused NPCs who offered to help, because players didn't fear betrayal.
"The Lan siblings seemed to be looking for something these past few days." San Wei didn't wear any makeup this time and said with her characteristic soft voice, "But their movements slowed down yesterday. They probably… found their target."
"Who's their target?" Gu Nan frowned slightly and asked in a low voice.
"You might as well see it for yourself." San Wei playfully stuck out her tongue, keeping her listener in suspense. "That target seemed to have come into contact with Lin Yunyun as well."
Devotee's Game System Inspired Note
» This section of the chapter is a Fan based created system to mock-up or simulate the 'Status Information' of our MC - Gu Nan. This implies that you are free to skip reading this and continue your journey onto the next chapter.
» All catalog data below is a summary of various information achieved by Gu Nan that corresponds till the end of the related chapter and is compiled into a singular 'Status Screen.' Additionally, the invented system below would continue to evolve as we progress and learn more about the novel itself.
MC's Status Information
Name: Gu Nan
Current Location: Inside the villa given by Lu Zhanyu's family, Heavenly Enterprise Star
Current Soul Location: N/A
Status: ⟪ Evil God ⟫
Advancement Direction: Agility Type
Current Evil God Rank: Tier 3
Equivalent/Current Martial Art: Prodigious Realm
◈ Comprehension of Innate ability: Domain Stage
Chosen Core Skill: The Law of Shadow
Current Evil God Temple Quest:
→ Main Mission Objective/s:
-— Evil Event: Lan Si's Fall - Evil God Temple Issued
◈ Status: On Going
→ Side Quest Objective/s:
-— None. - N/A
◈ Status: N/A
Current Evil Points: 100
Overall Evil Points: 3875, Overall Evil Value: 130
Core Skill Acquired
— Shadow. ｢Also known precisely as 'The law of Shadow' - its one of the highest-ranked laws in the game. Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Normal Skills Acquired:
— Resistance. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Your body will resist damage, and any damage taken will be reduced by 50%｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
— Locked ｢N/A｣
Exclusive Skills Acquired:
— Deceitful Steps. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Movement Speed increased by 30%. Attack Speed increased by 50%｣
— Power of Shadows. [ LVL 3 ] ｢Allows the players to activate the skill "Hidden Shadows" at LVL 1 and unlocks the skill "Shadow Form" at LVL 2. If the 'Power of Shadows' reached LVL 3, the player will be able to use the 'Law of Shadow' to a much finer degree.｣
▸Hidden Shadows. ｢The power to manipulate shadows to a fine degree.｣
▸Shadow Form. ｢An incomparable handy skill that allows the player to manipulate shadows to create things, like weapons and armor. At the highest level of mastery, it could even create a humanoid clone.｣
Equipment being worn
→ Armor
-— Dawn Sage's Robe. ｢Basic level defense. If you are not attacked within 3 seconds, you will receive the "Praise of Dawn" effect.｣
→ Weapon
-— Blade of the Sanguine King. ｢High attack. Ignores external defense. Enhanced sharpness. Triggers the effect "Curse of Blood" on hit.｣
◈ Curse of Blood. ｢This is a cursed divine weapon. Whenever your attack hits your opponent, you will take equal damage.｣
→ Accessories - Facial Accessories, Necklace, Earrings
-— Observer Eyepiece. ｢An eyepiece that have a fixed Tier 2 magic 'Insight' inscribe in it.｣
-— Dragon Heart Pendant. ｢Allows players to activate the skill "Dragon Power". This skill cannot be upgraded｣
-— Shadow Earrings. ｢Skill 'Power of Shadows' LVL +1｣
Equipment Skills Acquired:
-— Insight. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Ability to obtain high-precision data analysis when looking at people or objects.｣
-— Dragon Power. ｢Greatly enhances the player's strength and physique. Duration: 5 seconds. Cooldown: 5 minutes｣
-— Praise of Dawn. [ Passive Ability ] ｢Increases self-healing ability by 300%｣
Item/s owned:
→ Four Element Crossbow. ｢Was used in Chapter 9-104.｣