Gu Xian'er's mind buzzed.
All the True Disciples congratulated Gu Changge but she stood rooted to her spot as if she had lost her mind.
But soon, she reacted and looked back but Gu Changge had already gone over to the area where the spectators sat.
He didn't even give her a glance, let alone talk to her. He didn't posture in front of her like he did before with that annoying expression that would anger her without fail.
Gu Xian'er couldn't help but worry.
Logically speaking, Gu Changge had already repaid her for a lot of the pain he inflicted on her by taking the initiative to take the sword slash from her, enduring great pain, and almost dying at her hands.
Why did she expect him to act like nothing happened?
No one in the world could claim to be completely innocent and kind. Sure, he inflicted great pain upon her, but Gu Changge had already made it clear that he wanted to repay her for the evil he committed, and even paid the price for it.
Although the grudge between the two couldn't be said to be written off, the hatred should be gone by now.
Gu Changge had already reinstated her exiled lineage's position in the Ancient Immortal Gu Family, and even released all the detained members of her lineage.
All this time, Gu Changge had only shown her kindness.
Alas! She felt that he was an arrogant bastard looking down on her and plotting something against her, so she couldn't accept his kindness.
Moreover, her Masters had taught her to tread with care in the outside world, so she was quite skeptical about anything and everything.
It was these things that led her to accidentally injure Gu Changge.
Gu Xian'er couldn't accept this result…
She put in unimaginable effort, cultivated hard for countless years, and harbored hatred towards him until now, so how could she accept the resolution of the grudge she held against Gu Changge just like this?
She had yet to defeat Gu Changge in a fair manner, so how could he act like there was nothing between them anymore?
Was he going to treat her like a stranger, a passerby?
Was she not an enemy in his eyes?
Gu Xian'er fell silent and couldn't understand what to do as those thoughts crossed her mind.
The Coronation Ceremony came to an end soon.
Gu Changge directly went to the spectators' area after leaving the high platform and happily chatted with various Young Supremes. The Elders and disciples disappeared one after another, leaving the venue to the younger generation.
The various Young Supremes who came from afar also congratulated Gu Changge on his ascent to the Heir's position.
After all, it wasn't easy to become the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace's Heir.
Moreover, Gu Changge also held the identity of the Ancient Immortal Gu Family's Young Master, which was no weaker than the identity of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace's Heir.
There weren't many Young Supremes in the Inner Region of the Upper Realm with multiple major identities like Gu Changge.
He was unmatched.
To add to his already unmatched position was the fact that his fiancee was the future Empress of the Supreme Immortal Dynasty.
With such a background, he would definitely stand at the absolute peak of the world in the future if no accidents happened to make him fall. He would hold overwhelming power in his hand that would make him the master of life and death of countless worlds and lives.
Everyone understood this well.
"Congratulations, Brother Gu! Brother Gu, your strength is unfathomable indeed! You were already my role model before I even saw you, and now, you are even the Heir of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace — I can't help but envy you."
The one who spoke was Peng Fei, the Young Master of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Family. He had blond hair and a golden light flowing around his body. Although he was an unruly and disobedient brat on normal days who looked down on everyone and everything, he didn't dare to posture in front of Gu Changge.
The words he spoke were said from the bottom of his heart.
His remarks attracted the attention of the other Young Supremes and they couldn't help but sigh.
Even Peng Fei, the rebellious brat who claimed to be invincible and didn't give face to any of his peers, had to restrain his temper in front of Gu Changge. His words showed clearly just what kind of deterrent effect Gu Changge held on everyone.
Of course, it didn't mean that he or the others were afraid of Gu Changge.
None of them would back down if they had no choice but to duke it out with him.
It's just that none of them had something wrong with their brain, so why would they go out of their way to make an enemy out of him?
After all, Gu Changge wasn't some nameless dude anyone could ridicule and slap in the face.
Treating him like that was impossible.
Gu Changge smiled in response to his words and said, "Everyone, you are too polite."
This was the advantage of having a good identity. Since everyone was on the same level, none of them would be dumb enough to do something stupid to get themselves slapped in the face.
Still, the fact that he couldn't slap someone in the face bored Gu Changge.
Well, it wasn't bad as, at least, he wouldn't have to experience someone jumping out right now and questioning his qualifications while trying to slap his face.
What's more? He loved to be the one provoking others, not the other way around.
Speaking of which, the new Favored Son of Heaven following the rise from the rubble and slapping everyone in the face ended up going down a different route.
In front of him, he could only be reduced to a waste ready to be trampled.
Gu Changge was thinking about Ye Ling, the one taking the blame for him.
This Favored Son of Heaven, who became the successor of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor of Reincarnation, was destined to have a smooth-sailing life. He would rise from the weak, slap all the Young Supremes in their face, and leave behind a brilliant legacy as he rose to the peak of the world.
Yet now, he had turned into a rat running across the street, hiding from the entire world that wanted to beat him to death. The day he showed his face, he would turn into the entire world's enemy.
Gu Changge couldn't help but smile as he thought about Ye Ling's fate.
Afterwards, he chatted and laughed with the Young Supremes with a calm expression. Every now and then, he would throw a glance towards Gu Xian'er, who stood there in a daze.
Although he pretended to not care about her, he was smiling in his heart.
He could already guess the thoughts going through Gu Xian'er's mind at this moment.
After all, he was the one leading her in the play. No matter how lucky Gu Xian'er might be, or how powerful the mysterious Masters behind her, she was just a little girl with a simple personality and a soft heart.
How could she stand a chance against someone as sinister as Gu Changge? He could sell her off and make her count the money he received without her knowing anything.
Gu Changge was in no hurry since everything was going in the direction he planned.
Now wasn't the time to lead her further.
"I wonder what Brother Gu thinks about the recent news about the successor of that Taboo Inheritance?"
Right then, a cold and crisp voice sounded from his front.
Gu Changge's smile showed no change as he listened to the question and raised his gaze to look at the one who asked.
The speaker was a petite girl who looked to be around twelve or thirteen, and wore a colorful coat made out of feathers.
She had a snow-white face, delicate features, and silk-like black hair that gleamed under the sun. With her head straight up, she showed a cold and arrogant expression.
She was Chi Ling, the Holy Maiden of the Vermillion Bird Family.
She was a standard legal loli if he were to describe her according to the standards of his previous life.
"The successor of the Taboo Inheritance? Of course, he should be captured and punished for his actions. I wonder why Lady Chi Ling is asking me this question?"
Gu Changge looked at her with a smile and answered.
The other Young Supremes also showed a strange expression when they heard their exchange.
The recent incident regarding the birth of the Taboo Inheritance's successor caused a massive sensation in the Upper Realm, which had been calm for a long time.
Countless cultivators were terrified after the Young Master of the White Tiger Family brutally died at the hands of the Taboo Inhertiance's Successor. The group of Bai Lie's followers suffered a harsh punishment at the hands of the White Tiger Family.
An ancient family like the White Tiger Family held unimaginable power in their arsenal, and their influence spread to every corner of the Upper Realm, from the Inner Region to the Middle Region, all the way to the Outer Region.
The White Tiger Family was one of the more powerful ancient families with Emperor-level existences hidden in their ranks, who were more broadly known as Ancient Emperors, among the non-human families.
There was also the Ancient Immortal Ye Family in the ranks of the non-human ancient families' ranks. It was said that their ancestor had gone beyond the rank of Ancient Emperor and ascended to Immortal-hood, and that was why they were revered as an Ancient Immortal family with more respect than other non-human ancient families.
There were countless non-human ancient families, and once they united, the might they would hold would make all races and heritages consider them before doing anything.
The ancestors of families like the White Tiger Family and the Vermillion Bird Family had touched the threshold of Immortality, so their status was no weaker than that of the Ancient Immortal Families.
"Isn't the successor of the Taboo Inheritance too weak and sloppy this time?"
Chi Ling showed a frown when she heard Gu Changge's words, and continued, "Throughout the ages, the birth of the Taboo Inheritance's successor has shaken the world and triggered the destruction of countless heritages — they hold unbelievable might and means, to put in in simple words."
"But this time, isn't the successor of the Taboo Inheritance far too weak? I heard that he hasn't even stepped into the Conferred King Realm yet, so how was he able to murder Bai Lie, who had all kinds life-saving means up his sleeve?"
Although many clues proved Ye Ling to be the successor of the Taboo Inheritance, she couldn't get rid of this doubt from her mind.
The White Tiger Family swore to find Ye Ling and avenge their Young Master, and even sent forth countless mighty existences with treasures that could make even strong cultivators show a change in their expression and take a step back, but she couldn't bring herself to believe the news and rumors as she was acquainted with Ye Ling.
The two of them met inside a secret realm and she developed a favorable impression of Ye Ling, who showed that he possessed an indomitable will to achieve the Dao.
He was a determined and intelligent fellow — although the methods he used to seek fortune weren't all that glorious, he didn't possess the cruel and indifferent personality of the Taboo Inheritance's successor.
What's more? She knew that Ye Ling's mysterious inheritance had something to do with some Ancient Heavenly Venerate, so how could he be related to the Taboo Inheritance?
"That's right! This Gu also can't understand how Ye Ling was able to murder Brother Bai before reaching the Conferred King Realm."
"As the Young Master of the White Tiger Family, Brother Bai definitely possessed innumerable life-saving means up his sleeve — Brothers, think about all the means you keep up your sleeve…do you think it's possible for someone to murder you without making any noise?"
"Although I haven't met Ye Ling, I did hear from Brother Ye that he possessed some weird tricks up his sleeve. Even though he didn't have many resources available to him, he was still able to raise his Cultivation Base at breakneck speeds in a short amount of time."
"The disappearance of the various Young Heavenly Geniuses and the reappearance of the successor of the Taboo Inheritance makes it hard for me to not connect it with Ye Ling's sudden rise."
"To be honest, I suspected the member of the collateral branch Brother Ye mentioned when the two of us were chatting with each other a while back."
Gu Changge showed a thoughtful expression for a moment and then laid out his 'doubts' about the matter with a complete analysis of everything that went down.
No matter what, he had to 'stand' on Ye Ling's side right now. Even though Ye Ling challenged him, he had to show his magnanimity.
In the eyes of the onlookers, he and Ye Ling were people of different worlds who wouldn't collide with each other in a million years.
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Chi Ling nodded in approval when she heard his words, and a smile appeared on her cold and prideful face as she said, "It seems that Brother Gu has a similar opinion to mine."
She had long heard that Gu Changge was an indifferent man who wasn't easy to talk to, but today, she realized that the rumors weren't true.
Someone bitter must have spread the rumor to discredit him.
Gu Changge's speech felt like a gentle spring breeze, and his warm expression gave him an otherworldly charm.
If he was faking all of this, then Gu Changge's terror couldn't be imagined.
Chi Ling preferred to believe that what she saw was how Gu Changge was in reality.
In Chi Ling's view, the rumors only said that Gu Changge covered the sky of the Heavenly Immortal Dao Palace because of his monstrous strength that prevented anyone from provoking him, and not because he was a ruthless monster oppressing everyone.
The other Young Supremes in the surrounding area also nodded at Gu Changge's analysis with different thoughts and expressions, and felt that there was some truth to his words.
Right then, however, Ye Langtian, who was shrouded in a dazzling light, stood up and glanced at Chi Ling, and then said with a solemn expression, "We must take the appearance of the Taboo Inheritance's successor seriously, whether we believe something or not. I mentioned this, too, when I was chatting with Brother Gu a while ago."
Ye Langtian decided to discuss the doubts he held, and the clues he discovered, and that affirmed to everyone that Gu Changge's analysis wasn't false.
As someone from a collateral branch, Ye Ling couldn't get his hands on enough resources to support him, so how could he compete with the Family's Young Master and reach a tie?
What's more? A while ago, Ye Ling made rapid progress in his Cultivation Base and then left the Family for a long time — no one could tell where he went during that time.
Moreover, there wasn't any news regarding Ye Ling joining some other Heritage or Sect.
There were too many doubts that needed to be cleared when it came to Ye Ling.
"My Ye Family will definitely give a satisfactory answer to all the Dao Heritages since Ye Ling, a member of my Ye Family, is the one who committed such heinous actions."
Afterwards, Ye Langtian revealed that he had already revealed the details of the matter before the Elders of his Family, and that they had tasked him with handling the matter now.
Because of this reason, he had been looking for Ye Ling's whereabouts all this time.
Before, he had wanted to use Ye Ling's collateral branch's people to threaten him out, but since Ye Ling was ridiculed and rejected by his collateral branch since young, he reckoned that Ye Ling probably wouldn't care about the life and death of his people.
This method wasn't viable in any way.
Ye Ling's biological father passed away some time ago, while Ye Ling's mother remarried when Ye Ling was still young, and all of these matters combined resulted in Ye Ling's current character and upbringing.
"Your words aren't incorrect, Brother Ye, but wouldn't it be too arbitrary if we label Ye Ling as the successor of the Taboo Inheritance based on these few observations?"
Chi Ling asked with a frown.
She couldn't understand why Ye Langtian held so much animosity towards Ye Ling, so much so that he almost concluded Ye Ling as the successor of the Taboo Inheritance without any solid proof.
Alas! She couldn't tell people that Ye Ling's rise was related to the inheritance of a certain Ancient Heavenly Emperor.
First, there was a chance no one would believe her, and second, they would question her how she knew all that?
What's more? The temptation of an Ancient Heavenly Emperor's inheritance was far greater than the temptation of the Taboo Inheritance.
Once that matter spread, even more cultivators would go out and look for Ye Ling's whereabouts.
Instead of getting better, Ye Ling's situation would only worsen once people found out that he held the inheritance of an Ancient Heavenly Emperor in his hands.
"Since Ye Ling is the successor of the Taboo Inheritance, there's no way he will reveal his true strength before the masses; didn't he murder Bai Lie with ease?"
Right then, a Young Supreme shrouded with a devastating fog spoke up. The people in the surroundings could only see a pair of eyes, and he also radiated a mighty aura.
This Young Supreme was Wang Wushuang, Young Master of the Ancient Immortal Wang Family.
"Who has really seen Ye Ling's true strength? All of this is mere guesswork! We can't wrong an innocent man…"
Chi Ling furrowed her brows and showed displeasure on her prideful, delicate face.
She still tried to defend Ye Ling, and this made the other Young Supremes in the surroundings show a frown.
Why was Chi Ling trying to defend Ye Ling again and again?
"Innocent man? Chi Ling, how about you tell that to the White Tiger Family?"
Peng Fei, the Young Master of the Golden-Winged Great Peng Family sneered in response.
Ye Langtian's wasn't all that pleased either, and said, "During my investigation, I came across information that Ye Ling went to train inside a certain secret realm, and Lady Chi Ling happened to be inside that secret realm at that time, no? Could it be that you and Ye Ling know each other, and that's why you are trying to defend him again and again?"
The atmosphere in the surroundings turned strange as soon as he said those words.
Chi Ling's complexion also showed a drastic change. Right now, Ye Ling was known as the successor of the Taboo Inheritance, so anyone who had any relationship with him would only suffer.
Even if she was the Holy Maiden of the Vermillion Bird Family, she couldn't let herself be caught defending the successor of the Taboo Inheritance, or she would bring a disaster upon her Family.
Chi Ling couldn't help but quieten down.
"Brother Ye, let's put this matter aside for the time being. It's possible that Lady Chi Ling is only worried about us wronging a good person. After all, won't the true successor of the Taboo Inheritance get away unscathed if all the cultivators caught Ye Ling, and got rid of him without knowing the truth?"
"We will bring a calamity upon ourselves if that happens! We must take this matter seriously as we can't afford to make any mistakes."
"She's only considering the greater picture, so don't worry too much about the small details."
Gu Changge waved his hand and dismissed their thoughts with a smile.
No one could see the meaning hidden behind his smile.
Only after listening to Ye Langtian did he realize that Chi Ling actually knew Ye Ling!
No wonder she spoke so much for him.
Before this, he didn't know…