"Your immense hostility toward me truly piques my curiosity. Technically, we haven't met each other, have we?"
A rift occurred in the void, followed by a door from which Gu Changge in his white garment walked out. He smilingly spoke as his crystalline hair gleamed. Three thousand ambiguous divine beings seemed to be emerging behind his body, carrying terrifying auras of irresistible dread.
As Tuo Ba Xiao Yao expected, the numerous barriers and arrays in the prison were non-existent to Gu Changge. Even the True Daoists in deep sleep in the depths of the prison couldn't detect his aura and presence.
After forcing himself to calm down, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao stood up and stared Gu Changge in the eye, asking, "I'd assume you already knew. Why are you even asking me that?"
His regression was one of his greatest secrets, and he would never easily reveal it to others.
"There's no one else here, so just drop the pretense, Gu Changge," he coldly stated.
With a faint smile, Gu Changge slowly replied, "Since you've put it that way, you should be aware that I'm here to take something from you. Retaining possession of that item will only bring you disaster and misfortune. You'd be wise to surrender it to me, and I might spare your life."
Hearing that, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao, as if he saw this coming, scornfully scoffed, "Hehe… You can forget about it, Gu Changge. You will never obtain the Sword of World Domination even if you killed me."
In preparation for such a day, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao, by using the Secret Techniques he had learned in his past life, refined the Sword of World Domination into the Primordial Foetal Sword of World Domination. Now, the Primordial Foetal Sword of World Domination was bound to his life and Primordial Spirit, making him and the sword inseparable. Thus, even if Gu Changge were to kill him now, he would still be unable to seize the Sword of World Domination.
As of now, in the Upper Realm, there was not a way to dispel the bond. In the whole universe, the only way to dispel the bond was hidden within the Sword Pavilion of the Shu Sect. It was the Sect he had cultivated in one of his past lives. Frankly, even Tuo Ba Xiao Yao himself didn't know how to resolve it.
For the same reason, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao wasn't worried that Gu Changge might kill him, as the instant he died, the Sword of World Domination would be destroyed at the same time, making Gu Changge unable to gather all of the Seven Tools of World Domination.
"Oh, you seem confident. You must be prepared for this." In response, Gu Changge indifferently revealed a faint grin.
[As a regressor, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao must have foreseen such a day, so he did everything he could to assure that I won't be able to obtain the Sword of World Domination.] Gu Changge guessed it out without much thought.
[Tuo Ba Xiao Yao had bound his life with the Sword of World Domination by some means. In other words, the sword and him are inseparable. But although he has always been a lone wolf, I doubt he could disregard the safety of those around him. In fact, I predicted his every possible reaction before I came.]
"So just give up. You will never get your hands on the Sword of World Domination." Tuo Ba Xiao Yao coldly stared at Gu Changge, though he was clueless about his thoughts at that moment.
Thereupon, Gu Changge shook his head with a leisurely smile. "I don't understand why you are so hostile towards me. Just surrender the Sword of World Domination and I'll spare your life. It's a perfect win-win. Why refuse? Does the Sword of World Domination offer some other uses for being in your hands?"
"Why do you insist on opposing me? Why do you want to keep the Sword of World Domination in your hands? Don't you love Yu Feiya? She's now going to marry the prince of the Eternal Overcast Royal Family, while you rot in this prison. Besides, I remember you have a few siblings. Do you really think that I'd do nothing to them?"
At once, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's face grew sullen. Be it Yu Feiya or Tuo Ba Ling Qiong, they were all important people to him. Nonetheless, he was already ready for his plan to sacrifice. Hence, his voice was resolute.
"Gu Changge, you should give up if you intend to threaten me with their lives. Once I get destroyed along with the sword, there is no way you can assemble the Seven Tools of World Dominations. Don't even think for a second that you'll be able to get your hands on the Sword of World Domination."
As he was given no other choice, that was his last resort out of absolute helplessness. If things were to turn out that way, he could only commit his whole being to it. And now, he was certain that Gu Changge wouldn't dare to lay a finger on him as his target was the Sword of World Domination.
"Oh?" Gu Changge squinted his eyes before chuckling, seemingly as indifferent as usual.
"Based on what you just said, I could simply forgo the Sword of World Domination, but your loved ones will have to pay a severe price all thanks to your idiocy. I shall have you know that I have infinite means to make them regret living in this world. Perhaps you already know what I'm capable of without going into the details."
Although Gu Changge spoke those words breezily, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao sensed a terrifying chilliness suddenly overtaking him, instilling fear within him and causing him to shiver.
At once, with a morose face, he fell silent. Indeed, as Gu Changge mentioned, those were the problems he contemplated and was most concerned about.
To Gu Changge, the Sword of World Domination was dispensable. Given that he was now standing on the peak of the Upper Realm, failing to acquire the Sword of World Domination wouldn't be much of a loss to him.
However, Yu Feiya, Tuo Ba Ling Qiong, and Tuo Ba Qing Yu were immeasurably precious to Tuo Ba Xiao Yao, and they were his weakness—his kryptonite. Due to his regression, he felt that he could finally take his revenge in this life, which was why he endured everything to this point.
Nonetheless, after Gu Changge saw through his guise, it was not until he finally faced Gu Changge straight on that he realised how enormous the disparity between their strengths was. It was simply devastating. All the hard work he had put in all these years was completely futile.
If he were to persist in his ways, he would only repeat his past mistakes, but if he were to submit to Gu Changge, he would feel frustrated as the grudges from his previous life remained intact.
"I'll allow you some time to consider. I hope you'll be able to give me an answer the next time I'm here." Catching Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's uncertain expression, Gu Changge faintly grinned as he knew that Tuo Ba Xiao Yao was faltering.
Now that he was in possession of six out of the Seven Tools of World Domination, he would seize the Sword of World Domination by any means necessary. [Since Tuo Ba Xiao Yao has bound his own life with the Sword of World Domination, then he must know a way to resolve it. Even if he doesn't, I'll make sure he does.]
Upon those words, hesitation surged on Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's face once again. He understood that he wouldn't be able to retain the Sword of World Domination no matter what, and that he would have to make a choice between the sword and his loved ones. Had he not encountered Gu Changge at a point so early in this life, he might have had another choice, but now, the situation was no longer under his control.
With that, he took a deep breath. "As the Sword of World Domination and I have fused into one, I can borrow its power, but I can't extract it from within my body. As of now, in the entire Upper Realm, no one knows of a way to resolve this, including me."
Hearing that, Gu Changge furrowed his brows as the smile on his face slowly waned. "Do you really think I won't kill you?"
He leaned forward as he spoke. He shattered the sword aura right in front of Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's shocked expression and strangled him as if he was holding up a little duckling.
In that instant, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao felt as though he was suffocating. A spine-chilling aura as vast as an overwhelming, all-engulfing abyss emerged, causing his soul to tremble and almost tearing his skin apart. Every bone inside his body was emitting loud cracks as his spine was forcibly pressed. Thereupon, fresh blood started flowing out of the seven holes of his body as his vision grew blurry.
"I swear on my Dao Heart. There is not one lie in my word." Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's face blanched as his soul trembled. As he felt immense dread for death, he stuttered his response as he spewed blood.
"Really?" Gu Changge retained his calm with an indiscernible expression.
[At such a moment, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao shouldn't have the courage to lie to me. Though, the situation is certainly out of my expectation. What a ferocious man Tuo Ba Xiao Yao is. He'd do anything to prevent the Sword of World Domination being taken away.]
Nonetheless, Gu Changge then remembered the Celestial Boat of Creation. [If I were to use Tuo Ba Xiao Yao to forge the sword, would I be able to recreate the Sword of World Domination? Since Xiao Ruoyin, is the High Priestess of Destiny. This is possible.]