Gu Tian stood still, staring at the information about his grandfather that appeared before him. He hesitated briefly before deciding to analyze the development of his grandfather's talent. As soon as he activated his Eyes of the Omniscient God, a series of resource requirements and evolution paths flooded his vision. The details overwhelmed him, forcing him to pause and calculate carefully. He had never expected his own talent to reveal something so staggering.
[1. Talent: SS Demon Emperor]
[Required Materials for Development: (1. FU Solution (Beyond SSS): 1 milliliter)]
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[140. Talent: SS Eternal Flame Demon]
[Required Materials for Development: (1. Demon Fire Dragon Stone (SS Level): 10 units) (2. Eternal Flame Demon Blood (SS Level): 100 milliliters)]
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[7802. Talent: SS Demon Emperor of Ice]
[Required Materials for Development: (1. Ice Demon Crystal (SS Level): 5 units) (2. Ice Demon Spirit (SS Level): 7 units)]
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[9512. Talent: SS Demon of Darkness]
[Required Materials for Development: (1. Midnight Demon Fang (SS Level): 7 units) (2. Heart of the Shadow Death Demon (SS Level): 1)]
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Seeing the countless evolution paths for talents stretching endlessly before him, Gu Tian quickly deactivated his Eyes of the Omniscient God. The strain on his body became apparent, and his legs gave out as he almost collapsed to the ground. Fortunately, Gu Mo reacted in time, using his power to support his grandson. Gu Tian raised a hand to assure his grandfather that he was fine. After regaining his composure, he immediately began calculating something in his mind, his expression serious and focused.
Moments later, Gu Tian turned toward Gu Mo with a determined look and spoke.
"Grandpa, may I have a drop of your blood?"
Gu Mo was momentarily taken aback by the unusual request but complied without hesitation. He bit his finger, allowing a single drop of blood to form, and approached Gu Tian. Without wasting any time, Gu Tian collected the blood sample and stored it carefully.
"Grandpa, could you please summon my father and mother to this laboratory? And, most importantly, please keep this matter a secret. No one else can know about it," Gu Tian said with utmost seriousness.
Hearing the gravity in his grandson's tone, Gu Mo was surprised but nodded in agreement without asking further questions. With a silent acknowledgment, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving the laboratory as quickly as he had come.
Meanwhile, in Gu Long's office, the room was cluttered with stacks of documents piled high on his desk. His assistant entered, carrying another batch of papers. She placed them in front of Gu Long with a tense expression on her face.
Gu Long sighed heavily. "Are you trying to kill me with all this work?"
His assistant smirked slightly. "If I were, you'd have been dead long ago, City Lord."
The two exchanged light banter for a moment before Gu Long's expression turned serious. "Leave the room. I have something to take care of."
His assistant hesitated briefly, a look of curiosity crossing her face, but she quickly masked it with a neutral expression and exited the office as instructed.
Once the assistant had left, Gu Mo emerged from the shadows, handing something to Gu Long. It was a sealed document and a special access code. Gu Long accepted them and listened intently to his father's instructions.
"Gu Tian has summoned you. Be cautious—no one must know about this, no matter who they are."
Gu Long nodded. He understood the gravity of the situation and knew this had to be something of utmost importance. He took the document and the code, then swiftly left the office without drawing any attention. Before leaving, he left a note for his assistant, making it seem like he was shirking his work—a habit of his that wasn't entirely uncommon.
Shortly after Gu Long had slipped away, his assistant returned to find the office empty, save for the ever-present mountain of documents. She sighed, muttering to herself, "Same trick as always. He got away again, huh? Well, good for him. At least I get to clock out early too. Hehe."
At the Star Commerce Hall, Guang Yue was meticulously inspecting a shipment of newly arrived goods. Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind. She paused her work and headed straight to her private office, calling the branch manager to oversee the rest in her absence.
"I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I need to leave now. Please take care of the rest," Guang Yue instructed curtly before disappearing into her office.
The moment she entered, Guang Yue vanished into the shadows, reappearing beside Gu Mo. "Father, what's going on?" she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity.
"Gu Tian has summoned us," Gu Mo replied succinctly. Guang Yue nodded, understanding the unspoken urgency.
In no time, the two arrived at the City Lord's mansion. Upon arrival, Gu Mo commanded his Void Demon Spider to erect a protective barrier around the entire estate. This barrier ensured that no one could enter or leave without Gu Mo's explicit permission. Inside the mansion, an eerie silence enveloped the space, with Li Juan still absent from home.
Gu Mo's authoritative voice echoed through the quiet. "All covert units, disperse and conduct thorough checks across the city. Ensure nothing is out of place during this time. Be ready to respond to any situation."
As Gu Mo's voice trailed off, countless dark shadows darted out of the Gu family's mansion. The covert units, though curious about the reason behind Gu Mo's sudden orders to survey the entire city, knew it must be something of great importance for him to give such a directive personally. Once everyone had departed, Gu Mo carefully examined the entire estate and confirmed that no one remained within the mansion except for Gu Long's aura, which stood stationary in front of the hidden room.
Moments later, a message appeared on Gu Mo's communication device. It was from Gu Tian. After reading through the details, Gu Mo summoned one of his fearsome beasts, the Blood Demon.
"Go to the lair of the Lunar Wolves near Rain City. Steal their eggs and leave traces that lead them to attack this city. Make sure to frame the Black Rose Hunters for it," Gu Mo ordered coldly.
The Blood Demon vanished without a trace, leaving Gu Mo to guide Guang Yue toward the hidden room. When they arrived at Gu Tian's private chamber, they found Gu Long reclining lazily, wearing an exasperated expression.
"Father, I can't figure out how to open the hidden room," Gu Long admitted with a frustrated sigh.
Gu Mo sighed deeply and lightly rapped Gu Long on the head. "…Unbelievable."
He then approached Gu Tian's computer and entered a specific code. Turning to Guang Yue, he instructed, "Stand by the bookshelf and touch the first book on the second shelf."
Guang Yue tried to pull the book but found it stuck. Frustrated, she tugged harder, nearly breaking the shelf. Gu Mo's voice interrupted her efforts.
"Calm down, young lady. Just tap it lightly," Gu Mo said, shaking his head at the couple's antics.
Following his instructions, Guang Yue gently tapped the book, and as it shifted slightly, she continued touching the books in the sequence Gu Mo dictated:
Shelf 3, Book 6
Shelf 1, Book 1
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Shelf 2, Book 1
…
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Shelf 3, Book 8
Shelf 4, Book 9
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Finally, Shelf 2, Book 4
As Guang Yue touched the twelfth book, the massive bookshelf slowly slid aside, revealing a hidden passage behind it.
"Finally," Gu Mo muttered with a small sigh of relief. The three of them stepped into the secret passage, with Gu Mo leading the way.
As they descended into the hidden corridor, Guang Yue and Gu Long exchanged curious glances, their eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
"Did our house always have a secret passage like this?" Guang Yue asked incredulously.
Gu Long nodded and added, "Father, did you actually approve that little rascal building something like this?"
Gu Mo chuckled softly. "I just found out about it as well."
Guang Yue, still skeptical, pressed on. "Then how did you know where to find it?"
Without stopping, Gu Mo replied, "Gu Tian told me. He asked me to bring him certain people for his experiments."
"But," Gu Mo added firmly, "I only capture criminals with severe offenses. These are people the central government doesn't dare touch because of their powerful backers."
Guang Yue and Gu Long nodded, only half-listening as they followed Gu Mo deeper into the silent passageway.
Eventually, they arrived at the entrance to Gu Tian's secret laboratory. Gu Mo approached the control panel and entered the code Gu Tian had provided. As the code was verified, the enormous steel door groaned open, the sound of metal reverberating through the corridor.
Gu Long stared at the slowly opening door and grumbled, "Why does he have to make this so complicated…"
Before he could finish, the sight inside the laboratory left both Gu Long and Guang Yue speechless, their expressions frozen in shock.