Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin Zhuo You and the others might have agreed to serve Gu Changge, but Gu Changge would never leave them without supervision. With a flick of his hand, several streams of light flew out from his raised palm and entered their foreheads. These lights resembled that drops of ink were pitch-black in colour. Moreover, they were permeated with a sinister and bone-chilling aura. Like a seed, these lights immediately took root in the minds of Zhuo You and the others. Strands of root-like matter penetrated and spread throughout their Knowledge Sea, seeming to obtain nutrients and nourishments for growth from their Spiritual Energy. “This…” Their expressions immediately changed drastically, and their complexions turned indescribably pale. A sense of unimaginable horror filled them at that moment. They could clearly sense their Knowledge Sea and Spiritual Energy being eroded and occupied, as though their Spiritual Energy was some sort of nourishment to nurture the black seed. Following that logic, it would seem that the day the black seed finally sprouted would be the day their Life Force was completely exhausted. “H-Have mercy, Master…” The Immortal Spirit Civilisation Clansman who knelt on the ground just now was terrified beyond description. He could feel that his Spiritual Energy was constantly being devoured with every passing second. The feeling was akin to having an insect burrowing into his brain and incessantly eating away at his life. People of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation had abandoned their physical bodies and focused on cultivating their Soul. This meant that they could basically turn anything in the world into their vessel, as long as their Soul was still alive. What Gu Changge did was equivalent to taking complete control of their life. A single thought from him could determine their life or death. It was for that reason they trembled with so much fear. “I’ve said that I like intelligent people. As long as you’re smart, then there’s no need for the Demonic Seed to endanger your life. On the contrary, it will be of great benefit to your cultivation. Of course, if you were to do something stupid, then don’t blame me for the consequences…” Gu Changge remained smiling faintly but did not further explain his meaning. Zhuo You and the others naturally understood his unspoken meaning. Hence, they hastily agreed. It was impossible for them to joke around with their lives on the line. “Good.” A small smile lifted the corners of Gu Changge’s mouth. He nodded slightly in response, but the look in his eyes did not change. He naturally did not trust them. By planting the Demonic Seed, he could immediately take action to reduce his losses without affecting the overall picture as soon as they had any intention or made any moves that were detrimental to him. Inside the great hall, Wan Yanxiu and the Spirit Empress trembled at the sight. They could not stop the chill that ran down their backs at that moment. If Gu Changge had used the same method he employed against the people of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation on them instead, they would have had no means to resist or refuse either. The realisation left them rejoicing secretly in their hearts. After all, Gu Changge’s treatment of them seemed gentle in comparison. In particular, the Spirit Empress felt incomparably lucky at this moment. Leaving aside the fact that Gu Changge valued her, the two of them had even shared a ‘heart-to-heart’ conversation in the past. She believed that she knew Gu Changge far better than anybody else here. Not to mention, she also received a mysterious substance from him that would help her to survive her Second Decay Tribulation in the coming future. [Although I don’t know what Young Master Gu has experienced in the past, as long as I can become highly regarded by him, I’m sure my future achievements won’t end here. These people are too foolish. Young Master Gu has already given them lots of leeway with his actions…] The Spirit Empress secretly thought to herself with a glance at Zhuo You and the others. When her twinkling gaze landed on Gu Changge once more, a bold idea that never occurred to her before suddenly came to her. Nevertheless, the thought merely flashed through her mind for a moment. She did not dare to think too deeply about the matter, lest Gu Changge noticed and became displeased with her. In any case, she knew that Gu Changge only held such a high opinion of her because of the firm determination she had shown during her initial encounter with him. Even if she had to offend him, she had not wished to be reduced to a mere sexual tool for the Ancestors to curry favour with him. It was under this premise that she obtained his recognition. If she suddenly became too utilitarian, she might incur his hatred and disgust instead. In particular, the bold idea that struck her earlier was considered extremely disrespectful. Gu Changge once mentioned that he had no interest in her after all. Besides, the idea of wanting to be together with another person for the rest of her life had never occurred to her throughout the many years that she spent cultivating. In fact, she had never even considered the notion of such a possibility. Outside the Spirit Ruin Royal Family’s ancestral palace, numerous Immortals who were previously summoned by the Spirit Empress stood waiting. They were soon summoned into the hall and informed that they needed to follow Zhuo You and her Clansmen to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation, where they were subsequently required to investigate the true situation of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation. In the Spirit Ruin Civilisation, most of them were high-ranking and powerful figures. Their strength was overwhelming, and the weakest among them was comparable to a True Immortal in terms of strength. Be that as it may, their expressions changed drastically after learning about their mission. Some of them even trembled in fear. After all, the danger level of their mission was no different from crawling into a Dragon’s den. There was an undeniably high risk of death. Unfortunately, the Ancestors of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family gathered here could obliterate them with a single thought. Despite the fear and panic in their hearts, they did not dare to refuse the order. Hence, they could only bite the bullet and accept the task. “Young Master Gu is kind. Knowing that your mission will be very dangerous, he decided to bestow valuable treasures to you. These treasures will protect you and ensure your safety, keeping you safe and sound. Therefore, you don’t have to worry. These existences in front of you are comparable to Dao Realm experts, and they are the subordinates of Young Master Gu. As long as you follow them, you will not experience any dangers that could threaten your lives.” The Spirit Empress was dressed in a plain long dress. Moreover, her hair was swept above her head and her makeup was light. A modest veil also concealed her face, showing only the majestic light in her eyes. She glanced at the Immortals and gave them a slight nod of acknowledgement. Then, she waved her slender hand. Several treasure chests shrouded in divine light appeared out of nowhere and landed inside the great hall. At the same time, she explained the identities of Zhuo You and the others to alleviate the unease in their hearts. “Thank you, Young Master Gu… Thank you, Your Majesty…” The previously frightened and panicked Immortals immediately calmed down considerably after listening to the words of the Spirit Empress. Looking at the treasure chests shining with colourful lights, they hurriedly uttered their thanks. Prior to today, they had only vaguely heard that a mysterious person had appeared in the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. That person’s identity was unknown, but his strength was unfathomable. Therefore, many of the Ancestors were very respectful towards him. Now that they finally met him, it could be said that they were witnessing his true appearance in person. In their eyes, Gu Changge was enveloped in endless fog. Forget his face, they could not even see his figure clearly. It was almost as though he did not exist in any specific Spacetime. However, their lives would definitely be guaranteed since they were serving under such a person. Gu Changge watched from his seat, feeling slightly astonished. He naturally did not care for the life and death of these Immortals, much less bothered to pay attention to their safety. Therefore, the words of the Spirit Empress were clearly her own. These treasures were simply part of the collection that the Spirit Empress had amassed over time. Be that as it may, her decision to bring out these treasures and give such an inspiring speech at this time was just the right measure to comfort and reassure the people. [That’s not a bad idea. To become the Empress of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, she does indeed require some ability and skill. I guess that’s why I regard her so highly.] Gu Changge looked appreciative of the Spirit Empress’s actions. Not only had she appeased the hearts of the people and allowed the people to accept his kindness, but she also made them swear to serve him with their lives. “Once this mission is completed, you and your Families will receive uncountable benefits. If not for the fact that I witnessed your reliability, I would not have extended such an opportunity to you. After all, there are many Clans coveting these benefits. So, there is no room for error in this mission.” The Spirit Empress had always maintained a strict and regal image of an Empress to the public. She immediately dismissed her subordinates from her presence as soon as she finished her speech. Then, she returned to Gu Changge’s side and respectfully asked, “Young Master Gu, is there anything else you need?” Gu Changge nodded slightly and gave her an appreciative smile. “Good job.” The Spirit Empress could not hide the smile on her face when she received praise from Gu Changge. Wan Yanxiu and the other Ancestors could not help feeling envious when they saw how highly Gu Changge valued the Spirit Empress, a descendant whom they had disregarded in the past. Nevertheless, they did not stay for long and quickly left with Zhuo You and the others. They had some plans and objectives for the upcoming capture of the Immortal Spirit Civilisation. Since Zhuo You and the others held respected statuses in the Immortal Spirit Civilisation, it would be possible to obtain various necessary information from them in advance. In any case, Wan Yanxiu and the others did not expect to actually learn any hidden secrets from Zhuo You and her Clansmen. Matters regarding the hidden secrets and the heritage of a Civilisation were tightly guarded. It was impossible for such matters to be revealed so easily. Even if they investigated the Spiritual Knowledge Sea of Zhuo You and her Clansmen, their efforts would be in vain. On the other side, a jade carriage descended from the skies above the Talent Gathering Village to take Chu Lian and the other ‘sacrifices’ who were ordered to gather there to the pre-arranged location so that they could join the rest of the youths who had been given missions. No matter how reluctant Chu Lian was, he could only bite the bullet and follow along with the rest. [This mission is extremely dangerous, so the most important thing is to survive…] Chu Lian had been thinking hard over the past few days about how he could survive in the future, but he was very dismissive towards the fact that the Sphere of Ambition’s Artifact Spirit had told him that this training was just a test for him. In his opinion, he had no need for such meaningless training when he already had the acknowledgement of the Sphere of Ambition. As the saying went, ‘there is no need for a wealthy man to expose himself to danger’. He, who had the Sphere of Ambition, would surely enjoy a smooth road in the future. He believes he would not experience many dangers or setbacks. Other cultivators might need to experience countless battles and bloodshed in order to grow, but there was no such need for him. Therefore, such meaningless training was useless to him. Seeing Chu Lian’s attitude, the Sphere of Ambition’s Artifact Spirit said nothing more. There were also several other figures, whom Chu Lian had gotten to know in the Talent Gathering Village, on the jade carriage. They had similarly been ordered to travel towards the Immortal Spirit Civilisation to complete their mission. However, Chu Lian was surprised to discover that his so-called colleagues were neither scared nor intimidated but rather calm and relaxed instead. Their attitudes were similar to deathsworns, trained by the Clans where they had long since disregarded their own lives and survival for their Clan. The realisation gave him another idea. As things stood, it might be possible for him to use the strength of his colleagues to ensure his own safety. The jade carriage soon brought Chu Lian to the top of a steep mountain so that he could join his young companions from earlier. “The experts dispatched by the Spirit Ruin Royal Family will soon arrive to take us with them. There’s no actual need for us to do anything. We simply need to follow beside them. Since our cultivation is low, we will not attract the attention of the Civilisation. So, we only need to search for information with our own methods when the time comes.” During the wait, several youths began to explain their mission to the others gathered there. Chu Lian did not pay much attention to them. Whether or not he succeeded at the mission was not important to him. All he cared about was how dangerous the mission would be, and for his own survival. Afterwards, under the expectant gazes of the waiting crowd, an ancient battleship that had seen countless vicissitudes in life broke through the void and descended from a high altitude. Golden steps stretched down from above towards Chu Lian and the others. The Immortals, who were summoned to the Spirit Ruin Royal Family’s ancestral palace earlier, were already inside the ancient battleship with Zhuo You and her Clansmen. When Chu Lian and the others were brought into the battleship, they merely gave a cursory glance in their direction before completely ignoring their ‘Juniors’ and leaving the Juniors to find their respective resting spots on their own. In the eyes of these Immortals, these Juniors had limited roles and could only act as decoys to confuse their enemies at most. They did not know why the Spirit Ruin Royal Family had arranged for these Juniors to come along with them. Even if the reason was for tempering, it seemed unlikely… Naturally, Chu Lian and the other Juniors did not dare to say much and hurriedly left the area. “Our strength is not that great, so we will not attract the attention of the truly powerful individuals in the Civilisation… When the time comes, it will be fine as long as we cooperate with these people.” The Immortals whispered among themselves, discussing how they could deal with the many problems that would soon follow. Meanwhile, Zhuo You and the others were expressionless. If it were in the past, these people would have been no different from ants to them. They would not have bothered to pay any attention to these people, let alone cooperate with them. Unfortunately, things were completely out of their control now. The ancient battleship quickly left and returned to the Immortal Spirit Civilisation’s shuttle-like ship, where Zhuo You and the others were previously located. When the White Bone Ancestor King captured them, the disturbance had not alerted the rest of the people on their ship. That was because Zhuo You and the others held special statuses, and they generally stayed together in the same place. As for the rest from the Immortal Spirit Civilisation, they had no qualifications to even meet Zhuo You and the others unless there was something important to report. After returning to the original cabin once more, Zhuo You and the others could not help feeling slightly disoriented. However, the shattered crystal wall in front of them was a constant reminder that everything that happened earlier was not a dream or illusion but reality. Their lives were completely out of their control now. “Let’s repair the crystal wall first. We can discuss everything else when we return home later.” Zhuo You’s expression twisted for a moment. The Knowledge Sea deep in her forehead was surging endlessly, with the continuous stinging pain that came from it a perpetual reminder of her current situation. At this moment, Chu Lian, who was searching for a cave inside the Small Universe located within the ancient battleship with the hopes of observing the situation, was surprised to discover two familiar figures. “Why are Lady Ling Huang and Young Master Gu here? That shouldn’t be the case… Didn’t he stay behind with the Spirit Ruin Royal Family?” All of a sudden, his expression changed. He could barely believe his eyes. Not far from the mountain peak where he stood was a serene valley filled with the sounds of birds and the fragrance of flowers. From a distance, the layout of the valley seemed rather scattered and messy. There were several pavilions and gurgling streams strewn about at random. It was like a geomantic cluster, dotted with fake mountains and lakes. In addition, towering bamboos could be found everywhere. The entire valley was shrouded in mist and dazzling sunlight, creating a paradise-like scene. Lady Ling Huang, whom he had always fancied, seemed to be talking to the handsome and elegant man in white before her. Moreover, she was covering her mouth gracefully as she laughed. Her charm and beauty at that moment could even bring ruin to entire countries. It was the first time he had ever seen her true appearance, so he was stunned for some time. Her face under the veil turned out to be so bewitching that she seemed more ethereal than real.