Translator: Fate Translation Checker: Silavin With a cautious heart, Chu Lian met with the woman sitting in the carriage who seemed to be a young lady from a prominent Family. He did not know if these people had overheard what he and Ming Xiu had said. Based on their appearances, they were no ordinary people. “Greetings, Miss. May I know why… you asked your maidservant to stop my Junior Sister and I?” Chu Lian cupped his hands and calmly asked. The woman before him was more powerful than he could comprehend. It was not someone he could go up against right now. Even though he had the Sphere of Ambition, he could not try to start a conflict. Nevertheless, based on the present situation, it did not seem like the woman harboured any ill intent toward him and Ming Xiu. Otherwise, she would not have asked to see him. With that thought in mind, Chu Lian let out a small sigh of relief. There were a lot of things he could not challenge outright before he grew in power. The Spirit Empress’ gaze flickered slightly as she said with a faint smile, “Earlier on, I overheard your conversation with the other young lady. It resonated with me, so I was curious to meet the young man who dared to speak so openly about such things. I hope you don’t mind.” She did not plan on exposing her identity before figuring out who Chu Lian was and whether or not he was a Variable. Despite being the Spirit Empress of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family and a powerful being who was only second to the Ancestors, she was meticulous. Upon realising that Chu Lian could be a Variable, she contemplated a great number of potential courses of action. “Oh?” Chu Lian was stunned by what he heard. Initially, he thought the woman was joking, but after seeing her genuine and earnest smile, he was startled. He considered many possibilities, but not the one where the other party agreed and approved of his comments. After pondering it, however, he figured it was perfectly reasonable that there was resentment across all the Clans who suffered under the ruling of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. The woman looked like she came from a prominent Family. She had a sophisticated bearing. Thus, her Family must have been oppressed by the Spirit Ruin Royal Family too. That was why she expressed both curiosity and approval when she overheard someone who dared to speak ill of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. Meanwhile, Ming Xiu remained on her horse outside. As she did not know what was happening inside the carriage, so she felt deeply worried. Alas, the Spirit Empress’ maidservants who were standing beside her did not say anything. “You need not worry. Our Young Mistress means no harm.” The ears of the two maidservants twitched a little. After picking up on the Spirit Empress’ inner voice transmission, they smiled and escorted Ming Xiu over to the carriage as well. As soon as Ming Xiu entered the carriage, she saw Chu Lian smiling while engaged in conversation with a breathtakingly beautiful woman. The topic of their conversation made Ming Xiu tremble with fear. They were brazenly disrespecting the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. Chu Lian was pouring out all that he had seen along the way and the deep resentment he felt for the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. If anyone from the Spirit Ruin Royal Family or those who supported them heard him, he would certainly be punished for committing a severe crime. Yet, the beautiful woman was nodding along with a look of approval. She seemed to agree with Chu Lian. Ming Xiu felt dizzy at the sight. Anyone with a weak heart would have fainted from fear. Chu Lian had gone so far as to audaciously speak of the current Empress of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. It was as if he planned on overthrowing the Spirit Ruin Royal Family. “I did not expect you to feel this way about the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, Young Master Chu Lian. In a way, some of our opinions do align.” The Spirit Empress was smiling as she conversed with Chu Lian and tried to deduce him once more, but in reality, her heart was as cold as ice. Never would she have imagined that she would one day speak of these things to a stranger and listen to the way he denounced her. However, the Spirit Empress was able to confirm that this man named Chu Lian possessed a great deal of Fortuity. He was indeed a rare Variable that was hard to encounter, even within the entire Boundless Expanse. He truly had limitless potential. While chatting with the Spirit Empress, Chu Lian did not detect anything amiss. On the contrary, he found that the woman was knowledgeable and a great conversationalist. More often than not, they seemed to share similar opinions and perspectives. He had been wary at first, but towards the end, he started letting his guard down. His words grew bolder and more intense. It was as if he would overthrow the Spirit Ruin Royal Family sometime in the near future. Chu Lian was young and filled with the vigour of youth. The recent acquisition of a Civilisation’s Supreme Treasure further boosted his confidence. Thus, as he looked at the captivatingly beautiful woman before him, he felt the urge to share his thoughts. He was both shocked and pleased to find that the woman named Huang Ling was also heading to the same place he was. Huang was a rare surname, and Chu Lian did not feel like asking her about her origins. The carriage kicked up a cloud of dust as it continued speeding down the road. … Inside the ancestral hall of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, Gu Changge and Wan Yanxiu, the Grand Ancestor of the Spirit Ruin Royal Family, were chatting casually. Gu Changge ended up learning a lot about Rising Dawn True World. If they set course for the True World now, they would need to spend several centuries crossing through the Boundless Expanse. Even though a few centuries were nothing but a blink of an eye to beings like Gu Changge, it was enough time for catastrophic changes to occur across the worlds within the Boundless Expanse. Even if Spirit Ruin True World did not descend upon Prosperous Dao True World, some other Force would have brought disaster to it at some point. Gu Changge had made all the arrangements beforehand, so he was unconcerned about that. Still, he had other considerations as well. The other Force belonged to a different Civilisation in the Boundless Expanse that was different from Spirit Ruin True World. When he left Prosperous Dao True World, he simply got a vague sense of them and did not investigate them any further. That True World was noticeably more powerful than Spirit Ruin True World, and their Civilisation was even more ancient. Thus, Gu Changge wondered if he should make sacrifices to search for something more valuable. “It will be my honour to serve you, sir. If I may be of any use to you, sir, your wish is my command. The entire Spirit Ruin True World is willing to serve you.” Wan Yanxiu had already made his mind up. Regardless of whether Gu Changge was planning on searching for other True Worlds and bringing darkness upon them by devouring them or had some other goal in mind, Wan Yanxiu was going to do his best to let Spirit Ruin True World tag along with this powerful being. Someone of Gu Changge’s strength would surely be disinclined to do everything himself. “Oh? You’re willing to serve me?” Gu Changge chuckled faintly. Unsurprised by Wan Yanxiu’s choice, he simply asked, “Are you pledging your allegiance before you know what I intend to do? What if I intend to raise Spirit Ruin True World as mere nourishment? Will you agree to that as well?” Upon hearing this, those from the Spirit Ruin Clan, who were inside the ancestral palace, immediately turned pale with fear. The dancing beauties had left a long time ago. Those who remained in the palace were all the Ancestors of Spirit Ruin True World. The others from the Clan could not even qualify to appear inside the ancestral palace. The Ancestors usually spent all their time in isolated seclusions to focus on their cultivation, and the ordinary Clan members rarely disturbed them. A situation like this would never have happened. Wan Yanxiu was under a lot of pressure. Sweat beaded along his forehead as he said, “If that is what you wish, sir, that will be our honour. In any case, it seems unlikely that you will be interested in Spirit Ruin True World. I believe only the Immortal True Worlds are worthy of being cultivated by you, sir.” “Who in all of the Expanse Domain could contend against you, sir? Perhaps only those from the legendary Land of Truth could make an attempt.” “Those from the Land of Truth?” Upon hearing what Wan Yanxiu said, Gu Changge’s smile vanished. His fair and slender hand slowly tapped against the arm of his chair. He had been smiling faintly earlier, but now, his expression was entirely emotionless. High and almighty, he looked like someone who held the power of creation in his hands and could decide the fate of all living beings. It was as if he could join forces with the Heavenly Dao and carry out the Will of Heaven on its behalf to control the destiny of the universe. All Principles were in his hand. The White Bone Ancestor King felt a streak of inexplicable terror. The entire ancestral palace fell silent. No one dared say a word lest they misspoke and incur the wrath of this powerful being. As Gu Changge’s palm tapped against the arm of his chair, the sound made everyone tremble. His fingers seemed to have full control over the Great Dao. Be it space, time, season, life, and death, or even the elements, chaos, and reincarnation; the depth and magnitude of what he could do seemed endless and unimaginable… All of the Ancestors of Spirit Ruin True World had the feeling that Gu Changge could kill them with a flick of his finger. Both experts in the Dao Realm and True Worlds seemed easy to shatter beneath his touch. An ordinary Dao Realm expert would not be able to imagine and comprehend such power, in the same way that ants could not understand the vastness of existence. At last, when everyone could barely resist the urge to fall to their knees, Gu Changge glanced at Wan Yanxiu and the White Bone Ancestor King. “In that case,” Gu Changge remarked at leisure. “I am in need of a few subordinates. Are you two willing to carry out my commands?” Naturally, everything he did earlier had been on purpose. He wanted them to mistakenly assume he had some irresolvable grudge with those from the Land of Truth. What they called the Land of Truth was what Gu Changge described as the Source Realm. After hearing Gu Changge’s question, both Wan Yanxiu and the White Bone Ancestor King felt relieved. They were soaked in sweat. It had never even occurred to them to refuse, of course. Wan Yanxiu sensed that something was amiss when the Land of Truth was brought up. He felt as if the very foundation of his Dao Realm cultivation was on the verge of shattering. Thus, he immediately realised he had misspoken and sorely regretted it. He was certain that this mysterious Lord of the Forbidden Area had to have some insurmountable grudge with the Land of Truth. Beings like him were ancient and invincible. Their cultivation was unthinkable. They would most likely have an Immortal True World under them. Yet, why did the one before him become a Lord of the Forbidden Area? There had to be a secret reason behind it. However, save for those from the Land of Truth, it was unlikely that anyone in the Expanse Domain could harm him. After thinking things through, Wan Yanxiu truly regretted what he said. He was afraid that he had thoroughly angered Gu Changge. Fortunately, Gu Changge did not hold it against him. As for becoming Gu Changge’s subordinate, Wan Yanxiu had already been prepared to do that. Just staying alive was already a blessing. All other matters could wait.