Chapter 582: Xiao Ruoyin'S Choice, Path To Life Or Death
Gu Changge said casually with a calm demeanour, as if the matter he talked about was insignificant. But whether it was Xiao Ruoyin or Jiang Chen, both fell into silence at that moment.
Jiang Chen knew the current Xiao Ruoyin was no longer the Xiao Ruoyin that he was familiar with. She was the High Priestess of Destiny, who wielded the Celestial Boat of Creation and once held a supreme status in the Immortal Palace. The reason why she was here to save him wasn't because of their old ties, but because he was the vessel of the Celestial Boat of Creation. She simply didn't want to see the Celestial Boat of Creation destroyed, with him serving only as a side piece.
The corners of Jiang Chen's mouth gradually formed a bitter arc of self-deprecation. Moreover, from the start to the end, Xiao Ruoyin never looked in his direction, as if his existence meant nothing.
"I'll give you time to consider, but don't forget, even if you can save him and bring him away. From today onwards, even the vastness of the Upper Realm will no longer have a place for you. " Gu Changge continued his gentle smile as if he wasn't worried about either choice that Xiao Ruoyin would make.
"I know." Xiao Ruoyin nodded and then went silent. As she peered at Gu Changge, many thoughts flashed through her head. She didn't make her choice right away. However, Gu Changge was right. Even if she could bring Jiang Chen away, from today onwards, there wouldn't be a place for her in the Upper Realm. With Gu Changge's power and influence, which could even turn the whole Upper Realm upside down, who dared to offend him?
Now that Jiang Chen carried the crime of being the Successor of Demonic Arts, he would be the world's enemy no matter where he went. Unless she was strong enough to keep him protected, all of this would be unrealistic. To add on, with her current abilities, it was impossible for her to save him without Gu Changge allowing it. In fact, if she tried, she may even end up buried with him here. Since Gu Changge gave her such a choice, why wouldn't she save her own life?
"Done thinking?" Gu Changge unhurriedly opened his mouth with a faint smile. He had observed the changes in Xiao Ruoyin's expression this whole time and easily guessed her thoughts.
[She hesitated and wavered. Nevertheless, as long as one is smart, they would make the same choice in such a situation.]
As Gu Changge saw how Xiao Ruoyin remained silent, the light in Jiang Chen's eyes slowly dimmed. Begrudgingly, he clenched his fist and the fury in his bloodshot eyes rose.
"Sorry, I don't have much choice right now." Finally, Xiao Ruoyin opened her mouth and looked up. Ever since she first showed herself, this was the first time she made eye contact with Jiang Chen. Nevertheless, her tone carried remorse and helplessness.
"Ruoyin, I misjudged you. You have truly disappointed me." Although Jiang Chen understood her choice, his heart was still filled with anger and resentment. His eyes became as cold as ice. In his eyes, all of this was just a great betrayal. However, after Xiao Ruoyin said that to him, she never spoke again. Thus, Jiang Chen could only reluctantly swallow down everything in his heart that he wanted to say to her.
"Master... How...how could you do this... If you do this, it will be the same as killing Jiang Chen..." With an incredulous expression, the Artifact Spirit of the Celestial Boat of Creation spoke as its voice quivered. It also couldn't believe that Xiao Ruoyinw would make such a decision. This was not the Master it knew. The Master it knew was definitely not that cold and heartless.
Xiao Ruoyin didn't care much about what the Artifact Spirit said and gently shook her head. After all, she had merged her memories with the original Xiao Ruoyin's and wasn't the same as her. In fact, it was only a matter of time for Jiang Chen to be sacrificed if she wanted to obtain the complete Celestial Boat of Creation. If this happened a little later, she might be able to kept Jiang Chen alive as a soul, who still bore his memories. Maybe, one day, he could be brought back. However, time was not on their side and only a soul-shattering death awaited him now.
Xiao Ruoyin herself was not a soft-hearted person. After she made her decision, her expression became calm and carefree once again, as if everything that was happening right now had nothing to do with her.
Gu Changge laughed and stretched out his hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, "Looks like I didn't misjudge you, a smart person like you knows when and how to seize opportunities."
As she heard this, Xiao Ruoyin remained silent but sighed in her heart. After this, she had to tell Gu Changge the secret to refining the Celestial Boat of Creation.
As he had already guessed that Xiao Ruoyin would make such a decision, Gu Changge's expression remained unchanged.
Naturally, before Gu Changge tried it out, he had digested, understood it and tried to hypothesise if it was the true method.
There were two parts to refining the Celestial Boat of Creation, one was the Artifact Spirit and the other was the artifact itself. Since Jiang Chen was the vessel, which he happened to be born as, it caused him to become a human who inherited its immense Fortuity.
In other words, Jiang Chen was a Fortuitous One because he was part of the Celestial Boat of Creation. If Gu Changge wanted to obtain the complete Celestial Boat of Creation, it was a must for Jiang Chen and the Artifact Spirit to merge. This process wasn't complicated, but it was just a little time-consuming.
"Ruoyin, are you really going to help Gu Changge kill me?" Jiang Chen witnessed how Xiao Ruoyin gave Gu Changge the secret to refining the Celestial Boat of Creation. At that moment, it was as if tens of thousands of daggers pierced through his heart. His heartache was incomparable to anything.
Her bone-chilling attitude towards him made him laugh at himself as his despair and disappointment hit the roof.
*Dum! Dum!*
A streak of divine light and black thunder flashed past, as if they had penetrated the skies and pierced into the universe.
At this moment, Ji Shengchu and the Daoist Sage continued their battle. They were inseparable and the fluctuations from their attacks shook the air.
Wisps of Chaos Qi imploded and dispersed into all directions. Even the void was broken into innumerable shards and silently obliterated. Still, the two continued their battle without a care in the world. They didn't bother to listen to the conversation between Jiang Chen and Gu Changge.
With their cultivation level, each move they made would frighten one to death. Yet, they were this strong when not in their peak states! In fact, even if other True Daoists were here, they wouldn't dare to approach them.
Although Jiang Chen was extremely disappointed in Xiao Ruoyin, his heart carried a glimmer of hope that maybe the Prime Ancestor of the Ji Family would have the ability to reverse the situation. Thus, he pinned his last hopes on the Prime Ancestor.
However, at that moment, a terrifying black light suddenly appeared like a great sun that rose from behind Gu Changge. It was blinding and looked as though it had the ability to engulf everything in existence.
"What is this..." Jiang Chen felt as though his own soul was about to be devoured by the black light. He couldn't help but tremble in fear.
*Boom!* The void shook as if it was squashed by this black sun. Even the Chaos Qi that was ejected just now, imploded and was swallowed back by the black sun.
Inside the sun was a palm-sized, small black bottle that seemed to have been condensed from Grand Runes with all the markings on it. The dark Chains made of Principles rushed out and towards the two, as if with the intention to drown them.
With the intention to seize the opportunity of the ongoing battle between the two, Gu Changge stepped forward and made his move!
"This is..." The Prime Ancestor of the Ji Family and the Daoist Sage, who were in the midst of their battle, snapped out of their reverie and their expression changed. Both felt the petrifying aura almost immediately. After they recognised the Grand Flask, their faces contorted even more to show horror and disbelief.
"Impossible..." The Daoist Sage couldn't even react in time to rage at Gu Changge's sudden attack. His face was full of fear, as if he had just seen something unbelievable. He had memories from the Immortal Epoch and thus had seen many great things. He was naturally aware of what this Grand Flask was. It was...a Forbidden Treasure!
However, he didn't know that this object was not actually formed through the condensation of runes. It was the real thing. The original!
"I don't care where you came from. Now that you have done this to me, you must pay the price!" At that moment, the Prime Ancestor of the Ji Family reacted and roared in rage at Gu Changge, who had attacked them.
His aura became akin to a gigantic furnace that could smelt the world. He displayed his unfathomable means that would cause anyone's blood to surge.
He was attempting to shake off the Chains of Principles that surged towards him with his immense might. To be fair, his assessment and confidence was not unfounded. After all, he remained powerful even after his long battle with the Daoist Sage. In other words, he still felt as though he was as invincible as ever.
Nevertheless, Gu Changge's expression remained unchanged. In fact, he still continued to devour the two even in the face of such resistance.
He wasn't about to let the Daoist Sage off just because he once did him a small favour. In his eyes, if the Daoist Sage escaped, he would be a growing danger. Thus, it was better for the Daoist Sage to stay here forever and be buried alongside everything that had happened here in Kun Mountain.
Not to mention, at his peak, the Daoist Sage's cultivation was not any weaker than that of the Prime Ancestor of the Ji Family. It would be foolish of him to leave such a great resource unused.
*Boom!* In the next moment, a terrifying aura engulfed the underground palace. The jet-black Grand Flask was suspended above Gu Changge's head, like a bottomless black abyss. It had an immense power to devour, which seemed to have the ability to devour all under, within, and even heaven itself.
From within the flask, black light ejected towards the Daoist Sage and the Prime Ancestor of the Ji Family, with the intention of capturing both into it.
*Boom!*
However, both were still unparalleled in terms of their strength and methods.
The Daoist Sage opened up a Dao Symbol above his head.
The Dao Symbol shone and a Divine Mountain burst forth towards the Grand Flask, exuding an ancient aura of an Immortal.
However, in the next moment, once the black light fell on the Divine Mountain, it instantly started to disintegrate and turn to nothingness.
Gu Changge's expression was completely composed as he moved forward. One after another, Dao Artifacts appeared in his hand.
With each artifact, brilliant unparalleled aura surged, like a tsunami that burst forth to drown everything in its path.