The young man standing on the eaves wore an indifferent expression, his eyes filled with an inexplicable coldness. The demonic aura surging from his body was so oppressive that anyone who saw him would instinctively retreat.
Ling’er froze at first.
When she noticed the blood-dripping sword in Gu Chengxing’s hand, she finally realized something. Terror flooded her eyes. She staggered back two steps unconsciously, clutching Shen Ruochu as she tried to flee.
Gu Chengxing stepped forward once.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared before the master and servant, his presence overwhelming.
Ling’er shuddered violently, stumbled, and fell to the ground. Shock and fury filled her face.
“Who are you?! Why did you slaughter the Shen family!”
Gu Chengxing maintained his cold expression.
After all, he could not very well smile and say, “I wiped out your family. No need to thank me.” That would only make him appear even more terrifying.
It was better to keep the persona of the cold, demonic villain from the original novel.
Facing Ling’er’s horrified questioning, Gu Chengxing did not answer. He merely looked at her steadily, his gaze unreadable.
So this is the future Great Empress… and right now she is just a powerless girl.
Ling’er, in the original novel, was the person closest to Shen Ruochu. She had protected Shen Ruochu since childhood and was also a rather legendary figure in the novel.
Gu Chengxing cut off his thoughts.
Without saying a word, he slowly approached the pair, releasing his oppressive aura to the fullest as he looked down at them from above.
Just as he was about to speak, a childish voice came from Ling’er’s arms.
“Gu Chengxing… you’re Gu Chengxing!”
Shen Ruochu stared fixedly at him.
She recognized him.
Just yesterday, when her father had taken her to the academy to seek a master, she had encountered a handsome young man in blue robes.
She had secretly asked her father who he was.
Her father had told her he was Gu Chengxing, the sole true disciple of the Peak Master of Transcendent Peak in the Azure Cloud Sword Sect, an unparalleled prodigy in the world.
Her eyes had lit up as she declared, “I want to join the Azure Cloud Sword Sect in the future!”
Her father had only smiled and let her run off to play.
After that, there was nothing more.
Gu Chengxing paused upon hearing this. He looked at the young Shen Ruochu, her eyes swollen red from crying, and felt a trace of reluctance in his heart.
On that tender little face were nothing but pain. Her small hands kept wiping away tears and rainwater. In the last sliver of her reason, there lingered a faint hope.
It seemed she had not yet completely accepted that the Gu Chengxing before her, enveloped in demonic aura, was the one who destroyed her family.
“Do you know… what happened?”
Shen Ruochu spoke word by word, her eyes locked onto him.
Gu Chengxing leaned slightly closer, lowered his head, and said in a hoarse voice, “Isn’t it obvious enough?”
“It’s simple. I am the enemy who killed your entire family, Shen Ruochu.”
He pointed at the blood-soaked corpses on the ground and said coldly, “What are you still hoping for?”
As if in mockery, he raised the Azure Spirit Sword slightly. The rain had already washed away the bloodstains, and the sharp blade gleamed as it pierced into her vision.
Shen Ruochu’s pupils contracted violently. That final trace of hope shattered. The pain in her eyes transformed into hatred as she glared at Gu Chengxing.
“It was you! You killed Father and Mother!”
Her childish voice was filled with despair and hatred.
A surge of strength from nowhere burst forth. She broke free from Ling’er’s embrace and rushed toward Gu Chengxing.
“Miss…”
Ling’er immediately tightened her hold on Shen Ruochu. Hatred burned in her eyes as well, but she understood the gravity of the situation. At this moment, she was even pleading.
“Please don’t hurt my young miss. She is only a child.”
“Sister Ling’er, don’t beg him, don’t… wuwuwuwu…”
Shen Ruochu roared from the side, her voice filled with desolation.
“You are a true disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect… yet you commit such acts…” Ling’er’s voice gradually choked with sobs.
She knew clearly that this time, they might not escape. She and the young miss might both die.
Madam, what should I do…
How can I survive…
Gu Chengxing looked at Ling’er.
“Fine. I won’t kill your young miss.”
“What?” Ling’er thought she had misheard and suddenly looked up.
“Her talent is not bad. I will take her away and keep her by my side.”
“Impossible! I will never hand Miss over to you!”
Gu Chengxing snorted coldly. “You have no choice. If you dare spread what happened today, think carefully about your young miss’s life.”
Ling’er’s expression changed drastically. Holding Shen Ruochu, she turned and ran.
Gu Chengxing waved his hand lightly. Ling’er suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed to the ground, still clutching Shen Ruochu, who also tumbled down.
Shen Ruochu scrambled up, her voice trembling with increasing fear.
“Sister Ling’er! What happened to you?”
“What did you do to Sister Ling’er?!”
She was terrified. Terrified that Sister Ling’er would die too. Terrified that she would be the only person left in this world.
Shen Ruochu looked at Gu Chengxing, her small body trembling violently.
“She’s fine. She only fainted.”
Gu Chengxing maintained his cold facade, trying his best not to let it crack.
“Come with me, Shen Ruochu.”
“Impossible! I will definitely kill you!”
Shen Ruochu suddenly lunged at him, baring her teeth and claws, her entire body radiating the determination to fight him to the death.
“Your Sister Ling’er is not dead. But if you refuse to come with me, she will die.”
“And you cannot resist me.”
As he spoke, Gu Chengxing’s figure shifted. He appeared directly beside Shen Ruochu and placed his hand over her head.
In an instant, Shen Ruochu felt her mind grow dizzy and her entire body lose strength.
Sleep for a while…
Immediately afterward, she fainted as well.
Gu Chengxing gently picked her up. The slight weight and burning warmth made him pause.
A fever… Even with such a high temperature and overwhelming grief, she still fought with everything she had?
He then leaped up, landing on the eaves once more, and turned to leave.
Not far away in the capital, subtle movements began to stir. It seemed the events here had been noticed.
Gu Chengxing’s expression was unreadable.
He glanced back once more, pondered briefly, and then released a stream of demonic spiritual Qi from his body, covering the entire Shen Residence.
With another motion, he sent a strand of spiritual Qi to shield Ling’er, dispersing the rain around her while maintaining her life force.
Ling’er, the future Great Emperor, could not fall at this stage. Besides, if she truly died, Shen Ruochu’s hatred toward him would deepen even further.
He let out a deep sigh.
Carrying Shen Ruochu’s small body in his arms, he headed toward the outskirts of the capital.
[Ding! Host has completed Choice Three. The hidden danger of the Heavenly Demon Physique has been resolved. The Heavenly Demon Physique is now under control!]
As the system’s voice faded, Gu Chengxing felt as though he had been enlightened. His spirit became fuller than ever before. The demonic aura that had been constantly leaking and even raging around him instantly grew docile, like a tamed hawk. With a mere thought, he drew all of it back into his body.
“Hu…”
“It feels much better now.”
Relief washed over him. His overall temperament became noticeably gentler. The cold indifference he had maintained earlier dissolved in an instant.
Feeling the obvious transformation, he could not help but feel lingering fear.
“If the hidden danger of the Heavenly Demon Physique hadn’t been resolved early, within a month my temperament would have drastically changed… In the end, I would likely have become the same great demon as in the original novel, either meeting death or having my mind completely devoured by demonic aura, neither human nor ghost.”
[Ding! System panel activated!]
[Name: Gu Chengxing]
[Age: 19]
[Realm: Peak Core Formation Realm]
[Physique: Heavenly Demon Physique (Hidden danger removed)]
[Techniques: Azure Cloud Transcendent Art (Heaven Rank, High Grade), Heavenly Demon Fatal Art (Not yet learned)]
[Martial Skills: Azure Cloud Shadow Step (Heaven Rank, High Grade, Great Mastery), Azure Cloud Sword Technique (Heaven Rank, Low Grade, Peak), Azure Cloud Eight Extremes Burst (Mystic Rank, Low Grade, Peak), Sword Drawing Technique (No Rank, Minor Mastery)]
[Secret Art: One Lifetime of Transcendent, I Am Free (Divine Rank, Top-Tier Secret Art, usable in desperate situations)]
[Sword Intent: Wind Sword Intent (Great Mastery), Chaos Demonic Sword Intent (Minor Mastery, passively comprehended)]
[Equipment: Azure Spirit Sword (Top-Grade Spiritual Weapon)]