“Miss Su, I ask you to show some respect for me, Gu Tianzong, and leave with your people.”
The moment Gu Tianzong landed, an overwhelming pressure swept across. The two Nascent Soul Realm bodyguards beside Su Yuheng immediately turned pale, uncontrollably dropping to their knees.
Even Su Yuheng involuntarily stepped back half a pace.
The difference between someone at the 3rd stage Primordial Unity Realm and the Peak of the Primordial Unity Realm was like the gap between mountains and valleys—immeasurable.
Su Yuheng understood that if a fight broke out now, she would gain little to no advantage. Even with two divine weapons on her, she couldn’t do anything to Gu Tianzong. At best, she might hold a 40% edge.
So she put away the Starshine Imperial Sword and gave Gu Luoqing a fierce glare before saying, “Gu Luoqing, you’re lucky today, but this won’t be the end of it.”
Then she ordered, “We’re leaving!”
The next second, Su Yuheng vanished along with the two Void Refining Realm bodyguards in front of the Longevity Chamber of Commerce.
Once she was sure Su Yuheng had left, Gu Tianzong finally let out a sigh of relief and looked at Gu Luoqing.
“Many thanks for saving me, Ancestral Master.” Gu Luoqing respectfully bowed.
Gu Tianzong, however, only shook his head. “Luoqing, this can’t go on. The World Auction Chamber is too powerful, backed by six other forces and even the Ancestral Master of the Heavenly Feather Sect.
Our Longevity Chamber of Commerce is too weak now. If we want to survive, we need someone we can rely on.”
Gu Luoqing stayed silent. She understood what Gu Tianzong meant—marry He Yunchuan, the son of the City Lord of Xingluo City, and become cultivation partners.
That was also the will of the entire clan. He Yunchuan was a prodigy of this generation, not even 1,000 years old and already an 8th stage Primordial Unity Realm expert.
With the immense resources and connections behind Xingluo City, once their two families were united, they wouldn’t have to worry about Su Yuheng’s attempts to take over.
But Gu Luoqing didn’t want to marry He Yunchuan. He was frivolous, arrogant, narrow-minded—nowhere near the kind of partner she desired.
Yet the Longevity Chamber of Commerce was being squeezed so hard by the World Auction Chamber it was nearly bankrupt. If she didn’t agree to the union, being swallowed was only a matter of time.
On top of that, for years, Gu Luoqing had been plagued by a severe head condition that halted her cultivation progress, while Su Yuheng grew ever stronger.
A marriage alliance seemed like the best—or perhaps only—choice.
Seeing Gu Luoqing remain silent, Gu Tianzong sighed again. “Child, I know your pride runs deep, but this concerns the reputation of the Gu Clan that has lasted thousands of years. Some things are beyond our control. Think it over carefully.”
“I understand, Ancestral Master. I’ll consider it thoroughly.”
Gu Tianzong sighed again, said no more, and soared into the skies on his sword, flying out of the city.
Boom—
Just moments after he left, a loud explosion made Gu Luoqing’s eyelids twitch.
She looked back and saw black smoke billowing from the direction of the pill furnace.
Something clicked in her mind. Gu Luoqing immediately transformed into a beam of light and shot toward the alchemy room.
Inside, six pill furnaces had exploded into rubble. Shen Lian stood amidst the wreckage, completely ignoring it, his attention fixed on a glowing golden pill in his hand.
The medicinal fragrance filled the air, quickly spreading through the depths of the bamboo forest.
“It’s barely acceptable,” Shen Lian muttered with no emotion, then summoned icy spiritual energy from within his body to cool the scorching hot pill.
Just then, Gu Luoqing, alarmed by the loud noise, rushed into the pill room. She was about to speak but was instantly captivated by the pill in his hand.
“Is that… a top-grade Vitalhorn Pill?”
“Too bad—just half a step away from imperial grade. Such a waste,” Shen Lian said, then swallowed the pill before she could say a word.
Gu Luoqing hadn’t even recovered from her shock. She looked at the destroyed furnaces, then remembered the exceptional pill Shen Lian had held.
In that moment, something unbelievable came to her mind.
“Fellow Daoist Shen, you truly know how to refine pills?”
“Spare me your doubts. What you saw with your own eyes is the truth,” Shen Lian replied arrogantly.
“I already said, don’t disturb me these days. Today’s interruption will be overlooked. If it happens again, our cooperation is over—and don’t expect me to cure your head condition.”
“I’m truly sorry, I just…”
Just the thought of that nightmare-inducing head pain returning made Gu Luoqing quickly apologize.
At this moment, Shen Lian radiated an aura that allowed no defiance, making her feel a deep, instinctive respect.
“I don’t want to hear excuses. Leave now. For the next three days, no one is to come near this place.”
“Understood. Don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Shen.”
Gu Luoqing left the pill room at once as instructed and placed a barrier around the bamboo forest to keep everyone away.
Meanwhile, the pill Shen Lian had taken began to take effect.
He immediately sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and guided the medicinal power into his Five Viscera and Six Bowels.
…
Three hundred kilometers outside Wushuang City, beside a clear lake, Su Yuheng stared at her flawless reflection on the surface, her eyes full of coldness.
“Damn it!”
Suddenly, she roared and slammed her palm out.
The lake erupted with a dragon-like water tornado stretching hundreds of meters high.
“Gu Luoqing! How dare she speak to me like that! Absolutely disgraceful!”
The image of Gu Luoqing lecturing her earlier only fueled Su Yuheng’s fury.
“Who does she think she is? What gives her the right to scold me?”
With another slap of her palm, the tornado shattered, turning into torrential rain.
Behind her, the two Void Refining Realm guards remained silent, their heads bowed.
It was rare to see Su Yuheng this enraged. The only time she’d lost her temper like this was usually because of Shen Lian.
After a while, her emotions settled slightly.
She asked coldly, “Is there any way to bypass Gu Tianzong? No matter what, I want Gu Luoqing dead.”
One guard was startled and said, “President, please calm down. If you kill Gu Luoqing now, the Gu Clan will fight the World Auction Chamber to the death.”
Su Yuheng scoffed, “That declining Gu Clan? Why should I care? The only one I’m wary of is Gu Tianzong. If I bring in Senior Sister, wouldn’t the two of us be enough to eliminate one Gu Tianzong?”
The other guard spoke up, “President Su, Sect Master Lu is currently engaged in a tense standoff with the Demonic Region. She likely has no time to intervene here. Perhaps it’s best to endure for now.”
Su Yuheng closed her eyes and sank into thought.
Everything that had happened today—was all stirred up by that worthless Shen Lian. If it weren’t for him, none of this would’ve happened.
Even now, Su Yuheng didn’t truly believe Shen Lian would dare attack the World Auction Chamber.
After all, Wushuang City was guarded by Chen Tianhua, a powerful Void Refining Realm expert. How could Shen Lian, only at the Spirit Transformation Realm, possibly kill him?
And among the guests who died, many were high-level cultivators. How could Shen Lian have wiped them all out by himself?
Most importantly, in her memory, Shen Lian was like a dog always hovering around her, never daring to displease her.
The more she thought about it, the more her Dao heart wavered. Her emotions grew more turbulent with each passing second.
Just then, one guard suddenly said, “President, didn’t you find Gu Luoqing’s behavior today a bit strange?”
Su Yuheng opened her eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Gu Luoqing always looked down on Shen Lian. Why did she suddenly start speaking up for him? Isn’t that highly suspicious?”
“Hmm? You mean…?”
“President Su, I’m wondering… could Shen Lian be hiding out with Gu Luoqing?”
“Impossible!”
Su Yuheng rejected the idea without hesitation.
“That trash wouldn’t even look at another woman aside from the seven of us! And Gu Luoqing? Doesn’t he know we’re mortal enemies? If he’s with her, wouldn’t that anger me? There’s no way he’d dare do that!”
Her deeply ingrained impression of Shen Lian led her to instinctively believe he would never do anything to displease her.
Let alone believe that he could join forces with her rival to go against her.