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Chapter 455: Chapter 451: The Dust Settles
The aura he sensed belonged to none other than Lan Yuxian.
This woman had come to his courtyard late at night, obviously harboring some discontent.
But...
What of it?
The gap between them was too vast.
If she really wanted to start a fight, he wouldn’t mind slapping her to death.
"Looks like I need to exchange Contribution Value for a set of Video Stones," he thought.
Video Stone was a type of Spiritual Artifact that could record sounds and images.
A set cost about a million.
Even if he bought the extremely small, easily concealed Video Stones, it would at most cost around ten million.
This expense was negligible to him now.
Thinking this, he had already arrived at the relatively secluded backyard.
Among the clusters of flowering plants in the backyard, dressed in a long white gown and still looking as stunningly cold as ever, Lan Yuxian quietly waited.
Upon noticing Gu Jinlai’s arrival, her gaze immediately fixed on him.
"Gu Jinlai."
"Captain Lan, what’s the matter?"
Gu Jinlai answered indifferently, and after a moment, he seemed to remember something, "I forgot, you already resigned as the Sweeper Team Captain."
"Gu Jinlai, I need your help."
Lan Yuxian appeared very composed, "I just went to the headquarters of the Sweepers, and from the interrogators, I learned the possible location of Shang Tielong. If you are willing to help me capture Shang Tielong..."
"Help you?"
Gu Jinlai pointed to his own head, "It seems you haven’t woken up yet?"
"What do you want? I can give you all the chips."
Lan Yuxian said, "I know I deceived you with the matter of the Xuanhuang Zhenyue Tower, but the Tower is the property of the Lan Family, we only hold the user right but not the control right, so even if I wanted to give it to you, I couldn’t."
"I’m not interested in your explanation."
As Gu Jinlai spoke, his eyes scanned over Lan Yuxian, "Uninvited entry, does that count as breaking into a private residence? I can kill you on this ground alone."
"Lan Yuhua gave you something, I can give twice more! Spiritual Artifacts? Divine Skills? Money? Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures? I can give you anything!"
Lan Yuxian kept her composure as she looked at Gu Jinlai, "Even if it means giving myself, I can do that too."
"You?"
Gu Jinlai looked at her, quietly examining.
Yet on Lan Yuxian’s pretty face, there seemed to be no shame, still maintaining her composure.
However...
Her voice did have a slight tremble, "For the opportunity to cultivate further in Taiao Cave Heaven, I’ve nearly given up everything I could, so I absolutely must not fail. Whatever you want, as long as I have it, I can give it to you."
"Why are you asking for my help?"
As Gu Jinlai asked, he grew curious.
"Only you can help me." 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Lan Yuxian said, "The news of Lan Yuhua killing the Demon King has spread throughout the Lan Family and time is running out, only one day left. No one will believe I can turn things around by then. Even if I bring Shang Tielong’s clues now, because they point to locations outside the city, no one would be willing to go with me."
She looked at Gu Jinlai, "A month ago, I treated you so harshly, severely humiliating you. And just today, I even reported to the Dean that you were extorting for my Xuanhuang Zhenyue Tower, accusing you of improper intentions, saying you were not a qualified captain. From what the Dean seemed to consider... it appears he already has some thoughts..."
"You actually reported this to the Dean!?"
Gu Jinlai’s expression turned cold.
"Exactly, your chance at becoming the Sweeper Team Captain could slip through your fingers because of this incident. You must hate me now."
Lan Yuxian stared at Gu Jinlai, straightening her body, her voice cold, "Hate me, then come take your revenge. I’m standing right in front of you. You can do whatever you want to take revenge, I will not resist! Just promise me, help me tackle Shang Tielong, and help me win the cultivation slot in Taiao Cave Heaven!"
Gu Jinlai looked at her in this manner but remained silent.
"Gu Jinlai, what are you waiting for?"
Lan Yuxian spoke coldly, tilting her head back.
Full of charm.
Her elegance was unmistakable.
But in the end...
Gu Jinlai simply replied, "You’re too old."
The expression on Lan Yuxian’s face slightly stiffened.
"As far as I know, you started cultivating at twelve, achieved Monarch status by forty, became a Deva at fifty-three, and you’re fifty-six this year."
Gu Jinlai remarked, "Though you look beautiful, my requirements are not just beauty, but also youth."
"I am a Deva; I can easily live up to two hundred years. Fifty-six is equivalent to just over twenty years for an ordinary person. Also, I use Youthful Elixir every year, so my appearance, figure, and skin always look no older than twenty..."
Lan Yuxian seemed very confident in her physical appearance.
"Sorry."
She was interrupted by Gu Jinlai before she could finish, "Just thinking about your actual age disgusts me; I can’t bring myself to do it."
Lan Yuxian stared at Gu Jinlai, after several moments, she once again spoke coldly, "Gu Jinlai, do you know? You just missed a great opportunity."
"I don’t think so."
Gu Jinlai looked at Lan Yuxian, "You should feel lucky that the Lan Family’s Saint will return to Wind and Rain City tomorrow. Otherwise, you might not have been able to leave my courtyard safely today."
"You wouldn’t dare, your personality... what they call cautious is actually indecisive and cowardly."
Lan Yuxian provocatively said, "Otherwise, you wouldn’t have let me go even though I came right to your doorstep."
"Come here."
Gu Jinlai did not respond to Lan Yuxian, simply calling out to someone outside.
Soon, a commotion could be heard from outside.
Lan Yuxian knew she had to leave.
She had already made preparations for her visit tonight.
A Supreme Grade Spirit Artifact similar to a Video Stone was embedded in the jewelry on her collarbone.
If Gu Jinlai had truly made a move against her, and she had recorded it, he would either have to obediently follow her bidding and risk his life to capture Shang Tielong outside the city or...
She would directly go to Lan Yuxue with the Spirit Artifact tomorrow, seeking justice through her elder sister’s help.
If things went well, she might even frame Lan Yuhua...
However, she hadn’t expected that no matter how she tried to tempt Gu Jinlai to stir his desires, he never took the bait.
This made her doubt her own charm and also wonder whether Gu Jinlai had started to seek true self.
After all, the seeking true self phase was when the desires of Martial Kings were hardest to suppress, and many Martial Kings fell into loss of control during this phase.
"Gu Jinlai."
Lan Yuxian gave him another deep look, her figure soared into the sky, her sash fluttering as she disappeared into the night.
Gu Jinlai watched the direction in which Lan Yuxian vanished, his eyes slightly narrowed.
He already had a plan in his mind.
Once Lan Yuxue, the Saint from Taiao Cave Heaven, left, he would find an opportunity to directly eliminate Lan Yuxian.
To avoid unforeseen complications.
...
The next day, Lan Yuxue arrived from the Imperial Capital and descended upon the Lan Family.
The arrival of such a Saint from Taiao Cave Heaven naturally caused a stir throughout Wind and Rain City.
Not just Zhao Liang, Fang Yan, and Zong Yan - ordinary Saints and Martial Saints – but even Wu Tianya, Jin Fantian, Cao Wudao, and Zhao Hua, the four giants, accepted the Lan Family’s invitation and spent a noon at the Lan residence.
Since Lan Yuxue was in a critical period of her cultivation, after representing the Lan Family in hosting the top forces of Wind and Rain City and boosting the presence of the Lan Family, she left Wind and Rain City in the afternoon with the winner of the Taiao Cave Heaven cultivation spot, Lan Yuhua.
Lan Yuxian left at the same time.
Lan Yuxian clearly realized that she had completely offended Gu Jinlai and, after assisting Zong Yan in capturing the Demonic Cultist from Lei Jie, staying in Wind and Rain City any longer would be inviting disaster.
Although she did not earn a spot to study in Taiao Cave Heaven, the Lan Family’s origin was in Wind and Rain City, but a significant part of the Lan Family’s power was in the Imperial Capital.
Therefore, even if she couldn’t go to Taiao Cave Heaven, heading to the Lan Family in the Imperial Capital was safer than staying in Wind and Rain City.
...
Gu Jinlai got the news that evening when Yuan Cuo brought him manuscripts of Divine Power Cultivation Techniques.
This news cast a shadow over his otherwise fruitful venture.
However, the shadow lasted only a moment before he dismissed it from his mind.
"The biggest backing of the Lan Family is nothing more than Lan Yuxue. Relying on the power of a Divine Weapon, at most, she is at the peak Saint level. Once my Chaotic Star Light Body reaches Mahayana and I can control the energy release from the Eternal Furnace, dealing with ordinary Saints should pose no difficulty. If the Chaotic Star Light Body reaches Perfection and perfectly controls the power of the Eternal Furnace... in terms of attack capability, I might not be inferior to the Great Divine Ability User of the Heavenly Dragon Wood."
This day won’t be too long.
Two years?
Perhaps even one year!
Gu Jinlai calmed down, picked up a manuscript of Divine Power sent by Yuan Cuo, and flipped through it.
Yuan Cuo had delivered two Divine Powers, and there were three from Martial Saint Inheritance.
Both Divine Powers were top-grade without exception.
One top-grade Divine Power was the Domain type Thunder World.
The other was Fire Based Divine Power.
Yang Flame Burst.
Among the two Divine Powers, Gu Jinlai was more satisfied with Yang Flame Burst compared to Thunder World.
The power of the Eternal Furnace was immensely strong.
But his use of the energy within the Eternal Furnace was too crude.
Previously, he couldn’t even implement the most basic usage method.
It was like a regular person wielding a hundred-pound sword, unable to even swing it, let alone practice swordsmanship.
But once Gu Jinlai reached Mahayana in his cultivation of the Chaotic Star Light Body, his control over the Eternal Furnace would undoubtedly improve significantly. If this technique reached Perfection...
Completely controlling the Eternal Furnace would not be a problem.
Then he would need to consider how to use the power of the Eternal Furnace more precisely.
Apart from the two Divine Powers, the other three Martial Saint Inheritances were really just for reference...
In the future, when he optimizes the Chaotic Star Light Body again, some of the concepts in there might come in handy.
"Suddenly, I have several Divine Powers to learn, in addition to cultivating the Chaotic Star Light Body... Qingguang is utterly insufficient."
Gu Jinlai said to himself.
Next, he would wait to assume the role of Sweeper Team Captain, hunt more Out-of-Control individuals and Demonic Cultists, and try to gather as much Qingguang as possible.
