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Chapter 75: Chapter 75 Preparation
Outside Qiushan Mountain.
Jin Lai strode rapidly, hastening on his way.
Behind him, Gu Chaoyang followed but seemed hesitant to speak.
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Jin Lai said.
"Ignoring the Demon World Gap might lead to an overflow of Demon Spirits and the birth of a large number of Devils around Lingxiao City, but these Devils will need time to grow and become a threat— at least a year or two. However, the pressure brought by Su Tong is imminent."
Gu Chaoyang spoke quickly, "Leaving Lingxiao City at this critical time, those Meteor Star Guards who are unaware of the situation might think we have grown fearful and will surely defect to Su Tong. Although we’ve left quite a few people in the city, when we return, there will inevitably be changes in Lingxiao City."
"I know."
Jin Lai looked up into the distance.
He could already see the signs of human activity ahead.
It was the mark of a large number of people gathering for a construction project.
"Compared to Lingxiao City, the construction project here in Qiushan Mountain is more important to me."
Gu Chaoyang glanced at the Patriarch and, in the end...
chose to trust him.
Jin Lai watched this scene, somewhat reassured.
He appreciated that the greatest quality of the Gu family was their unyielding support; no matter what decision he made, right or wrong, as long as he was determined to pursue it, the Gu Family Disciples would spare no effort to help him achieve it.
Therefore, he was also quite generous in rewarding the Gu family.
After a while, the two men emerged into a clearing.
A massive construction site of over a thousand square meters appeared before them, with thousands of people bustling around it.
Some were transporting materials; others were building roads; still others were managing food and clothing.
Everyone was busy with their tasks.
On the outskirts, Gu Luochen clad in Mystic Steel Armor was leading a group of Gu Family Disciples on patrol.
After nearly two months of assimilation, the thirty Gu family members who had chosen the path of Demon Martial Artists had all condensed their demon bodies, sixteen had formed Middle-level Demon Bodies, and three key members had even cultivated Upper Demon Bodies.
However, Jin Lai had not had time to cast armor recently, so there were still only ten people wearing Mystic Steel Armor, while the remaining twenty were clad in ordinary heavy steel armor.
"Patriarch."
As soon as Jin Lai arrived, Gu Luochen promptly approached to pay his respects, maintaining order.
"Is Gu Junlei inside?"
"Yes."
"Enter the cave."
Jin Lai commanded.
He quickened his pace and soon reached the entrance to the cave.
Not far from the mouth of the cave was a workshop, not very large in terms of craftsmen, but its area was even greater than the one in Lingxiao City run by Gu Junxiu.
At the moment, many craftsmen were collaboratively forging a large framework.
Looking at the framework’s model...
It resembled a steel cauldron.
Only this cauldron had a diameter of no less than five hundred meters.
Jin Lai lingered in the workshop, his eyes filled with anticipation.
But he quickly entered the cave and soon reached its depths.
"Patriarch."
Inside the cave, Gu Junlei, accompanied by several Gu Family Disciples, hurriedly greeted him.
They were equipped with many regular weapons like explosive packs and rockets.
Additionally, they carried powerful crossbows.
Rockets and explosives were extremely effective in charging and breaking formations, but for dealing with powerful individuals such as those with Gang Condensation cultivation or Hugging Pill mastery, specially-made crossbows were far more lethal.
Jin Lai looked at the center of the cave, where ripples in space radiated outwards like waves.
It was like a spring hidden beneath the water’s surface, incessantly pushing streams upwards.
"How long has it been?"
Jin Lai asked.
"It started last night and gradually became more pronounced by dawn, so I immediately sent someone to notify you," Gu Junlei replied.
Jin Lai, contemplating the information he had obtained from Xuzhen Tower regarding the Demon World Gap, said immediately, "You all withdraw, I’ll take it from here."
Facing Gu Chaoyang, he continued, "Have Gu Chifeng dispatch a team of elites to guard the cave."
Gu Chaoyang nodded.
Some of Gu Chifeng’s men had been assigned to the newly recruited six thousand soldiers, and withdrawing them now would decrease their control over this new army.
But upon the Patriarch’s command, they would do their utmost to comply.
"Any other orders from the Patriarch?"
"Bring those with grave sins here and also, have Gu Junxiu bring the new moulds and bullets just in case."
"Understood."
"Go."
Jin Lai waved them away.
Gu Chaoyang, Gu Junlei, and the others quickly withdrew.
Jin Lai then calmed his mind and began to practice the Grand Sun Nine Refinement Visualization Method.
By now, he had cultivated the Visualization Method to the Ninth Refinement.
He even possessed the Nine Refinements Characteristic—True Spirit Manifestation.
However, since he had not yet fully condensed his true spirit, he could not utilize this trait; the secret techniques he could currently employ were only Great Sun Eternal Radiance and the Eternal Heavenly Curse.
"Great Sun Eternal Radiance is a skill with area effect, while the Eternal Heavenly Curse is akin to a laser cannon, targeting single entities."
He looked up at the ripples that continued to disperse.
Feeling his spiritual power that had not fully recovered yet.
Next...
Wait.
...
The next day, Gu Chifeng arrived outside the Qiushan Cave.
He was accompanied by more than twenty people who had been captured from the counties below.
As Gu Jinlai emerged from the cave, a burly man with a face covered in horizontal scars panicked and shouted, "Mr. Gu, please wait, I am very familiar with Shangguan, the Star Master of the Main Star Department. We often dine together, we..."
"Spare me, spare my life, Mr. Gu! The two of us are the sons of Star Governor Zhou of the Main Star Department. Please show us mercy for the sake of our affiliation with the Main Star Department..."
Two others started calling out as well.
Gu Jinlai looked at the twenty-three people, advanced with his sword, not blinking an eye, and amid their screams of terror, unwillingness, despair, and silence, he promptly beheaded six of them one by one.
"This one, release him, the rest, spare none."
Gu Jinlai instructed.
Immediately, Gu Chifeng and the others stepped forward, and swords fell.
Sixteen were slain, every single one.
The only man who survived had already closed his eyes to meet death. After a moment of silence, without feeling the sword upon him, he couldn’t help but be slightly startled.
"You’re releasing me?"
Gu Chifeng glanced at him, recalling the dossiers in hand.
These twenty-three people were all extremely evil and notorious figures who roamed the regions under Lingxiao City’s jurisdiction.
The man presently before him, Leng Tianfeng, relying on his Gang Condensation cultivation, had slaughtered sixty-two members of the Zhang family over a trivial matter, sparing neither old nor young, women nor children, and was imprisoned in the death cell of Beilin County.
Such a fierce person...
Could it be that the Patriarch actually wanted to spare him?
"You’re letting me go?"
A glimmer of hope sparked in the gloomy eyes of Leng Tianfeng.
"Off you go," Gu Jinlai said simply.
"So... You believe that the Zhang Family wasn’t slain by me?"
Gu Jinlai looked at his white name and uttered one word, "Believe."
"Why?"
"No particular reason."
Gu Jinlai turned away.
Leng Tianfeng watched Gu Jinlai for a long time without speaking.
It wasn’t until Gu Jinlai’s figure was about to disappear into the cave that he suddenly said, "If you help me kill Wang Dang of the Wang Family, I will owe you my life."
Gu Chifeng sneered upon hearing this.
"What are you laughing at?"
Leng Tianfeng asked.
"If you’re talking about the Wang Family of Lingxiao City, then you can acknowledge your new master now. The Lingxiao Wang Family, the Zhao Family, the Fang Family, they have all been uprooted by our Patriarch," Gu Chifeng said.
"The Wang Family, Zhao Family, Fang Family..."
Leng Tianfeng was taken aback.
He had been in the death cell for three months, and the heavens of Lingxiao City had changed?
He looked at Gu Jinlai.
Standing still, he did not leave.
Gu Chifeng looked at his not yet twenty-year-old, immature face, thought of something, and did not drive him away.
...
Inside the cave, Gu Jinlai stood in front of the rippling spatial ripples.
Yet his divine sense was immersed in his spirit world.
Or rather, beside Qing Lian, on the Six Daos of Qingguang.
"My cultivation isn’t high, so the destruction caused by wanting to do evil is quite limited," Gu Jinlai said to himself.
From millions of people in the jurisdiction of Lingxiao City, twenty-four with the most notorious reputation were chosen, yet only six met the criteria of a Red name.
Shaking his head, Gu Jinlai focused his attention on a streak of Qingguang.
With just a thought, the streak of Qingguang infused into the miniature figure of his consciousness.
This time, he didn’t add a single point.
Instead, he relaxed himself and allowed his mind to become empty.
In this state, washed over by the Qingguang, it seemed to trigger an unbelievable effect.
After ten seconds, Gu Jinlai could clearly feel that his spiritual power had almost completely recovered.
This result...
Made him smile faintly.
"My guess was not wrong."
Previously, when he had forcibly invoked True Spirit Possession leading to the depletion of his spirituality, he wondered if the spirituality was connected to the soul dissipation related to the brain, and whether Qingguang’s divine mystery could aid in the recovery of spirituality.
Now it seemed...
Certainly effective.
The effect was quite good; just one Qingguang was comparable to a month of his recuperation.
Two or three of them could completely restore depleted spirituality.
"It can be used as an expedient in urgent situations," Gu Jinlai commented.
With his spiritual power fully restored, next...
He awaited the opening of the Demon World Gap.
