Gou's Liver Experience in the World of Demons and Demons

“Master, Gu Lie is very stubborn. We have tried all kinds of torture, but he still keeps his mouth shut and has not revealed any useful clues about the weaknesses of Gu Sheng’s martial arts or his whereabouts.”

"I suspect that he may indeed have limited knowledge. Should we... use a soul-searching technique on him? Although it may cause his soul to dissipate, we might be able to obtain some fragmented information."

"Searching for souls?"

Xiao Beixuan slowly opened his eyes, glanced at his subordinate, and his eyes showed a hint of displeasure and contempt.

"Fool. Gu Lie is nothing but bait, a tool to distract Gu Sheng."

He's far more useful alive than a worthless corpse. After the soul search, if he becomes an idiot or his soul dissipates, what will I use to catch that big fish? Letting him live, suffering in agony, is the only way to throw Gu Sheng into chaos.

The subordinate was so reprimanded that he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly lowered his head.

"It is my foolishness that is the fault of my master!"

Just then, another subordinate walked over quietly and respectfully handed over a communication jade talisman that had just received the message.

Xiao Beixuan scanned the information within the jade talisman with his divine sense, a playful smile appearing on his lips.

"Oh? Gu Sheng left Great Wilderness City with a young man and went to Southern Xinjiang? It seems he can't sit still and wants to seek opportunities to improve his strength in preparation for the life-or-death arena in half a month?"

The subordinate who had been reprimanded earlier immediately volunteered.

"Master, I am willing to lead an elite force to the Southern Frontier immediately, intercept this scoundrel en route, and bring back his head!"

"Ambush? With your abilities?"

Xiao Beixuan chuckled and shook his head, his tone filled with undisguised contempt.

"Use your brains! Why did this news spread so quickly and so accurately? It was clearly Linlang Pavilion, or rather, Gu Sheng himself, who deliberately spread the news! The purpose was to lure the snake out of its hole and see who would jump out."

He sat up straight, picked up a grape that a maid had peeled, put it in his mouth, and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I expected him to pull this stunt. Don't worry, I've already arranged for a 'double' with men to prepare a 'surprise' for him. The real killing move wouldn't be revealed so easily. You all, just keep an eye on Gu Lie and make sure he doesn't die."

"Yes! Master's plans are flawless!"

The two subordinates responded in unison, their awe of Xiao Beixuan deepening even further.

……

On the other hand, Gu Sheng and Situ Qingfeng did not choose the conventional route to the Southern Frontier.

Thanks to the extensive teleportation network of the Linglang Pavilion, they traversed several large long-range teleportation arrays in succession, and in just half a day, they crossed an incredibly long distance to arrive at a small border town at the border between the Eastern Wilderness and the Southern Frontier.

The small town appeared rather dilapidated and remote, with low city walls and buildings mostly constructed of rough stone and wood. The pedestrians on the streets were mostly dressed in clothing with a distinct southern Xinjiang style, with darker skin tones, and more or less wearing animal teeth and bone ornaments.

This place is far from the emperor's reach and is not directly under the control of the "divine religion". It is one of the few cities in the southern border that still maintains its own unique order, and is a melting pot of all sorts of people.

As the two walked along the dusty street, Situ Qingfeng's gaze swept over a simple notice board near the city gate, and he suddenly stopped, his face instantly darkening.

"Brother Gu, look!"

Situ Qingfeng pointed to a recently posted wanted poster on the notice board, his tone filled with indignation.

Gu Sheng looked up and saw a clear portrait of himself on the wanted poster. Although it only bore a seven or eight-tenths resemblance, the spirit of the subject was captured quite accurately. The wanted poster was jointly issued by two forces—the Southern Frontier Divine Cult and… the Southern Imperial City of the Eastern Wilderness! It listed his “crimes” and offered a hefty reward.

It further states that his cultivation level is approximately at the Heavenly Martial Realm, but he possesses a special magic weapon capable of unleashing power to kill those at the Sect Realm. Moreover, he is cunning and treacherous, so those who attempt to capture him must be extremely careful.

"This Southern Imperial City! They've gone too far!"

Situ Qingfeng said angrily.

"They begged us for help back then, but not only did they turn their backs on us after they've served their purpose, they're now even colluding with the cult and issuing arrest warrants! They're utterly shameless!"

Compared to Situ Qingfeng's righteous indignation, Gu Sheng's reaction was much calmer. He merely glanced at it and then looked away, as if the person on the wanted poster had nothing to do with him. "As expected."

He only said four words before stopping and turning to Situ Qingfeng.

"Let's find an inn to stay in first."

Seeing his calm demeanor, Situ Qingfeng could only suppress his anger and follow him.

The two of them booked two superior rooms at an inn in the city that looked fairly clean and was called "Ke Zai Lai".

After entering the room, closing the doors and windows, and setting up a soundproof barrier, Situ Qingfeng finally couldn't help but speak again.

"Brother Gu, I still don't understand! Our purpose in coming here is to secretly obtain the remains of the Golden-Winged Roc. Why did you specifically have Linlang Pavilion spread the word, luring Xiao Beixuan's men to intercept us? Doesn't this add unnecessary variables and danger? If it attracts a large force, or even a stronger opponent, wouldn't our plan to seize the remains be..."

Gu Sheng sat at the table, poured himself a glass of water, but didn't drink it. He just looked at the ripples in the glass and spoke calmly.

"Qingfeng, do you think my trip here is solely for the remains of the Golden-Winged Roc?"

Situ Qingfeng was taken aback.

"Is not it?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

Gu Sheng raised his head, his gaze deep.

“I have other plans in Great Wilderness City. Besides the remains, the more important purpose of this trip south is to attract attention and keep Xiao Beixuan and the forces that may be colluding with him, such as the Southern Frontier Divine Sect and the Boundless Sect, firmly focused on us and on the Southern Frontier.”

He paused and continued to explain.

"I will definitely go to the life-or-death arena at Broken Soul Cliff."

Moreover, I will kill Xiao Beixuan in front of the whole world in a fair and square manner.

The life-or-death arena, supervised by the Great Wilderness Holy Academy, has strict rules that can limit his use of certain sinister and forbidden methods to the greatest extent possible, at least enough to cripple one of his arms.

But Xiao Beixuan is cunning and suspicious by nature; he would never easily leave his stronghold to personally intercept and kill me in the Southern Frontier.

"So, you deliberately exposed your whereabouts and made a big fuss about it in order to..."

Situ Qingfeng seemed to understand something.

"It was to make him think that all my energy was in the southern border region, in dealing with his interception and in searching for my remains."

A glint of wisdom flashed in Gu Sheng's eyes. "In this way, his attention to the Great Wilderness City will naturally decrease. Only then will I have the opportunity to quietly set up my real backup plan."

Simply put, I want him to think he's figured out my movements. In reality, my goal has never been limited to the Southern Frontier; it's also about the battle at the Broken Soul Cliff in Great Wilderness City half a month from now! By diverting his and his allies' attention, our operations in Great Wilderness City will proceed more smoothly.

After listening, Situ Qingfeng suddenly understood and looked at Gu Sheng with admiration.

"I see! Brother Gu's foresight is truly admirable! It was my oversight that led me astray."

Gu Sheng stood up, walked to the window, looked at the desolate and chaotic scene of the border town outside the window, and his tone turned cold again.

"Since he has sent people, let's collect some interest on this journey to the Southern Frontier. Now that the news has been released, we just need to 'wait'."

Situ Qingfeng walked to his side, his brows furrowed, still looking worried.

"Brother Gu, I still think this move is too risky."

Xiao Beixuan is treacherous and cunning. If he really goes all out to intercept and kill us, we may not be able to handle it.

Moreover, in the life-or-death duel two weeks from now, will he truly abide by the rules and fight you fairly? I have a feeling he won't be that honest.

Gu Sheng's gaze remained fixed on the window, as if he could pierce through the void and see his opponent far away in the Great Wilderness City. "Fairness?"

A cold, sharp smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Xiao Beixuan would naturally not bind his own arms to fight me."

A clever person like him excels at using any means outside the rules to create an absolutely advantageous situation for himself.

He turned around and looked at Situ Qingfeng, his eyes as deep as the starry night.

"Because he is a smart man, when I deliberately exposed my whereabouts and attracted a large-scale ambush, he became suspicious and thought that this was another trap I had set."

He might outwardly send men to intercept me, but his true focus will undoubtedly be on the deployment in Great Wilderness City. He'll attempt to weaken me before the life-or-death arena through various underhanded tactics, such as targeting those around me, disrupting my plans, or searching for treasures that can counter me, thus ensuring my safety on the arena.

"So you think that the force he sent to southern Xinjiang was not the main force?"

Situ Qingfeng seemed to understand something.

“Main force? Perhaps, but they are by no means his core strength. More likely, they are some expendable pawns used for testing, or... local forces in southern Xinjiang who are colluding with him.”

Gu Sheng spoke with certainty.

"He thinks three steps ahead for every one step he takes, so naturally I have to think a few steps ahead of him."

I have already anticipated his various plans for the Great Wilderness City.

He wanted to distract me with the events in southern Xinjiang, but I could retaliate in kind.

Situ Qingfeng pondered for a moment, then proposed another possibility.

"What if... I mean, what if Xiao Beixuan doesn't play by the rules and actually sends out unimaginable forces, or comes in person? Wouldn't we be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Sheng suddenly raised an eyebrow and revealed a meaningful smile.

"Playing by the rules? That's fine too."

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Situ Qingfeng looked out the window where Gu Sheng had been gazing, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

Across the street from downstairs, in an inconspicuous corner, sat an old man dressed in slovenly clothes, his hair a mess, sitting unkempt on a rock with one leg crossed, seemingly picking at his toes.

This old man was none other than Xia Wuyou, who had suppressed Situ Qingfeng to the point of immobility not long ago in front of the Linlang Pavilion in the Great Wilderness City with just his aura!
However, upon closer inspection, Xia Wuyou's figure seemed somewhat illusory, not a complete entity. A faint, almost imperceptible halo flowed around him, as if he were an incarnation constructed from pure energy and spiritual power.

Even so, the faint, terrifying aura emanating from this avatar still made Situ Qingfeng feel a chill run down his spine.

Just as Situ Qingfeng was shocked as to why Xia Wuyou's avatar had appeared at this moment—

Boom! ! !
A deafening roar, like muffled thunder, suddenly echoed from the southern horizon! It wasn't actual thunder, but rather a celestial phenomenon caused by a massive energy field formed by countless powerful fluctuations of true energy converging together!
Everyone looked up and saw that the once clear sky in the south was now being rapidly covered by a huge "dark cloud"! The "dark cloud" was not water vapor, but a huge and oppressive aura formed by the interweaving and fusion of the various true qi emanating from the bodies of thousands, or even tens of thousands, of martial artists!

The combined aura was so powerful it was suffocating. Even from hundreds of miles away, the oppressive force that swept in like a tsunami had already turned the faces of all the martial artists in this small border town pale, and an uncontrollable fear welled up in their hearts!
"This...this is..."

Situ Qingfeng gasped, his eyes filled with shock.

"How many people? Several thousand? Or tens of thousands? How could Xiao Beixuan possibly mobilize so many troops in such a short time?!"

Gu Sheng's eyes were cold as he spoke in a deep voice.

"He doesn't have the ability to mobilize so many warriors from the Eastern Wilderness in such a short time. It seems we guessed right. The people he sent didn't come to intercept us directly, but instead went to notify their allies in the Southern Frontier—the Seventy-Two Gods Cult!"

This is a case of using someone else to do the dirty work, and they're trying to crush us with sheer numbers!

As the two were talking, the "dark cloud" composed of countless martial artists approached the small town at an alarming speed! It blotted out the sky and cast a huge shadow, as if the end of the world had arrived!
"Gu Sheng! Come out here and face your death!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the front of the dark clouds, its sound waves rippling and shaking the houses in the small town, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

The small town instantly descended into chaos, with chickens flying and dogs barking. The common people fled in terror into their homes, locking their doors and windows tightly, while the martial artists looked up in horror at the massive procession that hovered in the air, resembling heavenly soldiers and generals.

"There he is! At the window on the second floor of the inn! He is Gu Sheng, the martial artist from the Eastern Wilderness on the wanted poster!"

Among the crowd, a sharp-eyed person immediately spotted Gu Sheng standing at the window and pointed in this direction, shouting loudly.

In the sky, the dark mass of people gradually became clearer.

Besides the martial artists in Wuyai Sect attire we'd seen before, there were many more martial artists dressed in various Southern Frontier-style clothing, each bearing a distinct but striking religious symbol.

They came from different religions, but at this moment they were united.

At the very front of this group, a young man dressed in fine clothes, whose face bore a striking resemblance to Xiao Beixuan, was staring down at Gu Sheng with a murderous gaze.

His aura was not weak, but it was by no means as unfathomable as Xiao Beixuan's true form.

"substitute."

Gu Sheng saw through his true nature at a glance.

The double pointed his long sword at Gu Sheng, and his voice, amplified by his inner energy, resounded throughout the city.

"Gu Sheng! You killed my 'brother,' a crime deserving of death! Today, I have brought the allied forces of the Seventy-Two Divine Sects here to make you pay for your crime in blood, to tear you to pieces, and to avenge my 'brother'!" (End of Chapter)