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

"It doesn't matter.

Even without using my trump cards, with my current strength, the odds of winning against her are about 50/50.

She's a smart woman; she knows how to choose.

Hearing Gu Sheng's confident words, Situ Qingfeng was still a little uneasy, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He trusted Gu Sheng's judgment and abilities.

Just then, the tightly closed door creaked open from the inside.

Nangong Yuexia appeared at the door.

She wasn't wearing yesterday's palace gown; instead, she was dressed in a well-tailored, flowing light purple suit of armor. Faint cloud-like runes were inscribed on the armor, subtly shimmering with light, clearly indicating it was no ordinary item.

This outfit made her look less elegant and more heroic and capable, and it also showed her serious and wary attitude at this moment.

Her gaze swept over Gu Sheng and Situ Qingfeng outside the door, lingering for a moment on Gu Sheng, whose aura seemed even more profound and reserved, a hint of barely perceptible surprise flashing in her eyes.

She could sense that the young man had changed in some way overnight.

With a slight thought, Gu Sheng quietly removed the true energy barrier he had previously set up as a precaution.

Nangong Yuexia parted her red lips slightly, her voice cold and unreadable, revealing little emotion.

"I've figured it out."

She turned to the side and gestured "please" towards the courtyard.

"Come in and let's talk."

After speaking, she turned and walked deeper into the courtyard. Gu Sheng followed without hesitation. Seeing this, Situ Qingfeng also quickly followed.

However, as soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Gu Sheng paused slightly.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, instantly sweeping across the courtyard.

In this courtyard, which wasn't particularly spacious but was decorated quite elegantly and exquisitely, besides Nangong Yuexia, there were actually more than a dozen figures standing silently! These people included men and women, dressed in various ways; some looked like old farmers, some like merchants, and some were completely shrouded in cloaks.

They were scattered in the corners of the courtyard, behind the pillars, and even in the shadows of the artificial hill. They seemed to stand randomly, but in fact they formed a mysterious combined attack formation, completely sealing off the central area of ​​the entire courtyard.

What's even more alarming is that although these dozen or so people tried their best to conceal their aura, their calm and steady presence, imbued with the iron-blooded spirit of the battlefield, was impossible to hide.

Moreover, their auras were subtly connected, as if they were one entity.

“Thirteen people, all at the Sect Realm…and they all seem to be at around the third level of the Sect Realm.”

Gu Sheng made a judgment in an instant, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"His aura is deep and his killing intent is restrained. What he has learned is not ordinary martial arts, but more like... the way of battle and killing."

Nangong Yuexia, who was walking ahead, seemed to notice Gu Sheng's momentary pause. Without turning her head, she spoke, her voice carrying a hint of probing and confidence.

"It seems you've figured it out. Don't be nervous, they are all my godfather's... true confidants and loyal followers of the Prince of Zhennan during his lifetime, and also the core force I can rely on in the Zixia Divine Cult now."

Their forte is indeed the ability to kill and win on the battlefield.

Upon hearing this, Gu Sheng glanced at the thirteen people again, nodded slightly, and spoke in a calm tone with a hint of approval.

"It's obvious. The aura of killing intent is intense, far beyond that of ordinary sect masters. The Prince of Zhennan has indeed cultivated a group of skilled individuals."

His calm, even commentary-like attitude caused a slight tremor in the eyes of several of the thirteen assassins, but they remained standing as still as statues, their auras fixed on Gu Sheng becoming even more concentrated.

Nangong Yuexia finally turned around and looked at Gu Sheng, her beautiful eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

"Gu Sheng, I'm very curious. When you see them, aren't you afraid? Aren't you afraid that I'll change my mind, join forces with them right here, and ambush you to kill you, to avenge my godfather?"

The atmosphere in the courtyard instantly became tense because of those words! The aura of the thirteen Dao Sect Realm experts was like thirteen unsheathed swords. Although they had not yet fully erupted, they had already made the air stagnant. Situ Qingfeng felt that it was difficult to breathe, and his internal energy involuntarily circulated rapidly to resist this invisible pressure.

However, Gu Sheng, who was at the center of the storm, remained calm and composed.

He even chuckled softly, a smile that carried a hint of nonchalance and a detached, all-knowing indifference.

"afraid?"

He countered with a question, his gaze calmly meeting Nangong Yuexia's eyes.

“If you really intend to take action, and I’m scared now, do you think you’ll let me go? Since being scared won’t help, why should I be scared? Besides…”

He paused, his tone still calm, yet it contained a powerful confidence.

I believe Elder Yuexia is a wise person who knows how to weigh the pros and cons. If you kill me, besides venting your anger (which may not be entirely genuine), what will you gain? Will you immediately become the leader of the Zixia Divine Cult, or will you be able to escape your current predicament of being beset by internal and external troubles? I'm afraid you will gain neither.

On the contrary, it would completely offend the forces that might exist behind me, bringing even greater, or even catastrophic, disaster upon myself.

This deal is a losing proposition no matter how you look at it.

Looking into Gu Sheng's eyes, which seemed to see right through people, and listening to his calm yet almost ruthless analysis, Nangong Yuexia felt a sense of powerlessness and a strange chill rise in her heart.

Despite having an absolute advantage in numbers and strength, the initiative in the dialogue was always firmly controlled by the other side.

This feeling made her very uncomfortable, yet she felt helpless.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions in her heart, knowing that she had already lost the battle in terms of both momentum and mentality.

She stopped probing and cut straight to the point, her tone returning to its previous coolness.

"Alright, you win. I thought about it all night and decided to cooperate with you."

"I will use all my resources and influence in the Zixia Cult to arrange a reasonable and unsuspecting identity for you, and try to safely send you to the secret realm you want to go to."

Nangong Yuexia looked at Gu Sheng and stated her conditions.

"And my demand is this: you must help me take over the entire Zixia Divine Sect! Not the nominal position of elder, but real, real control!"

Gu Sheng showed no surprise upon hearing this, as if he had already expected it.

His deep gaze lingered on Nangong Yuexia for a moment, as if trying to see through her armor to her ambition and determination. "The conditions are reasonable and fit my plan."

Gu Sheng nodded and agreed immediately.

"I can promise that after I return to the Eastern Wilderness, I will have a batch of resources delivered to me, including pills, cultivation techniques, and some... intelligence that you may find useful. This will be enough for you to cultivate trusted confidants, win over allies, and suppress dissidents in a short period of time."

He changed the subject, his tone carrying a detached calmness.

"However, how to utilize these resources, how to fight for power within the Zixia Cult, how to climb the ranks step by step, and ultimately sit in that position... that depends on you. I won't, and can't, do everything for you. Whether you can seize the opportunity depends on your own abilities."

Nangong Yuexia remained silent for a moment.

This answer was both expected and made her feel a little pressured. Gu Sheng would provide assistance, not take over; whether she could ultimately succeed depended on herself.

She looked up at Gu Sheng with a complicated expression.

"I was ordered by my adoptive father to infiltrate the Zixia Divine Cult, and it took me decades to barely climb to my current position. During that time, the Zhennan Prince's Mansion could only offer me very limited assistance."

"I don't understand... how can you be so sure that the 'support' you offer will be more effective than when I had the backing of the Prince of Zhennan's mansion? Can it help me achieve goals that even my adoptive father might not have been able to help me achieve when he was alive?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Sheng's lips curled into a faint smile, a hint of disdain barely perceptible in it.

"Just because the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion can't do it doesn't mean I, Gu Sheng, can't."

His tone was calm, yet it contained a powerful confidence.

"Just like back then, Nangong Tianze, Nanhuangcheng, and your adoptive father probably never imagined that I could lead Muxue out of their inescapable trap, escape alive, and... even survive and thrive, and even possess the ability to kill the Prince of Zhennan."

These words struck Nangong Yuexia's heart like a heavy hammer.

She fell silent again, this time for a long time.

Yes, what this young man has done seems impossible. From his sudden emergence to stirring up the storm in the Southern Imperial City, to killing the Prince of Zhennan, and now venturing deep into the Southern Frontier, remaining unfazed even when surrounded by himself and thirteen elite warriors... He is full of mysteries and miracles.

Finally, Nangong Yuexia let out a long breath, as if she had unloaded some kind of burden. She looked at Gu Sheng, her eyes filled with less suspicion and more seriousness and... a barely perceptible sense of awe.

“I admit that you do have abilities and courage that are difficult for ordinary people to match.”

Nangong Yuexia spoke slowly.

"However, Gu Sheng, you must understand that the Zixia Divine Sect is not an easy opponent, ranking among the top of the Seventy-Two Divine Sects. The sect is full of experts, and there is also a Venerable-level patriarch in charge. If you want to overthrow it and control it, the resources you promised and my current strength are far from enough."

She stared intently at Gu Sheng and asked the most crucial question.

"I want to know who is behind you? Which holy land? Or which reclusive supreme being? I need to know what kind of force I am about to cooperate with."

Faced with Nangong Yuexia's pointed question, Gu Sheng suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it carried an absolute confidence and majesty that looked down upon the heavens and all living beings.

He slowly raised his eyes, his gaze like two tangible bolts of lightning, staring directly into Nangong Yuexia's eyes. His voice was calm, yet it was like thunder, resounding in the hearts of everyone in the courtyard.

"In my actions, Gu Sheng only ever supports others; why would I need others to support me from behind?"

"If we absolutely have to say who's behind this..."

His voice paused slightly, then became resolute, carrying an unquestionable conviction.

That is myself!

"I am my own support!"

The moment the words fell, an indescribable, seemingly innate imperial aura, like a sleeping dragon awakening, burst forth from Gu Sheng's seemingly frail body!

Although it was only a fleeting moment, in that instant, in the perception of Nangong Yuexia and the thirteen assassins, Gu Sheng's image seemed to instantly become incomparably tall and majestic, like an unparalleled emperor standing on mountains and rivers, looking down upon the world! It was a kind of nobility and majesty that originated from the very essence of the soul, which could not be simulated by any disguise or technique!
Nangong Yuexia's delicate body trembled violently, her beautiful eyes widened, and she stared blankly at Gu Sheng, who had withdrawn his imposing aura and returned to his usual calm demeanor. A huge wave of emotions surged in her heart, and she could not calm down for a long time.

She knew perfectly well that the aura she had just exuded... couldn't be faked!
Nangong Yuexia looked at Gu Sheng. Although she was shaken by the amazing aura he had just displayed, reason quickly prevailed.

She shook her head slightly, her beautiful eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of disapproval.

“Gu Sheng, I admit that your aura was amazing just now. Perhaps you really do possess some special bloodline or inheritance. But... aura alone is not enough to convince me, or the brothers behind me who have crawled out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.”

She paused, then her tone became sharp.

"You are ultimately only at the Heavenly Martial Realm. Even though you had a record of instantly killing a Sect Realm cultivator in the Southern Frontier, I have been paying close attention to it."

That kind of power must come at a huge cost, and it can't be used indefinitely; at most, it can be used as a trump card to decide the outcome once or twice. But here…”

Her gaze swept over the thirteen royal warriors standing behind her like rocks, her voice carrying a powerful confidence.

"Even without considering the Purple Cloud Sect, the true elites left behind by my adoptive father, when they join forces, can form a battle formation that would make any late-stage Grandmaster die! Do you think you can leave this courtyard safely?"

Gu Sheng remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed the threat in her words, and instead feigned curiosity to ask a question in return.

"Oh? What does Elder Yuexia mean?"

Seeing his appearance, Nangong Yuexia felt inexplicably angry and spoke bluntly.

My point is very simple! Cooperation needs to be based on relatively equal strength! If you can't even protect yourself under the command of my brothers, and even need to use your life-saving trump card that you might only have once or twice, then the so-called cooperation, the so-called support for me to control the Zixia Divine Cult, is nothing but a mirage, a castle in the air!

I, Nangong Yuexia, will not gamble my life and fortune on someone who only talks big and can't even protect himself!
Upon hearing this, Gu Sheng not only did not get angry, but nodded slightly, as if he had expected it.

"It seems that words alone are not enough to truly convince you."

His tone was calm, with a hint of understanding.

"In that case, let's see who's the best."

His gaze calmly swept over the thirteen royal warriors with refined auras, finally settling back on Nangong Yuexia, and he uttered a sentence that made everyone's pupils shrink.

"You guys, come together."

Together?!
Everyone, including Nangong Yuexia, was stunned. (End of Chapter)