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

A hint of surprise flashed across Tantai Mingjing's eyes.

She gave Gu Sheng a deep look, and her perception of him seemed to have undergone a subtle shift. She had originally thought this young man was strong-willed, unyielding, and ruthless towards enemies, but she hadn't expected... that he would also take prisoners and use them for his own purposes? It seemed that he wasn't just reckless; he also knew how to assess the situation and utilize all available resources.

"You do know how to be flexible."

Tantai Mingjing's tone was subtle.

Gu Sheng remained calm and said indifferently.

"To establish a foothold in Zhongzhou, it's inevitable that one person alone will find it difficult to cope. There are some things and some people that require manpower to handle and to investigate. I can't... rely on Wanbaodian, Uncle Jing, and Xue Li for everything."

His words were direct, yet frank.

Upon hearing this, Tantai Mingjing laughed, a smile that added even more radiance to her already stunning beauty.

"You brat, the way you talk makes it sound like we at Wanbaodian consider you a parasite. Xue Li, Xue Fei, what do you two say?"

Tantai Xueli quickly shook her head.

“Brother Gu Sheng, you’re too kind. We never thought of it that way.”

Tantai Xuefei also pouted.

"That's right, Brother Gu, you helped us refine the Xuancha Golden Pill, and... and you're so amazing, it's only right that we help you."

Gu Sheng smiled at them, then looked at Ning An and said to Tantai Mingjing.

“I promised that as long as she completes her ‘pledge of allegiance,’ I will give her a way out. I, Gu Sheng, am a man of my word.”

Tantai Mingjing nodded, no longer dwelling on Ning An's identity, and instead asked a question.

"How are your injuries? What kind of medicine or resources do you need to heal them? You can obtain them directly from the Wanbao Hall."

Gu Sheng shook his head.

"A superficial wound, a little shock, she'll recover after a night of rest and recuperation."

He glanced at Ning An.

"Some pills may be needed to stabilize your cultivation level and repair your meridians."

"This is simple."

Tantai Mingjing gestured to Tantai Xuefei, who immediately understood. Xuefei went to the bookshelf and fiddled with the bottles for a few moments, then took out two jade bottles labeled "Restore Pulse and Strengthen Vitality Pill" and "Nourishing Spirit Pill," handing them to Ning An. Ning An accepted them, thanking her repeatedly, a complex gratitude flashing in her eyes.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Tantai Mingjing's smile faded, her expression becoming more serious as she looked at Gu Sheng.

"How confident are you in tomorrow's life-or-death battle against Shi Wufeng?"

Gu Sheng did not hesitate.

"very."

"Oh?"

Tantai Mingjing raised an eyebrow.

"Although Shi Wufeng ranks low among the Holy Sons of the Holy Land, he is, after all, from a Holy Land and has considerable background. His Venerable Realm cultivation is not fake. Are you that confident?"

"Since we have accepted the challenge, we are confident of victory."

Gu Sheng's tone was calm, yet it conveyed an undeniable certainty.

“He may have some tricks up his sleeve, but I am prepared as well. Even a lion uses its full strength to hunt a rabbit, and I will not underestimate him. But there will be no other outcome.”

Looking at Gu Sheng's calm yet confident eyes, Tantai Mingjing nodded inwardly.

This kind of mindset is rare.

She stopped asking and instead said...

"I summoned you here not only to confirm your safety, but also for another matter. The Tianyuan Holy Land just sent someone to deliver a message to me."

Gu Sheng's eyes flickered slightly.

"Tianyuan Sacred Land?"

"They...want to make a bet with you."

Tantai Mingjing spoke slowly.

"I bet you'll have a life-or-death battle with Shi Wufeng tomorrow."

"What are you gambling?"

"If you win, the Heavenly Origin Holy Land will give you an extra 'Heavenly Origin Token', allowing you to enter the Heavenly Origin Treasure Pool."

Tantai Mingjing looked at Gu Sheng.

"If you lose... the Tianyuan Holy Land will step in to save your life and invite you to join the Tianyuan Holy Land as an outer sect guest elder, under the protection of the Holy Land."

This bet, regardless of winning or losing, seemed to offer Gu Sheng no harm. Winning would bring him an extra opportunity, while losing would at least save his life and perhaps even gain the protection of a sacred place.

This is clearly a gesture of goodwill, and also an investment. Tianyuan Holy Land has its eye on Gu Sheng's potential, and regardless of tomorrow's outcome, they want to forge a good relationship with him.

After a moment's thought, Gu Sheng understood the crux of the matter.

He nodded.

“I appreciate the kindness of Tianyuan Holy Land. I accept this bet. Please ask Uncle Jing to convey my gratitude.”

He agreed without hesitation.

This was a "gift" delivered to my door, and there was no reason to refuse it.

Tantai Mingjing nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright. However, you must not be careless because of this. Shi Wufeng is by no means an easy opponent. Even if he is ranked at the bottom, he is still far superior to an ordinary Venerable. The treasures and secret techniques he possesses may exceed your expectations. Beware... pride comes before a fall."

"I understand, thank you for the reminder, Uncle Jing."

Gu Sheng solemnly agreed.

He would certainly not underestimate his opponent just because of a favorable bet.

"Yes, it's good that you know what I mean."

Tantai Mingjing waved her hand.

"Rest well tonight and prepare for tomorrow's battle. I will have the items you won at the auction, as well as that 'Great Dao Nirvana Pearl,' delivered to your room later. The Wanbao Palace has waived the consignment fees for your items for this auction, as a congratulatory gift to help you gain a foothold in Zhongzhou."

However, such a good thing won't happen next time. My Wanbaodian is open for business; I can't keep doing business at a loss forever.

Her subsequent words were somewhat joking, but they also made her stance clear.

Gu Sheng cupped his hands in greeting.

"Thank you very much, Uncle Jing. I will remember this."

After giving a few more brief instructions, Gu Sheng led Ning An away from the study.

Watching his departing figure, Tantai Xueli hesitated, her eyes filled with concern, but in the end she did not call out to him.

She knew that what Gu Sheng needed most at this moment was to calm down and prepare.

Gu Sheng took Ning An back to the quiet room where he was temporarily staying. He first arranged for Ning An to stay in an empty guest room, letting her heal her injuries on her own, and instructed her not to move around without being summoned.

Then he went to his room.

Pushing open the door to the quiet room, I found no lights on, only the cool moonlight streaming through the window, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

Right there at the window, a slender and graceful figure stood quietly with her back to the door, gazing up at the night sky outside.

She was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary maid in the Wanbao Palace, and her appearance could only be described as pretty and ordinary. However, the unique temperament that she exuded when she stood quietly, which was out of place with her surroundings, made her stand out in the moonlight.

Hearing the door open, the beautiful figure slowly turned around.

The moonlight outlined her profile, revealing her to be the face of a maid. But her eyes no longer held the wooden respect of the daytime gaze; instead, they held a lively, cunning quality, and a hint of… faint, wistful resentment.

It was Jin'er who controlled this maid's clone.

She looked at Gu Sheng as he walked in, a slight smile playing on her lips. Her voice was no longer the cool or languid one she had at the auction, but carried a familiar tone, as if they were joking among acquaintances. However, there was a hint of deliberate complaint in that tone.

"Oh, our busy young master Gu is finally back? He rescued a damsel in distress outside the city... oh no, I mean, a damsel in distress rescued a hero? Or... has he gained a new 'follower'?"

She glanced meaningfully toward Ning An's room outside the door, her tone teasing.

"Your taste... doesn't seem very good. It's far inferior to the gentle and lovely Miss Xue Li from the Tantai family."

Gu Sheng looked at her, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

He closed the door, walked to the table, poured himself a glass of cold tea, and his tone turned cold.

"Get to the point. If you're just here to spout nonsense, you can leave now."

Sensing the displeasure in Gu Sheng's tone, Jin'er's playful expression faded somewhat.

She pursed her lips, seemingly bored, and sat down opposite Gu Sheng, pouring herself a cup of tea without ceremony.

"Okay, okay, I'm not kidding anymore."

Jin'er waved her hand, her expression turning serious, and looked at Gu Sheng, saying each word clearly.

"I've come to tell you something."

"My cheapskate father... seems to have broken free of the seal."

Gu Sheng frowned almost imperceptibly when he heard what Jin'er said.

He glanced at Ning An beside him, who immediately understood. Although her injuries had not yet healed and her movements were somewhat slow, she still managed to bow to Gu Sheng, then silently turned around, quickly left the room, and carefully closed the door.

She knew that what followed was not something she could listen to.

Only after sensing that Ning An's aura had retreated to a sufficiently far distance, and that a soundproof mental barrier that Gu Sheng had casually set up had quietly enveloped the entire room, did Jin'er continue speaking, her voice lowered and tinged with seriousness.

"Our clone in the Eastern Wilderness just sent an urgent message."

Jin'er looked at Gu Sheng and said slowly.

"My cheap father—the Styx Venerable—has run into trouble in the place where he was sealed."

Gu Sheng's eyes flickered slightly. Venerable Styx? The demon who stirred up a bloodbath in the Eastern Wilderness and was ultimately sealed away by the combined forces of the major powers in the Eastern Wilderness? Jin'er seemed to have some complicated relationship with him.

"Something happened? What exactly happened?"

Gu Sheng asked.

"The seal... has been tampered with, and it seems to have loosened."

Jin'er said in a deep voice.

"Based on the residual aura sensed by the clone and the traces at the scene, it seems that... a Saint Realm expert was involved! And not just one side! Not long ago, a fierce battle at least at the Saint Realm level broke out in that area!"

"Sacred Realm?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Gu Sheng's eyes.

"Eastern Wilderness...where is this sacred realm?"

The spiritual energy in the Eastern Wilderness is relatively scarce, and its martial arts traditions are far less prosperous and complete than those in the Central Plains. Saint-level experts almost only exist in legends. At least when Gu Sheng was in the Eastern Wilderness, he had never heard of a true Saint-level expert appearing in the world.

"Naturally, it is not a sacred realm native to the Eastern Wilderness."

Jin'er's lips curled into a slightly mocking smile.

"It's from the Central Plains. A holy land secretly sent Saint Realm experts to infiltrate the Eastern Wilderness! And it's very likely that there's more than one! They clashed at the sealed land of Venerable Styx, and the aftershocks of the battle impacted the seal, causing cracks and loosening."

Now, even the top powers of the Eastern Wilderness, such as the Heavenly Sword Holy Land and the Heavenly Forging Holy Land, have noticed this and dispatched a large number of powerful individuals to investigate. The situation... is very chaotic.

Gu Sheng frowned even more deeply. The Central Plains Holy Land would actually go so far as to secretly send a Saint-level expert to infiltrate the Eastern Wilderness, and even clashed with it, all for the sake of a sealed "Nether River Venerable"? This was highly unusual!
"The Styx Venerable... is merely a demonic figure at the Venerable Realm. Even if he possesses some strange methods, what merit or ability does he have to provoke such a massive uproar from the Central Plains Holy Land, even to the point of having a Saint Realm expert secretly intervene?"

Gu Sheng voiced his doubts.

This is illogical. The Central Plains Holy Land is high above, overlooking the five regions. No matter how ferocious a Venerable Realm demon from the Eastern Wilderness is, he should not even be of interest to them, let alone risk infiltrating another region and causing a conflict.

Jin'er gave Gu Sheng a deep look, her bright eyes revealing a depth and... apprehension that seemed out of place for her current role as a maid.

"Because... what's involved behind him is far beyond our imagination."

Jin'er lowered her voice even further, as if afraid of being heard by some unseen being.

"It's far more than just a 'Venerable Realm Demon Lord'."

She paused, seemingly considering her words, before finally uttering a term that sent a shiver down Gu Sheng's spine.

"It might be... related to the 'Blood Demon Clan'."

Blood Demon Clan?!
Gu Sheng's pupils contracted slightly.

This wasn't the first time he'd heard this name. During his final battle with Xiao Beixuan in the Eastern Wilderness, Xiao had used a forbidden technique seemingly related to the Blood Demon Clan, summoning a projection of an ancient true demon with overwhelming ferocity! If it weren't for the suspected manifestation of "Si Ming" at the crucial moment, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

"The Blood Demon Clan... Xiao Beixuan back then..."

Gu Sheng said in a deep voice.

"Yes."

Jin'er's words confirmed Gu Sheng's association.

"Behind Xiao Beixuan, there is very likely the shadow of the Blood Demon Clan, or at least someone who has obtained a forbidden inheritance related to them. As for Venerable Styx... the involvement is even deeper! He may not just have obtained an inheritance; behind him... there may be the shadow of some terrifying beings who have truly existed since ancient times or even earlier!"

They are among the masterminds behind numerous upheavals and catastrophes that have stirred up the Five Realms in ancient, prehistoric, and even recent times! The Styx Venerable may simply be a… 'representative' or 'pawn' they have chosen, in the Eastern Wilderness, or even in this era!

Ancient times? Prehistoric times? Recent times? The mastermind behind the upheavals in the five regions? A spokesperson?
Jin'er's words contained an enormous amount of information, and were far too terrifying! They directly linked the Styx Venerable, this demon of the Eastern Wilderness, to a terrifying being who had traversed countless ages and might have been involved in the safety of the entire Five Domains!

Gu Sheng remained silent for a moment, and the air in the room seemed to freeze. Moonlight shone through the window lattice onto the two of them, but it could not dispel the invisible heaviness and chill.

"so……"

Gu Sheng spoke slowly, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Those holy sites in the Central Plains are not for Venerable Styx himself, but for... those beings behind him?"

"At least one of the important reasons."

Jin'er nodded.

"The Holy Land's foundation far surpasses ordinary people's imagination, and they possess far more historical secrets. The escape of the Styx Venerable, or the exposure of the secrets behind him, could trigger a chain reaction, even... prematurely revealing some long-buried, terrifying truths capable of overturning the current order. This is the real reason for their anxiety." (End of Chapter)