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

With each word he spoke, the maid's head seemed to droop even lower.

"These two are your clones, aren't they?"

Gu Sheng asked the last question, which, though phrased as a question, carried an undeniable certainty.

There was a moment of silence.

The maid, who had been keeping her head down, finally slowly raised her face. She still had that ordinary, pretty face, but the look in her eyes had completely changed—lively, cunning, and with a hint of surprise and amusement at being seen through.

She blinked gently, a half-smile curving her lips, and her voice, no longer that of a submissive maid, returned to Jin'er's unique tone, tinged with languor and mystery.

“Young Master Gu has excellent eyesight and memory. Even from that distance, amidst thousands of people, you remember exactly what clothes I was wearing and where I was hiding. Could it be… that you are so ‘concerned’ about every one of my clones?”

She didn't admit it directly, but the meaning behind her words was already an implicit acceptance.

Gu Sheng remained calm and said indifferently.

“It’s not that I paid special attention. It’s just that I happen to have a little trick up my sleeve to be able to recognize ‘you’. In the vast sea of ​​people, I naturally can’t find all your clones out of thin air. But if you appear within my perception range, I think it shouldn’t be difficult to distinguish which one is you and which one is the real ‘other person’.”

"Tips and tricks?"

Jin'er's interest intensified. She looked Gu Sheng up and down, especially at his deep eyes that seemed to hold the starry sky. Suddenly, she seemed to understand something. The playful look on her face faded a bit, and she used a secret telepathic communication that only the two of them could hear. Her voice rang directly in Gu Sheng's mind.

"It seems... it's the Dao of Fate. Only the Dao of Fate, which is most deeply intertwined with fate and cause and effect, could possibly see through the most subtle and essential trace of the 'connection' between my 'Dao of All Beings' avatar and my true self. I never expected that your Dao of Fate, Young Master Gu, has already reached this level... faster and deeper than I imagined."

She pinpointed the key point directly, her tone carrying a hint of emotion, as well as a sense of "I knew it."

Gu Sheng did not deny it, but simply looked at her calmly and responded with telepathy in return.

"You seem to know quite a bit about the Dao of Fate."

Jin'er paused for a moment, her voice, transmitted through telepathy, lost some of its languidness and gained a rare seriousness and... reminiscence.

"It's not about understanding, but rather... a tangled web of cause and effect, a destiny."

She paused, as if making a decision, and then spoke slowly.

"Before I cultivated the 'Path of All Beings,' I had a chance encounter with a being who had traveled across the river of time. That being seemed to be in a very bad state, with an ethereal and elusive figure, as if it might dissipate into time at any moment. It seemed that I had a brief conversation with Him across endless space and time... or rather, it was His one-sided entrustment."

Across the river of time? Gu Sheng was shocked! What an astonishing method! Even the legendary emperors might not be able to communicate with people across time and space so clearly! Could it be... the ancient "Deity of Fate"?
Jin'er continued.

"That being transmitted to me the fundamental teachings of the 'Path of All Beings,' and in exchange, entrusted me with a task—to do my utmost to assist this generation's successor of the Path of Fate in growing up and becoming a true 'Fate Master.'"

"The true God of Fate?"

Gu Sheng keenly grasped this word.

"good."

Jin'er affirmed.

"That being seemed extremely anxious and extremely weak. He did not say much, but only emphasized that only when the true God of Destiny appears in the world can we deal with the 'Great Calamity' that may sweep everything away in the future."

And there seems to be some ancient and profound connection between the Path of All Beings that I cultivate and the Path of Fate; I am one of the chosen 'assistants.' Or rather... a pawn planted in advance."

Gu Sheng's heart was filled with turmoil. Another scheme? Another pawn? Ever since he obtained the Nine Dragons Universe Cauldron, he seemed to have been caught in an invisible net.

He asked in a low voice.

"What does that being look like? Have you seen it clearly?"

Jin'er shook her head gently, her voice carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Unseen. The figure is shrouded in endless mists of time and ripples of fate, and one can only sense a vastness, antiquity, and a deep weariness and...compassion."

Rather than something I witnessed firsthand, it was more like an imprint and message left on my consciousness by some kind of timeless 'prophecy' or 'destiny revelation.' After the interaction, that imprint became deeply ingrained in my soul, along with the inheritance of the 'path of all beings.'

Gu Sheng remained silent.

This information is too mysterious and difficult to verify, but Jin'er's ability to use terms like "Great Prophecy" and "Destiny Revelation," and her knowledge of the Dao of Fate, seems to corroborate that her words are not unfounded.

"What exactly do you mean by 'assistance'? And how can I trust you?"

Gu Sheng asked the most crucial question.

Jin'er seemed to have been prepared, and transmitted her voice.

"It's very simple. My soul essence will undergo a special fusion with your 'Destiny Yin Plate'. It's not a master-servant contract, but a deeper 'symbiotic connection'."

Through the Yin Plate, you can perceive the general movements and status of all my clones at any time, and even, when necessary, influence or even...suppress one or all of my clones through the Yin Plate.

Gu Sheng's eyes narrowed slightly. These conditions were undeniably harsh, practically placing his life in Gu Sheng's hands.

Jin'er changed the subject.

"As for me, I can use your Yin Plate of Destiny to conceal the unique 'aura of destiny' and 'causal trajectory' that I have generated from cultivating the Path of All Beings and splitting my soul. Before I truly grow up, I will not be easily detected and locked by some ancient beings that may exist in the dark, who are sensitive to or hostile to the Path of All Beings, or even the 'Heavenly Dao' itself."

For me, this is a guarantee of survival. For you, it's an additional, hidden asset that's difficult to completely eliminate. Each gets what they need; it's mutually beneficial—could it be considered a win-win situation?

Gu Sheng's mind raced. The feeling of being manipulated and used as a pawn still lingered, but Jin'er's "solution" was indeed extremely tempting.

An "ally" who has cultivated the bizarre "Path of All Beings," whose clones may be scattered across various places and who is difficult to kill completely, is of immeasurable value.

Especially now that he is gradually getting caught up in the deeper vortex of Zhongzhou and even the Five Regions. Moreover, if what she said is true, and it involves the schemes of the "Destiny Master" who transcends time and space, then the waters run even deeper.

What is the relationship between the Path of All Beings and the Path of Fate?

Gu Sheng asked another question.

This time, Jin'er didn't hide anything and spoke directly.

"Based on the scattered information left by that being, and some insights I gained after cultivating the Path of All Beings... the supreme being who created the 'Path of All Beings'—the Heavenly Emperor of All Beings—was the wife of the ancient 'First Generation Fate Master'." "Wife?"

Gu Sheng was slightly taken aback; this was indeed unexpected. A Heavenly Emperor-level being, and the progenitor of a new path, should in his imagination be an ancient, powerful figure of supreme majesty and ambiguous gender. He hadn't expected this…

Seemingly noticing Gu Sheng's surprise, Jin'er sent a telepathic message with a slight chuckle.

"Surprised? The Way of All Beings encompasses everything and manifests in countless forms. The Heavenly Emperor of All Beings can be one person or all beings. Whether she is male or female, old or young, may only be a matter of her mind."

The legacy she left behind naturally places the least emphasis on these superficial aspects.

Gu Sheng suddenly realized. Indeed, how could the creator of a Dao named after "all living beings" be limited by a simple gender? Thinking of Jin'er's countless avatars, possibly scattered across the world, men, women, children, and people of all ages and backgrounds, he felt an unimaginable awe for the Heavenly Emperor of All Living Beings who created this Dao.

"so."

Jin'er concluded.

"My true form will arrive as soon as possible to join you and complete the fusion with the Yin Plate. From then on, our fates will be intertwined; we will share both glory and ruin. I hope that Young Master Gu... will have a long-term perspective."

Until we truly possess the strength to protect ourselves and even contend with certain beings, it's safer for both of us to delay revealing my identity as the 'Successor of the Path of All Beings.'

After saying that, she said no more, and nodded slightly to Gu Sheng. The lively spirit in the maid's eyes quickly faded, and returned to emptiness and obedience, as if the earth-shattering conversation had never happened.

Following the etiquette of a maid, she silently turned and left the quiet room.

Gu Sheng stood there, silent for a long time. The information Jin'er had revealed echoed in his mind, his heart filled with complex and unsettling emotions.

"Brother Gu Sheng?"

Tantai Xueli's gentle voice woke him from his reverie.

She had been quietly watching over them the whole time. Although she hadn't heard the content of their conversation, she could tell from their expressions that it involved a major secret.

Gu Sheng snapped out of his daze, looked at her, took a deep breath, and temporarily suppressed his chaotic thoughts.

"It's alright. Let's go and meet up with Shen Qingtan and the others."

"Ah."

Tantai Xueli nodded obediently.

Without further delay, the two left the quiet room, exited the Wanbao Hall, and headed towards a specific teleportation area within the Tianyuan Imperial City.

Half an hour later.

The slight dizziness from the spatial teleportation subsided, and Gu Sheng and Tantai Xueli stepped out of the teleportation array.

Before them stood an ancient city, vastly different in style from the Tianyuan Imperial City, yet equally magnificent. The city walls soared into the clouds, not made of a single material, but rather of countless massive stones of various colors, gleaming with metallic or jade-like luster. Under the sunlight, they refracted a dazzling array of colors, appearing both sturdy and ornate.

The most conspicuous structures in the city are several towering giant towers that seem to pierce the depths of the sky. The towers are engraved with intricate runes and arrays, and they exude a powerful spatial fluctuation and a sharp, piercing aura.

Tongtian Imperial City! Located in the eastern part of Zhongzhou, it is one of the most powerful imperial cities directly controlled by the "Tongtian Holy Land"!

Unlike the inclusive, commercially prosperous, and intertwined Tianyuan Imperial City, Tongtian Imperial City gives people the first impression of "order" and "sharpness".

The streets were wide and straight, with a unified architectural style and sharp lines. Most of the pedestrians and martial artists had a strong aura and sharp eyes. They carried objects or auras related to "sword", "array" and "space" to varying degrees, and were obviously deeply influenced by the Tongtian Holy Land.

Wanbaodian also has a branch here, a fairly large one, located in the bustling eastern part of the city. It is a nine-story glazed pavilion, magnificent in appearance. However, Tantai Xueli told Gu Sheng that Wanbaodian's influence in Tongtian Imperial City is far less than that in Tianyuan Imperial City.

Here, the Tongtian Holy Land is the absolute overlord, controlling the vast majority of surrounding resources and secret realms. The Wanbao Palace here mainly conducts commercial transactions and information gathering, barely controlling two entrances to secret realms that are not the most top-tier. One of these is the target that Gu Ningshuang and Shen Qingtan are planning to explore this time.

Instead of heading to the Wanbaodian branch, the two went directly to the entrance to the secret realm, a dangerous place called "Rift Valley," located three hundred miles west of Tongtian Imperial City, based on the information left by Shen Qingtan.

When they arrived at the outskirts of Rift Valley, there were already no fewer than a hundred people gathered there. Although the number was not as exaggerated as when they had watched the life-or-death arena, the quality of the people was clearly much higher.

At least twenty of them possessed auras that reached the Heavenly King Realm level, and some even had auras that were obscure and profound, causing Gu Sheng to feel a faint pressure, suggesting that there might be Venerable Realm beings hidden among them.

What's even more striking is that the martial artists gathered here are clearly divided into several groups. One group consists of about seven or eight people, both men and women, who all appear to be quite young. They are dressed in luxurious clothes and exude a pure and arrogant aura. As they converse, they are subtly led by a composed and handsome young man in a purple robe.

Gu Sheng glanced over and noticed that the features and expressions of these people were somewhat similar to those of Tantai Mingjing and Tantai Xueli, clearly indicating that they were direct descendants of the Tantai family.

Seemingly sensing the arrival of Gu Sheng and his companion, especially Tantai Xueli's unique temperament and appearance, a girl who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a pale yellow dress, with a delicate and lively face, lit up in the eyes of the group of Tantai family members. She broke away from the group and ran over like a cheerful lark.

"Sister Xue Li! You've finally arrived! We've been waiting for quite a while!"

The girl in the yellow dress spoke in a clear, melodious voice, and affectionately took Tantai Xueli's arm. However, her gaze was filled with curiosity and undisguised scrutiny as she looked Gu Sheng up and down, her eyes sparkling with excitement and admiration.

"Huh? This is... the one who's been making headlines lately, the one who, with his seventh-level Grandmaster cultivation, crushed that annoying Holy Son of the Myriad Manifestations Holy Land on the life-or-death arena, the 'Qin Prodigy'... oh no, Young Master Gu Sheng, right?"

The girl stuck out her tongue and quickly corrected herself, but the light in her eyes shone even brighter.

Upon hearing this, Gu Sheng frowned almost imperceptibly.

"Qin the Prodigy"? That title...

Tantai Xueli patted the girl's hand helplessly and introduced her to Gu Sheng.

“Brother Gu Sheng, this is my cousin, Tantai Qingyao. She’s a bit lively and outspoken, so please don’t mind her.”

Then he said to Tantai Qingyao.

"Yao'er, don't be rude, you should call him Brother Gu."

"Okay, okay!"

Tantai Qingyao responded with a smile, but still stared at Gu Sheng with her big eyes wide open.

"Brother Gu, hello! I am Tantai Qingyao! Your battle in Tianyuan Imperial City was truly amazing! Now your name is being spread all over the eastern part of Zhongzhou! Everyone says you are a once-in-a-millennium... no, a once-in-ten-thousand-years prodigy! We are all in awe of you!"

Gu Sheng was a little unaccustomed to the girl's liveliness, but he still nodded politely. (End of Chapter)