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

Gu Sheng was slightly shocked, not expecting Tantai Mingjing to propose such a deal.

His mind raced, and he immediately responded with his spiritual power within his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Senior, what exactly is in this secret realm that would make the Tantai family and the three holy lands attach such importance to it? Moreover, how can you be so sure that this thing exists and that I have the ability to obtain it?"

Tantai Mingjing remained silent for a moment after transmitting her voice, seemingly not intending to explain in detail.

"This thing is of great importance, but you don't need to know more about it right now. You only need to know that it exists somewhere here, and... it is related to 'space' and 'creation'. With your luck, strength, and... the thing you have, you are one of the most likely candidates to come into contact with and obtain it."

She paused, her tone carrying a sense of certainty.

"As for the risks... to contend with the three holy lands is like playing with fire. My promise is the reward for your risk. Success or failure is up to you."

Just as Gu Sheng and Tantai Mingjing were having a secret spiritual exchange, Yuwen Ku, the old man of the Divine Profound Holy Land, glanced at Tantai Mingjing's avatar with his cloudy old eyes in a very subtle way, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He also used a secret telepathic communication to remind Yuwen Ruo beside him.

"Ruo'er, Tantai Mingjing is a cunning and calculating woman who will not easily back down."

She outwardly agreed, but I suspect she has other plans. You need to keep a close eye on that girl from the Tantai family, and... that boy named Gu Sheng. This kid was able to fight against the Bone Demon with his current cultivation level; he's no ordinary person, and he may have even reached some kind of tacit understanding with Tantai Mingjing.

Although she is renowned for her expertise in weapon crafting and spatial manipulation, her spiritual cultivation is also considerable. Perhaps... she secretly did something behind my back just now.”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ruo felt a chill run down his spine and immediately responded respectfully via telepathy.

"Don't worry, Grandfather. I understand. I will keep a close eye on their every move."

On the other side, Gu Sheng quickly weighed the pros and cons in his mind. Helping Tantai Xueli seize what the three holy lands were determined to obtain would undoubtedly place him completely in opposition to the three holy lands, which was extremely risky.

However, an unconditional promise from a Saint Realm expert is of immeasurable value, enough to give him a crucial trump card in the many crises he may face in the future of Central Continent.

"senior."

Gu Sheng responded in his mind, his tone carrying a hint of probing and bargaining.

"Taking action on Xue Li's behalf would offend the three great holy lands, a risk no less than that. One promise... is probably not enough. At least three things are needed."

A subtle hint of surprise seemed to emanate from Tantai Mingjing's mental energy fluctuations, as if she hadn't expected Gu Sheng to dare to bargain with her, especially with "three things" right off the bat. But her response was unexpectedly straightforward, adding only one condition.

"Sure. Three things. But the prerequisite is... you must successfully obtain that item. If you ultimately fail... but as long as you can guarantee that it will not fall into the hands of any of the three holy lands, I can still do one thing for you."

This condition essentially divides Gu Sheng's "task" into two levels.

The optimal solution is to acquire the treasure and receive three promises; the second-best solution is to thwart the plans of the three holy lands and prevent them from obtaining it, also receiving one promise. In any case, as long as Gu Sheng takes action, he will receive a reward from Tantai Mingjing.

A sharp glint of interest flashed in Gu Sheng's eyes. What kind of divine object was this so-called "treasure related to space and creation" that could make Tantai Mingjing so concerned, even willing to offer such a price? That even a Saint Realm expert would be tempted by it?

"make a deal."

Gu Sheng readily agreed in his mind.

About an incense stick's time ago, at the same time that Gu Sheng and his group confronted the people from the three holy lands in the secret realm, and Tantai Mingjing descended in his avatar to negotiate.

In the distant Tianyuan Imperial City, at the headquarters of the Wanbao Hall, inside a heavily guarded secret chamber filled with nurturing and healing formations.

Yun Gucheng stared blankly at the center of the secret room, his face filled with shock.

There lay a jade bed, carved entirely from millennia-old warm jadeite, upon which lay a young girl in her prime. Her eyes were closed, her long eyelashes casting faint shadows on her pale, almost translucent face. Her breath was extremely weak, like a candle flickering in the wind, as if it might be extinguished at any moment.

She was covered with a thin brocade quilt embroidered with calming runes, but even so, her frail and delicate body was still evident.

Most surprisingly, the priceless millennia-old chalcedony bed was now continuously radiating gentle and pure life energy.

As if drawn by an invisible force, this energy flowed into the girl's body, thread by thread, slowly and continuously, sustaining her almost extinguished life force. The light emanating from the jade bed thus appeared somewhat dim.

"This... Lord Bingyu."

Yun Gucheng snapped out of his daze, swallowed hard, and looked at the woman beside him—Tantai Bingyu—who possessed a cold and aloof temperament, stunning beauty, and an air of indifference that kept people at a distance. His voice was filled with disbelief and doubt.

"You really... want to use such a precious 'Spirit-Nourishing Jade Marrow Bed' to prolong this little girl's life? Who... who is she? Is she worth it?"

Tantai Bingyu remained calm, toying with a crystal-clear ice jade folding fan in her hand. Upon hearing this, she merely glanced at Yun Gucheng indifferently, her voice as cold as ice water striking stone.

"She is the person Gu Sheng wants to protect."

She paused, unfolded her folding fan, and gently waved it, bringing a slight chill, before continuing.

"Xuefei has already verified that this woman has a close relationship with Gu Sheng. She seems to be an old acquaintance of his in the Eastern Wilderness. She is suffering from some kind of extremely difficult-to-treat poison or curse and is on the verge of death. Gu Sheng sent her to Wanbao Palace in the hope that he could use the resources and methods of my Tantai family to prolong her life and buy time to find an antidote."

Her gaze fell on the girl on the jade bed, whose breath was faint. Her eyes remained indifferent, but seemed to have a hint of scrutiny that was hard to detect.

"Since Gu Sheng has spoken and Xue Fei has vouched for her, and the person has been delivered, Wanbaodian will accept her. As for whether it's worth it... that's not something you need to consider. You just need to know to do as instructed and ensure this woman's life is safe before Gu Sheng returns. There's no need to ask any more questions or worry about anything else."

Upon hearing this, Yun Gucheng felt a chill run down his spine and quickly bowed in response.

"Yes! I understand! I will do my best to protect this young lady!"

A tidal wave of emotions surged within him.

Gu Sheng… how could the Tantai family value him so much? Not only is he the object of the affections of the Tantai family's eldest daughter, but now even a dying old acquaintance sent to them is being kept alive with such precious resources from the Wanbao Palace? Gu Sheng's importance in the eyes of the Tantai family is probably far greater than I imagined!
Inside the secret chamber of the Myriad Treasures Hall, Yun Gucheng gazed at the dozen or so stably operating array halos surrounding the jade marrow bed, each radiating profound fluctuations. Every array was exquisitely crafted, and the materials used to outline them shimmered with rare and precious light, clearly indicating their immense value. Maintaining the energy flow of these arrays, and the level of control required from an array master, was far beyond what a mere cultivator from the Eastern Wilderness like himself could imagine or bear. What alarmed him even more was the astonishing speed at which the seemingly fragile girl on the jade bed absorbed the life force of the jade marrow bed!
The gentle yet powerful life energy surged into her body like water bursting its banks, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, merely maintaining her faint life force from being completely extinguished. However, the amount of energy consumed was enough to make any small or medium-sized force feel the pinch!
Tantai Bingyu seemed to see through his shock and doubts, her expression remaining calm and composed, her clear, cold voice echoing in the quiet chamber.

"Although you were casually taken into the Wanbao Palace by your sister, and your cultivation and knowledge are limited, since you have some connection with that kid Gu Sheng, this loss is nothing to the Tantai family. There's no need to overthink it."

As she finished speaking, she gently raised her hand.

A Wanbao Hall steward, who had been standing in a corner and whose aura was discreet, held an antique-looking storage ring that exuded a chilling aura and quickly walked up to Yun Gucheng.

Tantai Bingyu gestured towards the ring and calmly gave the order.

"Inside are all the array materials, spirit jade, and necessary pills needed to maintain this girl's life for the next year. You only need to follow the instructions in the jade slip to replace the array materials regularly and keep the array running. You don't need to worry about anything else."

The next year?! Upon hearing this, Yun Gucheng was struck dumb, frozen in place! Even though he was mentally prepared and knew that the cost of saving this woman would be considerable, he never expected that the resources needed to "maintain her life for a year" would be so enormous that they would require a special storage ring to hold them!

How many spirit stones? How many rare and precious herbs? Just who is this girl? Or... does Gu Sheng have such influence in the Tantai family?!

He subconsciously took the cold-to-the-touch storage ring, and with a slight probe of his divine sense, he was immediately dazzled by the various materials piled up like a small mountain, gleaming with precious light, and his mind was shaken!
Seeing his appearance, Tantai Bingyu raised her slender eyebrows slightly. Her voice remained cold, but carried a faint sense of oppression.

"What? Do you think it's not worth using these resources on a girl of unknown origin, or do you think... Gu Sheng's reputation isn't worth this price?"

Yun Gucheng suddenly snapped back to his senses, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.

He bowed quickly, his voice trembling slightly.

"No... I wouldn't dare! Please forgive me, Lord Bingyu! I... I was just too shocked and had no intention of questioning anything! Young Master Gu has been kind to me, and you and Lord Mingjing have been even more so, for I am deeply grateful!"

He hesitated for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, then stepped forward, lowered his voice, and whispered a few words into Tantai Bingyu's ear at a volume that only the two of them could hear.

After listening, Tantai Bingyu's expression remained unchanged, but a faint hint of understanding seemed to flash across her cold eyes.

She gently shook the ice jade folding fan in her hand and said calmly.

"I cannot make the decision on this matter. However, I can pass on your message to your sister. As for her decision, that is beyond my control."

Upon hearing this, Yun Gucheng's eyes flashed with disappointment, but more so with a sense of relief, and he bowed again.

"Yes, thank you very much, Lady Bingyu! I'm grateful for your help!"

Our gaze returns to the secret realm, to the dilapidated hall.

As Tantai Mingjing's avatar and the elder Yuwen Ku from the Divine Profound Holy Land departed, the heavy pressure of the Holy Realm that had enveloped the entire area gradually dissipated. However, the atmosphere did not completely ease.

Yuwen Ruo straightened her slightly wrinkled robes, put on that slightly stiff but still appropriate smile again, and bowed once more toward Gu Sheng and Tantai Xueli. Her tone was somewhat humble, but also contained a hidden sharpness.

“Young Master Gu, Miss Tantai. My ancestor and your elders must have already communicated clearly. All the previous unpleasantness was due to misunderstandings. Now that the misunderstandings have been cleared up, we hope that you two will… do us a favor in this secret realm and not make things difficult for our three holy lands. We will be eternally grateful.”

His words, though seemingly polite, were actually a reiteration of the "rules set" by Tantai Mingjing earlier—that the Tantai family should just watch and not cause trouble.

Gu Sheng remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the deeper meaning in his words, and simply nodded in response.

"Senior Mingjing has already given instructions that we are here only to observe and broaden our horizons, and we will never intentionally make things difficult for the three holy lands. Brother Yuwen, please rest assured."

"Better so."

Yuwen Ruo's smile deepened, but there was little joy in his eyes.

He said no more, turning his gaze to Mei Qi beside him and Gu Chi, whose face remained gloomy.

That day, Mei Qi, a woman from the Holy Land of Enchantment, was idly playing with a strand of her hair. When she saw Yuwen Ruo looking over, she yawned coquettishly and said lazily.

"Isn't it about time? It's time to get down to business. We can't keep those people inside waiting."

As she spoke, she glanced meaningfully at the more chaotic area further inside the hall, which had been thoroughly searched.

She turned her head again and waved to Tantai Xueli and Gu Sheng, her tone carrying a hint of casual condescension.

"Alright, everyone from the Tantai family, you are free to 'visit' as you please. As long as you don't get too close to that area and don't interfere with our business, you can look at and play with the flowers and plants around this secret realm as you like."

The disdain and condescension in those words caused a flash of anger in Tantai Xueli's beautiful eyes, but she remembered her mother's strict orders and Gu Sheng's telepathic communication in her mind, and ultimately suppressed her anger, though her pretty face grew even colder.

Gu Sheng remained calm, as if he hadn't noticed the barb in the other person's words.

He nodded slightly to Yuwen Ruo and the other two, said no more, and then turned to Tantai Xueli, Gu Ningshuang and the others and whispered.

"Let's go."

The group left without lingering, quickly departing from the dilapidated hall that was filled with a depressing atmosphere and a faint smell of blood.

Only after walking a long enough distance back to the edge of that seemingly peaceful but actually deadly flower field did Shen Qingtan finally speak, her voice behind the bronze mask filled with doubt and a hint of resentment.

"Gu Sheng, is this how we're going to..."

Before she could finish speaking, Gu Sheng raised his hand and gently pressed a finger against her lips, signaling her to be quiet.

At the same time, a pure and refined spiritual force, like an invisible water curtain, quietly spread out from between Gu Sheng's eyebrows, forming a hemispherical barrier that enveloped the five of them, isolating them from all sounds and possible spiritual probing.

After finishing these tasks, Gu Sheng lowered his hand, his gaze sweeping over everyone, his voice low and tinged with seriousness. (End of Chapter)