Eternal Life by Daily Divination

Gu Qinghong had clearly underestimated Xue Lin’s devotion to his path.

For the sake of their own path, cultivators like him would sell anything.

Let alone their sect.

They would even sell out their own Dao companion and descendants!

Li Chang’an had encountered several cultivators like that on his journey, so he wasn’t surprised.

A moment later, Gu Qinghong transformed into a streak of light and departed.

But Gu Lingyu stayed behind.

Dressed in green robes, she had a gentle temperament. Every smile and frown was as lovely as a flower, making her seem like a well-bred young lady from the Mortal Realm.

She had stayed behind to ask Li Chang’an for guidance on her Array Dao Skills.

"Daoist Li, back on Yellow Crane Mountain, how were you able to control the Tier Three Grand Array? Can it be that you’re a Tier Three Top Grade Array Master?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized how blunt the question was and immediately apologized.

"That was presumptuous of me. Please don’t take offense, Daoist Li."

"It’s nothing."

Li Chang’an had long expected someone to ask.

He had already prepared an excuse for this very question.

"I have a friend who’s not from the Western Domain, but a cultivator from the Eastern Domain. He’s quite talented when it comes to the Array Dao and is already a Tier Three Top Grade Array Master. He was the one who helped me break the array on Yellow Crane Mountain."

"I see."

Gu Lingyu didn’t question it further.

It was perfectly normal for a Loose Cultivator like Li Chang’an to have a wide circle of friends.

"Daoist Li, what about your own Array Dao Skills?"

"I know a little."

The two began discussing Array Dao Skills, and several hours passed in a flash.

Gu Lingyu was a Tier Three Low Grade Array Master.

Meanwhile, the skills Li Chang’an demonstrated were at the Quasi-Tier Three level.

Li Chang’an discovered that Gu Lingyu’s Array Dao Skills incorporated many concepts from the Ancient Array Dao, which gave him a bit of inspiration.

Before they knew it, evening had fallen.

Gu Lingyu glanced at the sky, preparing to leave.

Before she left, she told Li Chang’an, "Daoist Li, I will get Daoist Xue to come to Changqing Mountain and apologize in person as soon as I can. In the end, he was the one in the wrong."

With that, she transformed into a streak of light and departed.

Like Gu Qinghong, she found Xue Lin’s behavior odd, but she didn’t believe he would collude with the Western Domain. She just chalked it up to him being in a bad mood.

After all, Li Chang’an had killed his disciple.

Little did she know, in the eyes of someone like him, a disciple was utterly insignificant.

...

In the days that followed, Gu Lingyu visited often.

But she was never able to persuade Xue Lin.

Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed.

During this time, Li Chang’an frequently used false identities to visit various Black Markets.

This was not only to snap up overlooked Treasures, but also to purchase Souls so his Evil Soul could advance to the Tier Three Late Stage.

He would also occasionally control the Wu Chengfeng Puppet to speak with Xue Lin, reporting some of his own movements to earn Xue Lin’s ever-growing trust.

「One day.」

Xue Lin suddenly offered a reward, asking Wu Chengfeng to take action once more.

"Daoist Wu, I intend to capture a Golden Core Master from the Cyan Cloud Sect, but I’m not confident I can do it alone. I need you to lend me a hand."

"Who?"

Li Chang’an feigned surprise.

"It couldn’t be that old devil Gu Qinghong, could it?"

"No, that old bastard is too powerful. We wouldn’t be a match for him even if we teamed up. I want to go after his descendant, Gu Lingyu."

Xue Lin laid out his plan.

If they captured Gu Lingyu, they could use her to threaten Gu Qinghong.

"That old bastard Gu Qinghong places great importance on his family and descendants, especially his Golden Core descendant, Gu Lingyu. Once we have her, he’ll have no choice but to compromise!"

"Daoist Xue, isn’t this a bit rushed?"

"Sigh... I wanted to wait longer, but Shi Hu Master is displeased with our current progress and keeps pressuring me..."

A look of resignation crossed Xue Lin’s face.

He had originally wanted to take his time and plan things out, but Shi Hu Master was eager to conquer the entire Southern Domain.

This was all because the Ou Family’s ancestor, Ou Tianye, had been on a long revenge campaign in the Western Domain, slaughtering people wantonly. As a result, an increasing number of Western Domain factions opposed the war between the Two Domains and wanted an early truce to rest and recuperate.

"Gu Qinghong is the leader of the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Golden Core Masters and the cultivator with the highest Cultivation in the Southern Domain. If he compromises with the Western Domain, there’s hope for a swift victory in this war."

Xue Lin made a convincing case.

Having said his piece, he asked Li Chang’an, "So, Daoist Wu, what do you say? If we really conquer the Southern Domain, your Gale Sect will be able to claim a significant share of the resources. You might even reach the Late Stage of Golden Core sooner and glimpse the Nascent Soul Realm."

Upon hearing this, Li Chang’an put on a show of being tempted.

After a moment’s thought, he replied, "Fine. In that case, count me in!"

A smile instantly spread across Xue Lin’s face as he laid out all the details of the plan.

He had set a trap in the Ancient Sect Ruins and had prepared a convincing excuse, more than enough to lure Gu Lingyu inside.

His only fear was that Gu Lingyu might realize something was wrong along the way.

"Daoist Wu, I need you to hide in the shadows. If Gu Lingyu senses that something is wrong, you must strike at once. We’ll join forces and subdue her!"

"Alright!"

Li Chang’an nodded, a smile also appearing on his face.

This smile was not an act.

After all, he had been looking for an opportunity to deal with Xue Lin, and now Xue Lin had just delivered the opportunity himself.

By the time their discussion ended, it was late at night.

Just after Midnight.

As always, a golden light materialized before Li Chang’an’s eyes.

[Divination has been refreshed]

[Today’s Divination: Auspicious]

[Xue Lin will use the pretext of a Nascent Soul opportunity to invite Gu Lingyu to the Ancient Sect Ruins and lure her into a trap.]

[You will intervene to save Gu Lingyu and will unexpectedly discover a genuine opportunity beneath the trap, from which you will obtain a Celestial Grade Escape Technique.]

’An opportunity?’

Li Chang’an was surprised as he read the Divination’s contents.

’Xue Lin is using a fake opportunity to lure in Gu Lingyu, but beneath that fake one lies a genuine one. Xue Lin himself probably has no idea.’