Chapter 802: Persuading to Surrender

Gu Zongren stared coldly at Xu Luo. After a long while, he finally said icily, “Kid, don’t try to challenge my patience. Otherwise, you’ll die a very ugly death!”

“Since you’re begging me, don’t use that tone.” Xu Luo rolled his eyes. “I’m quite curious about one thing. How did you know I had a Substitute Death Talisman on me back then?”

“I didn’t know!” Gu Zongren sneered. “Don’t think so highly of yourself. I just wanted to kill you at the time!”

“Then why did you change your mind now?” Xu Luo’s expression remained unchanged as he looked calmly at Gu Zongren.

“Because I feel that killing you just like that would be letting you off too easily!” Gu Zongren sneered. “If I really killed you, I’m afraid that little bitch Xue Chuqing would completely lose her will to live. I’ve worked so hard to build everything up over the years. I can’t just throw it all away because of a mere insect like you.”

Xu Luo breathed a sigh of relief inwardly. His guess was right; Gu Zongren indeed had no intention of killing him right now.

Back when he was with Xue Chuqing, Xu Luo knew that the mysterious mighty figure who truly controlled the Divine Maiden Tower was hell-bent on obtaining the Su Nu Celestial Scripture. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have tolerated Xue Chuqing for so many years.

Upon their first meeting, Gu Zongren had hated him to the bone and attacked directly with the intent to kill, only to be blocked by the Substitute Death Talisman.

During the million-mile pursuit, Gu Zongren changed his mind, opting to capture him to use as leverage against Xue Chuqing.

Before Xue Chuqing completely handed over the Su Nu Celestial Scripture, Gu Zongren probably wouldn’t kill him.

Figuring this out, Xu Luo relaxed. No matter what, he was temporarily safe.

“Let’s go,” Xu Luo said flatly, looking at Gu Zongren. “I am already your prisoner now.”

“Your attitude is extremely annoying!” Gu Zongren glared at Xu Luo with icy eyes.

“I know, you’re jealous that I’m more handsome than you!” Xu Luo said.

“Hmph!” Gu Zongren snorted coldly. He struck out directly, sealing the meridians all over Xu Luo’s body. In an instant, he placed over a hundred restrictive seals on him.

Xu Luo didn’t put up any resistance. He merely looked at Gu Zongren with a hint of disdain. “A Celestial Venerable Great Power, tsk tsk. To think you’d be so overly cautious when facing a junior who hasn’t even reached the Saint Realm.”

“You are too cunning.” Gu Zongren wasn’t angered. After completely securing his control over Xu Luo, he grabbed him, rose into the air, and flew off in another direction.

Xu Luo recognized that this direction led toward Qingchuan Ancient City. At this moment, he could only pray inwardly that Xue Chuqing had already escaped from that place.

However, it wasn’t long before Xu Luo realized his hopes were dashed, because he soon saw Xue Chuqing.

Seeing Xu Luo, Xue Chuqing didn’t seem too surprised, but a trace of sorrow still emerged deep in her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Xu Luo asked, feeling a pang of heartache as he looked at her somewhat dispirited state.

“I’m fine. You still got caught by him, though.” Xue Chuqing sighed. “I thought you would be able to evade him.”

Standing to the side, Gu Zongren snorted coldly. “In this world… no one has ever managed to escape from my grasp. Xue Chuqing, I’ll give you three days to consider. After three days, if you don’t agree, I will kill him!”

With that said, Gu Zongren turned around and left.

“How did he find out about this?” Xu Luo asked, somewhat puzzled. Logically, the news shouldn’t have reached Gu Zongren’s ears so quickly.

Xue Chuqing fell silent for a brief moment before saying softly, “Fuqu betrayed me.”

Her voice was very calm. At the very least, Xu Luo couldn’t detect a shred of hatred in her tone, only a profound sense of sorrow.

“She and I were as close as sisters. I never imagined that one day, she would betray me.” Xue Chuqing’s eyes reddened slightly as she murmured, “I guess this is reality… I don’t blame her.”

As she spoke, she leaned gently into Xu Luo’s embrace, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry…” she said softly. “I dragged you down with me.”

“What’s the point of saying that now?” Xu Luo wrapped his arm around her soft waist and smiled. “We’d be better off figuring out how to escape.”

Xue Chuqing shook her head. “Don’t bother. It’s impossible to escape.”

Gazing deeply at Xu Luo, she whispered, “It’s so good to see you before I die. Please forgive my selfishness, but I really missed you.”

“What do you mean by selfishness? You’re not going to die, and neither am I!” Xu Luo declared, holding her close.

“The Su Nu Celestial Scripture… I will never hand it over to that scoundrel, even if I die!” Xue Chuqing looked at him apologetically. “So… please don’t blame me!”

“Did I say we should hand it over?” Xu Luo reached out and gently tapped her nose, smiling. “This thing is so important. If it falls into that old geezer’s hands, who knows how many people it would kill.”

“I’m very happy that you can understand.” Xue Chuqing wrapped her arms around Xu Luo’s waist. “If we can’t live together, dying together is fine too,” she said tenderly.

“Don’t be so pessimistic. You have me.” Xu Luo patted her pert bottom, then pulled her along to sit on a chair, letting her rest on his lap.

Even though they had already shared the most intimate of relations, Xue Chuqing still looked incredibly bashful, her face flushed as pink as cherry blossoms.

Wanting to dispel the ambiguous atmosphere, she blurted out, “My strength has already stepped into the Venerable Realm!”

Xu Luo paused in slight surprise. “So fast?”

“Mhm. When cultivating the Su Nu Celestial Scripture, once we… have… that kind of relationship with a man, our cultivation speed will advance by leaps and bounds.” She spoke softly, overwhelmed with shyness. She felt a bit annoyed with herself—she had clearly wanted to change the subject, so why had she brought it right back to this?

However, Xu Luo didn’t read too much into it. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “If he dies, do you have the confidence to take control of the entire Divine Maiden Tower?”

“He? Who? You mean…?” Xue Chuqing looked up, her face a bit pale as she stared at him in disbelief. But then, the light in her eyes dimmed, and she offered a bitter smile. “Stop fantasizing. We are absolutely no match for him.

“Husband… I’m not saying this to crush your confidence. It’s just that… the gap in our cultivation realms is too massive!”

Enduring her shyness, she called Xu Luo her husband, simply because she didn’t want him to feel like he was losing face.

Xu Luo naturally understood her intentions and couldn’t help but smile wryly in his mind. “She really is a smart and sensitive girl.”

With these thoughts in mind, he smiled and pulled her tighter into his embrace. “Suppose… I mean, hypothetically, if he dies, could you control the entire Divine Maiden Tower?”

“Of course!” Xue Chuqing replied. “The Divine Maiden Tower was founded by my lineage. He is nothing but a shameful robber!”

“Do you know his true identity?” Xu Luo asked.

She shook her head. “Do you?”

“He is from Ancient Celestial Valley,” Xu Luo said.

“What?” Xue Chuqing stared at him in shock. “That’s impossible! How could such scum emerge from the Three Great Holy Lands? Isn’t he afraid this will get out?”

“Why should he be afraid?” Xu Luo replied. “Although the Divine Maiden Tower’s reputation isn’t particularly good, it’s not that terrible either. I believe Weiyu Mountain and Eternal River also have similar organizations hidden in the dark.”

“But… he’s so despicable. He’s done so many wicked things…” As she spoke, she came to a realization. She wasn’t some sheltered noble young lady who turned a deaf ear to the outside world, after all. She couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “I suppose even if we left here alive and told everyone… no one would believe us. They would just think we were deliberately slandering the Ancient Celestial Valley’s reputation.”

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

A figure approached and entered carrying a food container. “Miss, Young Master Luo, I’ve brought you some food,” she said softly.

“Get out!” Xue Chuqing barked coldly. “I don’t need your hypocritical fawning! Get out!”

Even though she had said she didn’t blame Fuqu, she had absolutely no desire to see her ever again.

“Miss, why must you be like this? I am but a lowly servant. I have elderly parents and young children to care for. The lives of my entire clan rest in the Master’s hands. Do I even have the right to say no?” Fuqu wasn’t angry. She set the food container on the table and continued, “Inside are all your favorite dishes. Honestly, why must you be so stubborn and fight against the Master?

“I told you to get out! Did you hear me?” Xue Chuqing’s eyes were filled with ice. Even though her meridians were completely sealed, she still exuded a daunting aura.

Fuqu couldn’t help but step back twice. Steadying herself, she continued to persuade, “The Master treats you so well. All he wants is the Su Nu Celestial Scripture. What’s the harm in giving it to him? When that happens, you and Young Master Luo can go live the carefree days of Immortals, while the Master continues his march to unify the world. You’ll never have to see him again… Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“Fuqu, if anyone else said these words to me, whether I agreed or not, I wouldn’t think much of it. But coming from you… it makes me feel disgusted!” Xue Chuqing glared at her. “Get out. I absolutely do not want to see you!”

A fleeting trace of murderous intent flashed through Fuqu’s beautiful eyes. “Bitch,” she cursed inwardly. “Do you think you’re still the master of the Divine Maiden Tower? What are you so arrogant about? Once the Master obtains the Su Nu Celestial Scripture, I will be the new master of the Divine Maiden Tower!

“Following the Master’s footsteps, I will become the most powerful woman in this world!

“By then, you will be nothing but a handful of yellow dirt!

“Or rather… you won’t even be a handful of dirt. You won’t even have ashes left!”

Despite her malicious thoughts, her face revealed absolutely nothing. She quickly swapped to a wronged expression and turned her gaze toward Xu Luo. “Young Master Luo, please help persuade the Miss. I had no choice. The Miss feels that I betrayed her, but in reality… everything was already under the Master’s control. Even if I hadn’t said a word, the Master would have found out about this matter anyway.

“Young Master Luo, you come from a prestigious background. As a Heavenly Brilliance Disciple, you have a bright future and vast prospects ahead of you.

“Young Master Luo, a bad life is better than a good death. Not to mention, with your status, it wouldn’t be a ‘bad life’ at all. If you submit to the Master, you are destined to rule the world and look down upon all creation!

“Young Master Luo…”

Fuqu was indeed worthy of being the number one madam of the Divine Maiden Tower. With that silver tongue of hers, she could almost talk the dead back to life!

Xu Luo listened with a serious expression. He looked as though he was somewhat tempted.

However, sitting on his lap, Xue Chuqing’s stunningly beautiful face grew paler and paler.