Chapter 297: Gu Xiangzhu: I Bet My Youth on You, Only for You to Make Me Lose?

“That makes some sense.”

Gu Xiangzhu shook her head thoughtfully. “But the reasoning isn’t strong enough. While these people are certainly capable, we can’t be sure there aren’t others of similar caliber among the common folk. Making a move in Lingge is, in the end, still too dangerous.”

Mirror Moon said resentfully, “Miss Shuimo and those Dharma Protectors are going too far! To do all this and still hide it from you!”

“Rest assured.”

Gu Xiangzhu smiled coldly. “Once this is all over, I’ll pay them a visit myself and demand an explanation.”

Mirror Moon was taken aback. “But once it’s over, won’t it be too late? What would be the point?”

Gu Xiangzhu’s smile was laced with derision. “They get to decide *when* it ends. But I get to decide *how* it ends! If they want to treat me like an outsider, then they can’t blame me for being merciless.”

Mirror Moon: “!”

Although she didn’t know what Gu Xiangzhu was saying, she could tell it was something formidable.

And since her superior wasn’t elaborating,

she knew not to ask.

However, Gu Xiangzhu seemed to have no intention of keeping her in the dark, tossing the list back to her. “Find a way to leak this list to the Imperial Clan Court. Tell them Huangfu Song’s people may soon make a major move against these individuals!”

Mirror Moon was so shocked she stammered, “Th-th-this… Saintess! Is this… treason?”

“Treason?”

Gu Xiangzhu scoffed. “Huangfu Song, for his own selfish gains, trapped me in a siege and even intended to ambush and kill Zhao Ci. Isn’t *that* treason? I’m merely doing to him what he has done. How can you call what I’m doing treason?”

Mirror Moon’s lips trembled. “But… but this operation is very likely intended to welcome back the Saint Monarch!”

“So?”

Gu Xiangzhu retorted, “Are you saying only *he* can be the Sect Leader, and I can’t?”

Mirror Moon: “!!!”

As she watched Mirror Moon depart, Gu Xiangzhu’s expression grew even colder. She still didn’t know what Huangfu Song and the others were plotting, but she was certain it was related to bringing back the Demon Monarch.

‘Since they want to bring back that homicidal maniac, they can’t blame me for getting in their way.’

She had never seen eye-to-eye with the Demon Monarch; disagreements between them were frequent. The only reason she’d ever shown him any respect was not due to his ideals, but because fulfilling the Demon Sect’s long-cherished ambition required the backing of absolute power.

And the Demon Monarch was the one closest to the Destruction Law; he had even forged a Spirit Platform Divine Treasure with the Destruction Law at its core.

But now, she felt she could accomplish plenty even without the Demon Monarch’s brute force.

‘So, I don’t need to concern myself with Huangfu Song’s intentions.

Whatever he tries to do,

I’ll just make sure he can’t.

That’s enough.’

…

「Demon Sect Headquarters.」

Shuimo gazed calmly at Huangfu Song. “Are you ready?”

“Of course!”

Huangfu Song stroked the graying hairs of his beard with confidence. “Miss Shuimo, as long as you can keep Gu Xiangzhu occupied with the Celestial Demon Seal, I can hold off the Imperial Clan Court and force the Paradise Gu down Zhao Ci’s throat.”

Seeing him so confident, Shuimo felt a little more at ease.

‘The Celestial Demon Seal. It was the mark of the Holy Sect’s Leader, the very foundation of the sect. It was also the only object in the world that held the Destruction Law. It was authority, and it was power.’

‘That bitch Gu Xiangzhu has always been ambitious. She would undoubtedly be tempted by the Celestial Demon Seal. The fact that my own power is less than hers would only steel her resolve to take the seal.’

‘Give up the Celestial Demon Seal for Zhao Ci?’

‘A fool’s dream.’

Shuimo turned to Huangfu Song. “So, are you going to tell me where this Paradise Gu came from now? All traces of this Gu Insect vanished for several hundred years. Why do you have it?”

She had asked this question many times but had never received the answer she sought.

This time, however,

Huangfu Song did not conceal the truth, saying with profound meaning, “You can’t describe the Paradise Gu with a word like ‘traces,’ because it is never born from breeding.”

“Then how…”

Shuimo was surprised; this was the first time she had ever heard such a theory.

A glint appeared in Huangfu Song’s eyes. “The Paradise Gu is born from the human heart. When a person suffers a great tragedy, their spirit can completely shatter. If at that moment they lose all hope, yet dare not die, it’s highly likely they will choose to escape from reality.

At this point, all the power of their Primordial Spirit might unconsciously be channeled into creating a dream.

In that dream, they have everything they could ever want.

So they dream, on and on.

When their Primordial Spirit finally dissipates, if that person was an expert in raising Gu, the fragments of their spirit may produce an egg upon their Spirit Platform. That is the origin of the Paradise Gu.”

“I see.”

Shuimo nodded slightly, though she thought to herself, ‘There aren’t many experts in raising Gu in this world; almost all of them belong to the Dian Nan Yang Family. The fact that Huangfu Song managed to get this from the Dian Nan Yang Clan means he’s quite resourceful indeed.’

Of course,

she wasn’t particularly concerned with the origins of the Paradise Gu.

She only cared about one thing.

Namely, what were the chances of this plan succeeding?

For some reason, she couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

So she pressed him, “If Gu Xiangzhu forcibly enters Zhao Ci’s dream, can she break him out of it?”

Huangfu Song smiled faintly. “This is Zhao Ci’s dreamscape. Everything within it operates according to his thoughts. You could say it is an Illusion Realm entirely under his control.

If Gu Xiangzhu doesn’t exist in his dream, then it’s nearly impossible for her to enter.

Even if she is, she will be confined to her dream-self’s persona and be at the mercy of the dream’s narrative.

Unless I give my consent, or the source of the dream is depleted, escape is impossible.

I admit Gu Xiangzhu’s spiritual talent is formidable, but even if she tried to drain the dream’s source by force, it would take her a considerable amount of time.

By then, it will be too late… I will forcefully retrieve the Paradise Gu and refine the dreamscape from within it. Then, I will let you judge for yourself whether or not Zhao Ci is the Saint Monarch!”

Shuimo: “Good!”

Meticulous.