Chapter 36 - Unchanged Naturr, The Male Lead is Still As Confident

Chapter 36 : Unchanged Naturr, The Male Lead is Still As Confident

Jiang Chen, frowning and puzzled, thought to himself, ‘Why does she keep asking about Du Guyun’s father? Does she know that Du Guyun’s father is her enemy, or has she already been in contact with Old Demon Gu Cang?’

The current plot had drastically changed, and it seemed his shift to a more lax attitude had triggered an unpredictable transformation in the story. From Ye Qingcheng’s inquiries about Du Guyun’s father to her indifference towards Du Guyun, the plot was clearly deviating from the original story.

It resembled the butterfly effect, where his small changes were causing significant shifts. The female leads’ personas had changed as well, but he didn’t think too much about Yan Ruyu because that was her nature.

‘Why is she asking, though?’ Jiang Chen pondered. ‘If it were Old Demon Gu Cang, he would have told her immediately.’ That was the most puzzling part for Jiang Chen. If Ye Qingcheng had been in contact with Old Demon Gu Cang, she would have already known Du Guyun’s father’s identity.

In the original novel, Old Demon Gu Cang revealed this information due to Ye Qingcheng’s status as the disciple of the Primordial Holy Lord. She held a significant position in the Holy Land, second only to Jiang Chen, with the Holy Lord as her backer.

But Old Demon Gu Cang didn’t anticipate that Ye Qingcheng wouldn’t rely on the Holy Master, partly because the Holy Lord was often away, wandering outside, elusive like a dragon.

‘Who exactly could it be?’ Jiang Chen wondered. ‘The Heavenly Oracle, or someone else?’ In the original story, Jiang Chen knew about Du Guyun’s father and had been investigating his whereabouts for Ye Qingcheng’s sake, but he had no idea that he was Du Guyun’s father.

‘If there’s a chance, I must ask Ye Qingcheng for clarification,’ Jiang Chen resolved internally, troubled by the mystery.

—

Back in her residence, Ye Qingcheng repeated the name “Old Demon Gu Cang” under her breath. Although she didn’t discover Du Guyun’s father’s identity this time, she gained a new direction.

Finding Old Demon Gu Cang could lead her to the truth about her enemy. However, she knew that finding him wouldn’t be easy, given his reputation for evading numerous powerful forces despite being a mere Saint. She resolved to focus on locating Old Demon Gu Cang to uncover the full truth.

“It won’t be easy to find him,” Ye Qingcheng frowned. Old Demon Gu Cang was notoriously tough, skilled in various stealth techniques that allowed him to thrive despite being hunted by numerous forces. His ability to escape from many Saint King despite being just a Saint himself showed his formidable capabilities.

“Perhaps I should start with Old Demon Gu Cang,” Ye Qingcheng’s eyes gradually firmed up with determination. Though she didn’t know the identity of her enemy, she now had a lead to follow.

Since that day, Ye Qingcheng never visited Banished Immortal Peak again, allowing Jiang Chen to enjoy rare leisure and tranquility. As time passed, the most important day of the year in Primordial Holy Land finally arrived.

Both the outer and inner disciples began their grand competition, a process to filter the best among them. Those who excelled could move up a level or even several ranks. Over the years, many outstanding outer disciples had become true disciples, and inner disciples had become core disciples.

With the grand competition imminent, the disciples, honed by a year of training, eagerly awaited their chance to shine. The normally tranquil Holy Land gradually buzzed with excitement as disciples from all directions returned to participate. The once-quiet entrance to the Holy Land was now bustling with activity as countless disciples passed through each day.

At the gate, amidst a sea of people, a travel-weary disciple with a grim face paused, looking at the immortal stone stele in front of him and muttered, “I’m finally back. This time, I will surely amaze everyone, surpassing the true disciples to become a core disciple!”

“And then compete with Jiang Chen for the position of Primordial Holy Son!” Du Guyun, having encountered numerous dangers and fortunes over several months, had advanced incredibly fast.

He had now reached the Soul Sea realm, leaping two major realms from the Soul Palace realm. His progress was unimaginable, not so much because of his talent, but because of the abundant opportunities that seemed to be offered to him by fate itself.

“Master, if I make a big impact in the inner disciple competition, do you think the elders would agree if I tell them I want to challenge Jiang Chen for the position of Primordial Holy Son?” asked Du Guyun.

His master’s heart sank. ‘Oh no, this guy hasn’t changed at all. He’s still overconfident,’ he thought, feeling drained. “Don’t do that. You’re currently far behind him. It’s not advisable to challenge him yet. You should wait until your strengths are more comparable.”

Challenging someone in the Ninth Layer of the Life and Death Realm while being in the Soul Sea Realm was simply asking for trouble, a sure recipe for becoming a laughingstock.