“I’ll lay a large ritual array right away. All intruders will be killed without mercy!” Gu Hai snorted coldly.
The surrounding cultivators immediately goggled at Gu Hai, a huge commotion breaking out.
A ritual array? Lay a large ritual array?
Everyone still clearly recalled the earlier “ritual array.” Of course, while that “ritual array” had the effect of continuous explosions, everyone could still accept it.
However, Gu Hai would be laying the ritual array now.
“The Heavenly Saber Death Match?”
“The Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array?”
“The large ritual array that eliminated twenty thousand cultivators?”
Countless cultivators immediately shivered. Some of the cowardly cultivators started to leave.
However, Gu Hai just ignored the surrounding cultivators. Instead, he looked at the evil men and said seriously, “Gao Xianzhi, lead the Heaven Legion and patrol the Gu Residence’s surroundings for now. Kill anyone who dares to intrude!”
“Yes!” Gao Xianzhi answered.
“Gu Han, you assist Gao Xianzhi. Point out the places to patrol. At the same time, deal with these remaining First Song Sect disciples.” Gu Hai looked at Gu Han.
“Yes, Adoptive Father!” Gu Han answered.
“Gu Qin, you settle everyone’s accommodations!” Gu Hai instructed.
“Yes, Adoptive Father!” Gu Qin answered.
Gu Hai quickly made arrangements for the evil men.
As construction had been going on over the greater part of the year, the Gu Residence had been expanding. However, Gu Hai still preferred his Soaring Pagoda.
Gu Hai had just returned, so he took a hot bath first. After refreshing himself, he took a large number of spirit stones and started to lay a ritual array.
The evil men helped to bury the spirit stones for the large ritual array.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a white fog appeared and slowly encased the Gu Residence’s surroundings.
“Quickly leave! Gu Hai laid the ritual array!”
“The Heavenly Saber Death Match! It has to be the Heavenly Saber Death Match!”
“No, it has to be the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array!”
The cultivators ran outwards in haste. After all, Gu Hai was infamous for his ritual arrays.
——
At the Soaring Pagoda:
Gu Hai looked at the fog-covered ritual array with satisfaction flashing in his eyes. Others could not see the situation inside, but he could clearly see everything outside, as this was the core of the formation.
“Adoptive Father, is this the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array or the Heavenly Saber Death Match?” Gu Qin looked at the surroundings in amazement.
“Neither!” Gu Hai shook his head.
“Oh?”
“Laying ritual arrays require vast amounts of spirit stones. These spirits stones we buried are far from enough!” Gu Hai shook his head.
“Then, what ritual array is this?” Gu Qin asked, feeling surprised.
“The Empty Fort Strategem!” Gu Hai said after taking a deep breath.
[TL Note: The Empty Fort Strategem is one of the Chinese Thirty-Six Stratagems. The strategy involves using reverse psychology to deceive the enemy into thinking that an empty location is full of traps and ambushes and thereby inducing the enemy to retreat. You can read more about the Thirty-Six Stratagems and what the stratagems are here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty-Six_Stratagems.]
Gu Qin’s expression turned solemn as he immediately nodded. “Adoptive Father is wise. With the infamy of the Heavenly Saber Death Match and the Twenty-Eight Line-Pair World Ritual Array, none of the cultivators outside would dare to take the risk casually!”
Gu Hai nodded.
——
In a mountain forest far from the Gu Residence:
Rustle! Rustle! Rustle! Rustle!
Footsteps rang out as Earth Legion’s evil men, whom Chen Tianshan brought with him, traveled through the mountain forest.
The evil men were carrying Chen Tianshan on a stretcher as they ran between the trees.
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough! Hurry, in that direction. The Gu Residence is in that direction! Cough! Cough! Cough!” Chen Tianshan pointed into the distance as he coughed.
It was not just Chen Tianshan. At this moment, many evil men were severely injured as well, borne on stretchers by the others.
“Legate, why did your Clear River Sect do this? Why did they ambush us?” an evil man asked with an unsightly expression.
“Cough! Cough! Cough! Traitors! They are traitors! They betrayed my Clear River Sect and worked with First Song Sect disciples!” Chen Tianshan also showed an unsightly expression.
“Legate, let’s charge back!” a few of the evil men urged with ferocious scowls.
“No. Don’t return,” Chen Tianshan gasped.
“Milord, this subordinate cannot swallow this anger. This ambush injured three hundred of us, even killing fifteen. When have we ever suffered like this?!” That evil man glowered.
“I know. Cough! Cough! Cough! I know that I am not very capable, unable to see through their plots, and always getting in the way. I’m not as smart as Gao Xianzhi, not as ferocious as Scar, and not as mysterious as Shangguan Hen. However, I know how to fear death. Cough! Cough! I have mentioned this to Milord before, but he does not care. Rather, he wants me to remain like this. Because I fear death, I do not hope for all of us to take risks. Fifteen of us died already. I do not want more to die. We will report to Milord, and Milord will take revenge for us,” Chen Tianshan said weakly.
“Hah!” The evil men all appeared unsightly.
“The Clear River Sect is already destroyed! Hahaha! Destroyed! In the end, we came too late. The traitors worked with outsiders. Now, it already completely belongs to the First Song Sect. Even the sect master is missing; no one knows if he is still alive. The Elite Hall Master is locked up. First Song Sect Master, Song Pingsheng, how dare you?!” Chen Tianshan said weakly.
“Why was the Elite Hall Master captured? What is Song Pingsheng planning?”
“I don’t know. Hurry! Follow this road and keep going straight. Quickly meet with Milord! Hurry!” Chen Tianshan gasped.
“Yes!” the evil men showed unsightly expressions as they rushed into the distance.
——
Gu Residence:
There was a small valley beside the Gu Residence. The fog also covered this place, preventing the cultivators outside from getting close.
This small valley was peaceful and quiet. Many azalea flowers grew around a brook that flowed through the valley. Normally, outsiders were not allowed into the valley to protect the peace and quiet here.
At this moment, Gu Hai held a food container as he entered the small valley. He wound through the azalea flowers and arrived before a grave.
This grave only had a stone grave marker, not that remarkable. It seemed like a small, ordinary grave. The grave marker read: “Grave of my beloved wife, Chen Xianer.”
Gu Hai remained silent for a long time as he held the food container.
He opened the food container only after some time, then slowly took out plates of pastries and cake.
“Steamed green bean cake! Red bean paste cake! Purple sweet potato glutinous rice cake! They are all your favorites. I have not made them for you for almost a year already. See if my craftsmanship has deteriorated?” Gu Hai smiled melancholically as he looked at the grave.
[TL Note: When the Chinese visit graves, aside from cleaning the graves, they would also make offerings of joss sticks and food.]
Then, Gu Hai sat down slowly, leaning against the grave marker.
“Xianer, this old man is back!” Gu Hai sighed softly.
As Gu Hai leaned on the grave marker, he raised his head and looked at the sky. He now looked much more relaxed. When he was before others, he appeared stern, mighty, and ferocious. However, sitting before the grave marker, he seemed to have let down all his guard, becoming like a child again.
“Can you see me? I turned young again, no longer looking like an old man. I have already reached the Innate Realm’s seventh layer. Like I told you before, since others can cultivate, I can too. I managed to do it and am getting better at it. I will do my best to reach the Golden Core Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm quickly. I will become strong, then grow even stronger. I will no longer give people the opportunity to trample on me casually. I will take revenge for you. I will cut off the flesh of those people who killed you.” Gu Hai’s voice sounded calm, but his eyes brimmed with determination.
“There’s no need to worry about me. I will live on well. I will live on better than anyone else, better than our enemies!
“I have already made some headway. Back then, perhaps they came to Nine-Five Island to find the dragon vein. However, no one succeeded. I will search for them slowly. My wife, my beloved!”
Then, Gu Hai picked up a green bean cake and ate it. As he ate, he looked at the surroundings. After a while, he revealed a bitter smile.
“I heard some information while I was in the Innate Puzzle World. A person has three spiritual souls: the heavenly soul, the earthly soul, and the mortal soul. The heavenly soul returns to heaven, the earthly soul reincarnates, and the mortal soul remains by the grave. Is your mortal soul here? Can you see me? Can you hear me?” Gu Hai murmured as he ate the green bean cake.
“I miss you a lot, Xianer!” Tears leaked out of Gu Hai’s eyes.
Gu Hai muttered to himself as he leaned against the stone grave marker. After some time, he slowly fell asleep.
Gu Hai seemed to hear a voice in his dreams.
My husband is a matchless hero! He saved all the citizens of the nation!
My husband is a kind person who helps those in need!
Husband, this little dog looks very pitiful!
“Husband, I want to have a baby with you!
My husband is the greatest. He can protect me!
“With Husband around, no one can bully me!
The voice in Gu Hai’s dreams was from his memories. As he dreamed, he replayed those memories. Although he already fell asleep while leaning on the grave marker, his tears never stopped.
——
Rumble…!
A group of evil men carried Chen Tianshan and a large number of evil men on stretchers to the Gu Residence.
The journey had been smooth. Although many people felt curious about why this group of evil men ended up like this, no one dared to block them.
Inside the Gu Residence:
“Legate Chen, how did you end up like this?” Gao Xianzhi stared at the injured Chen Tianshan in shock.
“Where’s Milord? Hurry, bring me to see Milord!” Chen Tianshan felt very anxious.
The four legates gathered, with Gu Qin and Gu Han accompanying them at the side. At this moment, Chen Tianshan could no longer contain his anxiety.
“Legate Chen, my adoptive father is currently mourning our late adoptive mother. No one can interrupt him!” Gu Qin said gravely.
“Ah? But…but this is extremely urgent!” Chen Tianshan said anxiously.
“You can tell us first. Adoptive Father is currently mourning our deceased adoptive mother. Even First Brother and I are not permitted to approach,” Gu Hai explained.
“Deceased adoptive mother? Milord is married?” Scar blurted out in shock.
Gu Qin and Gu Han refused to elaborate on the topic. Seeing the two’s expressions, everyone understood that they should not ask further, so they turned to Chen Tianshan.
“Chen Tianshan, what happened?” Shangguan Hen frowned.
“Hah! We…we were ambushed!” Chen Tianshan said bitterly.
“You encountered an ambush when you returned to the Clear River Sect?!” everyone exclaimed.
——
Some days later, at a pavilion in the Clear River Sect, the First Song Sect Master, Song Pingsheng, listened to his subordinate’s report.
“Gu Hai returned? It looks like Elder Bai failed?” Song Pingsheng said coldly.
“Yes. Elder Bai even transformed back then. However, that group of evil men still killed him!” a subordinate behind the First Song Sect Master confirmed respectfully.
“Humph! Trash! I told him to rush over. However, he wanted to put on a show of extravagance. Humph!” Song Pingsheng scoffed coldly.
“Sect Master, that group of evil men…”
“Li Wei is trash as well. That’s why the evil men could destroy the Great Feng Mafia Family. I might have been a little worried if it were before. Now, there is nothing to worry about. Most of us can transform now, and the remainder is already being altered. What is there to fear?” Song Pingsheng said coldly.
“Yes! This subordinate overthought!”
“How goes the interrogation?” Song Pingsheng asked.
“There is still no news. We already tortured the Clear River Sect Master with many different methods. However, he is very stubborn, refusing to speak!” that subordinate reported with an unsightly expression.
Song Pingsheng narrowed his eyes slightly. “We need to force out the location of that monk. Otherwise, he will be troublesome!”
“Yes!”
