Chapter 556 - Why Are You Laughing?

Gu Han and Li Mao stood motionless. The former was stunned from watching, while the latter froze in fear.

After seeing Xiao Hei lock its target onto that massive sun, Gu Han’s heart jolted, and he snapped back to his senses. “Xiao Hei, you can’t eat that!”

If Xiao Hei swallowed it, that would be disastrous. All the cultivators in the entire Tiannan Realm would probably come after them.

A flash of impatience passed through Xiao Hei’s eyes. It turned its gaze and shot Gu Han a fierce glare. In an instant, a powerful pressure descended, making his face turn pale.

Chongming leisurely glanced at him and said unhurriedly, “Xiao Hei, come here.”

Xiao Hei froze for a moment, and the ferocity in its eyes vanished, completely replaced by delight and dependence. Its demonic qi withdrew, and it shrank to about a chi long. Xiao Hei darted toward Chongming’s leg and rubbed against it with an extremely affectionate air.

The rooster muttered, “The pup’s back... We’re never separating again.”

Gu Han was stunned, but still steeled himself. “Xiao Hei, what about that guy’s storage ring—”

Xiao Hei bared its teeth, not letting him finish his sentence.

Chongming patted Xiao Hei’s head, scolding, “Xiao Hei, don’t go eating random things from now on. What if you get a stomachache? Come on, spit it out!”

Xiao Hei affectionately rubbed against Chongming, then shot Gu Han a disdainful look before spitting out a shiny storage ring that landed at Gu Han’s feet. After spitting it out, it barked twice more.

Chongming glanced at Gu Han, acting as translator. “Xiao Hei says that it gets a share of what’s inside.”

Gu Han was speechless. He felt a little bitter, and he missed Ah Gou quite a bit. I can’t do this! I need to find a way to turn Ah Gou back!

When it came to Xiao Hei, Chongming’s mind seemed sharper than ever, seeing through Gu Han’s intention. He shielded Xiao Hei and warned, “Kid, dream on! Don’t even think about it!”

Gu Han felt a bit worn out. He looked at the storage ring covered in drool and felt a little disgusted. Then, he turned his attention to the one-armed Li Mao. “Forget it. Let’s deal with this guy first!”

Li Mao knew that he couldn’t escape at all. Not to mention Xiao Hei, he was no match for Gu Han alone. He folded quickly and decisively. “I surrender!”

The rooster and the dog gazed at him contemptuously.

“Coward!”

“Woof woof!”

Gu Han slowly raised his sword, pointing it directly at Li Mao’s forehead. “Surrender? Sorry, I don’t accept it. I only want you dead.”

Back then, in Mo Chenyin’s memories, he had vaguely glimpsed Li Mao once. This man was born lecherous, and from the moment Mo Chenyin joined the sect, he had harbored the filthiest thoughts of all. The sword pushed forward gently, and a flash of sharpness passed through. It immediately broke through his Profound Gold Physique and sank three cun into his flesh.

Blood flowed continuously, and Li Mao’s expression drastically changed. He could see that Gu Han was absolutely determined to kill him. “Wait! You know who I am. If you kill me, my master definitely won’t let you off. By then, there will be no place for you in this entire Tiannan Realm—”

Gu Han sneered, “Would Ling Ya care about the lives of people like you?”

If it were someone else, he would have considered it. Not only did he possess Hong Luan’s body with a split soul, but he had also implanted a backup measure in Zhong Yu, who had been with him the longest. Clearly, Ling Ya saw his disciples as nothing but tools. Once they were broken or gone, he’d just replace them. There would always be more useful ones anyway.

Li Mao was taken aback. “D-do you know my master well?”

After thinking for a moment, Gu Han added, “In a way, I know him better than you do. How about this, I’ll ask you a few questions. If you answer well, I might consider letting you go.”

“Ask away!”

“Leng Yushu. You’re familiar with her, right?”

Li Mao was surprised. “Junior Sister Leng? How do you know her name?”

“Tell me about her.”

Li Mao wanted to live, so he didn’t dare to hide anything. “Master brought her back fifty years ago. We don’t really know her origins. She was born with a Nine-Aperture Exquisite Heart. Her intellect, comprehension, aptitude—everything about her was tenfold greater than that of ordinary people. She’s a once-in-a-million cultivation prodigy. And it shows.

“Her cultivation has already reached the pinnacle of the Saint realm. And now, she’s in seclusion again. I imagine once she comes out, she’ll fully step into the Feather Transformation realm.”

Nine-Aperture Exquisite?

Gu Han frowned slightly, “What kind of physique is that?”

Chongming glanced at him and said matter-of-factly, “Don’t ask me!”

Xiao Hei echoed immediately, “Woof!”

Gu Han took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to stew them both. “Is she important to Ling Ya?”

Li Mao nodded repeatedly, “Yes! He guards her closely, never letting any of us lay a finger on her. He even made us put on an act so she wouldn’t learn the truth about the Emotionless Sect...”

“What truth?”

Li Mao said seriously, “You should be able to tell that I’m a body cultivator.”

“So?”

He sighed. “Actually, I had the potential for body cultivation before, but that wasn’t the path I originally intended to take. It’s just that the senior and junior sisters were a little too enthusiastic, and I couldn’t handle it. So I ended up walking the body cultivation path...”

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? You’ve had it rough.”

Li Mao grimaced. “I didn’t have a choice. The able ones must shoulder more—AAH!”

Before he finished speaking, a flash of sword light appeared, and his left arm flew off as well.

“What—”

Gu Han’s killing intent flickered in his eyes. “Did I ask you about that? Answer my questions properly!”

Li Mao was frustrated. You’re the one who wanted to hear the truth! The truth about the Emotionless Sect is exactly this!

Gu Han asked again, “So Leng Yushu knows nothing about everything in the Emotionless Sect?”

“Right!”

Gu Han vaguely felt that Leng Yushu didn’t seem as simple as Li Mao made her out to be. He set aside his doubts for now. “You’re Ling Ya’s disciple. Didn’t he give you anything for self-defense?”

Li Mao’s expression turned unpleasant. “Since you understand him so well, you should know that besides Leng Yushu, he has less time to look after us since he’s pretty badly injured now.”

Gu Han’s heart stirred. “Injured? Who hurt him?”

Li Mao quickly said, “Gu Chen! Gu Chen of the Ancient Cang Realm. Almost everyone knows about their feud. Those two have been rivals since the day they met!”

Gu Han had heard about these two more than once. “What exactly is the grudge between them?”

Li Mao shook his head. “I don’t know. By the time I joined the sect, they were already at odds. Only Senior Brother knows some of the inside story. It seems Gu Chen is upright and hates evil, and he deeply despises Master’s methods and character. Whenever Master wants to say or do something, he would go against it, and often they’d come to blows over a single disagreement.”

Gu Han frowned slightly. Incompatible personalities? Couldn’t stand each other? This feels a bit childish for great cultivators at the Freedom realm like Ling Ya and Gu Chen...

Li Mao added, “Over two months ago, Sect Master Gu crossed over again and fought with Master. Both were badly injured...”

Gu Han thought to himself. Two months? Isn’t that around the time I was hunting down Yun Tu?

“What else do you know about Gu Chen and the Ancient Cang Realm?”

Li Mao hesitated, “Well... The relations between the two realms are tense, and I rarely pay them much attention, but I did hear some news. A lot of the younger generation from the Ancient Cang Realm went to a certain continent seeking opportunities, but they came back empty-handed with heavy losses. Afterward, Gu Chen personally went there and seemed to bring quite a few people back to the Ancient Cang Realm. Among them were descendants of Alliance Master Yun.”

Gu Han’s heart stirred at this. Descendants? The War Prince?

Upon seeing Gu Han somewhat interested, Li Mao racked his brain and poured out everything he knew. “I also heard that Gu Chen ignored opposition from everyone in the realm and personally designated a city to give to the alliance master’s descendant, letting his family and friends stay there.”

Gu Han let out a long sigh of relief. If the War Prince was there, it meant that Feng Xi, Fatty, and everyone he knew were there. He had heard plenty about Gu Chen’s character. Whether it was Qiu Qian, Xiao Yang, or Li Mao, almost everyone’s assessment of him was strikingly consistent. A righteous man who tolerated no evil. With him there, Feng Xi and the others would be safe.

Following that, he asked a question he was quite concerned about, “I want to go to the Ancient Cang Realm. Is there a way?”

He knew very well that Feng Xi and the others were likely worried sick because he had yet to return. If possible, he wanted to go to the Ancient Cang Realm to see them, then come back and focus on dealing with Ling Ya.

Li Mao nodded. “Yes. There’s an ancient passage connecting the two realms, but you probably can’t go now.”

“Why?”

“The passage has been sealed. In as little as three months, or as long as half a year, the Tiannan Realm and the Ancient Cang Realm will go to war.”

Gu Han frowned deeply. War was very different from ordinary combat. He had experienced the war with the barbarians, so he understood that once a great war broke out, it would inevitably sweep through both realms. It would be hard for anyone to stay out of it.

Nearby, Chongming laughed coldly.

Gu Han was confused. “Why are you laughing?”

Chongming rolled his eyes, muttering, “This tenth-generation Sword Chief is truly inexperienced! I might as well let Xiao Hei take the position!”

Then, the rooster scornfully lectured, “Ignorant! Just two tiny little realms, barely worth mentioning, and they’re already going to war... Hah! The temple is small, so the demons are strong; the pond is shallow, so there are plenty of turtles!”

Xiao Hei wagged its tail and echoed in agreement.

Li Mao was baffled. This rooster sure is mannerless?

Gu Han was taken aback. “Master Rooster, you’re not cursing me, are you?”

“What do you think?”

Gu Han thought about it carefully. Strictly speaking, he was neither from the Tiannan Realm nor the Ancient Cang Realm, so it definitely wasn’t aimed at him. With that thought, he instantly felt relieved.