I Am the Fated Villain
chapter-742

The atmosphere was grim and tense inside the central palace where all the most prominent figures were gathered.

The leaders and Elders of the Immortal Forces fell silent after hearing Gu Changge’s explanation. Thoughts were racing through their minds.

Gu Changge’s explanation sounded completely reasonable. It made total sense. Yet, they got the feeling that it sounded almost too perfect. Everything had fallen into place without any issues or deviations. It was as if it had all gone according to plan and happened the way it should have.

The young prodigies such as the Phoenix Lady and the King with Six Crowns were all sporting complicated expressions. They did not expect so many twists and turns in the situation and were taken aback by the explanation given.

They had no evidence to prove that Gu Changge was lying even with so many hidden experts present.

One of them was Ancient Buddha Sha Na of Buddhist Mountain, who was proficient in the Karmic Technique. He would have been able to detect if Gu Changge had been lying earlier. However, even he was staying silent now.

Did that not imply that Gu Changge’s explanation was the truth?

The young prodigies could not quite pinpoint the emotions they felt. There was a mix of disappointment, pity, and relief.

“The Successor of Demonic Arts killed the real Ye Ling?” Chosen Monk Jin Chan exclaimed in confusion. He did not expect this explanation from Gu Changge. He was stunned for a moment before his brows knitted even further.

As it was, he had never seen the true Successor of Demonic Arts before. Nevertheless, from the many clues he found, he was able to confirm that the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being was dead.

Thus, he formed his suspicions after connecting the dots between that and other matters such as the fact that Gu Changge had the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s legacy and inheritance.

All this while, he never considered the possibility presented by Gu Changge’s explanation.

“Perhaps Gu Changge predicted my question and prepared an explanation in advance?” Chosen Monk Jin Chan was still unable to believe the turn of events. His usually calm and stoic expression was now a little dark.

He felt as if an eternal nightmare had consumed him. His Buddha Heart was no longer at peace.

He could not be as cool-headed and be detached as he used to be. If he could not deal with this, his cultivation journey would come to a grinding halt and he would no longer be able to reach even higher heights.

“Do you still have any doubts about what I said, Brother Jin Chan?” Gu Changge still had a faint smile on his unchanging expression.

The other people in the palace remained silent. No one spoke up this time. Even the One-Eye Daoist and the Sect Masters of Purple Cloud Valley and Endless Fire Kingdom merely watched in silence.

After all, Gu Changge had already given an explanation.

The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being also said he was aware of everything.

They ran the risk of offending the Supreme Being if they doggedly kept raising doubts and levelling accusations.

It would not be worth it.

“Young Master Gu, what you’re saying is merely your account of the matter. No one knows if it’s the truth.” Chosen Monk Jin Chan calmly responded, though there was a hint of his refusal to resign to this outcome in the tone of his voice.

“It seems to me that you’re dissatisfied with me specifically, Brother Jin Chan, and you won’t believe me no matter what I say.”

Gu Changge let out a short chuckle before all mirth vanished from his face. He turned to Ancient Buddha Sha Na and said, “Since Brother Jin Chan doesn’t believe what I say, why don’t we get the Ancient Buddha to take a look and see if I had been lying earlier?”

He knew that Ancient Buddha Sha Na was well-versed in the Buddhist Mountain’s Karmic Technique and was able to look into a person’s past and future. Naturally, he could easily tell if someone had been lying.

However, Gu Changge was not worried that Ancient Buddha Sha Na could discover anything from him. In reality, a person’s fate or destiny was shrouded in mist. Even someone whose cultivation was a thousand times more advanced than Ancient Buddha Sha Na would not be able to discern anything from him, let alone Ancient Buddha Sha Na. Furthermore, if he attempted to do so, he would suffer severe backlash as a result.

The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had nearly suffered an alarming backlash when he tried to look into him. Although the Supreme Being did his best to hide it, Gu Changge noticed that his complexion had paled for a moment.

Gu Changge’s words made the crowd stir. They all turned to Ancient Buddha Sha Na.

The Golden Sun Gifted Lady also commented with interest, “Since Gu Changge has said so himself, you wouldn’t have any reason to be opposed to it, right, Ancient Buddha?”

She did not doubt Ancient Buddha Sha Na’s ability.

Since Gu Changge made the offer himself, she figured he was confident that he was telling the truth.

“Amitabha. It seems to me that Young Master Gu did not lie. It is difficult for me to ascertain what is the truth.”

As everyone was looking at Ancient Buddha Sha Na, he could no longer keep quiet. He put his hands together and gave his answer. His cultivation focused on the Karmic Technique and he studied it deeply, so much so that everyone said he could see a person’s past and future. However, he could not sense anything related to Gu Changge’s fate.

The only thing he could sense was a mysterious and ethereal mist. Yet, even the mist was hard for him to discern and understand.

“What!?” Chosen Monk Jin Chan was thunderstruck. He did not expect to hear that response from Ancient Buddha Sha Na. [But, even Ancient Buddha Sha Na thought that Gu Changge was highly suspicious and was hiding a lot of secrets. Why is he saying otherwise now?]

He was confused and could not figure out what was happening.

“Haha. Since Ancient Buddha Sha Na has confirmed it, we no longer harbour any suspicions. We understand that Chosen Monk Jin Chan voiced such suspicions out of concern for all living beings, but this manner of doing so is a little inappropriate nonetheless.”

Now that the situation was smoothed over, the One-Eye Daoist chuckled and quickly voiced his input as if he had not been one of the ones who suspected Gu Changge earlier. Instead, he shoved all the blame onto Chosen Monk Jin Chan.

The Sect Masters of Purple Cloud Valley, Endless Fire Kingdom, and the other Forces said nothing.

The others in the palace had mixed feelings. Internally, they were shaking their heads as they thought there was going to be a shocking turn of events today. They did not think it would turn out to be nothing more than some suspicion on Chosen Monk Jin Chan’s part that failed to unmask anything regarding Gu Changge.

“This ends now. None of you are in the position to question my judgement.” Now that the dust was settling, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being let out a hint of his fury. He spoke coolly as his eyes swept across the palace. It seemed as though he was angry and displeased by what just happened.

It had to be said that an ancient being like him had remarkable acting skills. Even Gu Changge would not have been able to tell that the Supreme Being was just putting on an act if he did not know what the Supreme Being was thinking.

In a sense, he and the Supreme Being truly could get along as Master and disciple.

“We would never dream of it.”

“Please be appeased, Supreme Being. We were blind. We were merely thinking about questioning Young Master Gu. It was not our intention to question your judgement.”

Everyone in the palace grew uneasy when they saw that the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being seemed genuinely angered.

Even the One-Eye Daoist felt his heart tremble. He got a feeling that the Supreme Being had looked at him specifically.

He could not help but turn a little grim. Although he was confident in his strength and did not truly fear the Supreme Being all that much especially in this current era, a person’s reputation was nearly impossible to overlook.

The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being had been around since the Celestial Ancient Times. No one knew what he was capable of.

No one knew how powerful he still was now.

“Brother Jin Chan, do you have any more questions or doubts?” Gu Changge queried with a faint smile.

Chosen Monk Jin Chan looked a little defeated. He had plenty of evidence on hand to prove that Gu Changge was not the true Successor of the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being. However, from the looks of it now, he could not use them anymore. Not only did Gu Changge voluntarily admit to it, but even the Supreme Being knew about it too.

“I was rash today. I hope you won’t hold it against me, Young Master Gu,” Chosen Monk Jin Chan apologised with cupped hands as he sighed to himself and suppressed his unwillingness to be resigned to this outcome.

Gu Changge’s expression did not change much. He waved his hand and said, “I’m not an unreasonable person. I can understand your intentions, so naturally, I won’t hold this against you.”

While he would not be holding this against Chosen Monk Jin Chan, it did not mean he was going to let the latter off so easily either.

The crowd inside the central palace were startled by how understanding Gu Changge was. He did not seem to mind the affront at all.

They thought he would do what he did before and make Chosen Monk Jin Chan pay a heavy price.

Ancient Buddha Sha Na secretly exhaled in relief as he put his hands together and said, “Thank you for your magnanimity, Young Master Gu. I will have Jin Chan return to Buddhist Mountain. He won’t be allowed to leave for the next few years.”

In reality, he sensed what Gu Changge truly meant and had a feeling that danger was looming. It sounded as if Sha Na was admonishing Chosen Monk Jin Chan, but his goal was actually to have the latter return to Buddhist Mountain where he could be kept safe from all possible dangers.

Gu Changge simply smiled in response. He did not say anything.

Following that, no one in the central palace brought up the matter of the Successor of Demonic Arts again. They began asking the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being about secrets pertaining to the Celestial Ancient Times. They wanted to know the true reason why there were no longer any Immortals in the present era.

The Supreme Being acted like a generous sage who was willing to share all his knowledge as he answered all their questions.

After hearing what he said, everyone sighed to themselves. They had a feeling that something truly shocking had taken place many aeons ago that none of the later generations knew about.

It would be a secret related to the Forbidden Epoch, but it could also be something else.

At last, the visit came to an end. The hidden experts of the various Forces did not stick around any longer. They swiftly left after expressing their gratitude.

The news of everything that took place on this day soon got out and rocked the entire Divine City.

The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being was indeed still alive and he promised to eradicate the Eternal Overcast Scourge.

Countless were deeply touched and elated by the news. They teared up and heaped their thanks and praise on the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being.

All at once, the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s reputation and prestige were elevated to impossible heights.

Naturally, most people did not forget Gu Changge’s contributions. They viewed the master-disciple duo as the heroes and saviours of all existence.

As for the Forces such as Endless Fire Kingdom, Sky Emperor Mountain, and Purple Cloud Valley, they bore grim and unpleasant expressions as they became the target of much criticism.

Some of the cultivators were already planning to make historical records of this event to let it pass down to future generations.

Gu Changge had done nothing but good deeds for the benefit of the Upper Realm, but he ended up being framed and falsely accused as the Successor of Demonic Arts. Such vile schemes by others disheartened not only Gu Changge but all other living beings as well.

Chosen Monk Jin Chan, the one who questioned Gu Changge at the central palace, also became the subject of hefty criticism. Even Ancient Buddha Sha Na, who was once highly respected, was no longer viewed in the same manner by others.

At a time like this, it was already a miracle that they were not pelted with rotten eggs and spiritual fruits when they were out on the streets, let alone shown any kind of respect.

“Could this be what Gu Changge intended all along? To trick all living beings into being his pawns?”

“How vicious and terrifying.”

The One-Eye Daoist of Sky Emperor Mountain’s expression was grim and stormy.

After noting the recent developments in the Upper Realm, he began to have a vague idea of Gu Changge’s conniving intention. He did not think that Gu Changge was someone who would uphold justice and act in the best interests of the entire Upper Realm. Instead, all the living beings were being used by him without their knowledge.

[Such a terrifying scheme.]

“I’m afraid that soon he will be the one with the power to influence all of the Upper Realm. When the time comes, he will truly be able to bend the truth any way he wants.”

At this moment, the One-Eye Daoist’s desire to eliminate Gu Changge was at its strongest.

He soon composed himself and sent out a Supreme Decree to beckon forth the highest-ranking ones of Sky Emperor Mountain. He wanted to discuss this matter with them.

Meanwhile, over on the other side, Gu Changge and the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being, the nominal master-disciple duo, were also discussing the Upper Realm’s present state.

“Everything is proceeding just as you planned…” There was a hint of emotion in the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being’s voice as he realised that he had underestimated Gu Changge. [Not only is he powerful, but even the depths of his schemes are alarming. He has subtly influenced the entire Upper Realm.]

Even if Gu Changge turned out to be the Successor of Demonic Arts, it was unlikely that the ordinary cultivators would be suspicious of him anymore. They would not believe such speculation.

This proved how clever Gu Changge’s schemes was.

“You’re too kind, Master. It’s all thanks to your cooperation back at the central palace today.” Gu Changge smiled faintly and responded in a seemingly humble manner.

What the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being saw was only the surface. Gu Changge had other plans hidden beneath the surface. [I doubt the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being would ever have thought that even he’s merely a pawn of mine right from the very start.]

“All I did was tell the truth. After all, you could say we’re in this together now.”

The Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being nodded with a smile. Since he was after the secrets Gu Changge possessed, what he needed to do now was to gain Gu Changge’s trust.

A small matter such as this required minimal effort from him.

Gu Changge smiled without saying anything.

However, a thought seemed to have occurred to him as his expression grew slightly serious. “I’ll have to trouble you with the matter of the Eternal Overcast Scourge. During this time, I’ll try my best to build this up and make it an even bigger deal so that your reputation will reach all-new heights.”

“Don’t worry. This is nothing to me. It won’t take long,” the Ancient Reincarnation Supreme Being promised with a smile.