44: Chapter 44 Extracting the Clone Again

A black carriage rolled over the bluestone long street of Heavenly Saint City. The sound of the wheels grinding was monotonous. In the shadows of the street corners, countless eyes were hidden, staring at this carriage that bore no insignia.

The carriage stopped at the foot of the steps of the Ten Thousand Worlds Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. The curtain was lifted, and a foot wearing a Cloud-Ascending Boot stepped onto the bluestone slab. Xia Qingyue stepped down from the carriage. The bright yellow four-clawed python robe was blinding under the sunlight.

The surrounding crowd of onlookers subconsciously retreated. The Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty had arrived in person.

Xia Qingyue looked up at the plaque with gold characters on a black background. Ten Thousand Worlds Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. The five characters exuded a strange Dao aura. She stepped up the stairs.

Blind Sword was still leaning against the door pillar, holding his rusty iron sword, not even lifting his eyelids.

Stepping over the threshold, the main hall was filled with pink mist. Su Jiuer sat behind the rosewood table, tapping her emerald pipe.

"A rare guest," Su Jiuer exhaled a puff of smoke. "Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, your presence brings light to my humble shop. What would you like to buy?"

Xia Qingyue walked to the table, looking at Su Jiuer through the smoke. "Name a price to keep your mouth shut."

"Too late," Su Jiuer laughed, her body trembling with mirth. "The information has already been sold, and given away for free to every spy in the city. Now the entire Central Plains knows that Your Highness the Crown Prince is a delicate beauty. We at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion pride ourselves on honest business; once information is sold, it cannot be returned or exchanged."

Xia Qingyue pressed her hands onto the edge of the rosewood table. The mahogany tabletop made an unbearable creaking sound. Her Soul Transformation Stage Early Stage cultivation surged within her, but it was suppressed by an invisible force in the main hall. It was the pressure of the Creation Realm.

She let go. "Since the news is already out, my Great Xia Dynasty accepts the loss. Your Heavenly Secrets Pavilion wanted to establish authority and used me as a sacrifice; your goal has been achieved. Now, let's talk about another business deal."

"Oh?" Su Jiuer became interested. "What does Your Highness want to buy?"

"I want to buy secrets about the other princes of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty," Xia Qingyue looked directly at Su Jiuer. "Since I cannot be this Crown Prince, they shouldn't think about sitting on it peacefully either. Who doesn't have a few lives on their hands, and who doesn't have unspeakable deals behind their backs? I want all of their trump cards."

Su Jiuer tapped her pipe. "That's a big deal. The Great Xia Imperial Dynasty has deep foundations; investigating the backgrounds of those princes will take quite a bit of effort."

"Name your price."

"Five million Top-Grade Spirit Stones," Su Jiuer held up five fingers painted with nail polish.

Xia Qingyue didn't even blink. "Deal. The Spirit Stones will be delivered tomorrow."

Su Jiuer giggled charmingly. "Your Highness is truly a straightforward person. However, I have an additional proposal. Your Highness possesses the Supreme Forgetfulness Body, a Physique rarely seen since ancient times. It is a pity that those mediocre people in the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty used a Formation to forcibly suppress it, causing your Awakening degree to be less than one-tenth. If you could completely break the Seal, what would the mere throne of Great Xia amount to?"

Xia Qingyue' pupils contracted. Supreme Forgetfulness Body. This was a top secret known only to her Imperial Father and a few Old Ancestors; even she herself had only vaguely sensed it when she achieved a Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation Stage. The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion actually knew even this.

"You have the method to break the Seal?"

"The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion knows everything," Su Jiuer leaned back in her chair. "However, this price cannot be measured by Spirit Stones."

Xia Qingyue was silent. She looked at Su Jiuer, then glanced at Blind Sword outside the door. These two Creation Realm experts were willing to act as a shopkeeper and a guard in a pavilion. Who exactly was the master behind this Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?

"I want to see your Pavilion Master," Xia Qingyue demanded.

Su Jiuer paused and put down her pipe. "The Pavilion Master's whereabouts are uncertain, and he does not see outsiders."

"Five million Top-Grade Spirit Stones to buy a chance to meet," Xia Qingyue increased her offer. "The Great Xia Imperial Dynasty is willing to form an alliance with the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Your Pavilion Master will not lose out on this deal."

Eastern Wasteland. Tianxuan Peak. Gu Sheng sat on a grand armchair, with the System light screen floating in front of him. Inside the light screen was the scene of the main hall of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. Every word of Xia Qingyue reached his ears clearly.

[Host, this little girl is quite sensible. Five million Top-Grade Spirit Stones to buy a chance to meet; this money is earned faster than robbing.] The System's mechanical voice carried undisguised excitement.

"The foundations of the Great Xia Imperial Dynasty are far more than just these Spirit Stones," Gu Sheng picked up his teacup and stirred the floating leaves. "She wants to see me merely to probe the bottom of the Everlasting Gu Family and see if it is qualified to become her backer. Once the internal struggle for the throne in Great Xia erupts, as a woman, she will be besieged on all sides and desperately in need of foreign aid."

[Then will you see her or not?]

"See her. Why wouldn't I?" Gu Sheng put down the teacup. "The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion has just cut a slice into the cake of the Central Plains. Relying solely on Su Jiuer and the blind man to hold the fort is enough for deterrence, but it lacks a backbone. As the Young Lord of the Everlasting Gu Family, it is time for me to take a stroll in the Central Plains."

He stood up and stretched his shoulders. His Golden Core Great Perfection cultivation circulated within him. The gray Spiritual Qi cultivated from the "Grandmist Dao Canon" was endless. Although it still didn't rank high in the Central Plains, with Xuan Kong, the Creation Realm Peak old servant, following him, safety would not be a problem.

Moreover, Ji Ruxue had already gone to Heavenly Saint City in advance. A Destined Daughter plus a Son of Destiny—if these two met, how many destiny points could he farm?

Gu Sheng gave an order to the System: "Tell Su Jiuer to agree. Three days later, see her in Heavenly Saint City."

In the light screen, Su Jiuer received the order and smiled. "Your Highness is lucky. My Young Lord happens to be interested in visiting the Central Plains. Three days later, the Young Lord will host a banquet at the 'Star-Plucking Tower,' the largest restaurant in Heavenly Saint City. At that time, Your Highness can go there with this token."

Su Jiuer flicked her finger, and a black gold token landed on the rosewood table. On the front of the token was engraved an ancient "Gu" character.

Xia Qingyue put away the token and turned to walk out of the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion. The carriage sped away.

Gu Sheng walked out of the main hall. Tianxuan Peak was shrouded in clouds and mist.

Xuan Kong was smoking a dry pipe, squatting on the stone steps outside the hall.

"Pack up, we're going to the Central Plains," Gu Sheng kicked the sole of Xuan Kong's shoe.

Xuan Kong knocked out the ash and stood up. "Young Lord, the waters in the Central Plains are deep. If we just go like this, should we bring a few more people?"

"Bring whom? Bring those Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Outer Sect Disciples to their deaths?" Gu Sheng asked back. "Having you, a Creation Realm Peak expert, is enough. Show is not something that is useful just because there are many people."

Gu Sheng thought for a moment and added: "Bring out that purple-gold flying boat."

The purple-gold flying boat was the private vehicle of Mo Cangtian, the Holy Master of the Piaomiao Holy Land, which had just been forcibly taken by Gu Sheng a few days ago under the name of "requisition." It was an Earth Rank Top-Grade flying Magic Treasure, with extremely fast speed and astonishing defensive power.

Half an hour later, a hundred-zhang-long purple-gold flying boat rose into the sky, breaking through the clouds and heading straight towards the Central Plains.

Gu Sheng leaned on the grand armchair on the deck. The gale was blocked by the Formation on the periphery of the flying boat.

Xuan Kong squatted in the corner, stuffing tobacco into his pipe.

Gu Sheng summoned the System panel. destiny points balance: 50,000. Exchange points: over 19 million.

The Central Plains' waters were deep. Major forces were intertwined. The Great Xia Imperial Dynasty, the hidden Lu Family, various Holy Lands. Relying solely on Xuan Kong as a Creation Realm expert, plus the blind man and Su Jiuer from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, was enough to hold the fort. But the Everlasting Gu Family needed more "chess pieces" walking outside.

That Clone of Luo Qingxue had already been exposed and had now become the master of the Xuanming Hall, so it could not be used casually. He needed a new persona.

"System, open the Clone gacha pool."

[Clone gacha pool opened. A single draw consumes 10,000 destiny points. A ten-draw guarantees a special Physique Clone.]

Gu Sheng looked at his balance of 50,000. He would try a single draw to test the waters. "Draw once."

[Deducting 10,000 destiny points. Extracting...] Gu Sheng stared at the rotating wheel on the panel.

"System, let's be clear," Gu Sheng tapped the armrest. "Last time with that Luo Qingxue, you said it was randomly generated, but it turned out to be the real person dug out from the ice coffin of the Xuanming Hall."

"It provoked three Nirvana Realm experts, and I almost lost everything. If you give me another corpse with Karma this time, I will uninstall you."

[Host, please rest assured. This System has fixed the gacha pool loophole.] [The Clone extracted this time is 100% reshaped from pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and Law fragments, with absolutely no past Karma.] [Clean and innocent.]

The wheel stopped spinning. A purple beam of light descended from the Void Realm, slamming onto the deck of the purple-gold flying boat. The Formation's light screen shook violently.

Xuan Kong stopped stuffing his tobacco and looked up at the beam of light. The light dissipated.