Chapter 271 : Heaven-Slaying Sect
Chapter 271: Heaven-Slaying Sect
Duke of Jingguo’s Residence, Gu Zhengwu sat upright in the Blade Sharpening Hall, intently polishing the treasured blade in his hand.
He had been here, polishing the blade for an entire day.
Information had kept coming in—first, Fifth Uncle received an urgent report and didn’t even bother with a carriage before rushing out the door, showing it must have been something serious.
Not long after, another emergency message came in, even startling his father into action.
Gu Zhengwu had also received some intelligence. It seemed something major had happened in the Celestial Prison.
Celestial Prison?
For the Heaven-Slaying Sect’s reach to extend even into the Celestial Prison—such power was simply unfathomable.
Then, more information flowed in.
That bastard had encountered big trouble.
As for what kind of trouble, it was all vague and unclear.
Gu Zhengwu was patient and waited.
He waited until night fell.
Finally, a complete report arrived.
“They said the restriction on the third level of the Celestial Prison showed signs of loosening. A First Grade Expert imprisoned there escaped. Seventh Young Master just happened to be inside and nearly died.”
Nearly?
He actually didn’t die?
Gu Zhengwu’s hand paused as he wiped the blade. He slowly set it down and asked, in a tone devoid of emotion, “How did he survive?”
The subordinate cautiously replied, “I heard Princess Lingyu was visiting Princess Lingyu as well and encountered danger with Seventh Young Master. Upon hearing of this, she stepped in and rescued them both. It's said that Princess Lingyu went on a killing spree and slaughtered all eighteen First Grade prisoners inside the Celestial Prison.”
Princess Lingyu?
Gu Zhengwu hadn’t expected that, in the end, things would fall apart because of that madwoman.
If not for her, that bastard would’ve died in the Celestial Prison, and no one would have suspected him.
What a pity.
Gu Zhengwu asked again, “Then why did Fifth Uncle and Father both rush to the Celestial Prison upon hearing the news?”
Logically speaking, this kind of incident could have been handled by Fifth Uncle alone. Why did Father follow so soon after?
“Reportedly, the officer on duty at Six Doors was that red-robed man surnamed Xu. He initially wanted to detain Seventh Young Master. The Duke had to go personally to retrieve him.”
“So that’s how it is.”
The Duke of Jingguo’s Residence did have political enemies. That red-robed Xu was one of them.
Such behavior was simply to disgust the Duke’s Residence—he would never dare do anything serious to that bastard.
Gu Zhengwu said, “Enough. You may leave.”
After the man left, he once again took out that black token. A wisp of his consciousness sank into it, and his mind entered the black hall once more.
As always, that black-clad man sat high above.
Gu Zhengwu said, “Your operation failed. He didn’t die.”
The black-clad man said calmly, “Our agreement was to take his life before the Night Banquet of the Ghost Festival. Calling it a failure now is premature. The Heaven-Slaying Sect never fails to kill its target.”
“Fine. Then I’ll wait for your sect’s good news.”
“However, according to the rules of the Heaven-Slaying Sect, for every assassination attempt, you must complete one task for the sect.”
Gu Zhengwu retorted coldly, “You’re the ones who failed. What does that have to do with me?”
The black-clad man said, “According to our assessment, killing a Second Grade target should’ve been easy. Even with the unexpected appearance of Princess Lingyu, she shouldn’t have been able to protect him. Therefore, there must have been an error in your intelligence. That person must have other formidable means. Our loss must be compensated by you.”
“Impossible!”
“You can cancel the deal if you want, but the price of that…”
Gu Zhengwu’s expression turned extremely dark. “Are you threatening me?”
The black-clad man replied coolly, “If you fail to become the next Duke of Jingguo, then you hold no value for our sect. You’re a smart man—you know what choice to make.”
Gu Zhengwu knew he had no way out now. He hardened his heart and said, “Fine. But if you fail again next time, I won’t care anymore.”
After saying that, he vanished on the spot.
In the vast black hall, a cold laugh echoed—“Heh.”
——
“You really gave me one hell of a surprise!”
Inside the carriage, Gu Haochuan’s face was dark as he glared at Chen Ming. “You think you’re qualified to kill those prisoners in the Celestial Prison?”
Chen Ming replied innocently, “You heard it too. I was following Princess Lingyu’s orders. She told me to act—how could I dare disobey?”
Gu Haochuan cursed angrily, “Princess Lingyu is royalty, His Majesty’s own niece. She could poke a hole in the sky and His Majesty wouldn’t blame her. Can you compare to her? If Second Brother hadn’t stepped in, you’d already be locked up in the Celestial Prison. Do you understand that?”
Chen Ming wailed in protest, “The situation was urgent. If I didn’t stay close to Princess Lingyu, any one of those First Grades could have killed me. I had no choice, Fifth Uncle. Please don’t be angry.”
“Don’t call me Fifth Uncle.”
Gu Haochuan was truly enraged this time. The mess this brat caused was no small matter. “Starting tomorrow, you’re not to step outside. Stay quietly in the Duke’s Residence. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh.”
——
When Chen Ming returned to the Duke’s Residence, the sky was already completely dark.
This time was indeed a bit dangerous. If Princess Lingyu hadn’t taken the blame and claimed responsibility for killing the First Grades, he probably wouldn’t have left Six Doors so easily.
Eighteen First Grade criminals died under the Emperor’s nose. This was earth-shattering. Six Doors couldn’t even cover it up if they tried.
What kind of people were imprisoned in the Celestial Prison?
With someone like Princess Lingyu involved—the Emperor’s own niece—Six Doors would undoubtedly face His Majesty’s wrath.
Naturally, Six Doors would want to find someone to take the fall. He was the one who killed them—he couldn’t escape the blame.
But Princess Lingyu took the blame herself.
With that, he owed her a huge favor.
No problem, though—that favor was Gu Xianyu’s. What did it have to do with Chen Ming?
Chen Ming thought, entirely at ease.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, he was met by the red-eyed maid, Xiao He. Clearly, the news of his incident had already spread.
He asked a few questions and quickly figured out the situation.
Everyone outside believed the killings were done by Princess Lingyu, and he was just lucky enough to survive because of her.
“Perfect. Seems no one thinks I could kill a First Grade.”
Chen Ming felt this was the best possible outcome.
After comforting the little maid with a few words, he sent her off to rest.
Left alone in the room, he began thinking about the whole incident.
“That man from the Undying Sect said someone wanted me dead. Who could it be?”
To cause a problem in the Celestial Prison—the power required was beyond imagination.
Wait a minute.
If the enemy had that much power, they could’ve just killed me outright. Why go through all this trouble?
There was too little useful intel—it was hard to deduce who the mastermind was.
“Think about it the other way—who stands to gain the most from my death?”
Chen Ming quickly found the core issue.
Who wanted him dead the most?
He instantly thought of two people—Second Brother Gu Zhengtian and Third Brother Gu Zhengwu!
As for others, they lacked strong motives.
Even if the Gu Family had enemies, they wouldn’t go to such lengths without knowing his true strength.
The Night Banquet of the Ghost Festival was approaching—how many eyes were on the capital?
The bigger the figure in the capital, the less likely they would act during this time.
But Second Brother and Third Brother were different—they not only wanted him dead, but they wanted him dead before the Night Banquet.
“How did they manage it?”
Chen Ming felt that with the status and power of those two, pulling off something this big seemed unlikely.
Wait!
When in doubt, ask the tortoiseshell.
He pulled out the tortoiseshell from his robes. After days of nourishing, it had regained much of its luster. Asking it about something with clear direction should be no problem.
“Tortoiseshell, tortoiseshell, tell me—was the person behind the danger I faced in the Celestial Prison either Gu Zhengtian or Gu Zhengwu?”
As soon as he finished asking, a mysterious sense filled his heart.
It was them!
Unbelievable. Those two actually dared to orchestrate something like this—disrupting the Celestial Prison’s restrictions. That wasn’t something just anyone could do.
You really couldn’t underestimate anyone.
Now that he’d identified the culprits, the sense of crisis in his heart grew stronger. Who knew if they would try again?
He needed to think of a way—to kill them first.
He mulled it over and decided to consult that old Daoist. The man knew too many secrets—he was no ordinary figure.
“Daoist Wang Chenzi, Daoist Wang Chenzi, Daoist Wang Chenzi!”
——
Chen Ming’s consciousness once again entered the cave-dwelling.
The old Daoist looked even more ethereal now. “Looks like you killed quite a few people today. The killing aura on you is so strong, even I’m a bit shocked.”
“Daoist, you’ve got a good eye. I encountered grave danger today—almost didn’t get to see you again.”
The old Daoist clearly didn’t believe him. Not a single scratch on him—how was that grave danger?
“You’re a man of great fortune. Even in the face of danger, you’ll turn calamity into blessing.”
“This time was different.”
Chen Ming briefly recounted today’s events. “I used the tortoiseshell and confirmed the ones behind it were my Second and Third Brothers. Hard to believe—how did they manage something like this?”
After listening, the old Daoist pondered for a moment before saying, “That method of operation… reminds me of a certain organization. Perhaps they’re involved.”
He quickly asked, “Oh? What organization?”
The old Daoist said, “Heaven-Slaying Sect.”
“Heaven-Slaying Sect? You mean the most mysterious part of the Cult of Eternal Life?”
“Exactly. That organization always hides in the shadows, specializing in assassination. They seduce individuals from powerful forces, offering to kill on their behalf, luring them into the Heaven-Slaying Sect. For every person they kill, the client owes them a favor. In this way, they’ve spun a massive web in the shadows. No one knows who might be a member.”
Chen Ming shivered hearing this.
If that was true, then the Heaven-Slaying Sect was terrifying beyond measure.
It meant anyone could suddenly turn on him and kill him. It was truly impossible to guard against.
Who knew—maybe some elder in the Gu Family owed the Heaven-Slaying Sect a favor and would come knock on his door one day to slap him to death.