As Gu Ming pondered, the people around him had already recognized the young man.
“Isn’t that the Valley Master of Hundred Flowers Valley’s precious second son — Gu Ziye? Why did he come to participate in the Saintess Mountain’s Martial Arts Tournament for recruiting Outer Disciples?”
“Isn’t it obvious? He must have been rejected by the Saintess many times, and since he won’t give up, he wants to become an Outer Disciple of Saintess Mountain just to attract her attention.”
“He’s certainly thick-skinned enough.”
—
Listening to the whispers and discussions of others, Gu Ming’s brow furrowed slightly, then slowly relaxed.
He took a brief look at the young man in front of him.
The man had a handsome face, a mop of fluffy hair, and eyes filled with a smiling intent. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a half-smile.
His body was very thin, lacking any sense of power, and combined with his somewhat pale complexion, he looked as though he suffered from excessive indulgence.
Therefore, he gave off the impression of a feminine handsomeness, like a gigolo specialized in pleasing women.
Gu Ming did not know him, but his face looked somewhat familiar.
Gu Ming had killed the eldest son of the Hundred Flowers Valley Master — Gu Zicheng.
He remembered that at that time, Gu Zicheng had attempted to lay hands on Mu Qianqian, who was still a disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley. Gu Ming had happened to witness it, finished him off, and saved Mu Qianqian in the process.
Because he had killed the son of the Hundred Flowers Valley Master, Gu Ming had been promoted directly by three ranks within the Demon Cult.
Thus, Gu Ming remembered it very clearly.
However, Gu Ming had also earned the resentment of the Hundred Flowers Valley Master.
To that end, the Valley Master had specifically issued a high bounty on Gu Ming’s head.
Every disciple of Hundred Flowers Valley was likely very familiar with his face, especially Gu Ziye, who was Gu Zicheng’s younger brother.
However, why did this person look as if his conspiracy had succeeded?
‘Is he trying to trick me?’
Gu Ming was extremely puzzled, but then he heard others discussing him.
“Speaking of which, this person really does look too much like the Fifth Heavenly King. But a dignified Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult wouldn’t possibly come to participate in the Saintess Mountain’s recruitment tournament, would he? Unless he simply has nothing better to do, haha.”
“It’s probably a coincidence. The Saintess’s White Moonlight also looks like the Fifth Heavenly King… Hey, I think I’ve discovered something. Could this person be trying to use that face, which resembles her White Moonlight, to attract the Saintess’s attention?”
“If that’s the case, he’s being way too bold. First of all, the Great Elder of Saintess Mountain wouldn’t allow him to enter the sect. Isn’t that just asking for humiliation? Moreover, if he were seen by disciples of Hundred Flowers Valley, he’d be captured immediately to be tortured as a Stand-in for the Fifth Heavenly King.”
—
Hearing the discussions around him, Gu Ming felt quite uncomfortable. He knew that this trip was bound to be full of difficulties.
He hadn’t even done anything yet, and he was already being targeted by a major power.
Seriously, was the Sect Leader’s plan going to work?
Just as Gu Ming felt like retreating, he heard Gu Ziye’s true intention for identifying him as the Fifth Heavenly King from the others’ gossip.
“But regardless, out of all of us, he’s the most likely to become the Saintess’s Personal Disciple. Who told him to have that face?”
“Oh, I see! Given the Saintess’s casual nature, it’s not guaranteed she won’t just appoint him as a Personal Disciple or make him her personal attendant. That’s why Gu Ziye identified him as the Fifth Heavenly King on the spot.”
“He’s kicking out his most likely potential rival first!”
—
Listening to these discussions, Gu Ming had already made a decision. It seemed that few people would actually believe he was the Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult.
Indeed, why would a dignified Fifth Heavenly King come here?
Did he have nothing better to do?
Just as Gu Ming was thinking of a countermeasure, a loud shout suddenly rang out from the crowd:
“EVERYONE, STAND BACK! THIS MAN IS THE FIFTH HEAVENLY KING OF THE DEMON CULT!”
As the voice rang out, the people around Gu Ming quickly retreated. Before long, they had surrounded Gu Ming in a circle, each of them looking at him warily.
Gu Ming glanced at everyone indifferently and found that these people held the same intention as Gu Ziye. They all wanted to exclude him, the person most likely to stay by the Saintess’s side.
‘However, this suits my purposes perfectly,’ Gu Ming thought to himself.
At that moment, Gu Ziye’s voice rang out:
“DIE, YOU DEMON! TAKE MY SWORD!”
With a low roar, Gu Ziye rushed forward with a long sword, hacking straight at Gu Ming — or more accurately, toward Gu Ming’s face.
Gu Ming’s heart went cold. ‘What a fellow. How despicable of him to try to ruin my face?!!!’
However, in the face of absolute strength, any sneak attack was nothing more than showy but useless moves.
Gu Ming’s strength was at the quasi-Heavenly King level. It was not something that a mere son of the Hundred Flowers Valley Master could compare to.
With a slight sidestep, Gu Ming dodged Gu Ziye’s attack. He quickly grabbed the wrist holding the sword, pulled him close, and with a slight curl of his lips, leaned down to his ear.
“With your light footsteps and amateur skills, how do you expect to avenge your brother?”
Gu Ming’s low whisper, like a nightmare, entered Gu Ziye’s ears.
Gu Ziye’s eyes widened slightly. His incredulous eyes stared fixedly at Gu Ming, focusing on the mocking smile at the corner of Gu Ming’s mouth.
His breathing became rapid and then irregular. His heart beat violently due to trembling.
He opened his mouth wide, but his voice turned hoarse.
“You… You really are… the Fifth…”
“AHHHHHHH—”
However, before he could say the last two words, the pain of a bone-shattering fracture made him scream out loud.
He glanced in shock at his wrist that had held the sword; it was completely snapped. The long sword fell to the ground.
Clang.
The crisp sound failed to catch Gu Ziye’s attention because he was currently suffering from the pain of his broken hand.
Large tears fell from his eyes, and saliva continuously flew from his mouth. His pupils seemed to bulge out, and his expression was extremely hideous.
With a gentle push from Gu Ming, Gu Ziye lost his balance and immediately rolled onto the ground. He clutched the area above his broken hand and roared heart-wrenchingly:
“MY HAND… MY HAND… AH… MY HAND!”
Seeing this scene, the crowd that had been jeering suddenly fell silent, each of them dumbfounded.
Was Gu Ziye really that useless?
Before long, a path was cleared through the crowd. A group of people dressed in Saintess Mountain robes rushed out with weapons in hand, quickly surrounding Gu Ming.
They were the Law Enforcement Disciples of Saintess Mountain.
When they saw Gu Ming’s face, their expressions were very striking. This man looked too much like the Fifth Heavenly King of the Demon Cult.
The real Fifth Heavenly King?
No, how could that be possible?
This man didn’t have even a trace of Demonic Chi on him.
How could he be!
‘It seems like another guy trying to use his face to get close to the Saintess!’
Just as the Law Enforcement Disciples felt contempt, Gu Ziye’s voice, filled with horror and heart-wrenching pain, roared:
“YOU… HURRY AND ARREST HIM! HE IS TRULY THE FIFTH HEAVENLY KING OF THE DEMON CULT! CATCH HIM NOW!”
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