I Have 10 Equipment Slots

Chapter 464: Chapter 262: The Sole Heir of the Great Zhou

"Cangxuan Priest, are you a Great Zhou person?" Gu Zheng asked.

"I am one of the Deserted People," Cangxuan said with a smile. "However, I was adopted by Li Cunyi’s elders when I was very young. I learned the ways of a Priest and the cultivation methods of Great Zhou. I’m also familiar with Great Zhou’s culture and customs."

"As for why Li Cunyi entered the Ancient Battlefield..."

Cangxuan sighed. "He had reasons that left him no choice."

"What reason could be worth dying for?" Gu Zheng frowned.

He turned to look at the Sea of Space. Even with Cangxuan guiding him from the outside, the presence at the other end of the line flickered in and out, its strength waxing and waning.

"That... I think it would be better for him to tell you himself, Gu King," Cangxuan said evasively. "Li Cunyi has mentioned you to me. He said that you and your family have been wonderful to him, and that he’s more grateful to you than anyone else in this life. As for his identity, he said that if he manages to return from the Ancient Battlefield, he will tell you himself."

"How melodramatic."

Gu Zheng snorted. "Li’s real surname is Wu, isn’t it?"

Cangxuan...

He opened his mouth, then gave a bitter laugh, at a loss for words.

"I’d already figured it out."

Gu Zheng continued calmly, "The last time we met, Li was so evasive. He said he didn’t want to drag me into his troubles, that it was something even I couldn’t handle after reaching the King’s Body realm."

"Later, I took a trip to the Wind Kingdom and met the Meng siblings. Putting two and two together with Li’s situation, it didn’t take much to deduce that he’s a descendant of the Wu Clan—the sole heir of Great Zhou."

"Great Zhou is nearly finished, doomed to fall. It doesn’t really matter whether his identity as the heir is exposed or not; few of the Eight Great Vassal Kings are interested in him. Look at Emperor Zhou. He was supposed to die, but thanks to the Source Fruit that grew from the Domain, he gets to live a few more years. The Eight Great Vassal Kings know about it, and he’s still not dead, is he?"

"..." Cangxuan sighed. "You’re right, Gu King. Cunyi brought all this pressure on himself. He’s fantasizing about restoring Great Zhou’s National Fortune and saving the world."

"He’s just creating a burden for himself."

Gu Zheng shot back bluntly, "Restore Great Zhou’s National Fortune? No one can do that. As for saving the world, it’s not his responsibility. He has no such obligation."

"If I remember correctly, Li has never even met another member of the Wu Clan in his entire life. Just because he awakened his Bloodline Power, found a package left by his martial uncle, and discovered his identity from a letter, he decided to chain himself down!"

"...Never mind. I’ve said enough."

Gu Zheng let out a breath and stopped his rant.

He had suspected Li Cunyi’s identity for a long time.

He officially confirmed it in the Wind Kingdom. Later, when he went to Taiping City to retrieve the Tripod Cauldron and met Emperor Zhou, he knew from the Emperor’s probing words that the one Emperor Zhou had been waiting for was Li Cunyi.

Fostering a Prince outside the palace from a young age, away from prying eyes, is a common practice throughout history.

It was only by chance that Li Cunyi became acquainted with Gu Zheng, which is how their bond formed.

’That guy running off to the Ancient Battlefield... he most likely read about some powerful treasure in the old records left by the Wu Family. A treasure that’s inside the Ancient Battlefield!’

The Ancient Battlefield is fraught with danger and countless ways to die, but it is also filled with treasures.

’Li Cunyi thinks he can get his hands on a powerful Ancient Treasure and revive Great Zhou with it. He’s being naive.’

’Perhaps this Ancient Treasure could help Li Cunyi break through to the King’s Body realm, but it definitely wouldn’t get him to the True Body Realm.’

’And without reaching the True Body realm, how could he possibly suppress the Eight Great Vassal Kings?’

"..."

After a moment of silence, Gu Zheng asked, "How long has Li been inside the Ancient Battlefield?"

"Almost half a year."

Cangxuan said with concern, "Ever since he went in, there’s been no word. I have no idea how he’s faring."

"..." Gu Zheng fell silent. After a long moment, he said quietly, "Let’s hope for the best."

"Cangxuan Priest, I’m rather curious about the cultivation path of Priests. Would you mind telling me a little about it?" Gu Zheng asked, looking at Cangxuan.

"To you, Gu King, there’s nothing I can’t say," Cangxuan said with a faint smile, his expression calm. "The path of a Priest is defined by its very name: sacrifice. We sacrifice plants and trees, all manner of beasts, water and fire, even lightning... until finally, we sacrifice ourselves!"

"Only by sacrificing oneself, dying and returning to life, can one truly be called a Priest and master the Power of Life."

"’Die first, then live?’" Gu Zheng said, lost in thought. "How is the sacrifice performed?"

"It sounds complicated, but it’s actually very simple."

Cangxuan readily recited a difficult mantra, then broke it down and explained it in detail.

It didn’t take long for Gu Zheng to grasp the key principle.

Sacrificing oneself didn’t mean truly dying. It meant putting oneself in a state between life and death—half-dead, half-alive.

In other words, a state of Fake Death!

This state is easy to enter but hard to leave.

If you exceed the time limit and fail to awaken, then you truly die.

Gu Zheng suddenly realized that this transition between life and death... wasn’t it the same principle as the cycle of his Life and Death Domain?

The path of sacrifice was of little use to others at the King’s Body realm.

But for Gu Zheng, who was trying to break through to the True Body realm, it was incredibly useful!

’Coming to the Northern Wilderness was the right decision.’

’I not only obtained an Exotic Insect and the Wine God Insect, but also found a Secret Technique for comprehending Life and Death Reincarnation.’

The key to the path of sacrifice was this very Secret Technique.

’With this, I can save myself a huge amount of time trying to figure it out on my own.’

"Many thanks, Cangxuan Priest!"

Gu Zheng calmed his mind and gave Cangxuan a respectful bow.

"You’re too polite, Gu King."

Cangxuan was a little flustered and quickly shook his head. "There’s no need for such ceremony, Gu King. While not many people know of the path of sacrifice, it’s not exactly a secret, either."

"That’s different."

Gu Zheng straightened up and smiled, but didn’t explain further.

"I don’t know when Li will return, so I won’t wait for him."

Glancing at the Sea of Space, Gu Zheng said, "However, I’ll leave a few phantom bodies behind to act as guards, just in case anyone comes to cause trouble."

"Then... then on behalf of Cunyi, I thank you in advance, Gu King," Cangxuan said, grateful but confused.

’Phantom bodies?’

’What kind of phantom bodies could possibly serve as guards?’

’This is the edge of the world. For the most part, no one ever comes here.’

’Anyone who manages to get here would be at the King’s Body realm, or at the very least, a peak Heroic Body.’

’Gu Zheng himself could naturally fend them off, but his phantom bodies?’

Cangxuan remained doubtful.

Then, he watched as one "Gu Zheng" after another detached from the real Gu Zheng’s back and walked out.

One, two, three...

Ten!

A total of ten "Gu Zhengs" walked about freely.

Cangxuan watched, dumbfounded.

Based on their auras, while these ten "Gu Zhengs" weren’t as powerful as the man himself, they were still comparable to the King’s Body realm.

Of course, this was just an illusion. It could fool people, but in reality, they would shatter with a single touch.

But Gu Zheng had called them guards, so naturally they weren’t just simple phantoms. They came equipped with other things.

God-Hunting Arrow, Sealing Sword Jade Talisman, Thrusting Spear...

Each phantom body was equipped with two offensive measures.

With this setup, they could essentially guard Cangxuan, allowing him to continue guiding Li Cunyi without fear of interruption.

...

After leaving the ten phantom bodies behind, Gu Zheng departed the edge of the world and returned to Jing Country.

Along the way, he casually slew any Demon Fiends he encountered.

He received no further news about the Devouring Insect Race.

There was another reason he was heading straight back to Fengzhou: an invitation to the Yang Family’s old ancestor’s eight-hundredth birthday had arrived.

The messenger had been waiting for him outside Qingshi County all this time.

「On a mountaintop.」

Gu Zheng’s true self descended, his gaze falling upon a tall, stunningly beautiful woman with a radiant and captivating presence.

Yang Siyue had been meditating to regulate her breathing when she suddenly sensed a presence. She looked up, and when she saw it was Gu Zheng, her heart skipped a beat. She scrambled to her feet and bowed respectfully. "Yang Siyue greets you, Gu King!"

"No need for such courtesy."

Gu Zheng gave a slight nod. "Miss Siyue," he said softly, "did you come to Qingshi County looking for me?"

"Yes, Gu King."

Yang Siyue replied respectfully, "Our old ancestor’s eight-hundredth birthday is approaching. I have come on the Patriarch’s orders to invite you, Gu King, to grace our Yang Family with your presence, should you have the time."

As she spoke, an invitation letter appeared in her hand with a flick of her wrist. Wrapped in a Divine Wondrous aura, it floated toward Gu Zheng.

Gu Zheng beckoned, and the gilt-edged invitation flew into his hand. He opened it and saw it was a personal, handwritten invitation from the Patriarch of the Yang Family.

It was, indeed, an invitation to attend the ceremony for the Yang Family’s old ancestor’s eight-hundredth birthday.

"I’ll consider it."

Accepting the invitation, Gu Zheng nodded. "Thank you for making such a long journey, Miss Siyue."

As he finished speaking, he shifted his body slightly, looking past Yang Siyue toward a mountaintop behind her. "Lord Xu," he said calmly, "Miss Siyue is my guest. I’d ask you not to make things difficult for her."

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