Chapter 66: The Celestial Demon Sect Comes Knocking

Chapter 66: Chapter 66: The Celestial Demon Sect Comes Knocking

Assuming it wasn’t the Daoist Nun, the only person who knew about the "Guo Jing" alias other than the old beggar was that idiot Zhao Yang from the Celestial Demon Sect.

He wondered, "So, did that idiot bring someone to look for me?

"But... what could he possibly want with me?"

Curious, Su Han changed into his "Guo Jing" disguise. He concealed his aura, evaded all detection, and left Prince Jing’s Residence.

The Beggar Gang, Lingzhou Sub-Branch.

Led by the old beggar, Su Han had just arrived outside the main hall when he felt a sweep of Divine Thought wash over him. He chuckled indifferently, not taking it to heart.

Inside the hall, Yu Su, who was seated in a chair, couldn’t help but pale slightly after her Divine Thought probe. She had clearly heard the footsteps of two people approaching, yet her Divine Thought had only detected the beggar she had seen earlier. Even though the footsteps were ringing out right beside the beggar, the second person seemed completely nonexistent to her senses. This discovery made Yu Su take this Elder Guo, Guo Jing, even more seriously.

Zhao Yang had repeatedly claimed to have met a senior expert above the Celestial Human Realm, and she had to admit her own inferiority when she saw the modifications he had made to Zhao Yang’s Celestial Demon Map. Furthermore, after numerous analyses and discussions within the sect, many believed this Guo Jing was likely connected to the Gongyang Ancestor Master, Gongyang Rong, from over ten thousand years ago. Still, no amount of speculation or hearsay could compare to witnessing it firsthand. After all, seeing was believing.

While Yu Su was deep in thought, Su Han and Hong Qi walked through the main doors.

"Zhao Yang? Why have you come looking for this old man?"

Seeing that idiot Zhao Yang’s face, Su Han’s suspicions were confirmed. When his gaze shifted to the woman beside him, he frowned slightly.

"Late-stage Celestial Human Realm, and you’ve cultivated the Heart Sutra of the Free-Transforming Celestial Demon to the Seventh Layer. Not bad. Is she your elder?"

The first sentence was an evaluation of the woman, while the second was naturally directed at Zhao Yang.

From the moment Su Han stepped through the doors, Zhao Yang had respectfully stood up. Hearing Su Han’s words, he hastily bowed. "Junior Zhao Yang greets you, Elder. Allow me to introduce her. This is Ancestor Master Yu Su, a Celestial Being forebear of my sect."

As Zhao Yang made the introduction, Su Han’s gaze naturally returned to Yu Su.

First, this person hadn’t existed within her Divine Thought; second, she couldn’t see through his cultivation realm at all. And now, upon their very first meeting, he had instantly seen through her specific realm and the Cultivation Technique she practiced. How could Yu Su harbor any doubts about whether the man before her was a genuine senior expert?

When Su Han’s gaze fell upon her, Yu Su mimicked Zhao Yang and bowed gracefully. "Junior Yu Su of the Celestial Demon Sect pays her respects to Elder Guo."

"Mm."

Su Han nodded and naturally took the seat of honor. The dignified aura he had cultivated over sixteen years as the Crown Prince ensured he wouldn’t show a hint of timidity, even when facing a Celestial Being. He picked up the cup of tea the old beggar had poured for him, took a gentle sip, and set it down. His gaze swept over Yu Su’s face before finally settling on Zhao Yang.

"This old man has already given you all the guidance you needed. What brings you to me today?"

Although Su Han’s tone was flat, it made Zhao Yang’s legs go weak. "Elder, Junior... Junior did not mean to leak information about you."

"Oh?"

Su Han’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Zhao Yang. That single, soft syllable seemed to turn the air so oppressive that it felt like it was freezing solid.

"Elder Guo."

Seeing cold sweat form on Zhao Yang’s forehead under the pressure of Su Han’s aura while she herself felt absolutely no discomfort, Yu Su couldn’t help but marvel inwardly. She thought, "He truly is a senior expert of the Creation Realm. Such masterful control over one’s aura is something I could never hope to achieve."

In reality, she had no idea that Zhao Yang was acting this way simply because he was scaring himself.

Hearing Yu Su’s voice, Su Han shifted his gaze to her face. No longer being stared at by Su Han, Zhao Yang felt the pressure on his chest drop instantly.

Meanwhile, Yu Su felt that despite Elder Guo’s calm gaze, he exuded an aura of unyielding authority. Even without using his aura to suppress her, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. Remembering the purpose of her mission, Yu Su quickly stated her intentions.

"Please do not take offense, Elder Guo. Zhao Yang didn’t intentionally leak your identity.

"After being fortunate enough to receive your guidance last time, he was filled with immense gratitude. Hearing you vaguely mention some ties to the Celestial Demon Sect, he grew curious and looked into the history of Elder Gongyang..."

Before Yu Su could finish her sentence, Su Han interrupted her.

"Gongyang?"

His expression remained placid, revealing neither joy nor anger. Though he was full of doubts inside—wondering how another "Elder Gongyang" had suddenly popped up—he didn’t show a shred of confusion on his face.

Yu Su, who had been secretly observing Su Han’s expression without gleaning any useful information, wasn’t disappointed. She continued with a hint of reverence, "I’m speaking of Elder Gongyang Rong. I wonder if she is the old acquaintance from the Celestial Demon Sect you referred to as ’Rong’."

For the first time since he arrived, a ripple of emotion flickered in Su Han’s eyes. It was a look of contemplation and inner struggle—wondering if his bluff had been called and if he needed to silence them right here and now. However... in Yu Su’s eyes, this contemplation and struggle looked like the deep nostalgia of hearing a long-lost friend’s name, coupled with the profound grief of knowing they would never meet again.

"Elder..."

Su Han glanced at her, his gaze returning to its usual calmness. He decided to wait and see how things played out. He thought, "If my persona really crumbles this time, neither of these two will walk out of these doors alive today."

"Tell me what you know."

Yu Su looked at the composed Su Han, unable to read any of the reactions she was hoping for on his face. After a moment of thought, she recounted everything she knew from the sect’s records regarding Gongyang Rong.

When Yu Su mentioned that Gongyang Rong had left in a hurry over fifteen thousand years ago, and that her Soul Lamp had extinguished shortly after—suggesting she had perished in the outside world—Su Han couldn’t help but show a flicker of an odd expression. And when Yu Su explained that, to this day, no one in the entire sect knew what had happened during the Gongyang Ancestor Master’s years of mortal experiencing, nor did they know the identity of the man she held in her heart, Su Han felt a bit more at ease.

He thought, "At least... my persona won’t crumble for now."

Breathing a slight sigh of relief, Su Han fell into silence after Yu Su finished sharing what she knew.

With Su Han remaining silent, Yu Su and Zhao Yang didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly. As for the old beggar, Hong Qi, upon learning that this Elder Guo was suspected to be a Creation Realm expert from ten thousand years ago, his heart was filled with joy. But after listening to the entire story, he couldn’t help but start worrying.

He wondered, "I accidentally overheard Elder Guo’s little secret. Will he silence me just to be safe?"

While the three people present didn’t dare to make a sound, cautiously waiting for Su Han’s response, Su Han was actually struggling internally.

He thought, "Gongyang Rong?

"To think the Celestial Demon Sect actually had such a prodigy of an Ancestor Master. She even shares so many coincidental similarities with the ’Rong’ I completely made up.

"The issue in front of me now is that as long as I play along, as long as my identity as a senior expert holds up, I’ll be indirectly tying myself to a massive tree like the Celestial Demon Sect—one that won’t be falling anytime soon. I could use their power to develop myself.

"And theoretically, to gain all this... I don’t actually have to give up anything.

"At most... if the Celestial Demon Sect encounters an unstoppable enemy above the Celestial Human Realm, I, as a fake Creation Realm expert, would have to step in and help.

"But for me, the last thing I’m afraid of is a powerful enemy who is fighting alone. Let alone the Creation Realm, even if they were above the Creation Realm, as long as it’s just one person, I can easily destroy them.

"After all... the Celestial Chosen Technique, Celestial Punishment, has a one-year cooldown. Need I say more?"

The benefits were laid out right in front of him, and the price he had to pay was negligible. So... should he acknowledge this connection? Should he? Or should he? A voice in his head kept telling him that claiming this connection was a guaranteed win with zero losses.

After a moment of internal debate, Su Han stood up and glanced at Yu Su.

"Gongyang Rong. This old man... does not know her."