The commotion Bao Gu, Si Ruo, Qu Yirou, and Yu Mi had caused at the Welcoming Wind Restaurant was so great that numerous divine senses descended upon them and locked on. Those probing senses made almost no attempt to conceal themselves.
Bao Gu knew how conspicuous she had become. She had originally planned to conceal her identity, avoid trouble, and quietly make a fortune. But in the Upper Realm, if she did not show her claws and let people think she was easy prey, they would trample her even as they passed by, much less allow her to establish a foothold.
At that moment, Bao Gu’s face revealed not the slightest emotion. Her bearing was cold and aloof, and her eyes were icy. She had rapidly worked out a plan in response to the situation, modifying her earlier strategy of quietly making a fortune. Since she could not determine whether the War King Clan would be an ally or an enemy, she had prepared for the worst.
Bao Gu found a sizable inn, rented a private courtyard, and personally set up several formations inside and out. A teleportation formation, a killing formation, a defensive grand formation, and more—she fortified the courtyard until it was utterly secure.
Although Bao Gu’s expression gave nothing away, Si Ruo, Qu Yirou, and Yu Mi knew her well. They had already guessed part of what she intended to do next.
After Bao Gu finished laying out the formations, Si Ruo asked directly:
“What do you need us to do next? Yue Kingdom is yours to command.”
Their journey through the Upper Realm had made it clear to her that without backing and strength, they could not merely fail to establish themselves—they would not survive at all. Within Yue Kingdom, she had the highest cultivation and combat strength. Yet in the Upper Realm, that level of power was not enough to deal with even a street thug. With no roots or foundation here, Yue Kingdom had only one way forward: rely on Bao Gu.
Qu Yirou said:
“Soul Chasing Pavillion may be weak, but if there is anything we can do, just give the order.”
Life in the Upper Realm was difficult. Their only chance of survival was to band together and rely on one another.
Bao Gu invited Qu Yirou, Si Ruo, and Yu Mi inside, then moved Wang Ding and Sun Dilong out of the enormous storage pouch. She took out the Five-Element Immortal Stones they had obtained in trade and divided them into six shares, one for each person.
Without money, it was impossible to move even an inch. None of them declined; they accepted their shares at once.
Bao Gu said:
“I still cannot determine exactly where my cultivation stands. By cultivation alone, I am only at the True Immortal realm, but I have fused with a supreme-grade king artifact forged from divine blood and divine bones. The suppression imposed on me by the Heavenly Dao’s laws in the Desolate Heaven Realm is now being lifted bit by bit, and I can feel my strength increasing every moment. Although we are currently at a disadvantage and appear easy for anyone to crush, we actually have a great deal of power at our disposal.”
She paused before continuing:
“At present, it is a fifty-fifty chance that the War King Clan will choose war or peace, so we must prepare for both possibilities. If the War King Clan moves against us, I will use the formations to destroy War City, then remain in the War King Clan’s territory to hold them back. I have already handed the Hack Gang over to Bao Nianhui. Wang Ding, Sun Dilong, give Nianhui your full support and find a way to contact Qing Ying. The two of them have been fellow disciples for centuries, so they should have some means of contacting each other.”
Si Ruo raised a brow.
“If the War King Clan moves against us, you intend to fight them to the death?”
Bao Gu replied calmly:
“Anyone who denies me a way to live will find that I deny them one in return.”
Bao Gu took out several storage artifacts containing enormous internal spaces. She first handed one to Si Ruo.
“Si Ruo, these are cultivation resources the Hack Gang obtained from Yue Kingdom in exchange. Take them and use them.”
She handed another storage artifact to Qu Yirou.
“This is for Soul Chasing Pavillion.”
She gave one to Wang Ding and one to Sun Dilong.
“I know there is still some friction between the two of you, but you have no actual grudge or conflict of interest. Put that hidden rivalry aside and join hands to get through this crisis.”
After Si Ruo and Qu Yirou accepted the storage artifacts Bao Gu had given them, they swept their divine senses inside. Both were visibly shocked.
Bao Gu said:
“What we lack most right now is combat strength. What we have in abundance are cultivation resources. There should be auction houses in the Upper Realm selling high-grade immortal treasures, powerful forbidden artifacts, powerful defensive immortal treasures, talismans, and the like. There may even be factions with respectable strength willing to work for money. Cultivation realms advance slowly, but as long as we have cultivation resources, borrowing outside power is easy enough. I am tied up with the War King Clan and cannot spare the time, so you will have to make these arrangements yourselves.”
She considered for a moment.
“We’re all on the same side, so I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
Qu Yirou replied:
“Just give the order.”
Bao Gu nodded lightly.
“Sun Dilong, get the trade network up and running as quickly as possible. Even if you have to take a loss and throw money around, get the shops open first. Build up a network of forces, gather every useful resource you can, and win over any factions willing to cooperate with us. The Earth Dragon Fort model may well work in the Upper Realm.”
Sun Dilong nodded.
“Yes!”
Bao Gu turned to Wang Ding.
“Wang Ding, work with Sun Dilong. Gather as much information about this realm as possible, recruit people, and expand our direct forces. The more than a million cultivators the Hack Gang brought up are still far too weak to form a fighting force. If we send them out now, they will only die. We will have to recruit and build another inner hall of the Hack Gang in the Upper Realm.”
Wang Ding clasped his fists.
“Yes!”
Bao Gu looked at Yu Mi and Qu Yirou.
“Senior Martial Sister, Pavilion Master, I entrust Wang Ding and Sun Dilong’s safety to you.”
At the idea of Yu Mi serving as their bodyguard, Wang Ding and Sun Dilong were horrified.
“How can that be?”
“That would never do. This subordinate would not dare.”
Bao Gu frowned and said coldly:
“If Senior Martial Sister and Pavilion Master Qu don’t protect you, do you think you can survive a day in the Upper Realm?”
Wang Ding and Sun Dilong did not dare say another word.
Bao Gu added:
“You two must gather as many cultivation resources from this realm as possible to help the Pavilion Master and my Senior Martial Sister improve their combat strength. As for the fee Soul Chasing Pavillion charges for protecting you, settle it with them later.”
The two men nodded repeatedly.
Bao Gu paused, then continued:
“Although every hall has already transferred most of its elite personnel to the command ship to await orders, the situation is severe, and I am concerned that the manpower we have mobilized so far will not be enough. Discuss it among yourselves and decide whether you need reinforcements. If you do, tell me as soon as possible so I can send them over. I can spare you only half of the Engineering Hall’s personnel. The flagship has been damaged and needs repairs. The overall conditions of this realm differ from those of the Desolate Heaven Realm, so the Daluo Redgold Battleship cannot display its full combat power and will need major modifications. The battle armor of every hall will also need to be modified accordingly.”
Wang Ding and Sun Dilong repeatedly agreed.
Wang Ding and Sun Dilong had followed Bao Gu for many years. She had always given them only the broad direction; the details were left to them to work out according to the circumstances. Once the basic arrangements were made, the corners of Bao Gu’s mouth lifted in a faint smile. She looked at Si Ruo and asked:
“Your Majesty, as the leader of the greatest faction controlling the Ascension Platform in the Desolate Heaven Realm, anyone who wins you over will effectively win half of the Desolate Heaven Realm’s future forces. With such a powerful foundation, don’t you intend to raise Yue Kingdom’s imperial banner?”
Hearing this, Si Ruo immediately understood Bao Gu’s intention and could not help raising a brow.
Bao Gu said:
“Although we are allies, Yue Kingdom has no grudge, grievance, or ties with the War King Clan. There is no need for it to be dragged into a conflict with them and suffer because of me.”
As she spoke, she cast a meaningful glance at Qu Yirou.
Qu Yirou smiled.
“You mean we should seek another alliance?”
Bao Gu said:
“Raise your banner first. If I fall out with the War King Clan, they can forget about laying a finger on the Desolate Heaven Realm again.”
Si Ruo considered this.
“Then you may no longer be able to keep your true strength hidden.”
Bao Gu said:
“Although the million-strong army under me can no longer serve as a surprise force to catch them off guard…”
She changed tack.
“You know perfectly well that I prefer taking on an entire faction by myself. Showing enough cards to win greater gains at the negotiating table is not necessarily a bad thing.”
Si Ruo nodded lightly.
“This is workable. We will think it through carefully.”
Bao Gu paused.
“The sword formation protecting War City is indeed formidable, but it has a real flaw. The teleportation formation I set up in this courtyard can exploit that flaw and send people outside. You can leave through it in a little while. Discuss the specifics among yourselves; I won’t interfere.”
Yu Mi asked worriedly:
“Bao Gu, how confident are you that you can get away unscathed?”
Bao Gu thought for a moment.
“As long as you do not fall into their hands, I have nothing to worry about. If I want to escape, no one can stop me.”
Yu Mi replied:
“All right. I trust you. I will do everything I can to protect myself.”
Bao Gu nodded. She trusted her Senior Martial Sister’s abilities.
Yu Mi, Si Ruo, Qu Yirou, Wang Ding, and Sun Dilong returned to the command ship through the teleportation formation. Bao Gu left the inn and wandered all around War City, working on the city’s protective sword formation.
War City’s protective sword formation was truly formidable. But formations were Bao Gu’s greatest specialty, and sword formations were one of her strongest suits. The city’s sword formation shared many similarities with the ones she commonly used, so it was practically transparent to her.
Bao Gu wandered around the city, quietly tampering with the protective sword formation. Taking advantage of the architecture and terrain, she left all kinds of hidden setups throughout the city.
The several major disturbances she had caused in War City had long since drawn the city’s attention. Many people were watching her, but she did not care; she did not even avoid their eyes while tampering with the formation.
She spent two days wandering around War City. On the second day, just after she sent a strand of sword qi along the corner of a wall and into an earth vein, someone came up to her.
Looking up, she saw a woman dressed in a lavish immortal robe, with iridescent immortal-treasure ornaments adorning her from head to toe. A faint smile touched the woman’s lips.
“I’ve been watching you for two days. What are you up to?”
The woman looked familiar. After searching her memory for a moment, Bao Gu called out:
“Xuan Ling?”
Xuan Ling raised a brow.
“What? You don’t recognize me anymore?”
Bao Gu smiled faintly.
“What brings you here?”
Xuan Ling gave Bao Gu a deep look.
“The old fogies in the clan have been arguing themselves hoarse over your matter. I figured you were a straightforward person, so I decided to come find you myself.”
Bao Gu asked directly:
“Can you make decisions for the War King Clan?”
Xuan Ling said:
“As someone who has dealt with you, received enormous benefits from you, and understands you to a certain extent, my word still carries some weight in this matter. Shall we have a chat? You choose the place.”
Bao Gu nodded lightly.
“Let’s find somewhere to sit and talk.”
She did not bother choosing a place and walked straight toward the nearest teahouse.
She walked slowly, while Xuan Ling kept pace beside her, unhurried.
“You’ve been wandering around the city for two days, leaving arrangements everywhere. What are you trying to do?”
Bao Gu answered frankly:
“I believe the War King Clan is highly likely to decide to eliminate me. The main question is how they intend to deal with me, this potential threat, at the lowest possible cost—and what method they will use.”
Xuan Ling’s heart tightened, but her expression did not change.
“So that’s what all this is about?”
Bao Gu smiled faintly.
“I’ve already prepared to fight the War King Clan to the death.”
Xuan Ling asked:
“Xuan Xiu said you once threatened to massacre the city?”
Bao Gu chuckled and pointed above them.
“With a city-protecting sword formation this useful, it would be foolish not to use it.”
Bao Gu abruptly lost her taste for joking. Her smile faded as she turned to Xuan Ling.
“Xuan Ling, I have neither the patience nor the time to keep dragging this matter out with the War King Clan. These three days are a courtesy I extended out of respect for my Master Xuantian and the War King Clan. When the three days are up, if the War King Clan cannot show sincerity about negotiating…”
She gave a heavy sigh.
“I do not want the first faction I attack in the Upper Realm to be my own sect.”
Xuan Ling stopped and looked at Bao Gu.
“May I ask what you intend to use to move the War King Clan to negotiate with you? Threats? Bao Gu, I admit that your combat prowess is extraordinary. With only early-stage Tribulation Transcendence cultivation, you can fight your way through a group of Earth Immortals and back out again. But not even you—or all the forces of the Desolate Heaven Realm combined—have the strength to contend with the War King Clan.”
Bao Gu turned her head. Her eyes held no emotion as she looked at Xuan Ling.
“Leaving everything else aside, what chance does the War King Clan have of eliminating Qing Ying?”
Xuan Ling said:
“She fused with the Heaven-Refining Cauldron using the War King Clan’s artifact-fusion technique and has reached the quasi-Emperor realm, half a step from becoming an Emperor. Unless an Emperor appears, no one can match her. She has turned the Demon Domain upside down. Princess Xue Qing of the Celestial Fox royal clan returned with her in a show of force and went straight for the Demon Emperor. If you intend to rely on Qing Ying and the Celestial Fox royal clan, abandon that thought. Though they have thrown the Demon Domain into chaos, the Demon Emperor still controls the overall situation. They do not have the ability to interfere in the affairs of the Immortal Domain, much less the time to come rescue you. If Qing Ying is cornered by the Demon Emperor, she will not survive.”
She paused.
“Even if you massacre War City, given the War King Clan’s strength, a loss of this scale would not even scratch the surface. The War King Clan has more than one War God Sword. As long as it sends a powerful expert carrying one down to the Lower Realm, the legacy you left in the Desolate Heaven Realm cannot be protected.”
Bao Gu fell silent.
Xuan Ling continued:
“There is one way that will neither cost you your life nor cripple you or anyone with you. You and everyone around you who practices the direct-line cultivation technique can join the War King Clan as a group of clan-protecting household retainers, swear a blood oath, and promise never to pass the direct-line cultivation technique on to anyone else.”
Bao Gu asked:
“Serve the War King Clan?”
“Mm,” Xuan Ling answered.
Bao Gu asked:
“Aside from this path, is there no possibility of resolving the matter through negotiations? Is it truly so difficult to acknowledge Xuantian Sect as the inherited legacy left by War God Xuantian?”
Xuan Ling said:
“The War King Clan’s direct-line cultivation technique is taught only to outsiders bearing the Xuan surname. Bao Gu, Xuantian was struck from the genealogy because he passed the technique outside the clan and violated its rules.”
She paused.
“The War King Clan has already sent experts to War City. A Grand Luo Golden Immortal carrying the War God Sword has come with ten more Grand Luo Golden Immortals. Let alone you, who have only just attained the True Immortal realm—even if you had already reached the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm, you might not escape.”
Bao Gu’s eyes turned icy. Her voice was devoid of emotion:
“There is truly no room for compromise?”
Xuan Ling replied:
“Your only path to survival is to become a clan-protecting household retainer. You can become a retainer of my household. I will give you the greatest freedom, convenience, and respect possible.”
Bao Gu lifted her head toward the sky. Her eyes were desolate. Her voice was low and heavy:
“Xuan Ling, back then, my Master Xuantian fled to the Desolate Heaven Realm with his wife. To keep her safe, he exhausted everything he had—Xuantian Sect’s foundation and his own life. In the end, only a remnant soul and a wisp of divine sense remained of him, yet he still clung on. I survived to this day because of his protection, and his wife rescued me from danger time and again. Their kindness and affection, as well as the protection and guidance they gave me, are engraved in my heart. The War King Clan did not protect them back then. It has never given me the slightest protection. I owe the War King Clan nothing, but I owe Xuantian and Xue Qing far too much; I have too many debts of gratitude to repay. By striking Xuantian from the clan register, the War King Clan severed the last thread connecting me to it.”
Xuan Ling stamped her foot anxiously.
“I know you are not afraid of death, but what about the people around you? What about those people you once risked your life to return to the Desolate Heaven Realm to find? Are you abandoning them too?”
Bao Gu gave a soft laugh.
“You mean my Senior Martial Sister?”
A trace of amusement, tenderness, and resolve rippled through her eyes.
“My Senior Martial Sister is free-spirited. Let alone selling her life to someone else, I once offered her the greatest faction in the Desolate Heaven Realm, and to her it was nothing but a burden. If I sought to survive by taking her to serve the War King Clan as a household retainer, I would be clipping her wings and robbing her of her freedom. A life like that would be meaningless to both her and me. Neither she nor I can live beneath another’s authority. We of Xuantian Sect can die and endure any hardship; the one thing we cannot endure is humbly eking out a miserable existence.”
Xuan Ling gave a heavy sigh.
“You have the spirit of the War King Clan. But its clan rules, heritage, and future have no place for people like you.”
She turned to Bao Gu.
“Prepare yourself. If I bring them your answer, they will move against you.”
With that, she sighed heavily and started to leave.
Bao Gu called after her:
“Xuan Ling!”
Xuan Ling turned back to look at her.
“Once you have sent the news back, leave War City.”
Bao Gu shook her head.
“Once I act, this place will become a dead zone. Those Grand Luo Golden Immortals may survive, but the rest of you will not escape.”
Xuan Ling’s expression tightened.
“You really intend to massacre the city? After incurring such immense killing karma, aren’t you afraid of the Heavenly Dao’s reckoning?”
Bao Gu’s eyes were icy, and her voice was cold and utterly emotionless:
“In the Desolate Heaven Realm, the forces annihilated by Bao Gu, master of the Hackblade Order, are too numerous even for her to count. Her greatest slaughter came when she used the Five-Element Immortal Stones from the Ascension Platform to set up a formation that blasted several million cultivators into oblivion, then joined forces with a coalition led by Yue Kingdom and Soul Chasing Pavillion to wipe out half of the factions in the Desolate Heaven Realm.”
Xuan Ling shook her head in disbelief.
“Bao Gu, you…”
Seeing that Bao Gu truly intended to massacre the city and was not making an empty threat, Xuan Ling did not dare gamble the lives of so many people in War City. She immediately sent a secret transmission to the War King Residence.
She drew a deep breath.
“Bao Gu, wait. There may still be room to turn this around. Creating such a vast slaughter will harm your future cultivation…”
Before she could finish, Bao Gu’s figure vanished from in front of her.
Bao Gu’s voice drifted down from the city-protecting sword formation overhead:
“Xuan Ling, leave. In the time it takes an incense stick to burn, War City will be reduced to ashes.”
Xuan Ling’s face changed drastically. She threw her head back and shouted:
“Bao Gu, War City is home to more than just the War King Clan’s forces. If you massacre the city today, the various factions of the Immortal Domain will unite to hunt you down. You will die a thousand deaths and still not escape.”
Bao Gu’s cool, indifferent voice floated out from the city-protecting sword formation:
“This is an internal conflict within the War King Clan, and it is your clan that is dragging innocents into it. I am merely a little True Immortal who ascended from the Lower Realm. If the various factions of the Immortal Domain want to settle the score, they will naturally hold your War King Clan responsible. To me, massacring one city or a hundred cities is all the same.”
Bao Gu’s voice traveled through the city-protecting sword formation to every corner of War City. All the immortals in the city could tell that it was coming from the formation, and the words “massacre the city” threw the entire city into an uproar.
An imposing voice rang out from within the city:
“Young friend, wanton slaughter and harm to innocents are not the deeds of the righteous path. If you are dissatisfied with the War King Clan, go to them directly. We rogue cultivators have never had any grievance with you. Why harm us?”
Bao Gu remained silent.
Another voice floated out from the War King Residence:
“Bao Gu, the War King Clan has not denied you a path to survival; we have already made the greatest concession possible. If you massacre the city, not only will you fail to shake the foundations of the War King Clan, you will cut yourself off from the entire world. Abandon the massacre and abide by the clan rules. Our War King Clan will guarantee you a foothold, and we will also leave a path of survival for the legacy you left in the Desolate Heaven Realm.”
Bao Gu’s voice came from the city-protecting sword formation:
“I have two demands. First, restore my Master Xuantian’s name to the War King Clan’s genealogy. Second, the War King Clan must acknowledge the inheritance of Xuantian Sect and allow its legacy to continue.”
An angry voice came from the War King Residence:
“Impossible!”
At the same time, more than a dozen figures shot out of the War King Residence and rushed toward different parts of the city. The War King Clan experts in charge of the city’s formations also began probing the city-protecting grand formation again.
Ever since Xuan Xiu had reported that Bao Gu intended to tamper with the city’s protective grand formation, they had been watching War City’s sword formation closely. Whenever they found any trace or aura Bao Gu left behind, they erased it immediately. Over the years, Bao Gu had tampered with one place after another throughout War City, and they had erased every place she touched. If anything seemed unusual, it was that Bao Gu appeared to be merely bluffing.
After repeated analysis, they did not believe Bao Gu had the ability to affect War City’s protective sword formation. Yet now Bao Gu was transmitting through the city-protecting sword formation. When they probed it, they discovered that Bao Gu’s aura permeated the entire sword formation. And it was not just the formation—the whole of War City was filled with Bao Gu’s aura.
