"It's normal that you don't know. After all, the news that I am Little Brother, the Lord of the Jin Kingdom, is top secret. Outsiders aren't supposed to know," the old man Wuming looked at Gu Chuan indifferently.
"Forget it. You said it yourself—whether the message is true or false, what does it matter if the Lord of Disguise replaced the original King of Jin? What does that have to do with me? Things like this happen all the time on the Continent of Origin. It's even common for entire kingdoms to fall."
Gu Chuan didn't want to get involved in such complicated matters. Even if the Lord of Disguise had taken over the throne, he was still a High Lord of the Universe, and thus an extremely terrifying existence.
"I understand how you feel," Wuming said with a faint smile. "You're just worried that sneaking into the Jin Palace might be dangerous. But in truth, there's no need to worry. The Lord of Disguise participated in the ruins exploration and was seriously injured. His wounds haven't healed, and he's still in a state of recovery.
Even if you sneak in now, he likely won't detect your presence. As long as you're careful, he won't even realize anything has happened."
"If it's that simple, then why don't you go into the Jin Palace yourself? Why ask me to do it?" Gu Chuan shot back.
"That's because the Lord of Disguise has taken extra precautions against me. He set up countless forbidden formations inside the palace specifically to detect me. The moment I get close, I'll be exposed," the old man said, his tone calm.
"Even so, the Immortal Monument isn't something you can just take. It's a movement-type treasure of the King of Jin. It's long been refined—do you think it's that easy to steal?"
Gu Chuan shook his head.
"There's nothing to worry about," Wuming said with another faint smile. "Yes, the Immortal Monument is a movement-type treasure, but it doesn't belong to the Lord of Disguise. It has its own spirit and can sense its true master. Even if the Lord of Disguise took the King's place, the treasure won't acknowledge him.
That's why, even though he's possessed the Immortal Monument for years, he still hasn't managed to refine it. It just sits there inside the Jin Palace."
He added that refining a Universe Secret Treasure was no easy task. Even a Lord of the Universe couldn't easily use one, especially those with self-will. Without the treasure's recognition, one could spend an eternity trying to refine it—and still fail.
Clearly, that was the case with the Lord of Disguise. Even now, he couldn't refine the Immortal Monument.
"Of course, I know that simply sneaking into the Jin Palace to steal the Immortal Monument isn't enough motivation for you. But my request isn't that demanding," said the old man. "First, if you succeed, the Immortal Monument will be yours. I don't need it. Second, even if you fail, you'll have fulfilled the Origin Contract."
"Is that true?! If that's the case, then there's little risk for me," Gu Chuan's eyes lit up. If simply attempting this mission was enough to fulfill the contract, then he was definitely willing to give it a try.
After all, whether he succeeded or failed, he'd complete the contract—and if he succeeded, he would gain a Universe Secret Treasure: the Immortal Monument.
Whichever way he looked at it, it was worth the attempt.
"It's just a gamble," Wuming smiled again. "If you succeed, great. If not, I won't suffer any loss. After all, the price I paid wouldn't be enough to make a Lord of the Medium Lord of the Universe risk his life."
He explained that this move was calculated—whether it succeeded or failed, he would remain undefeated.
"Fine. I accept," Gu Chuan gave Wuming a deep look before turning and leaving.
....
Just as Gu Chuan departed, two strange voices echoed inside the shop.
"Lord of Many Eyes, what are you thinking? Why would you reveal such important information to that kid? Have you gone soft?"
"That's right. We've been planning this for a long time. Don't let one slip ruin everything."
"You don't understand," the old man—apparently known as the Lord of Many Eyes—smirked. "That kid is extraordinary. He advanced from Primordial Chaos Saint to Medium Lord of the Universe in such a short time. He must be hiding a great secret. He's inherited the legacy of a powerful being."
His eyes glinted with greed.
The truth was, Gu Chuan had nothing of interest to him before. Back then, Gu Chuan was just a Primordial Chaos Saint, like the gap between an emperor and a beggar. What emperor would care what a beggar owned?
But now it was different. Gu Chuan had grown into a prince—someone worthy of comparison to an emperor. His status had changed, and now he possessed things worth coveting.
That was simply human nature.
"There really is a huge secret behind him. I want to capture him and extract every bit of it."
"Too bad we're in the Jin Kingdom. We can't make a move."
"It's fine. I already have a plan," the Lord of Many Eyes said coldly. "If that kid actually manages to steal the Immortal Monument, the Jin Kingdom will fall into chaos. Without the monument's suppression, no one will be able to stop our invasion.
Even if he fails, it will still alarm the Lord of Disguise. At that moment, we'll strike. We'll destroy the Immortal Monument's barrier, break through the palace's forbidden defenses, and bring down the entire Jin Kingdom."
That was his plan.
"So that's it. That kid is just bait."
"I didn't expect your calculations to go so deep. No matter what happens, we won't lose."
"This is a golden opportunity. It's rare to find a Medium Lord of the Universe willing to take the risk of scouting the way for us."
"We've waited long enough. This time, the Lord of Disguise must die."
"And not just him. That kid must also be captured. We need to uncover all of his secrets."
"Indeed. We'll take them both. Killing two birds with one stone."
The two voices fell into agreement.
"Alright. Let's start preparing. Once there's movement in the Jin Palace, we strike. You two old coots better not mess this up."
The Lord of Many Eyes' voice was filled with killing intent.
"Rest assured."
"No problem at all."
Both voices were brimming with confidence.