"It's over, it's over. I went to all that trouble to arrange everything. Don't tell me she's going to turn evil again..."
Feeling the terrifying aura radiating from Jiang Shuyu, Gu Qingzhou felt his scalp prickle. Even when facing Lord of Cangyun City earlier, he hadn't felt this kind of dread.
However, just as Jiang Shuyu was about to strike and drag all of Cangyun City down with her, a familiar voice sounded from behind her.
"What happened?"
As the words fell, Mo Shang walked out of the dust cloud. He had no injuries at all, just a little grime on the hem of his clothes. He looked nothing like someone who'd taken a hit from a Return to Origin Realm expert.
The moment Mo Shang appeared, the aura surging around Jiang Shuyu abruptly stalled. The destructive force about to sweep across all of Cangyun City was as if someone had pressed pause; it vanished without a trace.
Her eyes, once red with bloodlust, trembled slightly when she saw the figure slowly emerging from the dust. Then, joy beyond words filled them.
"I thought you..."
Jiang Shuyu darted forward and threw herself into Mo Shang's arms. Tears fell without warning, soaking the front of his chest.
Seeing her like this, Mo Shang didn't know what to do.
"Sorry for making you worry..."
He'd only wanted to test Death Immunity's effects. He hadn't expected Jiang Shuyu to react so strongly to seeing him in danger...
"Holy crap, Mo, you're incredible." Gu Qingzhou walked over as well, visibly shocked to see Mo Shang completely unharmed.
"This is just basic stuff." Mo Shang waved a hand, looking completely at ease.
The test had helped Mo Shang understand how Death Immunity worked. It could make him immune to death, but not to damage.
The reason he was completely unharmed now was that the attack's damage had overflowed and emptied his health bar outright, triggering Death Immunity.
Death Immunity was basically a Lifesaving Blade, except his version had no cooldown.
If that last attack hadn't dealt enough damage to kill him, he'd be on the brink of death right now. There was no way he'd be completely unharmed like this.
"If only I could draw a trait that let me recover..."
Thinking of this, Mo Shang understood his current weakness.
Right now, he had the perk of being immortal, but no recovery to match. Once he lost the ability to fight, he'd be a sitting duck.
"How is this possible? Judging by his aura, he's only at the Spirit Gathering Realm. He took one of my attacks and came away completely unharmed. Could he have been hiding his cultivation?"
Across from them, Old Man Yinming stared at Mo Shang, utterly unharmed. His expression shifted between dark and uncertain, and he even wondered if he was seeing things.
"Old geezer, catch this sword!"
The attack arrived before the voice. While Old Man Yinming was still distracted, a golden, razor-sharp Sword Qi slashed toward him, reaching him in an instant.
"Impudent!"
Seeing a Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator like Gu Qingzhou dare to attack him, Old Man Yinming flew into a rage and met the strike with his palm.
BOOM!
Sword Qi and sinister energy exploded together. The shockwave swept out, and the surrounding trees vanished in an instant, like bubbles popping.
The attack ended in a draw. Both men staggered back several steps before finally stopping.
Old Man Yinming no longer looked down on Gu Qingzhou. His eyes held nothing but wariness.
"What kind of monster is this? He can fight me to a draw with only Spirit Gathering Realm cultivation?!"
He couldn't understand how anyone could unleash terrifying combat strength on par with the Return to Origin Realm while relying on Spirit Gathering Realm cultivation.
Anyone who could fight across one major realm could be called a peerless genius. Those who could face an opponent two major realms above them were so terrifyingly talented that even "monstrous genius" didn't do them justice!
"Old geezer, you dare let your attention wander while fighting me?"
Gu Qingzhou gave Old Man Yinming no chance to catch his breath. He charged again, sword in hand.
"Hmph, you're relying on some secret technique. Let's see how long you can keep it up!"
Old Man Yinming was both furious and alarmed. His withered hand clenched, and the dense, ink-black sinister energy around him surged and boiled, transforming into countless hideous ghost claws that tore toward Gu Qingzhou. Their sharp winds went straight for his vital points.
"Enough to kill you."
Gu Qingzhou's expression remained calm. The long sword in his hand quivered, golden Sword Qi coiling around him. He didn't retreat—he advanced.
His figure flashed like lightning, his sword following his movements. Every stroke was blindingly fast, infused with the true meaning of the sword path: domineering, razor-sharp, and unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, he tore through the skyful of ghost claws.
"One Sword Opens Heaven's Gate!"
Gu Qingzhou gave a sharp cry and swept his sword across. Golden Sword Qi became a hundred-zhang rainbow, cleaving across heaven and earth with domineering force. Its razor-sharp edge shot into the clouds as it slashed down at Old Man Yinming once more!
"What?!"
Old Man Yinming's expression changed drastically. Gu Qingzhou's sword gave him a feeling of extreme danger. One careless move, and he might die here!
"That's impossible!"
A flash of madness crossed Old Man Yinming's eyes. He stopped holding back.
The sinister energy around him gathered into an enormous Nether Ghost Blade. Its blade was pitch-black, radiating a deathly aura that made the heart quail. He suddenly swung it down.
As the Nether Ghost Blade fell, it seemed to split heaven and earth in two, crashing into the Heavenly Connection Sword Qi.
BOOM!
The instant the two forces collided, an ancient thunderclap seemed to ring out between heaven and earth, making all of Cangyun City tremble.
Golden Sword Qi and the Nether Ghost Blade clashed furiously in the air. Light and shadow intertwined, then annihilated each other. The energy shockwave erupted like a raging tsunami, sweeping out in every direction.
CRACK! BOOM!
The next instant, a sharp crack rang out, and the Nether Ghost Blade shattered. Sword Qi tore it to pieces, scattering it into the air, then continued its downward slash, its power undiminished.
Old Man Yinming's face turned deathly pale, his eyes wide with terrified disbelief. He tried to dodge, only to find himself locked in place by the Sword Qi, unable to move.
"No—!"
A shrill scream rang through heaven and earth. The golden Sword Qi pierced straight through Old Man Yinming's body. The sinister energy around him instantly collapsed, and his body crashed heavily to the ground.
When the dust settled, Gu Qingzhou stood with his long sword in hand. His clothes were somewhat disheveled, but his posture remained straight and proud.
"What kind of sword technique is that?" Old Man Yinming asked, on the verge of death.
"Want to learn? I'll teach you..." Gu Qingzhou calmly returned his sword to its sheath, then looked at him with a faint smile.
Old Man Yinming didn't respond. By then, he was already completely lifeless.
With the battle over, Mo Shang and the others walked over from a distance.
Staring at the corpse on the ground, Mo Shang wore a shocked expression. "You killed a Return to Origin Realm expert while at Spirit Gathering Realm, crossing two major realms? You're not even pretending anymore!"
A Spirit Gathering Realm cultivator killing a Return to Origin Realm expert was like an ant killing an elephant!
"Are you really only at the Spirit Gathering Realm?" Liu Ruyan looked at Gu Qingzhou as if he were a monster.
She'd thought that Jiang Shuyu, a Spirit Condensation Realm cultivator at just eighteen, was already an extraordinary genius. She hadn't expected there to be an even greater one!
"Let's leave this aside for now. Shouldn't we get out of here first?"
Without continuing the discussion, Gu Qingzhou searched Old Man Yinming's body and took everything of value, then urged the others to leave.
"Then let's go..."
The three nodded, leaped into the air, and quickly left.
After all, with all that commotion, someone might have been drawn here...
After they left, Sword Thirteen emerged from the void, his expression thoughtful.
"Not a single one of them is easy to deal with. Are young people these days all this monstrous?"
Before you continue