Lord of Emptiness

Could it be that his appearance had caused deviations in the Investiture of the Gods, altering its outcome as well?

Were there two versions of the Investiture of the Gods?

As Gu Changqing pondered this, Kong Xuan returned.

"Master, Demon Beasts appeared near the stronghold not long ago. After the demon god appeared and drove them away, the villagers began worshipping it."

"Mm."

Gu Changqing nodded, then asked, "The villagers are ignorant. You didn't make things difficult for them, did you?"

"No." Kong Xuan replied, "No matter what, they are still citizens of Great Shang. They were merely deceived. Perhaps the Demon Beasts were also arranged by someone behind the scenes, all to give that demon god an opportunity to gather faith."

"Mm."

Gu Changqing nodded again. "Let's wait here a while longer. More Demon Beasts may appear."

Sure enough, only a few days later, Demon Beasts once again attacked the stronghold.

Every one of these Demon Beasts was vicious, yet strangely merciful. They destroyed only property and spared all lives.

They were the least Demon Beast-like Demon Beasts imaginable.

Gu Changqing and Kong Xuan exchanged glances. There really was something fishy going on!

What the demon god needed was faith. Once people died, there would naturally be no faith left.

Before long, another demon god descended. Its appearance was the same as before, and so was the script.

The demon god lent its aid precisely when the villagers needed it most.

But this time, there was no need for the demon god to act.

Kong Xuan directly wiped out the Demon Beasts in its place.

"Gu Changqing?"

The demon god glared furiously at the two of them.

Gu Changqing frowned slightly. One knowing him could have been a coincidence. Two knowing him was far too much of one.

Gu Changqing's reputation in the Primordial World was immense, but not many people actually knew him.

After Gu Changqing flicked a finger and destroyed the demon god, they continued waiting for the next wave.

Kong Xuan asked curiously, "Master, why not capture one and interrogate it?"

Gu Changqing replied, "Demon Beasts have little intelligence, so questioning them is useless. And the demon god's True Spirit is absent—how could we interrogate it?"

"That's true."

Kong Xuan nodded helplessly.

Gu Changqing added, "As long as we kill enough of them, the one behind the scenes will eventually show himself."

"Understood." Kong Xuan said, "This disciple will investigate the other strongholds."

"No need." Gu Changqing replied. "A large-scale purge would only make the other party wary. It would merely alert the snake."

"Only if trouble arises in this one place will it arouse their curiosity and lure the snake from its hole."

Alerting the snake and luring it from its hole were fundamentally different. Kong Xuan had led armies for many years, and with just a slight explanation from Gu Changqing, he understood the reasoning behind it.

The two did not entangle themselves with the villagers, instead continuing their ambush outside the stronghold.

Over a dozen days, Gu Changqing and Kong Xuan encountered three waves of clowns.

After dealing with the fourth wave, Gu Changqing smiled. "The real one should be coming soon."

"Oh?" Kong Xuan asked curiously. "How can Master be certain?"

"The number of Demon Beasts each time, as well as the demon gods' strength, were nearly identical. How can Master be sure that the one behind the scenes is about to act?"

"Time." Gu Changqing replied. "The second wave came ten days after the first. The third came five days later, and the last came after only one day."

"Clearly, the two middle waves were tests. By the final wave, the other party had already confirmed their suspicions."

"Not everyone can sever karma from afar. At the very least, no one below the Saints can."

"The Saints have left the Primordial World. In the Primordial World today, I am the only one capable of severing karma from afar."

That night.

The moon was dark, and the wind was fierce.

Kong Xuan suddenly felt an oppressive pressure.

So powerful!

At the very least, it was a Mixed Origin Great Luo Golden Immortal.

In the present Primordial World, only the Saints could exert such pressure on Kong Xuan.

And with the Saints having withdrawn from the Primordial World, the only possibility left was a Mixed Origin Great Luo Golden Immortal.

"Innate Five Elements Body."

"A very fine constitution."

"Unfortunately, you chose the wrong master."

"Little peacock, submit to me, and I will find you a famous master."

The voice came from all directions. Kong Xuan immediately summoned the Four Swords of Zhuxian.

"The Four Swords of Zhuxian? Interesting."

"Back then, even Luo Hou would have had to kneel before me. Little peacock, put them away. I have no interest in you."

Kong Xuan looked toward Gu Changqing and called out with difficulty, "Master!"

Gu Changqing smiled. "Don't be nervous. Aside from being somewhat handsome, you're not much use. Of course he has no interest in you."

Kong Xuan: Is this really the time for you to take a jab at me?

Gu Changqing smiled at the void. "Since you're already here, there's no point in continuing to hide."

"Hahaha..."

After a burst of laughter, a Black Shadow appeared in the void.

Upon seeing the Black Shadow, Gu Changqing smiled. "The person you mentioned was the Five Elements Ancestor, wasn't it? In the final battle between the Dao and demons, Hongjun, Qiankun, the Five Elements Ancestor, and the Ancestor Yin Yang joined forces against Luo Hou."

"Afterward, both the Qiankun Cauldron and the Taiji Diagram fell into Hongjun's hands."

"You were not friends with Luo Hou, nor are you particularly friendly toward the Daoist sect. Now you are merely a consciousness form. Are you Qiankun or Yin Yang?"

The Black Shadow chuckled. "Boy, you know quite a lot. Unfortunately, you guessed wrong."

Gu Changqing frowned slightly. At the dawn of creation, there had only been a few figures of note.

The Black Shadow continued, "For the sake of your dislike for Hongjun, I can tell you my title."

"Before the creation of heaven and earth, the other demon gods called me Lord of Emptiness."

Before the creation of heaven and earth?

Both Kong Xuan and Gu Changqing were stunned.

They had known this fellow had an enormous background, but they had not expected it to be this enormous.

Before the creation of heaven and earth—a Primordial Demon God!

Were Primordial Demon Gods impressive?

Very impressive!

Those who could survive after being cut down by Pangu were even more impressive.

Even if this was only a consciousness form.

They had succeeded in luring the snake from its hole, but they had never expected to lure out an ancient colossal dragon!

Gu Changqing said, "Senior's origin is beyond compare, and your cultivation has few rivals. Surely you do not care for such a small amount of incense-based faith?"

"Of course. Incense-based faith is indeed useless to me." Lord of Emptiness smiled. "But it can throw the human realm into chaos."

Gu Changqing continued, "Senior merely wishes to disrupt the human realm? Even if the human realm falls into chaos, it seems to offer Senior no benefit."

"Indeed." Lord of Emptiness said again, "Though it offers no benefit, it can weaken the Primordial World's overall strength, thereby weakening that person's strength as well."

Gu Changqing asked curiously, "Senior hates Hongjun so much, yet why are you helping Hongjun weaken the Primordial World?"

"Interesting!" Lord of Emptiness laughed. "I am growing more and more fond of you. I am curious—how did you discover that Hongjun was weakening the Primordial World?"

Gu Changqing smiled. "Because slaying the Three Corpses cannot prove the Dao of Mixed Origin."

"Clever!" Lord of Emptiness continued, "Boy, are you interested in cooperating with me?"

"My apologies." Gu Changqing smiled. "Those who follow different paths cannot work together. This junior does not care whether the Primordial World is strong or weak, but I want the Human Race to grow powerful."

"You possess exceptional talent, carry great fortune, and your methods are extraordinary."

"Yet unfortunately, you are destined to fail!"

"Because one immortal dynasty in the chaos is enough."

"Give up, and cooperate with me."

Gu Changqing shook his head slightly. "As Heaven maintains vigor through movement, so must a gentleman strive tirelessly for self-improvement!"

"Then you can only die."

After saying that, Lord of Emptiness pointed a finger at Gu Changqing.

For someone like Gu Changqing, if they could reach an agreement, they could work together. If not, they could never work together.

If he could not become one of his own, then he could only become an enemy.

Enemies could only die.