Yuanshi's eyes blazed with fury.
Even in his speech, he no longer addressed Tongtian as "third brother," but called him directly by his Daoist name.
It was clear just how furious Yuanshi was.
His harsh demand left everyone stunned.
But they quickly recovered, and a flurry of whispers broke out.
"What? Saint Tongtian secretly helped him?"
"No wonder! How could Gu Changqing alone overpower the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect?"
"As expected of a Saint! Is his divine sense so keen that he can detect subtle traces of aura completely beyond our perception?"
In an instant, everyone believed Yuanshi's words, convinced that Tongtian's secret assistance had enabled Gu Changqing to overwhelm the Twelve Golden Immortals in one stroke.
Yet faced with these accusing fingers, Tongtian looked utterly bewildered.
"Secretly help my disciple Changqing?"
"What are you talking about, elder brother Yuanshi?"
"I have been here all along. From beginning to end, I neither intervened nor released the slightest trace of my aura. How could I have helped my disciple Changqing?"
Having mud slung at him like this displeased Tongtian as well.
Though he still addressed Yuanshi as "elder brother," his tone had already darkened.
At those words, Yuanshi sneered.
"Oh? Still trying to argue your way out of this?"
"Earlier, I distinctly sensed the sword intent of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords mixed into those million streams of sword intent."
"You still dare claim it wasn't your doing?"
Yuanshi spoke with absolute certainty, looking as though he had Tongtian cornered.
His words caused an even greater uproar.
The Four Immortal-Slaying Swords?!
Those were legendary Innate Spiritual Treasures, ranked at the very pinnacle of the supreme grade.
As the saying went: the Immortal Slaying Sword cuts keen, the Immortal-Executing Sword brings death, and wherever the Immortal-Trapping Sword goes, red light rises.
The Immortal-Severing Sword holds endless wondrous transformations; even Great Luo immortals have their robes drenched in blood.
Once the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was laid down, only four Saints could break it.
If Tongtian had truly used such treasures against the Twelve Golden Immortals, members of the younger generation, that would indeed have been beneath him.
This time, however, before Tongtian could explain himself,
Gu Changqing spoke first, his face still flushed with drunkenness.
"Heh, Martial Uncle Yuanshi, please don't slander my master Tongtian."
"What happened earlier had nothing to do with my master."
"That was... hic... my Myriad Swords Saint Art showing its might."
"Haha! Once I unleash the Myriad Swords Saint Art, all sword intent between heaven and earth is mine to wield."
Gu Changqing laughed with unrestrained delight, bold and exuberant.
His words offered a glimpse of the unparalleled power of seizing all the sword intent in heaven and earth for his own use.
Hearing this, Tongtian nodded in satisfaction.
The truth was exactly as Gu Changqing had said.
Earlier, the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords had responded to Gu Changqing's aura, releasing streams of sword intent of their own accord to empower him.
Tongtian was both confirming the truth of Gu Changqing's words and feeling a surge of delighted surprise.
When did my disciple Changqing master such a supreme sword Dao art?
"Hmph, utter nonsense!"
"Seize all sword intent between heaven and earth? Even your master Tongtian has never mastered such a divine ability."
"A mere disciple like you dares make such outrageous boasts?"
Yuanshi rebuked him angrily, refusing to believe a word Gu Changqing said.
Everyone else looked doubtful as well.
If Gu Changqing's claims were true, the power of such a sword Dao art was far too terrifying, beyond anything anyone had ever heard of.
By comparison, they were still more inclined to believe Saint Yuanshi's account.
Amid the deathly silence, someone utterly unexpected suddenly spoke.
"Martial Nephew Changqing speaks the truth!"
Everyone turned toward the voice, only to discover that it was Saint Nuwa-and she was speaking in Gu Changqing's defense.
Yuanshi's gaze darkened as he stared at Nuwa, as though demanding an explanation.
She paid him no mind and continued softly.
"I can bear witness!"
"When Martial Nephew Changqing unleashed that Myriad Swords Saint Art earlier, a treasured sword in my sea of consciousness moved of its own accord."
"A stream of sword intent burst out of my body beyond my control and became part of those million streams of sword intent."
Boom!
Saint Nuwa's testimony carried an entirely different weight.
Everyone knew that Saint Nuwa had no connection to Gu Changqing.
Moreover, Nuwa had always been tranquil by nature and would never deliberately spout baseless claims.
If even she said so, it had to be true.
As Nuwa spoke, the mighty experts who had remained silent recalled something as well and began murmuring their agreement.
"Now that Saint Nuwa mentions it, I suddenly recall that the sword in my sea of consciousness seemed to hum repeatedly earlier."
"Indeed, indeed. I felt the same thing."
"I thought it was only an illusion. To think all of you sensed it too!"
"In that case, Saint Tongtian and Saint Nuwa are telling the truth. All of this was caused by Gu Changqing's sword Dao art."
Among the many mighty experts present, quite a few used swords as their weapons.
And when the Myriad Swords Saint Art enveloped them earlier, all of them had sensed something stirring unseen.
Clearly, this could not be dismissed as coincidence.
The tide turned.
Everyone began believing Gu Changqing instead, supporting Tongtian and Nuwa's account.
Yuanshi's face was dark as still water, and he said nothing.
Suddenly, a furious shout rang through the gathering.
"Gu Changqing, you're courting death!"
Guangchengzi's face twisted viciously, his teeth clenched and his gaze cold enough to chill the bones.
The injuries left by those million streams of sword intent had already healed with a single thought.
But the humiliation they had suffered today could not be erased.
They were the illustrious Twelve Golden Immortals, in whom Saint Yuanshi had placed such high hopes.
Whenever they traveled through heaven and earth, the Twelve Golden Immortals were proud and arrogant, believing themselves inferior to no one.
Yet today, even after joining forces, they had been crushed by Gu Changqing without the slightest suspense.
How could the fiercely proud Twelve Golden Immortals accept that?
Thus, almost before Guangchengzi had finished speaking,
Several of the Twelve Golden Immortals could no longer restrain themselves and attacked again.
In an instant, five or six devastating offensive arts surged up and tore through the air, closing in on Gu Changqing.
Driven into a furious frenzy, the Twelve Golden Immortals unleashed an attack that all but brimmed with piercing killing intent.
At the sight, Tongtian's pupils contracted sharply.
"You dare?!"
Tongtian roared and was about to intervene to suppress the Twelve Golden Immortals.
But Gu Changqing moved even faster.
Sensing the killing intent within the Twelve Golden Immortals' attacks, Gu Changqing's bleary eyes abruptly sharpened.
A piercing gaze flashed from them, striking terror into the soul.
The Twelve Golden Immortals standing in the arena felt an overwhelming chill descend upon them, making their hair stand on end.
The next moment, Gu Changqing's body shone, his blood and vital energy surging.
Every drop of fine wine he had swallowed now transformed into vast, formidable sword intent, pouring out without restraint.
A towering torrent of sword intent surged forth, terrifying beyond compare.
In the blink of an eye, the Twelve Golden Immortals were completely engulfed.
Bang!
Bang!
A succession of dull impacts erupted.
The Twelve Golden Immortals were driven back again and again. Even mustering every last shred of their magical power, they could not resist it in the slightest.
All twelve were sent flying like kites with severed strings, coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
At last, they crashed heavily into the Demon Court, shattering countless celestial palaces and immortal halls.
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