Inside the Yunyue Sect, the dust and smoke had yet to fully dissipate.
The "Junior Sister" was still curled in the center of the ruins, her hands clutching her abdomen tightly. Her loose black hair obscured most of her face, and her silver-grey eyes surged with a watery light that seemed like a mix of resentment and something else. However, the memetic contamination had not dispersed because of this.
The crowd of elders and disciples at the perimeter of the plaza, who had been swept up in the "innocent Junior Sister cruelly bullied by an outer sect tyrant" script, were currently in a narrative vacuum. After all, Gu Chengming had completely ignored the plot, leaving them momentarily unable to react.
“How dare this thief be so crude!”
An elder with trembling sleeves was the first to snap out of his daze. His face was flushed, and anger had unconsciously crept onto his brow.
He was completely unaware of the strangeness of his own mindset—just moments ago, he had been echoing the call for immediate execution, yet now he felt that Gu Chengming's punch was an unpardonable sin. “Even if Junior Sister were in the wrong, how can an outsider be allowed to commit such violence in public!”
“Bullying the weak with strength! Do you think our Yunyue Sect has no one?!”
Several figures leaped from the guest seats, sword light faintly flickering in their sleeves. They were clearly prepared to step forward and deliver justice.
Gu Chengming didn't move an inch. Instead, the white-haired old Daoist beside him took a half-step forward with a faint, mocking smile.
The Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye within Daoist Don't Know's sleeve turned slightly. He seemed to only slowly shuffle forward by half an inch, yet those elders who were about to pounce suddenly felt their legs go weak, and their poised figures crashed right back into their seats.
“Ouch.”
The old Daoist clicked his tongue and waved his hand at the crowd with a smile. “Calm down, fellow Daoists. Earlier, when I saw that Junior Sister's pitiful appearance, I nearly felt like seeking justice for her too. But now that I've calmed down and thought about it...”
“When exactly did our Yunyue Sect gain such a Junior Sister?” As soon as he finished speaking, the elders who had been full of righteous indignation all froze.
The script that had been perfectly laid out in their minds now had a massive hole in it.
—What was that Junior Sister's name again?
Gu Chengming paid no attention to the chaos over there.
He strolled straight toward the ruins, his pace leisurely, flexing his fingers within his sleeve.
When the "Junior Sister" slumped in the pile of broken porcelain saw him approaching, her body unconsciously shrank back half an inch, her silver-grey eyes still misted with lingering tears. She opened her mouth, seemingly about to recite the next line of the script:
“Senior... Senior Brother... how could you...”
“Thud.”
Another punch. The landing point was still her abdomen.
“Guh—!”
The girl's lines were cut in half in her throat. Her body arched even lower, her hands tightly wound over her stomach as she curled into a ball.
Gu Chengming withdrew his fist, his gaze calm.
“Going to keep reciting?”
“...”
The girl didn't dare utter a sound.
But the memetic contamination in her mind was still circling at the perimeter. Gu Chengming didn't expect a single punch to completely extinguish it. He raised his arm to strike again!
“Thud.”
“Wuu—!”
After three punches, the mist in the girl's silver-grey eyes was finally beaten away. The narrative power dissipated with every muffled groan she made. The breathing of the elders and disciples at the perimeter gradually stabilized, and the malice in their eyes slowly faded, replaced by a dazed expression that said, “What was I just doing?”
After two more punches, the girl curled on the ground finally squeezed out half a sentence through gritted teeth:
“...Stop... stop...”
Gu Chengming paused.
“Will you let it go?”
The girl looked at him with tearful eyes, glaring.
Immediately after, the white mist lingering around them abruptly vanished.
It was as if a filter had been removed from the entire Yunyue Sect plaza. Sunlight struck everyone's faces again, and the air became much clearer.
The elders of the Yunyue Sect completely broke free from the memetic contamination.
An old elder who had been so angry he was huffing and puffing just a moment ago stared blankly at his hand suspended in mid-air, then looked at the girl curled in the ruins, and finally at Gu Chengming.
“This... this...”
“What was I just doing...”
Only then did the vast majority of the Yunyue Sect disciples realize how they had been led through an entire journey by a "play script" that had appeared out of thin air.
The surroundings fell into a temporary silence. The faces of several elders shifted between pale and flushed. They silently withdrew their hands beneath their sleeves, no one having the courage to speak first.
The righteous indignation from earlier was still fresh in their minds; thinking back on it now only made their skin crawl.
Gu Chengming sighed inwardly. The processing of this memetic contamination source was finally over. But before he could think about what to do next, a series of whistling sounds echoed from the distant sky.
Several auras arrived one after another, each carrying a weight that tightened the heart—the might of the Fifth Realm.
Daoist Don't Know's expression changed slightly. The Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye in his sleeve shimmered as he quickly scanned the surroundings.
“They're here fast.”
These were the same auras they had felt beneath the Cuiping Mountains.
Before the thought could settle, the whistling to the southwest intensified. A dark green rainbow tore through the sea of clouds and slowly slowed down at the edge of the plaza.
The man wore a dark green Daoist robe and had a frost-white beard. His brow carried the natural majesty of an old-school sect leader. It was the Hunyuan Sect Leader, Song Heng. The moment his toes touched the ground, his gaze swept over the entire plaza.
First, the suspicious-looking "Junior Sister" curled in a ball, then the casually standing Daoist Don't Know, and finally, his gaze landed on Gu Chengming, who was in common robes and looking as normal as ever.
Song Heng's brow twitched. He thought to himself: As expected, it's this kid.
From the moment he sensed the abnormal law fluctuations beneath the Cuiping Mountains from the back mountain of the Hunyuan Sect, a faint sense of subtle premonition had risen in his heart.
This time, when the Dao Throne appeared, its aura originated from the Yunyue Sect's territory. He had flown all this way, prepared to see several old familiar faces.
The only thing he hadn't expected was that the person who had stirred up this earth-shaking commotion was his own Holy Son.
Song Heng's thoughts turned rapidly.
When his Holy Son went down the mountain, he had taken the mission of "Dao Plague investigation." How did he go from investigating the Dao Plague to investigating an unborn Dao Throne into existence?
Before he could figure out the cause and effect, another wave of pressure descended from the sky. A dull thud of an iron talisman breaking the air sounded, followed by two figures arriving in quick succession.
The leader wore a moon-white robe with a crescent moon embroidered on the hem. He had cold brows and thin lips, and his cultivation was as deep as an abyss. It was the Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder, Qin Wuwang.
The moment he landed, he first glanced at the "Junior Sister" in the ruins, his gaze narrowing as it fell on the lingering law remnants.
The other person following closely was a tall, thin old man wearing a white mink cloak and holding a jade tablet. Snow mountain patterns were embroidered on his robe. Everywhere he passed, the surrounding spiritual energy condensed into a layer of frost. This was True Monarch Baicang of the Western Border.
True Monarch Baicang scanned the field without saying a word, his golden pupils fixed on the "Junior Sister" in the center of the ruins.
He silently tapped the jade tablet with his knuckles, the golden light in his eyes shifting. He was clearly using some secret method to deduce the origin of this unborn Dao Throne.
In the distant sky, two or three more auras were approaching, but their speed was much slower, clearly belonging to Fifth Realm cultivators coming from further away.
The atmosphere became incredibly heavy. The Yunyue Sect disciples' feelings were also quite complex; this situation was looking more and more wrong.
Several clever deacons had already begun to quietly retreat, muttering: “Where is the Sect Leader? Why did the Supreme Patriarch personally come out of seclusion...”
The Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder clearly didn't have much patience. With a flick of his sleeve, a moon-white sword intent shot straight toward the "Junior Sister" in the center of the ruins who was still clutching her stomach.
Before the sword intent arrived, the laws preceded it. That sword intent contained the Yunyue Sect's unique "path of attraction," clearly intending to directly pull this Dao Throne away.
As the energy moved, Gu Chengming frowned.
Just as he was about to raise his hand, a hunched figure had already stepped in front of the ruins ahead of him.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch—”
Daoist Don't Know shook his sleeve, the Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye spinning with light. He forcibly diverted most of that moon-white sword intent. The remaining thirty percent of the force was flung away by him, crashing into a stone pillar at the edge of the plaza and exploding with a bang.
“This Dao Throne hasn't even descended yet, and you're all so eager to open the pot?”
“Fellow Daoist, isn't your hand reaching a bit too far?”
Qin Wuwang's face darkened by half an inch. His gaze landed on Daoist Don't Know. “Who are you? Why do you interfere in the matters of my Yunyue Sect?”
Daoist Don't Know smiled. “It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I find you all a bit impolite.”
Qin Wuwang sneered. “The Dao Throne was born beneath the earth veins of my Yunyue Sect. It is only natural for our sect to take it.”
“You all have come from afar, uninvited and taking without asking.” He flicked his sleeve, his momentum suddenly becoming heavy. “Instead, it is your side that is being unreasonable, is it not?”
As soon as these words came out, even Song Heng and True Monarch Baicang paused slightly.
Daoist Don't Know was so amused by this "home-field logic" that he laughed on the spot. He flicked a finger inside his sleeve, silently placing a "thief" character seal beneath his feet.
“Fellow Daoist's words are wonderful!” He narrowed his eyes, full of smiles. “Since your Yunyue Sect is beneath my feet, then naturally, the Yunyue Sect is mine as well.”
Qin Wuwang's gaze darkened, and the sword intent within his sleeve was already secretly tightening.
Seeing the situation about to reach a breaking point, True Monarch Baicang of the Western Border finally spoke. “What the Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder says is true. However, in the face of a Dao Throne, this monarch also does not intend to yield.”
“If you all wish to fight, this monarch shall accompany you.”
Hearing this, Song Heng let out a long breath.
How could he not know? He had been stuck at the late Fifth Realm for a full two hundred years.
If he lacked anything to reach the Sixth Realm, it was a Dao Throne that truly belonged to him.
Once a Dao Throne was attained, one's heavenly dao would be complete. That was a supreme fortune, something he had dreamed of for his entire life.
But he was of orthodox origin, after all. He had lived for centuries and led a sect. No matter how much he weighed interests, he still held onto his principles. With the Holy Son of the Hunyuan Sect standing right here, he at least had to figure out the situation first and protect the Holy Son. The matter of the Dao Throne could be planned later.
Furthermore...
He glanced at the "Junior Sister" still curled up nearby, then at that faint law malice. His brow furrowed even tighter.
This Dao Throne... its aura carried an unusual gloom.
Having been a Sect Leader for so many years, what kind of strange techniques hadn't he seen? Based on this aura alone, he could faintly determine that this thing was definitely not benevolent.
Once his mind was set, his entire aura slowly tightened, and the cloud energy around him surged like a sea.
“If fellow Daoists insist on moving, then please pass through me first.”
True Monarch Baicang narrowed his eyes. The auras of the two groups collided silently above the plaza.
The Yunyue Sect disciples at the perimeter were already as quiet as cicadas in winter, not even daring to breathe loudly.
When in their lives had they ever seen a standoff between four Fifth Realm powerhouses? Just the faint aura escaping from the four men's sleeves was enough to make their backs chill and their knees go soft.
Several quick-witted disciples had already begun to quietly step backward, calculating in their hearts whether they should just retreat to the Inner Sect first.
Right at this tense moment, in the middle of the ruins, that "Junior Sister" curled in a ball finally slowly raised her head.
Her silver-grey eyes darted around. She first caught sight of the faint pressure of the sword intent in Qin Wuwang's sleeve, then saw the golden pupils of True Monarch Baicang that couldn't hide his greed. Finally, her gaze swept over Song Heng and Daoist Don't Know, and her heart skipped a beat.
These old geezers... every single one of them had dangerous eyes.
Although the others had broken free from the female-lead novel's influence, the Dao Throne itself had not changed. Her silver-grey eyes swept left and right.
Of all the people present, who was the most pleasing to the eye?
Her gaze circled around and finally landed back on Gu Chengming.
Well, although this guy had just hammered her abdomen five times with his fists...
But speaking of which, when those punches landed, the soreness and numbness that spread through her belly had actually given rise to a bit of inexplicable subtlety in her heart.
In the next instant, this unborn Dao Throne made the most dishonorable decision of this chapter.
“...Seniors.”
A weak but deliberately aggrieved voice came from the center of the ruins. The auras of the four Fifth Realm experts on the field all stalled at once.
“...You don't have to fight for my sake...”
The "Junior Sister" slowly raised her silver-grey, tear-filled eyes. She extended a jade-white finger and pointed tremblingly at Gu Chengming, saying in a very "green tea" manner:
“I... I want to go with him.”
【The Great Record has finally reached the end of her patience.】
【Can you punch her a few more times?】
Gu Chengming thought to himself: I want to as well.
But it was absolutely impossible for this Dao Throne to remain here. The root of the Dao Plague had not yet been pulled out. If the Dao Throne fell into the hands of the Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder or True Monarch Baicang, that fallen malice mixed within the Dao Throne would lose its last layer of suppression, and everything within a hundred miles of the Cuiping Mountains would suffer.
Even putting aside the corruption, the "mother-child karma lines" connected behind the Dao Throne were still held by the Great Record. Once this thing fell into the hands of Qin Wuwang or Baicang, there was no telling what kind of impact it would have on the Great Record or even himself.
Thinking of this, Gu Chengming's figure flashed.
In the next breath, the "Junior Sister" who had been curled in the ruins was grabbed by the back of her collar by a single hand.
“Eh?!”
The girl was so startled that her silver-grey eyes went wide. Her feet were suspended in the air, and her limbs flailed wildly.
Gu Chengming didn't look back. With a flick of his sleeve, his entire person was enveloped in refined sword intent as he soared into the sky, fleeing straight toward the perimeter of the plaza.
The Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder's expression changed drastically. “You brat—!” Before his words could land, a white light flashed before his eyes.
Daoist Don't Know was also a bit stunned. His original plan was to first stabilize the situation and then work with Song Heng to take the Dao Throne for themselves. Who would have thought this reckless kid wouldn't say a word and would just snatch the Dao Throne and bolt.
He cursed “heartless” in his heart, but despite the cursing, his hands didn't hesitate at all. The Myriad Thief Spiritual Eye shimmered as his body spun, and he stood right in the path between Qin Wuwang and Gu Chengming's escape direction.
“What's the rush?” The old Daoist laughed until his eyes were curved. “The juniors are full of youthful vigor and strike without restraint. We of the older generation should still follow the rules...”
“The remaining debt can be left for me to slowly settle with you.” Qin Wuwang's face was now dark enough to drip water.
On the other side, Song Heng also drew his sword at the same time. A sea-of-clouds rainbow boomed from his palm toward the sky, directly intercepting True Monarch Baicang's attempt to pursue.
“True Monarch Baicang—” Song Heng's tone was as calm as if he were talking about tea. “I have said that it is not for you to interfere.”
“Please stay your hand.” The four auras instantly split into two groups.
The Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder and True Monarch Baicang on one side, and the Hunyuan Sect Leader and Daoist Don't Know on the other—distinct and antagonistic.
Above the plaza, the cloud energy boiled. Sword intent, dharma seals, sea-of-clouds rainbows, and myriad thief lights—four completely different methods squeezed into the same void.
A four-man brawl immediately unfolded in the sky.
Daoist Don't Know originally didn't want this fallen throne to fall into the hands of others. Covering Gu Chengming's retreat now was partly out of old sentiment, and partly because he was certain that Gu Chengming, who wasn't even at the Fourth Realm, couldn't do much even while holding a Dao Throne.
It was better to let the kid run with it first. Once the various factions were exhausted, he could slowly pluck the thing from him. The old fox's calculations were loud and clear.
As for Song Heng, his state of mind was also complex.
It was true that he wanted to protect the Holy Son, and it was also true that he didn't want the Dao Throne to fall into the hands of others. As for how to handle it after it fell into his Holy Son's hands, he would decide after returning to the Hunyuan Sect.
In short, letting Gu Chengming escape now was the most cost-effective move in this current game.
...
Beneath the sky, a sword light turned into a flowing rainbow, directly passing over the jagged peaks of the Cuiping Mountains.
Gu Chengming was fleeing through the air, carrying a flailing "Junior Sister."
The one in his arms was no longer reciting lines; she just had a tightly tensed face, her silver-grey eyes full of I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed.
Gu Chengming quickly calculated the follow-up in his heart. Taking the Dao Throne away was certainly the optimal solution for now, but holding an unborn Dao Throne with a tendency toward corruption was no different from carrying a time bomb.
The root of the Dao Plague was deep within the Cuiping Mountains. Even if he took the Dao Throne away, the earth veins below, which had been soaked in malice for ten thousand years, would not heal themselves. He couldn't handle this matter himself; it had to be left to Song Heng and Daoist Don't Know.
Gu Chengming's heart settled slightly. He would escape first. The "Junior Sister" in his arms finally struggled a few times and hung weakly on his arm, muttering: “Gently... my stomach still hurts...”
Gu Chengming glanced at her. “Didn't you want to come with me?”
“I did come with you, but can't you put me down so I can walk myself?”
...
Meanwhile, beyond the afterimage of the sword light—
On the eastern side of the Cuiping Mountains, deep within the clouds, there was a figure that everyone had overlooked.
In the records of the cultivation world, this person left only three words: Shifazi.
His lineage was quite obscure, coming from the Kuyan Sect in the southern borders. The Kuyan Sect was a small sect that had already declined hundreds of years ago. Every generation of cultivators in the sect took grinding as their foundation. They did not cultivate flashy techniques or seek shortcuts to the Great Vehicle; they only stubbornly ground their own physical bodies and souls into the toughest state.
There was a teaching in the sect: “Every Dao has a crack, and every crack can be entered.”
Shifazi was the personal disciple of the last head of the Kuyan Sect. It was a twist of fate.
When he was in the Third Realm, he had the talent to glimpse the true meaning of a Dao Throne. He was originally a rare and good seed. Unfortunately, on the day he was building his Fourth Realm foundation, his master encountered an enemy and died, unable even to preserve his physical body.
Overnight, he was the only one left in the sect. The clues about the Dao Throne that should have been passed down by his master were also completely severed.
Since then, he had drifted alone in the cultivation world for nearly a hundred years. Without any backing, he could only rely on his hard-cultivated bones and a heart tempered by grinding to beg for a living in the cracks.
Coincidentally, this foundation of "grinding" had precisely developed a set of methods completely different from others. He could use his own soul as a whetstone to repeatedly grind and slice through the laws he encountered, finding the thinnest crack and then using his soul power to pry that crack open inch by inch.
After reaching the Fifth Realm, this skill became even more refined, gradually earning him the nickname "Shifazi," the Corroder of Laws.
Such a method was truly malicious.
Rumors among rogue cultivators said that in the past hundred years, Shifazi had used this method to cut off the path to heaven for three late Fifth Realm great cultivators.
His actions naturally made countless enemies. Yet, this Shifazi acted strangely; he never killed indiscriminately, never robbed wealth, and never occupied territory. The three whose Dao foundations he corroded were all those who had personally come to his door to find trouble with him. Additionally, his tracks were elusive; every time he acted, he would quietly vanish into some desolate mountain forest. Even if you were a Sixth Realm powerhouse, it would be difficult to find him.
Having ground through the late Fifth Realm for hundreds of years, he was always stuck at the threshold of heaven.
It wasn't that his talent was insufficient; it was that the Dao Thrones of this world had long been divided up by various powerhouses.
If a rogue cultivator above the Fifth Realm wanted to attain a Dao Throne, they either had to open a new path themselves or intercept a sliver of undecided opportunity from others, snatching it into their own soul before the other party attained it.
And this unborn Dao Throne deep in the Cuiping Mountains should have been his chance for a turnaround.
Who would have thought that today, when the Dao Throne appeared, first the Yunyue Sect Supreme Elder snatched it, then Song Heng and True Monarch Baicang descended one after another, their powerful auras firmly suppressing the entire plaza.
His strength was inferior to those three. If he barely acted, it would just be giving away his life.
But now, that unborn Dao Throne was actually being carried off by a young man who looked to have only Third Realm cultivation?!
A smile floated to Shifazi's lips.
Fortune. Truly, fortune.
He shook his sleeve, and the black mist around him quietly pulled into it, his aura becoming almost non-existent.
Such fortune should rightfully fall on the head of Shifazi alone.
...
The mountain wind howled, and the clouds surged.
Gu Chengming held the limp "Junior Sister" with one arm, treading on sword light, carving a straight white scar through the jagged peaks of the Cuiping Mountains.
Over ten miles behind him, the boom of clashing auras rumbled. Daoist Don't Know and Song Heng were fighting a fierce battle with Qin Wuwang and True Monarch Baicang. The pressure of four Fifth Realm powerhouses poured down, making the Yunyue Sect disciples below huddle together like quails.
On the eastern side of the mountains, black mist swirled as a dark figure leisurely emerged. The newcomer held a black compass, its needle locked firmly onto Gu Chengming's fleeing light.
It was Shifazi. He picked up a pinch of black ash and scattered it into the wind. The black ash turned into invisible ghosts that quietly climbed onto the trail of Gu Chengming's sword light.
At that time, Gu Chengming didn't know an old fox was following him, waiting for an opportunity.
He was currently being troubled by the one in his arms. At first, this "Junior Sister" had struggled and resisted, but now that she had weakened, she started to complain. “Why is your sword light going up and down? My physical body hasn't stabilized yet; you're shaking my aura apart...”
Gu Chengming acted as if he hadn't heard.
【The Great Record has decided not to hold any more expectations for this Dao Throne.】
Gu Chengming laughed secretly in his heart, thinking: Aren't you quite enjoying this joy of holding a child like a grandmother?
【The Great Record said "Shut up" in shame and anger.】
However, just as the sword light passed over the third mountain peak, a very subtle spiritual pressure suddenly bore down from the diagonal rear. Even across ten miles, it made the back of Gu Chengming's neck go cold.
He looked back and saw black mist churning among the sea of clouds, biting onto his trail like a swimming snake.
【Red Dust Phantom Step's gaze narrowed: Fellow Daoist Gu! The newcomer is unfriendly!】
Gu Chengming's brow twitched as he sneered in his heart.
So in that standoff between four people earlier, there was also someone eavesdropping.
This person was clearly someone who had weighed his own worth; he didn't dare stir up trouble under the eyes of Qin Wuwang and the others. Seeing this "cooked duck" of his flying solo, he couldn't wait to pounce and pick up the leftovers.
The calculation was loud, but Gu Chengming pinched a seal with his fingers, and the sword light beneath his feet suddenly rose.
The moment the sword light rose sharply, the cold aura behind him not only wasn't shaken off but instead stuck half an inch closer like a maggot on a bone.
Gu Chengming's heart skipped a beat.
The opponent wasn't just keeping up; he didn't need to keep up at all. Wherever his sword light passed through the sea of clouds, the opponent's gaze fell on that sea of clouds, as if this world had already become the opponent's informant.
The old monster with a black veil over his face had a raspy voice. “Gu Chengming of the Wenjian Sect? This monarch has heard of your name for a long time. Seeing you today, you are indeed quite young.”
Gu Chengming didn't look back. “Senior overpraises me. This junior's cultivation is shallow; I don't deserve such a personal pursuit from you. If you want to discuss the Dao, why don't we do it another day?”
“There's no need for a discussion.”
Shifazi sneered, and the compass in his hand suddenly turned. A thread of karma as thin as nothingness was forcibly pulled between the compass and the "Junior Sister."
“Leave the Dao Throne, and this monarch might still leave you an intact corpse.”
Gu Chengming flicked his sleeve and sighed. “Senior, the way you say it makes it sound like if I don't give it, you really can just take it by force.”
Shifazi's gaze darkened.
This brat! Still sharp-tongued when death is at his door!
He gave a large wave of his sleeve, and the vast sea of clouds was struck as if by a heavy hammer. The spiritual energy within several miles collapsed entirely.
What bore down was not just black mist, but a real law pressure. That pressure carried a corroding intent ground over a hundred years—layered and all-pervasive, specifically digging into the gaps in one's aura.
Gu Chengming felt his chest suddenly tighten, and even his breathing carried a taste of rust.
A Third Realm body facing a late Fifth Realm—fighting alone was pure suicide. But what Gu Chengming carried in his arms was more than just a Dao Throne.
Tenfold Sword Array, rise.
The sword scabbard chimed clearly. Ten flying swords shot out like spirit snakes, taking positions in ten directions. The light green "Entanglement" sword intent was like silk from a spring silkworm, instantly enveloping Shifazi in the center.
The old monster was slightly stunned.
A Third Realm sword array? He dared to bring it out and embarrass himself?
Just as he was about to raise his hand to break the array, his entire body suddenly sank into a thick quagmire. The Entanglement sword intent layered upon itself, its speed of rising incredibly fast.
“What a troublesome sword intent—”
Before his words could land, Gu Chengming had already used the sword array as cover to close within three zhang of him like a ghost.
Shifazi's pupils shrank. This kid could actually hide his aura to such an extent! Just as the old monster's thoughts turned, Gu Chengming's left hand already rested on the Unborn Lotus at his waist.
Golden light erupted. The Entanglement sword intent, which originally required time to stack, had its karmic process forcibly severed by the Unborn Lotus, fast-forwarding directly to the final outcome!
Shifazi's figure froze. His entire aura was nailed firmly in mid-air, unable to move an inch.
The moment the Unborn Lotus's light dimmed, Gu Chengming's right fist had already boomed out with thunderous momentum.
White-gold interwoven with crimson-gold patterns—
Hundred Bones Resonating of Love!
“Boom—!”
The power of this punch was not at all inferior to that of a Fifth Realm powerhouse.
The explosive power of a middle Fifth Realm panel, under the karmic lock of the Unborn Lotus, directly approached the threshold of the late Fifth Realm.
Shifazi didn't even have time to prop up his protective qi. He took this solid blow head-on, and his entire person flew out over a hundred zhang like a tattered sack, tumbling seven or eight times before barely stabilizing.
Before he could vomit out the old blood in his mouth, Gu Chengming's figure had already vanished.
Red Dust Phantom Step!
Shifazi coughed up a mouthful of stagnant blood. His eyes were bloodshot as he frantically activated the compass, but the needle spun like a headless fly, unable to find Gu Chengming's true body at all.
“Brat!” He was so angry that smoke was coming from his head, and malice overflowed. “I'll see where you can hide!”
He suppressed the remaining stiffness from the Unborn Lotus and turned into a black wind to pursue in a rage. As soon as that black wind appeared, half the sky suddenly darkened.
【Red Dust Phantom Step's expression is grave: This person specializes in corroding laws and slicing through gaps. Every extra moment of combat increases the risk. Fellow Daoist Gu, fleeing is the best policy!】
Gu Chengming could faintly sense that as he operated the Red Dust Phantom Step, that corroding intent chasing behind him was inch by inch testing the gaps where his aura connected.
If not for the lingering resonance of the Unborn Lotus, that single gap would have likely already been pried wide open by that old monster. Cold sweat layered upon cold sweat on the back of his neck.
There was no doubt that the person before him was the most troublesome enemy Gu Chengming had ever encountered in a direct head-on confrontation.
—Can't win!
Gu Chengming quickly made this judgment in his heart and immediately decided to flee first.
The Red Dust Phantom Step finally displayed its potential at this moment. He feinted here and left an afterimage there. The phantoms it created were so indistinguishable that they left a dignified Fifth Realm powerhouse dizzy and disoriented.
The old monster ground his teeth to pieces. He smashed half a mountain peak with a palm strike, refusing to let go of that sliver of aura.
On the other side, Gu Chengming held the "Junior Sister" and dove straight into the heart of the Cuiping Mountains, heading for the deep abyss cavern where he had first encountered the Great Record.
Deep in the cavern, it was as dark as ever. Deep purple veins clung to the ceiling, and the stench of the Dao Plague blew softly.
Although the giant eye phantom of the past had dispersed, the remnants of the central observation field were still emitting their residual power.
Gu Chengming landed steadily and placed the girl by the stone wall.
She clutched her stomach, her silver-grey eyes full of watery light from the jolting, looking quite pitiful.
Gu Chengming had no time for pity. His divine sense swept over the surroundings. The veins beneath his feet throbbed quietly—
The observation net left by the Great Record was lying in wait here.
【Great Record: This place is where I have laid my foundations for ten thousand years. It is enough to trap a half-crippled late Fifth Realm.】
【Gu Chengming, if you can trust me, then act according to the plan.】
Gu Chengming laughed lightly in his heart. In this situation, whether to trust was not up to him.
“Tell me.”
Within his sea of consciousness, the Great Record's voice slowly rang out.
Gu Chengming lowered his eyes to listen. Seven or eight thoughts had already turned in his mind, but his face showed nothing.
Outside the cave, the sound of churning black mist came from far to near, becoming heavier and heavier.
Within moments, Shifazi arrived at the cave entrance, enveloped in a monstrous black mist.
His eyes were bloodshot, his face distorted. “Gu Chengming! This place is a dead end. If you don't surrender, don't expect to leave alive today—”
His boastful words came to an abrupt halt. His feet suddenly tightened, and the entire cavern seemed like a giant beast waking up.
The deep purple veins glowed brightly. A dark halo swept in from all directions, welding him firmly in place.
“What kind of ghost thing is this?!”
In the next instant, Shifazi's karma lines completely collapsed. He was clearly standing still, yet in his perception, he had fallen into thousands of completely different world lines.
In every line, he was being beaten.
Song Heng's sword, Baicang's dharma, Qin Wuwang's seal, and even Gu Chengming's fist—the pain of ten million beatings was fed back to his true body through the observation circuit.
He was clearly temporarily trapped.
Hearing the screams outside the cave, Gu Chengming withdrew his gaze without any psychological burden and looked into his sea of consciousness.
“What should I do next?”
【Let the Dao Throne return to the core of this cave. Use the ten-thousand-year Dao Plague malice as fuel and activate your Unborn Lotus to burn away the malice contained within the Dao Throne, causing it to naturally abort.】
【Once the malice is removed, the root of the Dao Plague will be severed. Once the Dao Throne aborts, it will be like a useless piece. That old monster outside will naturally retreat.】
Faced with this proposal, the first to realize something was wrong was still the Red Dust Phantom Step.
【Red Dust Phantom Step became alert. The strategy itself is not wrong, but in the link of "Dao Throne aborting," who exactly determines the abortion?】
【It frowned. If one takes advantage of the moment the Dao Throne is burned out to shove a sliver of a remnant soul in through the karmic circuit... that's not called an abortion, that's called body-snatching! Fellow Daoist Gu, there's a trick!】
Gu Chengming's mind was as clear as a mirror.
He glanced at the weak "Junior Sister."
The Great Record had a good plan. If she could complete the "shell swap" when the Unborn Lotus retracted, she would no longer be bound by the "observer's paradox" and truly gain a new life.
【The Great Record spoke leisurely: What, you don't believe me?】
“I believe you. How could I not?”
【Great Record: ...Oh? Then let's begin.】
Gu Chengming flicked his sleeve to lift the Dao Throne and took out the Unborn Lotus.
Since he saw through it without speaking, he naturally had the confidence to turn the tables.
Inside the cavern, the deep purple veins were like a hundred rivers returning to the sea, pouring the ten-thousand-year malice into the core of the Dao Throne. The girl's eyes were tightly closed as she suspended in mid-air. The Unborn Lotus bloomed with a faint golden light, greedily devouring and burning the malice.
The Great Record's narration gradually faded. She was concentrating all her observation power into a single line, waiting only for the Unborn Lotus to retract to perform the possession.
Gu Chengming's peripheral vision swept over his sea of consciousness, and he mentally whispered, “Excuse me.”
Laboratory of Love, activate.
Boom!
The cavern shook violently. The Unborn Lotus retracted, and the malice was completely cleared.
It should have been the perfect moment for the Great Record to drive straight in. But in that split second, the Laboratory of Love's panel quietly unfolded. The white-gold interwoven with crimson-gold frame was like a butterfly net, firmly enveloping the entire Dao Throne—it was exactly the same operation used to wrap up the Great Record back then.
The Great Record's remnant consciousness slammed head-on into that rock-solid layer of white-gold light.
【...!!!】
The aloof narration uncharacteristically jumped out with a string of urgent exclamation marks.
The body that was about to be hers had actually been intercepted!
Gu Chengming's heart skipped a beat.
He had only wanted to pull the Great Record back; he hadn't expected the Laboratory of Love to have such a large appetite, taking the whole pot.
When an unborn Dao Throne encountered the dregs of the "Dao," it was like a wanderer returning home, being swallowed by the Laboratory of Love without any resistance.
...
In the distance, the auras of Qin Wuwang and True Monarch Baicang also suddenly stalled.
In the mid-air where the four men were in a standoff, the two seniors coveting the Dao Throne both turned their heads at the same time, looking toward the depths of the Cuiping Mountains.
—The aura of the Dao Throne had vanished.
On the other side, Shifazi forcibly broke half of his body free from the observation chains and was desperately trying to charge into the interior of the cavern.
He had followed Gu Chengming all this way, his internal injuries unhealed, and now he was being tormented by these inexplicable observation chains until his aura was in chaos. The fire in his heart had long reached its peak.
Right at this moment, he suddenly felt that the aura of the Dao Throne was gone.
It was like a branch that should have grown fruit was snapped off by someone right before it ripened.
Shifazi's eyes went wide, the blood vessels in his eyes bursting inch by inch.
Seeing that the Dao Throne was about to be born, seeing that he finally had a chance to touch a fortune of his own—
—and that kid made it disappear?!
“...Gu Chengming!!!!”
The roar of a late Fifth Realm powerhouse boomed from outside the cavern, shaking the entire network of veins. Black energy rolled and surged, carrying a killing intent so thick it almost solidified, as it lunged toward the interior of the cavern.
...
Deep in the cavern.
Gu Chengming slowly opened his eyes.
Within his sea of consciousness, a brand new screen quietly unfolded.
Outside the white-based crimson-gold frame, another layer of grey mist that had yet to take shape had appeared.
Within the mist, several lines of text faintly emerged—
【??? (CG Not Named)】
【Unlocked CG: 1/??】
Gu Chengming stared at that unnamed slot for half a breath.
Then he slowly raised his eyes, looking at the only CG icon that had lit up at the bottom of the screen.
【CG: Infinite War God, Come Out!】
Rate on N.U.
