Chapter 183: After the Oriole, Still the Sixth

The battle of the Immortal Kings shook heaven and earth.

Li Hentian's sword was utterly rigid and yang; each slash seemed to sever the karma of this universe.

His sword path was the pure way of slaughter and destruction, advancing relentlessly, preferring to break rather than bend.

Meanwhile, that Faceless Immortal King was utterly bizarre.

His power stemmed from decay and corruption, like bone‑eating maggots, penetrating every crevice.

A river of corpses encircled him, offense and defense as one; the wails of countless dead souls were the deadliest curse, able to directly taint an Immortal King's Dao fruit.

Two utterly different forces, both standing at the pinnacle of cultivation, collided wildly in this tiny star field.

Stars exploded like fireworks, space torn and sewn repeatedly like ripped cloth.

Fortunately, the Heavenly Stars Great Array set up by Gu Xuan Ce, under Gu Cangsheng's direction, forcibly stabilized the star field's foundations, channeling all battle aftermath into the endless void.

Otherwise, the Gu Tian Star Field would have ceased to exist by now.

And this action.

This made Li Hentian and the Faceless Immortal King independently arrive at the same thought.

"This world is indeed his stronghold; otherwise they wouldn't have sent someone to guard it!"

"These two guys are real tough customers."

Gu Cangsheng munched on melon seeds while clicking his tongue in amazement.

Even as Immortal Kings, there are still differences in rank.

The Li Hentian and Faceless Immortal King before us are clearly outstanding among Immortal Kings, their battle prowess extraordinary.

"Father, who do you think will win?" Gu Lin Tian watched anxiously from the side, palms sweating.

"Hard to say."

Gu Cangsheng shook his head,

"Sword cultivators excel at offense, unstoppable in short bursts, but lack staying power; that neither‑human‑nor‑ghost thing has a bizarre power attribute, good at draining. If we really fought, it might take tens of thousands of years to decide a winner."

"But that's under normal circumstances."

"What about abnormal circumstances?"

"The Li Hentian who descended is merely a clone; as for that neither‑human‑nor‑ghost thing… I don't understand it, but it won't be strong. In the end, both sides will likely suffer mutual destruction."

Gu Cangsheng shifted his tone, a glint flashing in his eyes: "But they don't have that much time."

Because, within the broken immortal domain he was focusing on protecting, that devouring‑heaven‑and‑earth aura had already reached a critical point!

Gu Yuan's refinement was about to finish!

By then, no matter how those two fought,

he would directly take Gu Yuan and company and flee!

……

Outside the battlefield, killing intent lurked everywhere.

Inside the battlefield, Gu Yuan had already reached the critical moment.

He was now completely immersed in his own world.

Ninety percent of the matter and origin of that broken immortal domain fragment had been refined by him and merged into the chaotic singularity within his dantian.

That patch of imperishable soil, initially only the size of a palm, had now expanded into a vast continent spanning ten thousand li!

Upon the continent rose towering mountains and rushing rivers.

The World Tree's roots dug deep into the earth, its trunk thick as a mountain range; above, its crown bore three thousand shimmering leaves, each reflecting a complete grand dao principle.

In his domain world, the first breeze blew, the first drop of rain fell.

Life was about to be born!

This was an indescribable transformation.

Gu Yuan felt he was no longer a mere individual, but had become the……Heavenly Dao of a world.

Every thought of his could overturn that world.

This newborn, world‑creating power was utterly tempting… and… delicious.

The terrifying aftermath of the Immortal Kings' battle.

Although blocked by Gu Cangsheng outside, the 'Dao resonance' produced when this life‑level leaps forward cannot be completely shut out by any power.

It pierced the void, drifting toward unknown distances.

Just as Li Hentian and the Faceless Immortal King were locked in an indecisive battle and Gu Cangsheng prepared to reap the benefits, no one noticed.

In a spatial rift billions of li from the battlefield, a minuscule space crack silently opened.

Beyond that crack lay a pair of eyes.

A pair of eyes filled with greed, madness, and a hint of resentment.

"What a rich life aura!"

An aged voice echoed from the crack.

He was the true master of Undying Mountain.

Lord of Undying Mountain!

Undying Heavenly Emperor!

Sometime ago, he fortunately passed through a spatial rift.

He arrived in this little immortal domain.

Who could have imagined.

The immortal domain that countless cultivators of the Burial Emperor Star Field dreamed of turned out to be a dead land.

After countless years of cultivation, he finally grasped the secret of this world.

One could, at a specific time, briefly open a passage between the Burial Emperor Star Domain and the Immortal Domain.

He used this opportunity to capture some strong beings with abundant life force to replenish vitality.

Over the past million years, not a few Great Emperors have died at his hands.

And now…… his target is…… Gu Yuan!

The Undying Heavenly Emperor had a premonition!

This might be, in his life, second only to coming to the Immortal Domain and achieving the pinnacle of the Great Emperor Realm, an opportunity!

"Hahaha…… Heaven's mandate is with me!"

The Undying Heavenly Emperor was laughing maniacally.

He carefully extended a phantom hand condensed from soul power from the void rift.

It seemed not to exist in this dimension, extending silently along a strange causal line toward the youth sitting cross-legged at the center of the world, unaware of the outside world.

Almost there!

Just about to succeed!

However, just as the Undying Heavenly Emperor's soul-power hand was about to touch Gu Yuan's brow...

A hand that had been cracking melon seeds suddenly halted in midair.

Gu Cangsheng's face still wore that amused smile, but the corner of his eye glanced slightly toward where the Stone Emperor was.

That gaze was calm and indifferent.

It was as if he were looking at…… a buzzing, clueless fly.

"Tsk."

The Old Ancestor smacked his lips, seeming somewhat annoyed that this fly had disturbed his enjoyment of the show.

He didn't even get up or turn around.

He simply flicked his hand, which had been suspended in midair, toward the direction where the Undying Heavenly Emperor was hiding.

The motion was casual, like shooing away a mosquito.

Smack!

A soft sound.

That sound was very faint, even quieter than the cracking of melon seed shells, completely drowned out by the roar of the Immortal Kings' battle.

But within that void rift, it stirred up a heaven‑shattering, earth‑destroying storm!

The Undying Heavenly Emperor's extended soul‑power hand, together with his remnant soul hiding in the crack, under this slap could not even utter a scream before being instantly smashed by an irresistible force into the most primitive particles.

Even that void rift was flattened along with it.

Causality was completely severed.

Both form and spirit were annihilated, leaving not a trace.

After doing all that, Gu Cangsheng acted as if nothing had happened, continuing to pick up a melon seed, slowly peel it, and put it in his mouth.