Chapter 270: This Is No Longer a Game of Go

In the Huang system world, the most important thing is to enter the Primordial State, then elevate one's spiritual plane, comprehend the profoundly mysterious qi of heaven and earth, and transform one's entire power into "Supreme Yang Ultimate" and "Supreme Yin Ultimate"; when these two collide, they can shatter the void and depart.

Gu Qing had not reached such a spiritual realm, nor had he touched upon the lofty states of Supreme Yang Ultimate or Supreme Yin Ultimate, yet his combat power was extraordinarily high.

In the Huang system world, the highest combat rank is the Shattered Level.

In ancient times, Guangchengzi left behind three jade pendants—the Heart of Heaven, the Heart of Earth, and the Heart of Man; when these three fused together, they could enable a person to shatter and depart. The Sword Saint Yan Fei, the Celestial Master Sun En, and Ni Huihui once gathered these three pendants, causing the Immortal Gate to appear, instantly destroying three palaces and one square, leaving a deep pit dozens of paces wide on the ground.

This was the manifestation of the Shattered Level.

Gu Qing's combat manifestation was that of a Weak Shattered.

Fu Cailin, as one of the Three Grand Masters, had not yet entered the Heavenly-Unity state of "Supreme Yang Ultimate" or "Supreme Yin Ultimate"; thus, his actual combat power differed from Gu Qing's by two realms.

Now, seeing Gu Qing unleash his true qi and obliterate the entire battlefield, Fu Cailin could only stare in stunned disbelief.

"Dong dong dong dong…"

The Sui army's war drums pounded as soldiers charged the city walls, fearless of death; the walls were now defenseless, with Gu Qing standing alone atop them, while Goguryeo soldiers could not scale them at all, forced to watch as Sui forces swelled in number—Liaodong was on the verge of falling.

Fu Cailin wielded his sword like flying wind, advancing swiftly toward Gu Qing.

He was, after all, one of the Three Grand Masters of the age; if he saw Gu Qing's power and immediately fled, such a mindset would forever bar him from pursuing the Dao. And now, Fu Cailin, Mingzhibudi, still drew his sword.

His blade swept, both defensive and offensive, seizing the initiative while holding infinite follow-ups.

At this moment, heaven and earth became a go board; Fu Cailin would play chess with Gu Qing using his sword.

"Shua!"

Gu Qing reached out and snatched; Fu Junque's waist sword flew through the air into his hand. Since his debut, Gu Qing had never feared sword duels; now with the blade in hand, his bearing changed instantly—he moved like a flicker, swordlight blazing, and in that instant, he was as if the Thunder God walked among mortals, delivering a flawless, unblockable strike to Fu Cailin's face.

He could not seize the initiative; his follow-ups were useless.

As Fu Cailin retreated, he circled his blade; having lost the initiative, he immediately set up his next moves. This strike appeared empty, yet carried a sucking force; relying on his exquisitely precise spiritual energy, Fu Cailin executed the most refined transformation possible.

"Zhuo!"

Gu Qing moved swiftly; Fu Cailin first felt pain at his nose tip, then only afterward did their blades clash. Calming his mind and steadying his spirit, he used his own sword to draw Gu Qing's, preparing to gain advantage—when suddenly, Gu Qing released his grip, lunged forward, and seized Fu Cailin's elbow.

Fu Cailin reversed his sword hilt to strike Gu Qing's hand, but Gu Qing spun his wrist, seized the sword, and immediately unleashed Ximen Chuixue's sword art, slashing toward Fu Cailin's throat!

This was a killing sword! A merciless sword!

Fu Cailin twisted his Yi Jian, retreating continuously.

He had studied swordcraft and understood every school and style in the world, yet after fighting Gu Qing, he realized every technique he employed was utterly unfamiliar—no matter how he planned or how he set his follow-ups, Gu Qing's sword grew stronger with each strike, his advantage expanding relentlessly.

Fu Junque watched the scene, her heart filled with dread; since she had come of age, she had always seen Fu Cailin strategize masterfully, wielding his sword peerlessly—but now, in combat, Gu Qing remained unharmed, while Fu Cailin's nose had been sliced open.

Who was superior, who inferior—obvious at a glance. "Don't stand there frozen! Follow me and kill these Han dogs!"

Fu Junque shouted loudly, rallying the Goguryeo forces, hoping to distract Gu Qing with their movements.

"Dang!"

As Gu Qing's sword clashed with Fu Cailin's, in that instant, he raised his hand and unleashed a divine dragon's tail strike, slashing toward Fu Junque.

Fu Junque cried out, ever attentive to the battle; seeing Gu Qing move, she rejoiced, relying on her Yi Jian's mastery of the entire battlefield to leap away—but when Gu Qing's true qi surged toward her, she suddenly realized: his qi was no casual palm strike, but a wall spanning several zhang, and with a soft "pu," it slammed her into the wall.

"Dang dang dang!!!"

Gu Qing and Fu Cailin's sword clash continued; the brief distraction had erased Gu Qing's tactical advantage, so he unleashed his inner power, sending ten-zhang sword qi surging outward, vast and all-encompassing, forcing Fu Cailin into constant retreat, widening the distance between them.

"Gu Qing, let us cease this battle for now."

Fu Cailin held his sword, retreating as he spoke: "I am not afraid to duel you, but this is a war of national and ancestral destruction—I, Fu Cailin, must prioritize the greater good."

Fu Cailin spoke these words with deep sincerity, entirely reasonable.

"Hah…"

!

Gu Qing reached out, activated the Absorbing Meridian Technique, and pulled the flung Fu Junque flying toward him, pinning her forehead with a single palm strike.

"Absorbing Meridian Technique!"

Gu Qing applied the Absorbing Meridian Technique to forcibly drain Fu Junque's true qi, using it to decipher the mystery of Fu Cailin's Nine Mysteries Art.

As his inner energy flowed, Fu Junque's martial secrets were fully revealed to Gu Qing.

Fu Junque had already suffered internal injuries, which now reached their worst point; at this moment, she knew she would die, and seeing Liaodong on the brink of collapse, she gazed at Gu Qing—his face like jade, his body faintly fragrant—and despite him being the one who would kill her, she felt no hatred, only sorrowfully asked: "Why won't you spare us?"

After three expeditions, is the hatred so great?

"Since Emperor Wen's eighteenth year, you've repeatedly raided our borders; now that our army has come to punish you, what's the point of pretending to be pitiful?"

Gu Qing had fully absorbed Fu Junque's true qi; seeing the beautiful young girl on the verge of death, he tossed her into the sea of spears and swords, saying calmly: "He who strikes first deserves to die."

Fu Junque floated like a drifting fluff, landing amid blades and spears, blood blossoming.

Fu Cailin watched his beloved disciple die, his heart shattered, yet seeing Liaodong already breached, he had no choice but to retreat, pondering his next move—when he saw Gu Qing raise his hand; the immense inner force uprooted several houses, suspended them in midair, then hurled them sweeping toward the Goguryeo army.

This single move sent the Goguryeo army reeling, utterly crushing their will to fight; soldiers scrambled to flee, leaving Fu Cailin's heart icy cold.

Fu Cailin wanted to play chess with Gu Qing.

But Gu Qing fought with the entire go board.

(End of Chapter)