Chapter 332: We Must Win This One

People live in this world; some live as surface, others as substance.

Right now, Gu Qing became the surface, while Qi Hao and Xiao Yicai sank into the substance.

Qi Hao and Xiao Yicai exchanged a silent glance, both feeling Gu Qing was a massive liability.

"Senior Brother Gu!"

"Senior Brother Gu!"

"Elder Gu!"

Disciples of Qingyun Sect cheered wildly for Gu Qing; his return as a battle god instantly shattered the morale of Ghost King, Ghost Master, and Qinglong, filling their own ranks with renewed courage as they faced the encircling forces of Ghost King Sect and Ghost Shadow Sect.

"Xueqi."

Gu Qing smiled as he called out to Lu Xueqi.

A faint blush crossed Lu Xueqi's icy face; her eyes held quiet concern—Gu Qing had just revealed his Yin Ghost Qi before all, a grave violation of Qingyun's prohibitions.

"It's fine."

Gu Qing waved lightly, turned back to face Ghost King and the others, seeing Ghost Master's flickering shadow, Qinglong on guard, and Ghost King's grim, defeated expression—no longer the calm strategist he had been.

"Gu Qing!"

Bi Yao cried out in fury: "Are you truly abandoning me?"

At these words, many Qingyun disciples glanced at Gu Qing, speculating on his relationship with Bi Yao.

Gu Qing ignored the question, smiling at Ghost King: "Do you really intend to waste time here?"

Ghost King's brow furrowed instantly: "Retreat!"

Ghost King was a titan of his age, deeply calculating; upon realizing Gu Qing's true identity, he understood his plot had been exposed and he himself had been ensnared. The three of them—Ghost King, Ghost Master, Qinglong—had failed to strike Gu Qing down. Ghost King immediately thought of the Fulong Ding.

Only Zhuque was guarding it now.

Gu Qing knew its location.

The Qingyun Sect's leaders still hadn't arrived…

Gu Qing's hatred level was too high, and Ghost King had bet everything on this plan, certain it would succeed with a single strike and a swift exit. Now it seemed he stood to lose everything.

"Don't let them escape!"

Hearing this, Xiao Yicai rose at once—but his chest tightened, and he spat blood. Qi Hao did the same. The Qingyun disciples were about to pursue, but Gu Qing waved them to a halt, waiting until Ghost King, Qinglong, and Ghost Master had fled before ordering Song my lord and Ceng Shushu to chase after them.

"Elder Gu!"

Qi Hao spoke: "The Fulong Ding is of immense importance—we must buy time for the leaders. Why did you let them go?"

Ceng Shushu, Zhang Xiaofan, and others shared this doubt.

"Are you Qingyun's future? Are you willing to sacrifice Qingyun's future for a single Fulong Ding?"

Gu Qing asked calmly.

Because the desperate fight to win means the more you win, the greater the chance the enemy will win—and the greater your own losses. So the more you win, the less you truly win…

Qi Hao immediately lowered his gaze, realizing his shortsightedness.

If they drove Ghost King, Ghost Master, and Qinglong to desperation, Qingyun would suffer terribly.

"Elder Gu, what should we do next?"

Xiao Yicai, severely wounded, surrendered command to Gu Qing.

"Slowly eliminate them."

Gu Qing said: "These are Qingyun's new generation. A taste of this righteous-evil war is enough."

Qingyun will face many harder battles ahead.

Now, without Ghost King, Ghost Master, or Qinglong, Qingyun disciples swept the battlefield with ease. With the leaders fleeing, the demonic forces' morale collapsed utterly; they broke and scattered under Qingyun's pursuit, suffering heavy losses.

In the cave where the Fulong Ding was hidden on Liubo Mountain.

Zhuque, transformed into a blazing firebird, clashed repeatedly with Master Shuiyue in midair. Tian Buyi and Cangsong, Qingyun's leaders, charged straight toward the Fulong Ding. Two Upper Clear Realm experts unleashed their power—unstoppable. They reached the Ding's side in moments.

"Go!"

Tian Buyi and Cangsong exchanged a glance, attempting to move the Fulong Ding—but it felt fused to the mountain's geomagnetic core. Despite their strength, it shifted only a fraction.

"No wonder it's Ghost King Sect's secret treasure."

Tian Buyi sheathed Chiyan Sword, clasped the Ding with both hands, and channeled Taiji Xuanqing Dao, using the immense force of yin and yang to slowly drag the Ding outward.

Outside the cave, disciples from Fanxiang Valley and Tianyin Temple joined battle with the demonic forces. With sharp cries, Ghost King, Qinglong, and Ghost Master returned—relieving pressure on their allies, who now unleashed their arts against the righteous sects.

"Guard the Fulong Ding!"

Ghost King chanted a spell, his demonic techniques fierce. As his command rang out, Ghost Master and Qinglong moved toward the Ding.

"Hum!"

"Hum!"

Two swords appeared in midair—one left, one right—striking together. Qinglong dodged aside; Ghost Master weaved and tangled with the two swordsmen.

"It's them! They've come too!"

Qinglong saw the newcomers, his lips curling in bitter resignation.

"Are these two people that significant?"

Ghost King watched the Taiji Xuanqing Dao in motion, sensing something wrong. With Ghost King Sect's brutal assault, Qingyun should have been slaughtered—but the Dao's resilience defied expectation. His full assault had killed none.

"The few who accompanied Wan Jianyi into the Wilds all arrived."

Qinglong looked at Tian Buyi, Cangsong, Ceng Shuchang, Shang Zhengliang, then Master Shuiyue: "With Gu Qing as an inside agent, Qingyun has deployed five leaders."

This battle—Qingyun had sent its elite.

Ghost King smiled bitterly. From the moment Gu Qing disguised himself as Tong Mr. and infiltrated Ghost King Sect, he had already lost. But Gu Qing showed not a single flaw—deceiving them from start to finish, stealing the second volume of the Heavenly Book, and even…

Ghost King glanced at Bi Yao.

Previously ambushed by Gu Qing, Ghost King had thought him a brilliant young successor, able to smile calmly, seeing heroes as countless as riverfish, dismissing it as mere wind and frost. But now—he felt the crushing pressure of the incoming tide.

He was nearly drowned on the shore.

"Yin Ghost Qi!"

Dark demonic energy surged into the battlefield. Ghost King's movements were elusive; in an instant, he lunged forward. Tian Buyi, hauling the Fulong Ding, saw the black mist—and his face darkened with rage, remembering that night long ago.

Qingyun's master, Tianchengzi, had been corrupted by the Qianxian Sword's backlash, cultivated the Yin Ghost Qi, and fought both Wan Jianyi and Daoxuan—until Wan Jianyi slew him.

"Cangsong, you take it!"

Tian Buyi drew his sword, stepped the Seven Stars, and chanted—the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique activated. The sky darkened, clouds rolled, lightning cracked—everywhere on Liubo Mountain, the phenomenon was visible.

Amid the lightning, a thunderbolt gathered on Chiyan Sword, blasting straight at Ghost King through the black veil.

"Ooo…"

Low, bovine bellows echoed—Ghost King's face changed instantly.

Legend said the Kuiniu appeared only once every three thousand years. Tian Buyi's Divine Sword Thunder Control had awakened the beast here, forcing it back into the world. Ghost King panicked—he wanted to move the Fulong Ding—but the thunder's strike forced him to dodge.

"Boom!"

Lightning struck, arcs dancing. Ghost King had already leapt aside, watching the chaos—he realized all his years of planning were crumbling.

In the turmoil, Gu Qing led Qingyun disciples here quietly, ordering them to tend the wounded, while he himself leapt to the Fulong Ding's side.

"Help me!"

The Fulong Ding was too heavy—even Cangsong struggled to move it. Around it, black-clad figures channeled secret arts from major cultivation clans. Cangsong, shocked and furious, realized Ghost King Sect had long infiltrated Shenzhou, hiding vast hidden power.

Gu Qing lifted the Ding with one hand, channeled strange power—Ghost King Sect's true energy flowed into the Ding. He lifted it effortlessly, then sprinted away without hesitation.

The act was instantaneous—even Ghost King hadn't anticipated it. As for Gu Qing's method, Ghost King assumed he'd stolen Ghost King Sect's secrets and learned from the second volume of the Heavenly Book.

But Gu Qing's sheer audacity—carrying the Fulong Ding and running—sent panic through Ghost King.

"Put it down!"

Ghost King shouted.

Zhuque, dueling Master Shuiyue midair, and Qinglong, fighting Qingyun, Tianyin, and Fanxiang disciples, both turned instantly toward Gu Qing.

"Nine Heavens' Mysterious Abyss, turn to divine thunder—majestic heavenly might, guided by the sword…"

Lu Xueqi channeled the Divine Sword Thunder Control Technique again, while dark clouds still hung overhead. She struck at Zhuque and Qinglong, her Tianya Sword glowing faintly with lightning, combined with the Banyan Sword Art—her strikes opened and closed like a storm, keeping both at bay.

"Let go!"

Bi Yao stepped before Gu Qing, eyes filled with hatred: "You kept saying the Fulong Ding was evil—so you just wanted it for yourself?"

Gu Qing lifted the Ding with one hand, looked at the delicate girl, sighed softly: "Bi Yao, if I'd lied to you all along, would you still believe me?"

Bi Yao's expression turned cold, viewing Gu Qing as a stranger.

"The Fulong Ding is indeed an evil artifact."

Gu Qing urged gently: "Its use harms both righteous and demonic. Believe me—I'm saving your father."

Bi Yao's gaze was icy. She felt Gu Qing's earnest words carried a trace of performance.

What was he pretending?

The thought deepened her hatred. She saw only lies in him—no sincerity at all.

After his final plea, Gu Qing turned to flee with the Ding. Ghost King Sect surged toward him; Qingyun's leaders formed a shield. Amid the chaos, Gu Qing moved like lightning, carrying the Ding away.

Bi Yao's steps were light; she appeared before Gu Qing and struck his chest with a palm. Gu Qing didn't dodge.

"Thud!"

Qi Hao and Xiao Yicai, recovering at the battlefield's edge, both spat blood, staring at each other in shock—Gu Qing still hadn't broken the shared injury link.

"Hold it tight… don't blame me…"

Gu Qing whispered in Bi Yao's ear, then hurled the Ding skyward as he sprinted. The Seven Stars appeared above—he channeled the Seven Stars Sword Art, his arms brimming with strange power, and flung the Fulong Ding into the boundless East Sea.

"Stop!"

Ghost King roared—but the Fulong Ding rose higher, flew farther, vanishing into the distance.

A bull bellowed behind them; the Kuiniu appeared on the battlefield due to the flashing lightning, its massive form creating strange disturbances that split the battlefield, separating the righteous and demonic factions.

The Ghost King turned around and stared at the Kuiniu. Legends said the Kuiniu appeared only once every three thousand years; now that the Fulong Ding was lost, the Ghost King felt all his schemes had turned to nothing.

"Let's go!"

At that moment, Gu Qing made an immediate decision and prepared to lead the Qingyun Sect members away.

The Fulong Ding was the result of years of planning by the Ghost King Sect; its destruction was already done. To transport it back to Qingyun Sect would require massive casualties. Qingyun Sect still faced many great battles ahead—it was unnecessary to spill blood here.

The Ghost King looked up, fixing his gaze on Gu Qing, watching streaks of sword light shoot into the sky as the enemy withdrew. He turned to see his own Ghost King Sect littered with dead and wounded, and drew a deep breath. "The Tianmo Flag has truly been lost within Qingyun Sect. If we do not go to Qingyun Sect now, the balance will shift irreversibly—we will never have another chance to win."

In the past, the demonic sects possessed a Xiu Luo Tower, through which one could enter the Mingyuan, where many wonders awaited—hence the sect produced countless outstanding figures. But when Wan Jianyi led others into the Wildlands, he sealed that path.

The Ghost King sought to use the Fulong Ding to gain power to unify the demonic sects, yet was thwarted by Gu Qing…

"Qingyun Sect gained the upper hand in this battle because Gu Qing acted as an inside agent, and also because Qingyun Sect deployed overwhelming force, with Tianyin Temple and Fanxiang Valley providing support. If our Holy Sect united…"

The Ghost King harbored deep hatred toward Gu Qing because of the Fulong Ding and immediately thought of how to retaliate.

As he spoke, the Ghost King unintentionally glanced at Biyao, who stood motionless, clutching the Hehuan Bell.

"Yao'er?"

The Ghost King stepped closer, studying the Hehuan Bell in Biyao's hand, and asked how it had come into her possession.

"Just now, Gu Qing gave it to me."

Biyao answered honestly, her expression troubled. "He said he would exchange the Hehuan Bell—one of the Four Demonic Treasures—for the Fulong Ding, another of the Four."

Speaking of this, Biyao's expression grew deeply complex.

The Ghost King's heart turned cold. He had hoped to reunite the Hehuan Sect—but Gu Qing had just shattered that possibility.

Gu Qing had already planned the next move.

(End of Chapter)