Chapter 423: Defeat Chong Lou, Jiutian Xuannü

“Boring!”

Chong Lou glanced coldly at Jiutian Xuannü; he had finally found an opponent worthy of his skills, just as he was about to toy with him, Jiutian Xuannü interfered—these two together crushed the “entertaining” opponent.

Jiutian Xuannü didn’t care about whether it was interesting or not; she stretched out her hand, and chains formed automatically, immediately locking down Ao Xu.

“Xuannü, you are utterly unworthy to be the Grand Elder of the Divine Realm—you’re too weak!”

Ao Xu spoke harshly to Jiutian Xuannü: “The Three Sovereigns’ Pact has become yesterday’s news. Chong Lou runs rampant across the Six Realms—why should our divine clan cling to rules?” This defeat made Ao Xu feel he had been too bound by rules; his painstakingly devised Three Sovereigns’ Pact meant nothing to Chong Lou.

But Ao Xu couldn’t act freely—the Divine Realm had too many rules; even a slight transgression would be punished by Jiutian Xuannü.

“Before this, you were the Divine Realm’s Punishment Elder—the one who valued rules most.”

Jiutian Xuannü spoke calmly, flicked her hand, and temporarily sealed Ao Xu.

The “great threat” was gone. The “formidable enemy” was gone.

Beneath the Divine Tree, by the Chunzi Spring in the Divine Realm, Jing Tian and Xuejian appeared, witnessing the faint standoff between Chong Lou and Jiutian Xuannü; they darted instantly behind Gu Qing.

“The Demon Sovereign may leave.”

Jiutian Xuannü dismissed him.

“There’s still one thing left to do!”

Chong Lou’s gaze passed over Jiutian Xuannü and fixed on Gu Qing: “I’m taking you with me.”

Chong Lou had been peacefully ruling the Demon Realm until Jing Tian’s arrival drew him to the Divine Realm, where he witnessed Ao Xu’s schemes and struck out—but behind all this, Jiutian Xuannü and Gu Qing and others had been watching… Jiutian Xuannü could have quelled the divine clan’s chaos herself, but Gu Qing summoned Chong Lou, making Chong Lou feel used as a pawn.

So Chong Lou wanted to teach Gu Qing a lesson.

“Where to?”

Gu Qing smiled and asked.

Chong Lou spoke coolly: “The New Immortal Realm.”

Chong Lou had been observing Gu Qing all along—he sensed Gu Qing was hiding his strength, but couldn’t gauge how much. Today, the fire stirred by Ao Xu hadn’t cooled; he might as well beat Gu Qing.

“I’m pulling out one of your teeth!”

Chong Lou said coldly.

In the Demon Realm, Chong Lou’s throne was built from teeth—he pulled one from every opponent he defeated. Today, pulling Gu Qing’s tooth meant Chong Lou would win.

Gu Qing nodded, watching Chong Lou strike the void with the Yanbo Xueren; the path between the Divine Realm and the New Immortal Realm opened—step forward, and you enter.

Gu Qing stepped forward; Su Yu, Zi Xuan, Long Kui, Jing Tian, and Xuejian hurried in after him. Beneath the Divine Tree, only Jiutian Xuannü and Xi Yao remained.

“Continue guarding the Divine Tree. Maintain the Chunzi Spring.”

Jiutian Xuannü ordered: “When you obtain the divine clan’s method of continuation from Gu Qing, I’ll pardon your sins.”

With those words, Jiutian Xuannü casually grasped—the Chunzi Sword beside Xi Wu flew into her hand. She slashed forward; the Chunzi Sword shared the same nature as the Yanbo Xueren, instantly cleaving the void, revealing the New Immortal Realm before her.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Chong Lou’s punches were merciless—each fist and kick was a direct, brutal killing technique; his strength condensed essence, qi, and spirit, overwhelming his opponent with boundless killing intent, endless might, and unshakable resolve—making them tremble in terror.

Gu Qing wielded his fists; faint black-and-white Taiji diagrams formed in his hands, blocking Chong Lou’s blows in succession—seeming illusory yet real, shifting between yin and yang. No matter how immense Chong Lou’s power, it all sank into mud—seven or eight tenths of it vanished into nothingness.

In combat finesse, Gu Qing’s accumulated experiences were far more complex than Chong Lou could imagine; his techniques drew from multiple worlds—he surpassed Chong Lou.

“Crack!”

Lightning crackled through the void.

Gu Qing saw clearly—each bolt of lightning erupted from Chong Lou’s body; these wild bolts shattered Gu Qing’s “illusory momentum,” making the space between them starkly direct.

“Star Shift!”

Gu Qing reached out, striking Chong Lou’s fist. After this exchange, he had gauged Chong Lou’s basic patterns. As their fists clashed, Chong Lou felt his power reverse, forcing him to stagger back.

“Jiutian Xiansha, transformed into divine thunder—majestic heavenly might, guided by the sword!”

Gu Qing held the Demon Sword; lightning surged. Chong Lou watched thousands of electric arcs converge on Gu Qing’s blade, then swung the Yanbo Xueren to meet him head-on.

Lightning and Yanbo Xueren collided. In that instant, all light and sound vanished—only blinding white lightning, silent impact. In that blinding radiance, everyone lost sight of Gu Qing and Chong Lou.

In the clouds of the New Immortal Realm, thunder rumbled. When colors returned to the observers’ eyes, they saw Chong Lou had transformed—his body elongated, horns rising. He raised his hand, unleashing a searing light wave. Gu Qing raised his hand to block—the wave exploded, radiating outward in all directions.

“Chong Lou has been forced into this form.”

Jiutian Xuannü, seeing this, nodded slightly, reassessing Gu Qing’s strength higher—then she saw a flame-wrapped sword stabbing toward her!

What did Gu Qing mean?

As Jiutian Xuannü pondered, the sword split apart—flames coiled, and a thousand shards of residual light stabbed directly at her!

While dealing with Chong Lou, Gu Qing had also diverted attention to launch a direct attack on Jiutian Xuannü.

“Absurd!”

Jiutian Xuannü pinched her fingers—sword light erupted from her body, shattering every aspect of the Thousand Residual Light Swords. Simultaneously, the scattered sword qi coalesced into the Shangqing Po Yun Sword, descending upon her. She countered with the Chunzi Sword, her gaze shifting to Gu Qing—where she saw he had become a black smoke, completely enveloping Chong Lou.

Gu Qing was truly fighting both Chong Lou and Jiutian Xuannü alone!

“Yanbo Xueren!”

In the darkness, Chong Lou pinpointed Gu Qing’s location, slashed the void before him, and struck.

“Boom!”

Gu Qing’s body shimmered with Taiji patterns—no matter the direction of Chong Lou’s blows, Gu Qing’s hands and legs always deflected them. As fists and kicks exchanged, just as the void gate neared closure, Gu Qing seized Chong Lou’s fist, trapping it in the spatial turbulence, then kicked hard—straight into Chong Lou’s head!

“Gu Qing!”

Enraged by the blow, Chong Lou shoved outward, freed himself from the space, and surged forward at maximum speed.

At that same moment, Jiutian Xuannü flew in—having felt Gu Qing’s strength during her clash with the Xihe Sword, she now unleashed her full power without restraint, closing in immediately.

“Seven-Star Sword Form!”

Gu Qing spun his Demon Sword into the posture of “Incense to Heaven.” The Seven-Star power surged—layered barriers formed between Chong Lou, Jiutian Xuannü, and Gu Qing. Within these barriers, Gu Qing’s sword techniques slipped through gaps, plunging the surroundings into utter darkness.

Chong Lou and Jiutian Xuannü each unleashed unique techniques, cleaving the void to reach Gu Qing’s front—the Yanbo Xueren and Chunzi Sword stabbed together! “Slay Ghosts and Gods!”

Gu Qing’s gaze sharpened. Intense, overwhelming sword qi surged onto his Demon Sword. The scorching dantian qi burned the blade crimson. The mighty sword aura coalesced like a celestial pillar, blazing as it swung toward Jiutian Xuannü and Chong Lou!

At that moment, both Chunzi Sword and Yanbo Xueren, under the pressure of this dense sword qi, seemed to awaken sentience—and Jiutian Xuannü and Chong Lou both understood the weapons’ message.

“Fear…”

“Absurd!”

Chong Lou gripped the Yanbo Xueren, charging straight into the blinding sword aura—next instant, like a tiny boat caught in a storm, he was tossed and buffeted, surviving only through sheer courage and unyielding will.

At that moment, Chong Lou realized a shocking truth: Gu Qing’s raw power was greater than his own!

Jiutian Xuannü, holding Chunzi Sword, transformed into a blade of light, ready to strike—when the “Slay Ghosts and Gods” aura surged, swirling like a Taiji, humming with sound, then Gu Qing retracted his swordlight. The two figures staggered backward, collapsing onto the ground.

Su Yu, seeing this, was unsurprised. Zi Xuan, witnessing Gu Qing defeat both Jiutian Xuannü and the Demon Sovereign for the first time, was stunned—then a smile spread across her face as she recalled Gu Qing’s ability to resolve the Nüwa clan’s affairs.

“Amazing, Brother Qing!”

Red Long Kui waved excitedly at Gu Qing, snorted at Su Yu: “Precious treasures are easy to find, but a devoted heart is rare. Brother Qing’s great victory? All thanks to my support as the Demon Sword!”

Su Yu ignored Red Long Kui, softly calling: “Long Kui, don’t you want to come out and see your brother?”

Red Long Kui shot her a furious glare.

“Who are you?”

Jiutian Xuannü stared at Gu Qing: “You are not one of the Three Sovereigns—how do you possess such immense power?”

Gu Qing smiled but said nothing.

Chong Lou, having regained his composure, looked at Gu Qing and said gravely: “I have one more technique. Let me show you.”

Having roamed the Six Realms for years without defeat, this loss weighed heavily on Chong Lou. But facing such a formidable opponent, he refused to lose without revealing his ultimate power.

Yanbo Xueren intertwined before him—the void trembled instantly.

Chong Lou’s body moved through the void, rushing toward Gu Qing!

In this state, Chong Lou could be seen—but not struck.

Gu Qing raised his hand slightly—not quite grasping. The sensation of wielding the Pangu Axe in the Baolian Deng world surfaced in his mind. With Good Deeds, Gu Qing could recall every detail of the Pangu Axe—and through this, he could manifest its power across worlds.

“Gegagega…”

Gu Qing reached forward and pulled.

As if a celestial pillar had toppled and the void collapsed, Chong Lou, mid-movement, fell through a mirrored surface. Amid the storm, his body flickered repeatedly, finally barely breaking free.

“…”

Chong Lou’s gaze was complex as he stared at Gu Qing’s empty hand. He said nothing more, shattered the New Immortal Realm, and turned back to the Demon Realm.

“Stronger than the Chunzi Sword.”

Jiutian Xuannü tried mimicking Gu Qing’s empty grasp—but could not grasp its essence. Her gaze at Gu Qing grew even more complex.

With the Three Sovereigns absent, the Six Realms must now heed Gu Qing.

“Lady Xuannü.”

Gu Qing smiled: “I now hold four Spirit Pearls. Let’s go to the Shu Mountain Sect together and put an end to the Demon Suppression Tower’s matter.” He added silently: and discuss the divine clan’s succession with you.

Jiutian Xuannü frowned, wanting to refuse.

With Gu Qing’s power, he could simply seize Shu Mountain outright—her role as judge was unnecessary.

“But I won this fairly.”

Gu Qing smiled.

Regarding Shu Mountain, Gu Qing cared about Zi Xuan’s perception, then annoying Xu Zhangqing. Whether Shu Mountain itself mattered? Not really.

Of course, reviving Qionghua also served to give Su Yu a promise.

Demon Realm.

Chong Lou appeared outside the Yanbo Spring, watching its churning waters. He set down the Yanbo Xueren, channeled demonic power, and began forging it anew—during his clash with Gu Qing, the Yanbo Xueren had shown fear of battle, and Chong Lou could not tolerate it.

Losing once to Gu Qing, for a being like Chong Lou who had never been defeated across the Six Realms, was actually beneficial—Gu Qing’s every move showed him the path forward.

“Demon Sovereign!”

Xuan Xiao’s figure flashed past to this place.

Zhong Lou turned his head, seeing Xuan Xiao’s crimson hair, rampant demonic qi… In the Sword and Sorcery world, hair turning red was essentially a certification of strength; now, Xuan Xiao held another sword in hand and said coldly, “I have transformed into a demon. I beg the Demon Sovereign to grant me leave to descend to the mortal realm and settle my karmic debts.”

When Su Yu left, when all of Qionghua Sect’s affairs unfolded, Xuan Xiao now pinned every blame squarely on Gu Qing.

The true demon Xuan Xiao had also seized the terrifying demonic power and wished to clash directly with Gu Qing.

“Don’t go.”

Zhong Lou turned his head again and continued forging the weapon in his hands.

“Why?”

Xuan Xiao was deeply confused and said, “I have become a demon—I should settle my karmic debts with these humans.”

After dealing with Gu Qing, Xuan Xiao planned to gather strength and storm the Divine Realm to reclaim the humiliation he suffered before the Nine Heavens Immortal Lady.

Zhong Lou listened to Xuan Xiao’s plan, fell silent for a moment, then said, “You may first storm the Divine Realm and reclaim your grievance, then settle accounts with Gu Qing.”

Xuan Xiao truly did not understand.

Zhong Lou was not one to explain or speak unnecessarily, but after being defeated by Gu Qing, seeing Xuan Xiao’s ant-like strength and his reckless intent to provoke Gu Qing, he felt it would be a pity if he died—so he added, “I fear that if you go straight to Gu Qing, you will still suffer humiliation…”

(End of Chapter)