Chapter 441

The Divine Wind Nation lies across the sea, with a population of hundreds of millions, and is among the wealthiest realms. Upon arriving in the Divine Wind Nation, Gu Qing descended gracefully onto the “Race for the Cauldron Terrace,” his gaze flickering toward the ruler of the Divine Wind Nation and the princess beside him, Luo Yun.

“Uncle Emperor.”

Seeing Gu Qing, Luo Yun was overjoyed. Over the past few years, she had studied in Chang’an of the Great Tang, where Gu Qing had granted her the title “Princess of the South.” She often wandered the imperial palace with Meng Bingyun, but after returning to the Divine Wind Nation, her health deteriorated, and she could no longer travel to Chang’an. Now, seeing Gu Qing again, she was filled with joy.

“Rise.”

Gu Qing reached out and gently lifted her; instantly, a vast, all-pervading force washed over her entire body, purifying her completely. The “demonic qi” within her rose and transformed, gradually coming under her control.

“Demonic qi is merely one form of qi. Once you understand its workings, you can master it.”

Gu Qing guided Luo Yun.

Luo Yun’s eyebrows curved softly, her eyes filled with a dazed longing.

After meeting Gu Qing in Chang’an, Luo Yun found all the men she had known lacking—immature, unattractive, weak, inconsiderate, even intellectually shallow. But Gu Qing took no concubines, keeping only Meng Bingyun close, and this left her heart heavy, a single thread of affection buried deep within her.

Gu Qing stepped toward the ruler of the Divine Wind Nation. Before he spoke, the king—whose ambition was to race for the cauldron—trembled, and a trace of demonic qi immediately surfaced within him.

“Gu Qing, controller of the ninety-nine states of the great cosmos—I’ve been waiting for you!”

As the demonic qi manifested, the void twisted into a monstrous figure: upper body a man, lower body a scorpion. With a single punch, he shattered the surrounding space, reversed time and space, stripping all existence of meaning. In this chaotic torrent, only the demon king’s fist remained, hurtling forward.

This was the terrifying power of the Five Ancient Divine Kings—the Terror Divine King.

In ancient times, the Emperor of Immortality, with his overwhelming strength, sealed away the Five Divine Kings: the Immortal Divine King, the Terror Divine King, the Great Annihilation Divine King, the Gouli Divine King, and the Absolute Death Divine King. Each possessed the power to shatter the void, though none had attained the realm of void-shattering. Their bodies were flawless. Beneath the Divine Wind Nation lies the very seal imprisoning the Terror Divine King.

Now, as this divine king’s avatar unleashed his power, the natural order of heaven and earth collapsed. The tangible universe dissolved into chaos, and his fist slammed directly into Gu Qing’s chest.

“Boom!”

The Terror Divine King’s fist struck Gu Qing—but the force flowed into him like a stream merging into the deep ocean, offering no resistance. Then, the Terror Divine King felt a terrifying power surge, as if he had been thrust beyond the great cosmos into the vicinity of the sun. His vision doubled; nine suns flickered in the sky. As these suns revolved, their repulsive forces stacked and converged, blasting toward the Terror Divine King.

“Roar!”

The entire Divine Wind Nation trembled. Magma beneath the earth began to boil. Deep below, in the abyssal depths where the Terror Divine King was sealed within layers of magnetic yuan, a violent explosion erupted. The force was sudden, overwhelming, vaporizing everything around it. Had Gu Qing not stood firm and steady, the entire continent of the Divine Wind Nation would have been torn apart—though not overturned, half its people would have perished.

“Your Majesty!”

Before the Race for the Cauldron Terrace, the ruler of the Divine Wind Nation collapsed to his knees.

He had long been influenced by the Terror Divine King, and his greatest trump card was the Terror Divine King himself. But now, facing Gu Qing, that trump card was instantly exposed and shattered.

“When your strength fails to match your ambition, it only looks foolish.”

Gu Qing spoke softly.

The ruler of the Divine Wind Nation blushed crimson with shame.

Gu Qing gave Luo Yun a slight nod, then vanished in an instant, descending deep into the earth toward the region where solar power erupted. Along the way, he passed through layer upon layer of barriers until he arrived at a vast plaza.

At the plaza’s center stood an eternal stele. The Terror Divine King’s colossal form loomed there—so vast that within his presence, mortals seemed like ants.

“Mortal emperor, you are so insignificant...”

The Terror Divine King used his words to shake Gu Qing’s spirit.