Yun Guantian’s reluctant cry was drowned out by the roaring of the trembling void.
Yet this battle seemed rather bizarre to ordinary people.
Those with sharper telepathy, who were closer, could vaguely see the rising of the Great Sun, blazing brilliantly, its infinite light and heat completely veiling their minds, solidifying their thoughts under its brilliance.
But those who were farther away...
They only saw Yun Guantian shout confidently, adopting a posture as if he were determined to stand his ground to the death.
Then Gu Jinlai’s figure swelled, transforming directly into a three-meter giant, and with his large fist, akin to a sand pot, he slammed down a punch.
The entire process...
Yun Guantian did not even know to dodge.
It was like a turn-based game, my turn to attack.
Or maybe it was as they had agreed beforehand, to receive Gu Jinlai’s punch, truly "iron-headed", to take the hit directly.
Was too dreadful to behold.
Seeing Yun Guantian, of whom not even a complete body remained, some of those with weaker mental fortitude couldn’t help but avert their eyes.
"It’s truly a pity, he did not catch this punch,"
said Gu Jinlai slowly.
The Divine Light of the Great Sun emanating from behind him also gradually receded.
Although he had retracted the Divine Light of the Great Sun, the eyes of those nearby, especially the two Refining God Immortals, looked at him filled with terror.
The higher one’s cultivation, the more they understood the terror brought by the illumination of the divine light.
Though the Divine Light only slightly slowed the cultivators’ thinking, in such a life-and-death confrontation, a minor delay could make a vast difference.
Especially in this type of head-on collision...
It was almost akin to two gunmen ten meters apart aiming guns at each other.
One of them takes ten seconds to assemble, aim, and shoot the gun.
The other needs only nine and a half seconds.
It’s this half-second difference that marks the line between life and death.
"Yun Guantian was officially killed by me in a duel. If any of you disciples wish to seek revenge, feel free to strike. I will accept all challenges,"
said Gu Jinlai, his gaze shifting toward several young people from the Hugging Pill, Gang Condensation, and Qi Refining Realms, whose eyes were mixed with fury.
Especially one girl, appearing to be in her early twenties, whose eyes were filled with hatred and murder when she looked at Gu Jinlai.
"Young ones, you must possess the courage to strike. If you don’t have the conviction to wield your sword against a formidable enemy, you will find it difficult to achieve greatness in this lifetime,"
said Gu Jinlai slowly.
"Demon, you forced my great uncle to take your despicable punch and killed him; I will avenge him, die!"
The girl, already filled with resentment and murderous intent, was further provoked by Gu Jinlai’s words and suddenly yelled, ignoring the great disparity between her Gang Condensation Realm level and his, driven by a relentless determination, she bravely lunged forward with her sword aimed to kill Gu Jinlai.
Gu Jinlai swiftly moved.
The immense strength inherent in the Mystic Steel Armor crushed the girl along with her sword into fragments.
"I do admire her courage,"
said Gu Jinlai, moving his fingers stained with metallic sheen and blood. "What about you all? If you wish to seek revenge, this is your only chance; any future attacks against me will face endless pursuit by the many masters of Lingxiao City and Yuanhua City."
Unfortunately, this time, no one dared to attack.
The eyes of several disciples, without exception, were filled with sorrow and fear.
Even a young man who had a close relationship with the girl did not dare move.
The fear of death overcame his love for the girl.
Gu Jinlai withdrew his gaze, his massive three-meter-tall body turning towards Zhang Xiu: "The main reason for my visit to the Refining Demon Hall is to exchange the merits I earned from slaying over a hundred devils and three Great Demons in my Qiankun Talisman for the resources I need. Please, Zhang Xiu Hall Master, activate the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Map for me."
Over a hundred devils!
These figures being announced made the onlookers involuntarily gasp.
Devils are creatures even more powerful than human cultivators.
A single ordinary devil requires the joint effort of three to five Qi Refining experts to kill, not to mention Great Demons.
In the years Zhang Xiu had been Vice Hall Master of the Refining Demon Hall, they hadn’t dealt with the killing of more than a handful of Great Demons.
The Refining Demon Hall of Changjun City would not need to worry about the main map severing its connection, unable to exchange for resources, for a long time in the Qiankun Map system.
Moreover, some precious resources would also be prioritized to Changjun City, thereby promoting the development of Changjun City’s Refining Demon Hall.
Realizing this, Zhang Xiu immediately saw the light.
Knowning only by aligning himself tightly with Gu Jinlai could he firmly secure his position as the master of Changjun City’s Refining Demon Hall.
"Gu Star Master, your slaying of so many devils truly shows extraordinary merit. Please, come inside, and I will activate the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Map for you,"
hurriedly said Zhang Xiu.
Following Zhang Xiu, he entered the inner hall, off-limits to ordinary people.
"Exchange all of them for Nourishing God Pills."
Gu Jinlai handed out the Qiankun Talisman.
Zhang Xiu respectfully received the Qiankun Talisman and proceeded to a large scroll at the core of the formation in the inner hall.
This scroll occasionally radiated spiritual fluctuations.
These fluctuations seemed weak, almost equivalent to those of ordinary Spiritual Artifacts.
However, Gu Jinlai knew that the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Map itself was more than just a simple Spiritual Artifact.
It was a Dao Artifact.
A Dao Artifact is above a Supreme Grade Spirit Artifact, made from Innate Spiritual Objects with naturally occurring Dao Patterns, and activated by a Heavenly Master, possessing unimaginable might. Not even Primordial Spirit True Monarchs or even Devas are qualified to control it.
However, this Heaven and Earth Qiankun Map was merely one of the 360 derivative maps from the main diagram, and its mysteriousness could hardly be compared to that of the main diagram.
Zhang Xiu activated the Heaven and Earth Qiankun Map and inserted the Qiankun Talisman to communicate with the Artifact Spirit.
Before long, a radiant light flowed around.
Waves rippled across this treasure map, soon condensing several Divine Pills full of mysterious power.
It was unclear whether the process was akin to creating something from nothing, a Void Creation, or a feat similar to teleportation, which astonished Gu Jinlai.
If it truly was a Void Creation...
This technique far surpassed the need for raw materials in 3D printing.
"Gu Star Master, you have accrued extensive Merit allowing you to exchange for twenty Nourishing God Pills. Do you wish to exchange them all?"
Twenty Nourishing God Pills.
Was beyond his expectation.
This was equivalent to twenty million taels of silver, invaluable and not found on the market.
With these twenty Nourishing God Pills, the Gu family’s lineage could completely cultivate three or four Refining God Immortals in the coming years.
"Back then, obtaining even a single Nourishing God Pill required me to exhaust every strategy, but now... I have acquired a double-digit number of Nourishing God Pills," remarked Gu Jinlai, feeling the transient nature of the world as he received the pills from Zhang Xiu.
After Zhang Xiu completed the exchange of the Nourishing God Pills, he again took out his own Qiankun Talisman, re-exchanged three Nourishing God Pills and then turned to Gu Jinlai with a bow, "Gu Star Master, if it weren’t for my inadvertent words back then that induced greed in Yun Guantian, you wouldn’t have faced the ensuing troubles. I have exchanged all my savings for Nourishing God Pills as an apology to the Gu Star Master."
"About that incident..."
Gu Jinlai had some guesses about the matter with Yun Guantian but did not know the specifics and thus asked, "Tell me about it."
Zhang Xiu did not dare conceal anything and explained the cause and effect of the incident.
For a moment, Gu Jinlai’s expression turned peculiar.
A bounty from the Xie Family?
So, his Nourishing God Pills transformed into the Heavenly Master inheritance of the Grand Sun Nine Refinement Visualization Method?
Likewise, this was the start of Gu Jinlai and Yun Guantian’s conflict.
And precisely because of this conflict, Gu Jinlai was introduced to the World of Heavenly Masters, realized a great compatibility with the Heavenly Master Lineage, and ultimately, rapidly rose to power, leading to the current situation.
For a while, he almost felt a sense of fate and reincarnation.
"I accept your apology. Take good care of the Refining Demon Hall. If I need anything in the future, I will come to you first," Gu Jinlai said.
"Gu Star Master has favored me with guidance, which I will cherish in my heart and never dare forget," Zhang Xiu promptly bowed again.
Of course, such words were merely a formality.
Hadn’t Yun Guantian also favored Zhang Xiu with guidance back then?
Soon, the group left the Refining Demon Hall.
"Patriarch, should we head to Zhengyi Dao or the Purgatory Sect headquarters next?" asked Gu Chifeng, seemingly not satisfied yet.
"Zhou Yunyi and the elites of Zhengyi Dao have all gone to Starlight City. What purpose would our visit to their Sect headquarters serve at this point?" Gu Jinlai gave a slight smile and said, "Don’t worry. The chaotic situation in Star State has become apparent, and everyone needs to make their own choices. Changjun City does not leave them with many options."
As he spoke, he took the twenty-three Nourishing God Pills and left Changjun City directly.
The entire process saw no interference from the Changjun City Lord Mansion, which seemed to convey a message: as long as you do not attack my city, handle all grievances within as you please.
Gu Jinlai and Gu Chifeng, along with others, returned to Lingxiao City.
By this time, the dire changes in Starlight City had also rapidly spread to other cities in Star State and even south of Tianhe.
A massive battle broke out, resulting in the fall of seven Divinity Transformation beings.
More importantly, the State Lord Mansion’s attempt to swallow all Four Great Families and the cultivation forces in one gulp had struck a nerve. Immediately, these Sect powers retreated and declared their defiance against the State Lord Mansion’s orders.
State Governor Qi Zhongsheng, lacking the strength, had taken over Xin Tianqi’s role of overseeing the situation. He perished during the first wave of concentrated attacks. With the loss of his presence, the State Lord Mansion reacted significantly slower, allowing the Purgatory Sect, Cold Moon Sect, Netherworld Sect, and Yellow Sky Sect to step in, seizing the border cities.
Moreover, Star State’s Grand Elder Qi Renwang and his brother Qi Fenglei, competing for the position of State Governor, brought their formerly covert strife into the open, causing unrest among the people and making it difficult to fend off foreign invaders. Within just a month, over half of the twenty-six cities in Star State declared their independence from the State Lord Mansion’s rule.
The Five Great Sects, including the former ally, Dragon Sparrow Manor, completely established their power in Star State, securing their positions.