The Death of Heaven and Man

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn,

the last three Celestial Beings were overcome with shock and terror.

"Why won't he die?!"

"How is this possible?! Even I can barely hold on, yet he’s still running!"

"No more. Fight over the treasure yourselves—this venerable one is leaving!"

One of the Celestial Beings, already terrified, prepared to flee.

The other two, including the Blood River Sage, also showed signs of fear, suppressing their unwillingness as they turned to escape.

But just then—thud!

Gu Qingfeng, who had been sprinting ahead at full speed, suddenly collapsed face-first onto the ground, his aura completely extinguished.

It was as if the Heavenly Dao’s curse had fully corroded his soul, leaving behind nothing but an empty husk.

The three fleeing figures instantly halted. They exchanged glances—no words were needed.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Like racers, they transformed into streaks of light, desperately lunging toward Gu Qingfeng’s corpse.

Yet, in that moment, something eerie happened—Gu Qingfeng’s body instantly melted into the earth.

"Earth Escape Technique! That little bastard faked his death!"

One Celestial Being howled in fury before bolting outward without hesitation. He truly couldn’t endure any longer—if he didn’t leave now, death was certain.

Even if he escaped, he’d likely need a century of recovery to heal.

But would Gu Qingfeng allow it?

"Keh keh keh..." A sinister laugh suddenly echoed as Gu Qingfeng’s figure materialized right in front of the fleeing man.

"Oh? Trying to run? You chased me halfway across the world, and now you think you can just leave whenever you please? Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Get out of my way!" the Celestial Being roared in panic, his mind already half-lost to the corrosion of his soul.

Now, he cared nothing for treasures—his only thought was escaping the Primordial Forbidden Land.

A dazzling divine light slashed from his hands.

Hummm!

A thousand sword hums rang out like pouring rain as countless blade rays surged forward. Though these attacks couldn’t harm the Celestial Being, they were enough to stall his escape.

The man’s face twisted with desperation. The terror of impending death gnawed at him as he twisted and dodged, but Gu Qingfeng clung to him like a shadow, impossible to shake off.

Seeing this, the other two Celestial Beings abandoned all thoughts of capturing Gu Qingfeng and fled outright.

Gu Qingfeng immediately split his sword rays to intercept them, but he had overestimated himself. Even weakened and unwilling to fight, these were still Celestial Beings—his divided attacks couldn’t stop all three.

Damn it!

Looks like I can only keep one!

With a cold glint in his eyes, Gu Qingfeng locked onto the Blood River Sage.

This old bastard has to die!

Not even the Heavenly Emperor could save him—that was Gu Qingfeng’s decree!

If not for this bastard spotting him, he wouldn’t have been chased for thousands of miles!

Tch!

So what if I killed your young master?

Everyone dies sooner or later—what’s the big deal?

Abandoning the other two, Gu Qingfeng focused all his attacks on the Blood River Sage.

Now, the pressure fell entirely on the old man.

"You little beast! Get lost!" the Blood River Sage bellowed, lashing out in fury. But with his soul half-corroded and agony wracking his mind, he could barely muster half his strength, his attacks growing erratic.

Gu Qingfeng dodged effortlessly with his Earth Gliding Light, then closed in again, controlling a thousand divine swords to harass the old man.

He avoided direct clashes, focusing solely on delaying him.

The Blood River Sage grew more enraged—and his soul corroded faster.

Meanwhile, the other two Celestial Beings, unhindered, vanished into the distance.

"Keh keh keh... Trying to leave? You’ll have to ask me first!"

Gu Qingfeng’s eyes gleamed with malice, his grin widening like a predator toying with prey.

"You little beast!! Aaargh! You’ve enraged this venerable one!"

The Blood River Sage howled in helpless fury, his body erupting with bloody radiance as a crimson river surged behind him.

"Fine! Then I’ll kill you before I go!"

Seeing the old man’s desperation, Gu Qingfeng chuckled—then turned and fled, his speed leaving the Blood River Sage in the dust.

The old man nearly vomited blood from sheer rage, but he had no choice—he too bolted for the Forbidden Land’s edge.

Instantly, Gu Qingfeng wheeled around, bombarding him with sword rays. The thousand-blade Golden Metal Sword Array could slay even a Celestial Being if left unguarded.

Forced to defend, the Blood River Sage slowed to a crawl.

The stalemate dragged on until, finally, the old man reached his limit.

He glanced at the distant border of the Forbidden Land, then at his nearly depleted soul. Fear gave way to madness—pure, unhinged madness.

He knew he’d never escape alive.

So he’d drag Gu Qingfeng down with him.

"You vile insect! If you want to use the Forbidden Land to kill me, then we’ll die together today!"

With a final roar, the Blood River Sage’s body erupted with terrifying energy, swelling like a balloon—ready to burst.

Gu Qingfeng’s expression shifted.

This old bastard’s going to self-destruct!

But—

You’d need another century to catch me in that blast!

BOOM!

The Blood River Sage exploded.

The shockwave ravaged the land for a thousand miles, annihilating everything in its path. Dust and debris rocketed skyward, forming a colossal mushroom cloud.

Blinding divine pillars of light tore through heaven and earth, shaking the very fabric of the world.

Yet, Gu Qingfeng—who should have perished—was leisurely sipping "milk tea" (milk + tea = milk tea) in his Palm World, waiting for the storm to pass.

After about an incense stick’s worth of time, he stepped back out.

And froze.

The once-flat plains, dense forests, and towering mountains were gone—utterly erased. All that remained was a thousand-mile crater.

"Holy shit! A Celestial Being’s self-destruction is this insane?! That’s basically a nuke—minus the radiation! Damn!"

After marveling for a moment, his face suddenly darkened.

"Shit—the spatial ring!"

He frantically swept the area with his divine sense, but his expression only grew grimmer. Nothing remained.

"Goddamn it! That old bastard blew up the spatial ring too! This was a total loss!"