True Immortal Primordial Spirit

Although the princess had rejected him, Yin Xiao remained convinced that once he utterly crushed that lowly insect from the lower realm, she would surely change her mind.

Thus, Yin Xiao declared loudly, "Your Highness, it’s understandable that you don’t believe my words, as you’ve yet to witness my true strength. How about this—let me face your chosen trial-taker in battle. The victor shall represent you in the Taiyi Secret Realm, increasing your chances of claiming the top prize."

Inside the room, Gu Qingfeng trembled with excitement upon hearing this.

Finally, was it his turn to enjoy the protagonist’s treatment?

A villainous side character challenging the protagonist for the heroine’s sake?

What a delightfully classic trope unfolding before him.

After all these years of struggle in the lower realm, he’d never experienced such a privilege. Had his luck finally turned upon arriving in the upper realm?

Heh heh heh…

"Accept his challenge," Gu Qingfeng commanded.

"Hmm?" Shangguan Wan'er sounded puzzled but ultimately complied.

Moments later—click!

The door swung open, revealing Shangguan Wan'er and Gu Qingfeng stepping out.

The moment Yin Xiao laid eyes on Gu Qingfeng’s striking, peerless appearance, a flash of jealousy and resentment flickered in his gaze.

He had already resolved to teach this lower-realm upstart a brutal lesson—to show him that a toad lusting after swan meat was nothing but a delusion.

"Yin Xiao greets Her Highness."

"At ease," Shangguan Wan'er replied, her voice slightly hoarse—evidently fatigued from her earlier exertions.

"So, you’re the one challenging this Emperor?" Gu Qingfeng sneered.

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them. That didn’t sound like a righteous protagonist’s line at all!

Yin Xiao snorted coldly. "A mere lower-realm trash dares to call himself ‘Emperor’? Know your place and surrender now if you want to avoid suffering."

Oh? Now this was the good stuff!

Next would come the beloved trope of the protagonist humiliating the arrogant fool.

Gu Qingfeng replied indifferently, "Enough talk. Let’s settle this with action."

"Fine. Since you’re eager to die, I’ll oblige!"

With that, the two took their positions, facing each other from a distance.

An overwhelming aura erupted from Yin Xiao, the pressure of an extreme-path cultivator, as if he were a sovereign reigning over the cosmos, his majesty shaking the heavens.

Gu Qingfeng stood unmoved, deliberately suppressing his own aura. If he released even a wisp, Yin Xiao would be crushed instantly—and where was the fun in that?

"You still have time to admit defeat," Yin Xiao taunted with a cold laugh.

In his mind, below the Immortal realm, he was invincible!

But was he truly? Not quite. Unlike the lower-realm Heavenly Emperors who had weathered countless trials, his reliance on upper-realm immortal techniques granted him an advantage—but not an insurmountable one.

Those techniques might place him among the top-tier Heavenly Emperors of the Cangming Realm, but he was no match for the absolute pinnacle experts, let alone figures like the Flame Emperor or Old Ghost.

"Invincible below the Immortal realm"? He was far from it.

"Are you all talk and no action?" Gu Qingfeng said flatly.

Enraged, Yin Xiao summoned a spear-like immortal weapon, its shaft engraved with coiling dragons.

"Die!"

Without hesitation, he unleashed a lethal strike. The spear radiated immortal light, transforming into a majestic golden dragon that surged toward Gu Qingfeng with devastating force.

Perfect!

Gu Qingfeng’s excitement grew. Finally, his moment to shine had arrived!

Just as he prepared to swat the golden dragon aside like a fly—a sudden twist!

A viper-like smirk twisted Yin Xiao’s face as his spear abruptly changed trajectory, hurtling toward Shangguan Wan'er instead!

The flashy golden dragon vanished, replaced by a single, piercing gleam—a concentrated point of frigid light, as if all the world’s coldness had been compressed into a needle of death.

This was a strike at the True Immortal level!

The shadow of death enveloped Shangguan Wan'er in an instant.

Stunned by the sudden betrayal, she barely had time to react before realizing escape was impossible. Instinctively, she screamed, "Master, save me!" and squeezed her eyes shut.

Yet, after a long moment, she realized she was still alive.

Cautiously, she peeked open her eyes—only to see an impossibly towering figure shielding her, his silhouette casting a protective shadow over her like an eaglet sheltered beneath its parent’s wings.

"Master!" Shangguan Wan'er cried out in relief.

This was the most genuine cry she had ever uttered, a clear sign she had fully succumbed to Stockholm syndrome.

Gu Qingfeng ignored her. His reason for saving her was simple: she was his property.

And one’s property was sacred and inviolable!

Yin Xiao, meanwhile, had undergone a complete transformation. Gone was the arrogant, brainless antagonist—now, he was a cold, calculating assassin, his eyes brimming with cruelty.

"You’re not even an Immortal, yet you blocked a True Immortal’s strike? Who are you?" Yin Xiao’s voice had changed too—now raspy and aged.

Gu Qingfeng’s expression twisted into sheer fury as he roared, "I’m your damn father! Why did you ruin my chance to humiliate you?! Do you know how long I’ve waited for this moment?!"

"I—" Yin Xiao barely managed a syllable before terror seized him.

Gu Qingfeng had vanished.

Then—a crushing grip clamped onto the back of his skull.

Horrified, he turned his gaze sideways to see a monstrous face inches from his own, its owner grinning with grotesque glee, baring bone-white teeth and crimson gums.

Before Yin Xiao could react, an overwhelming force yanked his head downward—SLAM!

His face was buried into the earth with such force that his body arched unnaturally, legs kicking upward. The ground shattered, and the surrounding palace collapsed in the shockwave.

Suddenly, a wisp of white smoke erupted from Yin Xiao’s body, streaking away at blinding speed.

Shangguan Wan'er gasped. "Soul-Possession Art! That’s the True Immortal’s soul!"

"Think you can escape?" Still seething, Gu Qingfeng would never let a mere True Immortal’s soul slip away.

His trillion-year cultivation surged forth, manifesting as a colossal hand that blotted out the sky—a divine palm like the Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain, vast beyond measure.

The True Immortal’s soul was the Monkey King, doomed to fail in escaping its grasp.

With a mere flick of his wrist, Gu Qingfeng seized the soul.

"Devour the Heavens and Earth!"

Without hesitation, he began absorbing the soul’s essence.

The True Immortal’s soul panicked. Dispersion was one thing—he could reform—but this devouring technique consumed his very origin, erasing him for good.

"Don’t kill me!" he shrieked. "Don’t you want to know who sent me to assassinate Shangguan Wan'er?!"

"No." Gu Qingfeng’s reply was ice-cold.

And with that, he drained the soul dry.