Moderate Harvest

Gu Qingfeng casually grabbed the golden flying sword and stuffed it into his mouth. The grating sound of metal grinding echoed as he crunched it down in just a few bites. Still unsatisfied, he ignored the barrage of attacks and seized the Water Fiend Spirit with his left hand and the Fire Fiend Spirit with his right. Activating his Devouring Heaven and Earth technique, the two spirits instantly paled, feeling their power draining away at a terrifying rate.

"Save us! He’s devouring our power!" the two spirits shrieked, thrashing wildly in desperation.

The other three spirits panicked, launching desperate assaults on Gu Qingfeng. Yet, no matter how fiercely they struck, it was futile—he stood unmoved, like an unshakable divine mountain.

"Our attacks can’t even scratch him!"

"What do we do now? Demon! Release them at once!"

"The only way is to merge the Five Elements!"

"But how can we merge when two of us are captured?"

Just then—

Bam!

Gu Qingfeng hurled the two spirits aside.

"You can merge? Why didn’t you say so earlier? Almost made this emperor lose his precious family," he grumbled.

The spirits were stunned but had no time to dwell on it. They unleashed their full power, initiating the Five Elements Fusion.

Transforming into five streaks of radiant light, they swirled together violently before merging into a swirling mass of Yin-Yang energy. From it emerged a single spirit, its body wreathed in swirling black-and-white Yin-Yang miasma.

"Behold our ultimate form. You may die with honor now," the fused spirits declared, brimming with confidence.

"Today, you shall witness power far beyond the True Immortal realm! Not even the legendary Taiyi True Immortal of old could withstand this might!

"Die, mortal!"

With a roar, the Yin-Yang Spirit struck. The moment it moved, the entire secret realm’s elemental energies were siphoned away, leaving a vacuum in its wake.

The sheer force of its attack caused the already crumbling Taiyi Secret Realm to shudder, the very fabric of space cracking like shattered glass.

A torrent of Yin-Yang miasma surged forth, resembling a collapsing celestial river crashing down from the heavens, carrying boundless destructive force straight toward Gu Qingfeng.

The void shattered in all directions, the Taiyi Secret Realm collapsing under the might of an attack that had reached the Earth Immortal level—far beyond what any True Immortal could hope to resist.

"Let’s hope this entertains me a little longer," Gu Qingfeng mused, spreading his arms to welcome the strike.

Boom!

The devastating Yin-Yang energy slammed into him, obliterating the space around him.

"Tch." A sigh drifted through the storm of energy.

"Shouldn’t have expected much. The higher the hopes, the greater the disappointment."

In the next instant, the swirling Yin-Yang energy dispersed with a pop, revealing Gu Qingfeng’s unharmed figure, his expression one of utter boredom.

He had assumed an Earth Immortal-level attack would pack some punch, but reality proved otherwise. Even this tier of power barely made a dent in him now.

"Impossible!! How can you be immune to all attacks?!" the Yin-Yang Spirit howled, its face twisted in disbelief.

"Ask the King of Hell when you see him."

With a look of disinterest, Gu Qingfeng flicked his sleeve as though brushing away dust.

In that fleeting moment, the world trembled, time itself seeming to freeze.

A sweeping arc of demonic light erupted, vast enough to blot out the heavens, carving through the sky like a scythe.

KABOOM!

"Nooo—!!"

The Yin-Yang Spirit’s eyes bulged as it sensed the boundless, ocean-like demonic energy within that light. It threw everything into defense, but resistance was meaningless.

Its body shattered like fragile foam, five streaks of colored light bursting forth and crashing violently onto the ground.

Where the demonic light passed, the void was scarred with deep, jagged rifts, spreading like cracks in glass.

A single, effortless flick of his sleeve had dismantled an Earth Immortal-level Yin-Yang form.

The Five Elements Spirits, now grievously wounded, scrambled to their feet without a second thought—bolting in five different directions, desperate for survival.

But against absolute power, escape was a fool’s dream.

Clang!

The metallic chime of chains rang out.

The Immortal-Binding Chains!

Gu Qingfeng whipped the chain outward with his immense physical strength, sending it lashing through the air like a whip.

"Aaaagh—!"

Screams erupted as the chain struck the fleeing spirits, sending them plummeting from the sky like struck birds.

With a casual tug, the chains coiled around them, stringing the five together like skewered meat.

Gu Qingfeng eyed his catch, considering their worth. Just as he prepared to devour them, his gaze fell upon the Primordial Five Miasma Gourd at his waist.

The gourd had already absorbed vast amounts of Primordial Five Elements energy, teetering on the edge of evolution. Another ten thousand years of refinement, and it would ascend to Earth Immortal-grade.

But he had no patience for millennia of tempering.

If the gourd devoured these Five Elements Spirits, however, it might evolve instantly—its power multiplying tenfold or more!

His own attributes had plateaued anyway; the marginal gains weren’t worth it. Trading them for an Earth Immortal-grade treasure? Far better.

Decision made, Gu Qingfeng raised the gourd, ignoring the spirits’ pleas as he sucked them inside.

Instantly, the gourd erupted with radiant light, five-colored brilliance shooting into the heavens.

Countless Daoist runes materialized, etching themselves into the void as ethereal immortal melodies filled the air.

Moments later, an overwhelming aura burst from the gourd—akin to an Earth Immortal’s presence—before the celestial phenomena vanished abruptly.

Stowing the gourd, Gu Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction.

He’d initially had zero interest in this True Immortal secret realm, only coming for the Eternal Night Lamp Scripture.

Yet this trip had proven far more fruitful than expected.

Not only had he secured the scripture, but he’d also claimed an immortal sword imprisoning this "family," and now his Primordial Five Miasma Gourd had ascended to Earth Immortal-grade.

Calling this a "minor harvest" would be an understatement—almost arrogant.

"Moderate harvest" felt more appropriate.

Content, Gu Qingfeng prepared to leave the crumbling Taiyi Secret Realm. Glancing at the fractured sky, he knew the dimension wouldn’t last much longer. No point searching for an exit.

Hum.

A single snap of his fingers sent an imperceptible ripple through the air, gentle as a breeze caressing the heavens.

The next second, catastrophe unfolded.

The sky collapsed. The earth split apart. Everything shattered.

Unfazed, Gu Qingfeng took a single step—and vanished from the dying realm.