Slaying the Immortal Official

Countless ancient stars descended, attempting to shake the terrifying and ominous dark portal.

Yet, it stood like an eternal gate of the cosmos, immutable through the ages. The power of the stars crashed against it without so much as a ripple, as if they were not even of the same order of existence.

The army of celestial officials hesitated, their charge faltering. The sinister aura emanating from the portal filled them with dread and terror.

Only the lawless celestial official, bloated with arrogance, continued to bellow, "You lowly wretch! How dare you fight back! Do you not know that this official is a celestial officer of the Starveil Celestial Dynasty, bestowed with the dynasty's robes and authority? You rebel!"

"How tiresome!" Gu Qingfeng frowned and snorted. "A bunch of ignorant ants—who allowed you to bark like dogs before this Emperor?

Kneel, all of you!"

Boom!

An overwhelming aura erupted, spreading an aura of extreme malevolence. The sky filled with dense, dark lightning, so terrifying that the entire World Barrier trembled.

At this moment, fear descended upon the land, and despair permeated the heavens.

Countless beings within the World Barrier looked up.

Their gazes pierced the void, where they saw a distorted, indistinct shadow of a demonic god gazing down upon the mortal realm—its face unmistakably that of Gu Qingfeng.

Billions of demonic rays illuminated the entire World Barrier. No matter how distant the corner, all could see it, while ghostly wails and the cries of celestial beings echoed faintly through the void.

Under this horrifying demonic might, the faces of the people in the World Barrier twisted in terror. To them, Gu Qingfeng was no different from a demonic god.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The celestial officials' army collapsed to their knees under the immense pressure, the sound of cracking bones resounding endlessly.

The celestial official himself did not kneel—his corpulent body, seated in a palanquin, was instead flattened to the ground by the crushing force.

Like a slaughtered hog drained of blood, he lay limp on the ground, limbs splayed, his face deathly pale.

From then on, no one in the area remained standing.

The sensation of making all living beings kneel with a single thought filled Gu Qingfeng with delight.

"Hehehe... This is the posture you should adopt before this Emperor!

Now then, all of you shall become this Emperor's nourishment!"

With those words—

Boom!

The Gates of the Netherworld swung open, revealing an abyss of darkness. Ominous energy surged forth like a tide, causing the souls of all sentient beings to tremble.

Ghastly spectral claws stretched out from within, elongating madly as they scrambled to seize the kneeling soldiers.

"Ahh!"

"Help! Save me!"

"No... no!"

Screams rose like a symphony, and Gu Qingfeng, listening to this melodious movement, was enraptured.

The surging magical power within him made him giddy with joy. He relished this sense of progress and fulfillment.

His originally depleted reserves of a mere ten billion years' worth of magical power visibly skyrocketed.

Moments later, silence finally fell.

Only desiccated human skins remained on the ground, the sole evidence of their once-living existence.

However, the celestial official was not dead. Gu Qingfeng had deliberately spared this arrogant ant, allowing him to savor the terror of impending death a little longer.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Gu Qingfeng slowly approached the celestial official.

Even now, the official continued to rant. Years of unchecked privilege had robbed him of basic judgment.

Or perhaps, deep down, he had always believed that as a celestial official of the Starveil Celestial Dynasty, the lowly masses should submit unconditionally.

"You wretch! What do you think you're doing?! This official warns you—I am a celestial official of the Starveil Celestial Dynasty! If you dare show me disrespect, the dynasty's mighty experts will descend upon you, and then you'll—AHHH!!"

Gu Qingfeng stomped on the official's face, crushing his bloated features until teeth shattered and blood gushed.

"Killing you will immediately summon the experts of the Starveil Celestial Dynasty? Hehehe... How perfect!" Gu Qingfeng sneered.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

He stomped repeatedly, driving the official's head deep into the dirt.

The celestial official, accustomed to a life of luxury, had never endured such humiliation or pain. His fury only grew, and he shrieked wildly, swallowing mouthfuls of soil.

Seeing him so spirited, Gu Qingfeng waved his hand, conjuring dozens of fiendish beasts from billowing demonic energy. The creatures pounced, tearing into the official's flesh.

"Ahhhh!!"

The celestial official finally felt fear. The excruciating pain jolted him out of his delusions of invincibility. He realized, with horror, that this man truly feared neither the Starveil Celestial Dynasty nor killing him.

"Spare me! Please, spare me!"

The official wailed, begged, and groveled, his body shrinking rapidly as chunks of flesh were torn away—a weight-loss method far more effective than any in the mortal world.

Soon, he was reduced to a bloodied husk, writhing pathetically, all traces of his former arrogance gone.

He crawled toward Gu Qingfeng with his last strength, reaching out with a blood-soaked hand to clutch at the Emperor's leg, his eyes filled with terror and desperate hope.

Gu Qingfeng glanced at the gory hand and coldly crushed it underfoot. "Worthless trash! You dare stain this Emperor's robes? Seeking death!"

"Aghhh—"

The official's screams grew weaker until they ceased entirely.

Meanwhile...

At the source of the starry river, within the Starveil Celestial Dynasty...

Inside a resplendent palace forged of celestial metals...

A man exuding divine majesty sat in meditation.

Abruptly, his eyes opened, swirling with boundless cosmic principles and the indifference of a deity.

"Someone has slain a downstream celestial official. Deal with it—make an example of them."

"As you command, Lord Marquis."

A figure shrouded in celestial light materialized in the void, bowing respectfully before departing.

Outside the palace, the figure summoned a guard. "A downstream celestial official has been brutally slain. The Marquis is displeased. Handle it—remind the world to fear the Starveil Celestial Dynasty once more."

"Understood, Commander!"

The guard saluted and immediately headed for the upper reaches of the World Barrier, seeking out the celestial official stationed there.

"A downstream official has been tortured and killed. The higher-ups are furious. You are to purge the downstream region immediately—erase everything and everyone connected to the criminal!"

The upper-reach official gasped. "What?! After billions of years, someone dares defy the natural order by murdering a celestial official?! This lowly one will act at once!"