Taking the Initiative

One day later.

Gu Qingfeng had spent an entire day in the marketplace known as the Ascension Pavilion, strutting about conspicuously in an attempt to draw the attention of the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty.

However, instead of attracting the dynasty, he drew the eyes of many petty villains.

After all, Gu Qingfeng was now merely a mortal, and his ostentatious display of wealth within the marketplace inevitably invited the schemes of certain opportunistic immortals.

When he wandered into a secluded alley, several shadowy figures suddenly emerged from the darkness. Without a single word, eerie immortal light erupted from their bodies as they sought to obliterate Gu Qingfeng.

Little did they know, the most dangerous predators often appear as prey.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Black serpents, woven from the essence of true demonic energy, surged from Gu Qingfeng’s body. Their speed defied the boundaries of time, so swift that the assailants had no chance to scream before being devoured whole by the serpents.

Soon after, the sound of bone-crunching echoed through the dark alley, chilling to the core.

Moments later, Gu Qingfeng emerged, his expression one of deep dissatisfaction. The Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty was as stubborn as ever, refusing to descend to the Middle Reaches.

“No,” Gu Qingfeng muttered, his face twisting with malice. “This Emperor must create a spectacle. If they won’t come to me, then I’ll go to them!”

Three days later.

The Middle Reaches’ border checkpoint received an unwelcome visitor.

“Heh heh heh… Today, this Emperor shall slaughter everyone at this checkpoint! Where are the Middle Reaches’ officials? Crawl out and face your doom!”

Gu Qingfeng stood atop the Nine Heavens, his gaze imperious, his wild black hair dancing in the tempestuous celestial winds that whipped his imperial robes into a frenzy.

A terrifying demonic aura radiated from him, blotting out the sky and earth in an instant. The world trembled, thunder roared, and the winds howled as if the apocalypse had arrived.

His plan was simple: since destroying the Lower Reaches’ checkpoint had failed to provoke the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty, he would raze the Middle Reaches’ checkpoint and see if that got their attention.

The horrifying scene immediately alarmed the checkpoint’s guards. A silver-armored immortal, clearly a captain, led a squad of soldiers forward.

“Who dares trespass upon the border checkpoint? State your name!” the silver-armored immortal bellowed.

“Hmph!”

Gu Qingfeng’s cold snort reverberated through the void like the wrath of a deity, shaking the heavens and earth.

“Insignificant ants like you are unworthy of knowing this Emperor’s name. Die!”

“Grasp of the Netherworld!”

A low chant thundered across the void.

In the next instant, the space behind Gu Qingfeng let out a mournful wail, as though something unspeakably dreadful was tearing through reality.

Boom!

The void shattered, and an ominous, corrupting energy flooded forth, tainting the mortal realm. A massive gate to the underworld slowly materialized.

The world around Gu Qingfeng twisted under the influence of sinister, demonic power, transforming into a living hell. Demonic light blotted out the sky, and faint whispers of malevolent gods slithered through the air.

The silver-armored captain paled at the sight and shouted in alarm, “Fall back! This demon is too powerful!”

But before his words could fully escape—

A resonant hum filled the void as the Netherworld Gate swung open. Pitch-black, suffocating miasma surged forth like a tidal wave, causing every living soul to tremble in terror.

Ghastly spectral hands reached out, disregarding the constraints of time and space, appearing abruptly before every soldier and seizing them with a vicious grip.

“Aaaah!”

“Nooo—!”

The sickening crunch of bones and agonized screams filled the air.

Without any chance of resistance, the soldiers were dragged into the Netherworld Gate. With a thunderous slam, the gate closed, erasing their existence from the world.

“Heh heh heh… Pathetic insects. To think you could challenge a god—utterly laughable.”

“Where are the officials? Come out and face me!”

Gu Qingfeng’s eyes swept across the land, his arrogance boundless, his demonic might unrivaled. With a single punch, he unleashed a torrent of devastating force upon the world.

Boom!

A fist imprint capable of annihilating creation tore through the void, its echoes shaking the heavens like thunder. The sheer brutality of the strike was unmatched.

Where the fist passed, space itself was crushed, letting out pained groans.

The clouds above were pierced by the aftershocks, while the earth below caved in, forming a massive trench carved deep into the ground.

The punch hurtled toward the checkpoint.

Boom!

When the fist collided with the checkpoint, it was as though two suns had clashed in the void, unleashing a cataclysmic wave of destruction.

The checkpoint, which had stood since time immemorial, was blasted apart, leaving behind a gaping hole of unimaginable size.

The barrier between the Middle and Upper Reaches had been shattered.

This punch did more than breach the checkpoint—it obliterated the rigid hierarchy separating the Middle and Upper Reaches. It destroyed the chains of oppression weighing upon the Middle Reaches’ people!

“Who dares wreak havoc at the border checkpoint? Do you seek rebellion?!” A furious roar erupted from deep within the checkpoint.

The void trembled as dozens of auras unique to Heavenly Immortals surged forth.

Beams of immortal light flashed like a storm as countless immortals converged from all directions.

For a moment, the sky was filled with streaks of light, their momentum overwhelming.

The world itself seemed to hold its breath, the air thick with killing intent.

Once the immortals had formed their battle array, the official in charge finally made his grand entrance.

A gaunt, wrinkled old man clad in gold-trimmed white robes descended from the heavens, flanked by dozens of Heavenly Immortal experts. Their combined presence shook the world.

He was the one who had spoken.

“Are you the official?” Gu Qingfeng sneered.

The white-robed elder snorted coldly. “Indeed, I am. And who are you? Do you not realize you’ve already committed a capital offense?”

“Heh heh heh… Who am I? Just recently, you sent Black-White Twin Envoys to kill me. Have you forgotten so soon?”

The white-robed elder’s face twisted in shock. “It’s you! You’re the criminal who annihilated the Lower Reaches’ checkpoint! No wonder the Twin Envoys never returned—they died by your hand!”

“Good! You have some nerve, wretch. After slaughtering the Lower Reaches’ checkpoint and killing my subordinates, you dare show your face here?”

“Today, this Emperor has come to see just how incompetent the Star Extreme Immortal Dynasty truly is! The Lower Reaches’ checkpoint was destroyed, yet not a single soul from your dynasty came to investigate. Instead, you sent a mere subordinate?”

“And not only that—do you even care that your subordinate died? After serving you for so long, his death didn’t even warrant an inquiry? Was that the end of it?”

“Since you’re so heartless, treating your subordinates as expendable, this Emperor shall avenge them today!”

By the time Gu Qingfeng finished his righteous tirade, the white-robed elder was dumbfounded.

For a moment, he almost believed he was the one who had killed the Twin Envoys, not Gu Qingfeng.

“Nonsense! Absolute nonsense! Since you’ve delivered yourself to justice, don’t blame me for showing no mercy! Men!”

“At your command!” The dozens of Heavenly Immortals stepped forward in unison, their voices thunderous.

Immortal light crisscrossed the sky, their combined might reaching terrifying heights.

"Capture this fiend alive!" The white-robed elder commanded with an imperious wave of his hand, his aura overwhelming. Dozens of Celestial Immortals and countless immortal soldiers responded in unison.