You Didn't Have to Die

"Ha ha ha ha..."

The colossal face in the sky erupted with thunderous laughter.

"Ant, I must admit you’re quite humorous—you’ve successfully amused this Sovereign.

As a reward, I’ll grant you a chance to beg for mercy."

As soon as the words fell, the enormous face in the sky instantly condensed and vanished without a trace.

Before Gu Qingfeng and Ye Wuyou, a white-robed youth abruptly appeared.

This youth had a fair complexion, handsome features, and an air of refined elegance, like a noble young master untouched by the world’s filth. Yet his eyes alone were like two abyssal whirlpools, impossible to meet directly.

The white-robed youth calmly looked at Ye Wuyou and spoke indifferently: "As for you, little one—come and receive your punishment!"

The moment the word "punishment" was uttered, a murderous aura shook the heavens, and the clouds above shattered violently.

Ye Wuyou: "......"

He didn’t understand why his foster father was the one who killed and caused trouble, yet he was the one being punished in the end.

Was it simply because his foster father looked like a harmless mortal, while he was a Profound Immortal?

But... I’m still just a kid!

Damn it!

"Ke ke ke ke..." Gu Qingfeng suddenly laughed, staring straight at the white-robed youth as if eyeing a prime piece of prey.

"A Golden Immortal? So the Starveil Immortal Dynasty finally sent a dog with some weight."

The white-robed youth’s gaze instantly turned icy. "That is something this Sovereign cannot pretend not to have heard."

"It was meant for your ears, you imbecile! If you didn’t hear it, wouldn’t that make you deaf?" Gu Qingfeng sneered.

The white-robed youth’s expression darkened further. As his anger rose, the world itself seemed to respond—dark clouds gathered, lightning flashed, and the earth trembled, cracks spreading like spiderwebs.

Witnessing this, Ye Wuyou’s heart quivered.

To influence the heavens and earth with mere movements—this was the power of a Golden Immortal? Damn it, the gap is too vast.

Foster Father, please stop talking and just run!

"Very well, mortal." The white-robed youth laughed in extreme fury. "Originally, given your humor, I intended to—"

"Shut your mouth, you whelp!" Gu Qingfeng cut him off. "Did this Emperor permit you to speak? What delusion makes you think you’re worthy of addressing me?"

Beside him, Ye Wuyou stared blankly at his foster father, utterly dumbfounded.

Foster Father... have you always been this bold?

The white-robed youth’s abyssal eyes turned frigid, as if the gates to hell had swung open, radiating a sinister and terrifying chill.

Without another word, he clenched his fist—and the Heavenly Prison of Ten Thousand Thunders trapping Gu Qingfeng and Ye Wuyou instantly shrank, attempting to crush them slowly.

Ye Wuyou couldn’t hold back any longer. He summoned a terrifying bloodflame in his palm and hurled it at the prison with all his might.

Pfft!

Like a feeble fart, the bloodflame burst apart and dissipated.

The Heavenly Prison contracted deliberately slowly, clearly a psychological tactic by the white-robed youth to instill despair.

And it worked—Ye Wuyou couldn’t take the pressure. He didn’t want to die.

"Foster Father, we should—"

Before he could finish, a deafening BOOM erupted.

Gu Qingfeng threw a single punch.

Endless demonic light erupted, coalescing into a shockwave that seemed capable of piercing through the cosmos itself, slamming into the Heavenly Prison.

The countless thunder pillars shattered instantly.

The sky cleared of lightning, leaving only the boundless demonic radiance.

"Oh?" The white-robed youth’s eyes flickered with surprise. "That punch was nearly at the peak of the Profound Immortal realm. So, you’re the one who massacred the Border Pass."

Yet he remained unshaken, as if the destruction of his Heavenly Prison meant nothing.

"Interesting. A mere mortal with strength rivaling a peak Profound Immortal... You must harbor great secrets. Coincidentally, this Sovereign has always enjoyed uncovering secrets."

"Too much damn talking." Gu Qingfeng scoffed.

"Indomitable Demon King Form!"

A surge of demonic energy exploded outward as Gu Qingfeng’s body expanded—the Eight-Armed Demon God manifested once more.

He knew full well that this Golden Immortal was the strongest foe he had faced thus far, leagues beyond Celestial or Profound Immortals.

The ranks of immortals were as follows: Loose Immortal, True Immortal, Earth Immortal, Celestial Immortal, Profound Immortal, Golden Immortal, Great Luo Golden Immortal, and Immortal King!

The gap between each realm was like climbing the heavens.

Though Gu Qingfeng now slaughtered Celestial Immortals like chickens and toyed with Profound Immortals like dogs, against a Golden Immortal? The odds were uncertain. The disparity was simply too vast.

That was why he unleashed his full power from the start.

His goal was simple: test the waters. If he could win, he’d devour his foe. If not... well, he’d just have to reveal his noble identity and make the other kneel and call him "Father."

Was that fair?

Absolutely fair.

"Oh? Strength surpassing a Profound Immortal. Pity—still inadequate." The white-robed youth remarked with unshakable confidence.

Ignoring him, Gu Qingfeng struck with all eight demonic arms simultaneously. Eight streams of overwhelming power merged into one, shaking the heavens and earth, churning the very fabric of reality.

The force was apocalyptic, a maelstrom of destructive energy threatening to annihilate all in its path.

Yet the white-robed youth merely smiled, standing motionless as the attack landed.

BOOOOM!

The collision was like two suns crashing in the void, unleashing a cataclysmic shockwave.

The white-robed youth was swallowed by the devastation.

But moments later, as the energy dispersed, his figure reappeared.

He glanced at Gu Qingfeng’s fist embedded in his chest—his once-pristine robes now torn, his flesh broken, revealing a glimpse of golden bone beneath.

Gu Qingfeng’s punch had been halted by that radiant skeleton.

His brow furrowed slightly. So this is a Golden Immortal? The 'gold' refers to these bones?

Damn, they’re hard! To think they could block this Emperor’s full-force strike.

Time to reveal my identity.

But just as he prepared to do so—to make his opponent kneel and call him "Father"—the white-robed youth spoke again.

"Not bad. To break even a layer of this Sovereign’s flesh... you may take pride in that."

The smug, condescending tone was infuriating.

And it sealed his fate.

As the ancients said, the tongue invites calamity—and those words were no mere proverb.

Unaware of the danger, the white-robed youth continued, "Unfortunately, you face a Golden Immortal. Do you know what else we are called? Gold signifies the indestructible. Thus, the true title of a Golden Immortal is—Indestructible Golden Immortal!

No matter how strong you are, you will never shatter this Sovereign’s Immortal Bones! Therefore—"

"You know what?" Gu Qingfeng interrupted.

"You didn’t have to die."

The white-robed youth frowned, his piercing gaze locking onto Gu Qingfeng’s matter-of-fact expression.

"But unfortunately, you’re about to. Because this Emperor despises two types of people most in life: those who deny me the chance to show off... and those who dare show off in front of me."

A chilling smile spread across Gu Qingfeng’s face.

"You, unfortunately, are the latter. So—"

"Die."