Weak as You

After reaching a consensus, the members of the Huaxing Immortal Sect entered the City of Yin Sha and stood before Gu Qingfeng.

Gu Qingfeng observed the group of young men and women before him, their bearing noble and ethereal, like immortals descended to the mortal realm. A faint crimson glint, barely perceptible, flashed in his eyes.

He looked like a wolf eyeing a group of unsuspecting rabbits hopping straight into its den.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, these are the senior brothers and sisters from the Huaxing Immortal Sect I mentioned earlier. Allow me to introduce them properly. This is our chief senior brother, Sima—"

Gu Qingfeng cut him off. "This Emperor has no interest in your names. All I care about is information regarding the Tear of the Stars."

Bai Yunhe’s smile froze on his face.

Led by Senior Brother Sima, the disciples of the Huaxing Immortal Sect all stiffened in shock. Never had they imagined that even after invoking the name of their sect, the other party would dare to be so brazenly arrogant!

Though they had come with the intention of killing and seizing treasures, that didn’t mean he could afford to be so disrespectful.

"What audacity! How dare you look down on our Huaxing Immortal Sect like this?" one disciple roared in anger.

Senior Brother Sima, however, raised a hand to stop him. "Mingde, mind your manners. After all, this is the benefactor who saved Junior Brother Bai."

Though Mingde seethed with indignation, he obediently fell silent.

At this moment, Sima Tiancheng stepped forward with a warm, spring-like smile and clasped his hands in greeting. "Fellow Daoist Gu, I am Sima Tiancheng. I sincerely thank you for saving Junior Brother Bai. Earlier, I heard from him that you seek information about the Tear of the Stars.

"Though I am not particularly talented, I have traveled far and wide, and my sources are quite reliable. I once came across records of the Tear of the Stars in an ancient tome."

Gu Qingfeng’s interest was finally piqued. He cared deeply about the Tear of the Stars—it concerned the lives of his family.

"That ancient tome? What did it say?"

Sima Tiancheng feigned hesitation. "It was quite some time ago, and I can’t recall the details clearly. But don’t worry, Fellow Daoist—I happen to have the book with me. I’ll retrieve it for you now."

As he spoke, Sima Tiancheng produced a yellowed, aged tome and handed it to Gu Qingfeng.

Gu Qingfeng accepted it and began flipping through the pages.

"If I remember correctly, the information about the Tear of the Stars should be somewhere in the middle."

While speaking, Sima Tiancheng subtly shot Bai Yunhe a meaningful glance.

Bai Yunhe immediately understood. Earlier, while introducing the Huaxing Immortal Sect members, he had deliberately positioned himself close to Gu Qingfeng, standing just to the side.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes as a gleaming immortal sword materialized in his hand.

Swish!

The blade’s cold light flashed, its edge sharp and deadly as it thrust toward Gu Qingfeng.

Yet Gu Qingfeng seemed entirely unaware, still engrossed in the book, searching for information about the Tear of the Stars.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound rang out, and the scene fell into silence.

The sword had broken.

Bai Yunhe stared dumbfounded at the shattered blade in his hand, then at Gu Qingfeng, who remained unharmed and still reading. A sense of absurd disbelief washed over him.

The other Huaxing Immortal Sect disciples were equally stunned. They had expected Gu Qingfeng to fall in a pool of blood—but instead, the sword had snapped!

What kind of monstrous physique could shatter an immortal sword like this?!

How was this possible?!

They gaped at Gu Qingfeng, who continued flipping through the book as if nothing had happened.

The scene was eerily silent, save for the sound of turning pages.

An uncanny, surreal atmosphere settled over the group, making them inexplicably tense.

Only Sima Tiancheng remained composed, his lips curling into an intrigued smile.

Snap!

Gu Qingfeng closed the book and looked up at Sima Tiancheng, his voice calm. "I’ve finished. There’s no mention of the Tear of the Stars here. Now, tell me—how would you like to die?"

His casual words sent a chill down everyone’s spines.

Sima Tiancheng shook his head and chuckled. "I’ve always hated unnecessary trouble. I’d hoped to save some effort, but it seems… well."

He then turned to Bai Yunhe. "Junior Brother Bai, if you want double the share, you’ll have to put in more work."

Bai Yunhe’s expression twisted, his previously amiable demeanor replaced by a vicious snarl.

"Fellow Daoist Gu, take another strike from me!"

He channeled all his spiritual energy, unleashing the Huaxing Immortal Sect’s secret technique.

"One Sword, A Thousand Stars!"

Swish!

His blade thrust forward, and the terrifying sword energy split into countless streaks. The air filled with dazzling, burning meteors—beautiful yet deadly—as they rained down upon Gu Qingfeng.

This was Bai Yunhe’s proudest technique, the Thousand Stars Sword Art. A single strike could summon the power of a thousand stars to crush all enemies.

Faced with this overwhelming assault, Gu Qingfeng merely found it tedious, like playing a child’s game.

He flicked his sleeve.

Boom—!

The thousand meteor-like sword energies exploded in midair, bursting into a sky full of fireworks before dissipating into nothingness.

Thud!!!

Under the horrified gazes of the onlookers, Bai Yunhe’s body was sent flying, blood spraying from his mouth as he screamed in agony.

He crashed to the ground, battered and bleeding, a pitiful sight.

Gu Qingfeng tilted his head slightly, his gaze cool as he regarded Bai Yunhe. "I’ve been thinking—how does someone as weak as you muster the courage to ambush this Emperor?"

As he spoke, he raised a hand.

Bai Yunhe panicked, shrieking at Sima Tiancheng, "Senior Brother, save me!"

But Sima Tiancheng remained unmoved. "Junior Brother Bai, Fellow Daoist Gu is your savior. Your life was always his to take. Now that he’s reclaiming it, it’s only natural."

"You—!"

Bai Yunhe’s eyes bulged with fury.

The other Huaxing Immortal Sect disciples wanted to intervene, but Sima Tiancheng stopped them.

"Stand down. Unless you want to split the spoils with one more person—or worse, double his share."

They immediately halted.

"Fellow Daoist Gu! No—Benefactor! I was wrong, Benefactor— Aaah!"

Gu Qingfeng ignored Bai Yunhe’s pleas. He felt nothing toward his betrayal—after all, one doesn’t concern themselves with the gratitude or hatred of an ant.

Gently, he placed his hand atop Bai Yunhe’s head and activated Devour Heaven and Earth.

"Aaaahhh!!!"

Screams echoed briefly before Bai Yunhe was reduced to a withered husk.

Sima Tiancheng’s unhurried voice then rang out. "Junior brothers and sisters, why the hesitation? We of the Huaxing Immortal Sect are united as one, bound by brotherhood. Now that Junior Brother Bai has been brutally slain, shouldn’t we avenge him?"

The disciples hesitated, having witnessed how effortlessly Gu Qingfeng had defeated Bai Yunhe with mere flicks of his sleeve. His strength was undeniable.

But compared to Gu Qingfeng, their fear of Sima Tiancheng’s authority ran deeper.

Moreover, they had absolute faith in Sima Tiancheng’s prowess—a prodigy like him couldn’t possibly lose to some nobody from the backwaters.