From Today On, Be a Proud Mortal

"Jiejiejie... It seems that today, this Emperor will gain another mid-stage Immortal King as nourishment."

Gu Qingfeng took a step forward, instantly causing the ground to crack. This step seemed to trample upon the Nine Netherworld Hell, echoing with the wails of ghosts and the howls of wolves.

He threw a punch, causing endless demonic patterns to burn and evolve into a raging, blood-red river that swept across the sky. As the river surged, countless ferocious demonic shadows writhed within it.

Furthermore, a mountain of white bones and blood, large enough to blot out the sky, pressed down from above, its surface completely covered in pale skulls.

The void around his fist violently churned as several terrifying, black hole-like vortexes materialized out of thin air. Turbid and evil demonic qi surged within them, as if the gates of hell had been thrown open, releasing waves of a terrifying, devouring power.

In an instant, following Gu Qingfeng's attack, this realm seemed as though hell itself had descended upon the mortal world. It was filled with all sorts of terrifying anomalies, causing all living beings to pale in sheer panic.

Daoist Wenhua's expression changed instantly. "What terrifying demonic might! Just where did a demon like you come from?!"

"Jiejiejie... Now you know fear? It's too late! Die for this Emperor!!"

The terrifying punch instantly crashed down.

Daoist Wenhua's eyes widened until they nearly tore apart. The immortal light around his body surged wildly as he poured all of his frantic magical power into the Eight Trigrams Mirror. In an instant, more and more cracks appeared on the mirror, and from those fissures, an endless silver radiance burst forth.

He was actually going to destroy his own Immortal King weapon to unleash its ultimate power, just to forcefully resist Gu Qingfeng's strike.

Boom!

The Eight Trigrams Mirror shattered completely.

A terrifying silver immortal radiance erupted with a deafening roar, burning like a blazing sun in the starry sky.

For a moment, the firmament trembled, and the sun and moon lost their luster.

This was the full-force strike of a mid-stage Immortal King expert, a formidable attack bought at the heavy cost of destroying an Immortal King weapon.

It contained the terrifying and profound mysteries of Immortal King laws.

"You want to kill me?! It won't be that easy!!"

The two forces instantly collided, immediately turning heaven and earth upside down and setting off a boundless, world-destroying storm.

A terrifying torrent of destruction erupted from their clash. The nearby void cracked inch by inch like a fragile mirror, while the surrounding waters exploded violently, churning up monstrous waves.

One must know that the River of Laws was formed by the convergence of endless law auras; ordinary attacks could not shake it in the slightest.

Yet the shockwaves from the clash between Gu Qingfeng and Daoist Wenhua were able to shake the River of Laws to such a degree, proving just how formidable the power erupting between them truly was.

As for the captives from earlier, they had long since been reduced to ash and smoke in the crossfire of their battle.

Bang!

Immortal radiance and demonic flames intertwined and frantically exploded, turning into a sky full of raining light. Amidst the ravaging demonic might, Daoist Wenhua's figure was violently blasted back for several miles.

His vital energy and blood churned violently. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, his face was filled with sheer horror.

This demon is actually this powerful! Even after destroying my Immortal King weapon, I couldn't harm him in the slightest. I have to escape! I must escape!

With this thought in mind, Daoist Wenhua didn't even dare to leave behind any parting threats. He simply turned and fled.

His entire body transformed into a streak of light, vanishing into the void in the blink of an eye.

"Jiejiejie... You want to run away after acting so tough? It won't be that easy! Stay right here for this Emperor!"

Rumble!

At that moment, it sounded as if great rivers were churning and world-destroying thunder was roaring within Gu Qingfeng's body. His aura climbed steadily higher at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Demonic patterns intertwined across every inch of his skin.

Endless demonic might boiled all over his body, surging endlessly in an infinite cycle.

With a mere glance from those disdainful, deeply demonic eyes, the colors of heaven and earth changed!

He swung his hand fiercely, unleashing a wave of demonic qi that resembled a descending galaxy. Filled with infinite demonic patterns, it evolved into numerous unimaginable, hellish visions.

In an instant, the void in all ten directions exploded.

Daoist Wenhua's figure suddenly tumbled out of the void, his blood spilling across the vast sky.

"You... you... How is this possible?!"

"Hmph, you ant. Be a good boy and become this Emperor's nourishment! Jiejiejie..."

Gu Qingfeng's sinister laughter echoed through the void. Immediately after, a terrifying suction force formed in his palm, and Daoist Wenhua's body flew uncontrollably toward him.

"No!!"

No matter how Daoist Wenhua struggled, it was all to no avail. Ultimately, he still fell into Gu Qingfeng's grasp.

Gu Qingfeng seized Daoist Wenhua by the throat and frantically extracted his cultivation foundation.

As time passed, Daoist Wenhua's struggles grew weaker and weaker until he was completely unable to move.

His breath became as weak as a hanging thread, and his previously terrifying aura vanished entirely. His hair turned grizzled, and his face became densely covered in wrinkles, leaving him looking just like an ordinary mortal.

In contrast, Gu Qingfeng's demonic might skyrocketed. Just by standing there, he was enough to cause the colors of heaven and earth to change and the void to tremble. Billowing demonic light rose steadily from his body, shooting straight into the clouds.

The entire Profound Nether Water Realm was shrouded by his monstrous demonic might. The souls of billions upon billions of living beings were deeply shaken, leaving them shivering in fear.

"Kill... Kill me!" Daoist Wenhua weakly lifted his eyelids and spoke in an incredibly feeble voice.

His entire cultivation base had been drained by Gu Qingfeng, and his foundation, dantian, and meridians had all been utterly destroyed. Even his divine soul had been subjected to a soul search, leaving it shattered and broken. He was now a complete and utter cripple. For a once high-and-mighty Immortal King expert, losing his cultivation was a fate far more agonizing than losing his life.

"Jiejiejie... You want to die? It won't be that easy!" Gu Qingfeng laughed sinisterly before injecting a streak of demonic qi into Daoist Wenhua's body.

"You... What did you do to me?!"

"This Emperor has bestowed upon you a streak of protective demonic qi. As long as this demonic qi remains, it will save you from any life-threatening crisis, turning danger into safety. That includes suicide, by the way."

"You demon! If you have the guts, kill me! Kill me!!" Daoist Wenhua shouted in a sudden, frenzied burst of clarity, his expression highly agitated.

"Weren't you condescending toward everything? Weren't you so full of pride? This Emperor wants to see if you can still act so high and mighty after losing all your strength! Take that pride of yours and live on forever as a cripple!

From this day forward, be a proud mortal. Jiejiejie..."

As Gu Qingfeng spoke, he completely ignored Daoist Wenhua's struggles and simply tossed him away.

As for where he was thrown, Gu Qingfeng didn't care. With that protective demonic qi, he simply couldn't die anyway—unless an Immortal King-level expert intervened.

After finishing all this, Gu Qingfeng cast his gaze toward an extremely distant location in the east, his eyes seemingly piercing through layers of the void.

Through soul-searching Daoist Wenhua, he had learned that the reason the forces of the Immortal King Palace hadn't come out in full strength was that they were currently besieging several Immortal Kings from the Sixth Star Ruin in the Senluo Ghost Domain.

The Senluo Ghost Domain was a forbidden zone within the Immortal Fallen Battlefield. Over the endless years, countless experts had met their end in the Immortal Fallen Battlefield. Guided by some bizarre power, the remnant souls of those fallen experts had all gathered within the Senluo Ghost Domain. Furthermore, influenced by the laws within, these remnant souls had all undergone varying degrees of mutation.

The Senluo Ghost Domain could truly be called a forbidden zone for the living.

In order to snatch the Transcendence Substance, the experts of the Immortal King Palace had ambushed the Immortal Kings of the Sixth Star Ruin halfway. Ultimately, having lost their Immortal King weapons, those few individuals were outmatched. To save themselves, they fled into the Senluo Ghost Domain.

However, the experts of the Immortal King Palace absolutely did not dare to make a move within the Senluo Ghost Domain, for fear of alarming the ghosts and gods residing within.

As a result, both sides were locked in a stalemate. The experts from the Immortal King Palace dared not attack, yet they were also unwilling to leave and simply let their targets escape.