"Grand Elder, as long as you bring out the Heaven-Severing Ruler, you will naturally know whether I am telling lies or not!" Shi Tianlu said with absolute certainty.
"Elder Shi has truly racked his brains to frame me. Anyone with discerning eyes can see the truth at a glance, yet you insist on making it so complicated. What a waste of time," Gu Qingfeng said lightly, his tone quite displeased.
However, when these words fell into Shi Tianlu's ears, he took it as a sign that Gu Qingfeng was afraid of being tested.
"Grand Elder, quickly bring out the Heaven-Severing Ruler! This brat is definitely scared. He doesn't dare to have his karmic luck inspected!"
The Grand Elder's face darkened. "Shi Tianlu, the Heaven-Severing Ruler is our sect's ultimate treasure. Do you think you can just summon it whenever you please? Furthermore, you want to use it to inspect our own Dao Child."
Shi Tianlu grew anxious. This feeling of being the only sober person while everyone else was drunk, yet having no one believe him, drove him mad with frustration. He was desperate to prove that he was right.
"Grand Elder, I am willing to wager my position as an elder! If the Heaven-Severing Ruler proves that Ye Chu is genuinely himself, then I will immediately resign from my position."
The Grand Elder was also somewhat unsure at this moment. He felt that if Shi Tianlu were truly framing Ye Chu, he wouldn't go so far as to gamble his future just to prove a point.
Since he spoke with such conviction, there must be some credibility to his words.
Seeing the Grand Elder hesitating, Shi Tianlu became even more frantic and went as far as to say, "Grand Elder, if you do not believe me, then I am willing to wager my very life! If this Ye Chu is not the World-Destroying Demon Emperor, I will immediately kill myself to apologize to him!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the crowd was greatly shocked.
For a mighty Immortal King to bet his life just to inspect Dao Child Jietian... even a blood feud wouldn't warrant such extremes.
What did this mean?
It meant that Shi Tianlu was absolutely convinced that the current Dao Child Jietian was an imposter played by the World-Destroying Demon Emperor.
The Grand Elder was momentarily speechless. Shi Tianlu was simply too resolute. Betting his life?
"Grand Elder, since Elder Shi strongly demands it, I agree to be inspected by the Heaven-Severing Ruler," Gu Qingfeng said lightly.
Seeing that both of them had agreed, the Grand Elder pondered for a moment. "I will go fetch the Heaven-Severing Ruler."
Following that, the Grand Elder left alone to retrieve the Heaven-Severing Ruler.
The Heaven-Severing Ruler was a secret treasure of the Heaven-Severing Sect. Its hiding place was unknown to outsiders; only the successive Sect Masters and the Grand Elder knew of its location.
About the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the Grand Elder returned, holding a delicate, long wooden box carved with profound patterns.
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on the wooden box, filled with curiosity, greed, and apprehension.
Ignoring the crowd's stares, the Grand Elder walked straight forward and opened the wooden box.
Instantly, a gentle immortal light flickered, illuminating the surrounding void.
When the light dissipated, a simple-looking wooden ruler with an ancient texture was revealed.
It looked very much like a disciplinary ruler used by mortal schoolteachers, showing almost no signs of anything divine.
But the more it looked like this, the less people dared to underestimate it. Divine objects naturally concealed their brilliance. It was only right that its extraordinary nature couldn't be seen. If just anyone could see through it, could it still be called a sect-pacifying treasure?
"Ye Chu, step forward," the Grand Elder instructed, holding the Heaven-Severing Ruler.
Gu Qingfeng walked forward with a calm and composed demeanor.
Everyone held their breath, watching with rapt attention.
Shi Tianlu was even more tense, ready to strike at any moment.
In his view, if Gu Qingfeng dared to accept the inspection, it meant he was definitely about to reveal his true colors and attack.
"Grand Elder, be careful of this brat launching a sneak attack," Shi Tianlu warned.
The Grand Elder nodded but did not speak.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he raised the Heaven-Severing Ruler and waved it over Gu Qingfeng's head.
Boom!
A golden dragon of karmic luck, ten thousand feet tall, roared out and manifested above Gu Qingfeng's head, coiling around him.
"A golden dragon of karmic luck!!"
"It's actually a ten-thousand-foot golden dragon of karmic luck! Dao Child Jietian is known as the Child of Destiny, and he truly lives up to his reputation!"
"With such majestic karmic luck, Shi Tianlu actually suspected that Dao Child Jietian was an imposter played by the World-Destroying Demon Emperor. Who could possibly fake such karmic luck?"
The crowd's discussions were like knives viciously stabbing into Shi Tianlu's heart. His face instantly turned pale, his body swayed as if he were about to fall, and his face was filled with disbelief.
He muttered to himself, "Impossible! This is impossible! He is the World-Destroying Demon Emperor! He admitted it himself!"
The Grand Elder's face completely darkened. Since Ye Chu's identity had been proven, it meant Shi Tianlu was intentionally causing trouble. And doing so in front of all the major factions simply threw away the face of the Heaven-Severing Sect.
"Shi Tianlu!" the Grand Elder shouted explosively, his anger surging. "What do you have to say for yourself now?!"
Shi Tianlu trembled all over, entirely unable to believe this was real.
"This is impossible, Grand Elder! Test him again, test him again!! This demon must have used some kind of illusion!"
"Enough!" the Grand Elder shouted. "The Heaven-Severing Ruler cannot make a mistake."
Shi Tianlu's face was ashen, his expression filled with despair.
At this moment, Gu Qingfeng's voice transmission sounded once again.
"Pitiful ant, you are correct. The Grand Elder has already fallen under my divine ability, so naturally, he cannot test anything out. Jie jie jie..."
Swish!
Shi Tianlu suddenly raised his head, glaring fiercely at Gu Qingfeng, his eyes practically splitting open with rage.
"Demon! Do not be so arrogant! Grand Elder, let me do it! I will test him myself! I promise, just this once! If I still cannot prove it, I will immediately kill myself!"
"Are you going to keep making a scene even now?!" the Grand Elder said angrily.
Shi Tianlu was like a desperate gambler who had lost his mind. He couldn't care about anything else anymore.
He begged, "Grand Elder, for the sake of our years of friendship, believe me one more time! Don't you know what kind of person I am?!"
Shi Tianlu showed his true feelings and then suddenly snatched the Heaven-Severing Ruler from the Grand Elder's hands.
"You! Sigh..." The Grand Elder sighed and did not stop him.
Holding the Heaven-Severing Ruler, Shi Tianlu walked up to Gu Qingfeng, his expression savage and mad.
"Demon, you may fool everyone else, but you cannot fool me! I will not be blinded by your illusions!"
As Shi Tianlu spoke, he actually pulled out several defensive immortal weapons from his spatial ring to protect his entire body.
Everyone sighed and shook their heads, looking at Shi Tianlu as if they were looking at a madman.
After doing all this, Shi Tianlu fiercely raised the Heaven-Severing Ruler in his hand and then swung it violently.
Boom!
An incomparably radiant immortal light erupted from the Heaven-Severing Ruler.
It transformed into a streak of light, carrying the momentum to sever the heavens, and viciously struck toward the Grand Elder and the others.
"What!!"
"How dare you!"
"Shi Tianlu, you're crazy!!"
No one could have ever dreamed that after obtaining the Heaven-Severing Ruler, Shi Tianlu would suddenly attack them.
A late-stage Immortal King holding the sect-pacifying Heaven-Severing Ruler—under this strike, even a peak-stage Immortal King would not be able to block it!
Bang!
The violent energy fluctuations directly sent everyone flying, and the void in all directions collapsed.
The Grand Elder bore the brunt of the attack, vomiting blood and suffering severe injuries on the spot. As for the other onlookers, those with weaker cultivation were killed outright.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
