The Mastermind Behind It All, the Son of Heaven Falls and Heaven and Earth Mourn
The Mastermind Behind It All, the Son of Heaven Falls and Heaven and Earth Mourn
“From this day forth, Great Yu shall have a new ruler.”
Emperor Yu’s expression changed drastically. His entire body was covered in cold air, and he felt his limbs go frigid, his hands and feet ice-cold.
Standing within the towering fog, he did not dare move even an inch.
He watched Gu Changge slowly walking toward him, feeling as if even his soul had been frozen. His breathing was on the verge of suffocation, and he was utterly horrified.
Before this, he had never once suspected Gu Changge. He had even intended to let his daughter Yu Feiya grow closer to him.
But he never could have imagined that Gu Changge would appear at this moment, and say such words.
Those black-clothed men who had attacked Gu Changge earlier—could they have been arranged by him as well?
Even his grievous injuries were merely a disguise, a smokescreen to deceive everyone’s eyes?
Thinking of all this, Emperor Yu’s scalp went numb, and he could not help but tremble.
Even as the ruler of an immortal Celestial Dynasty, he felt a wave of terror and dread. Just what kind of terrifying methods were these, to control everything from the shadows?
“I never imagined that the one standing behind you would be Gu Changge.”
“It seems all the recent chaos was orchestrated by you alone.”
“You are the Greatest Villain behind it all... You hid yourself so deeply. I truly never imagined it, never imagined it at all...”
“Gu Changge, you are the greatest scourge of all the heavens and the Beyond!”
Emperor Yu was no ordinary man after all. After a miserable laugh, he quickly forced himself to calm down, looking at Yu Tianzheng and Gu Changge as he spoke in a deep voice.
He knew Gu Changge’s character. Since he dared to reveal himself so openly, he must have complete confidence, with no fear of him escaping.
In tonight’s great battle, his chances of survival were slim.
Gu Changge’s strength was such that he could even slay the Will of the Heavenly Path that approached that of an Immortal. Killing him would be as easy as flipping a hand.
Unless he could fully revive the National Artifact in his hand, there was no hope of contending against Gu Changge.
“It seems you’re not entirely stupid. Great Yu should have been handed over to me long ago.”
Yu Tianzheng quickly swallowed several Heavenly Herbs to restore his injuries. His entire body glowed with radiant light as his aura rapidly recovered, and he could not help but sneer.
With Gu Changge appearing here, in his view, everything was now set in stone. There would be no accidents.
Even if Emperor Yu still had heaven-defying means, he would die with regrets here, his blood splattering across the sky.
“So you really did defect to Gu Changge long ago. Are you planning to hand over Great Yu’s territory to him on a silver platter?”
Hearing this, Emperor Yu’s face showed extreme fury. His words carried resentment at Yu Tianzheng’s failure to live up to expectations, but even more so, unwillingness.
If Gu Changge had not interfered in this battle, he would have already slain Yu Tianzheng by now. How would there be so many complications?
In the end, it was all because he had been too foolish, played in the palm of Gu Changge’s hand, never knowing of his sinister schemes.
Gu Changge’s gaze was deep and indifferent. He merely shook his head lightly and said, “Will you kill yourself, or shall I do it?”
“I should have believed Feiya’s words long ago.”
Emperor Yu’s expression was ugly, his heart filled with regret. He thought of how Yu Feiya had once warned him to be wary of Gu Changge.
Since Gu Changge’s grave injuries were faked, then what happened within the Profound Sword World was likely shrouded in secrets as well.
How the True Daoists of the various clans had perished had also become a mystery.
“Enough talk. Today, I will kill you. No one can save you.”
Yu Tianzheng roared in fury. The blood and qi throughout his body burned and boiled once more, endless runes surging forth as he charged toward Emperor Yu again.
The place exploded once more. The vast fluctuations seemed as if they would recreate this entire stretch of heaven and earth.
“Kill! Today I’ll fight you to the death!”
Emperor Yu knew he could not escape death today. With a furious roar, endless blood light burst forth as he prepared to use all his strength to revive the Chaos Dao Sword.
Endless sword light seemed to split the darkness, spreading out from this place and slashing directly toward the high heavens.
Deep within the firmament, chaotic dragon qi billowed, and the Dao Sword bloomed with boundless light.
Its edge flickered in and out of existence, rising and sinking, as if suppressed since the very beginning of creation. Strands of imperial dao qi hung down from it, seeking to protect Emperor Yu.
This was the National Artifact of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. Its refinement was extremely special, and it was in no way inferior to an Immortal Grade Artifact.
Now, the divine spirit within had been awakened by Emperor Yu’s blood. Its brilliant radiance suppressed the Eight Wastelands, about to revive and emerge, to slaughter all enemies and suppress the world.
Weng!!
But in the next moment, an ancient and mysterious rune suddenly flew out from the void, suffused with the power of the Great Dao. Like a heaven-swallowing black hole, it caused the National Sword to tremble violently.
The divine spirit within that was about to revive gradually sank back into stillness.
“What... what is this...”
Emperor Yu was horrified beyond measure, his voice filled with fear. No matter what methods he employed to awaken and connect with the divine spirit within, it was all in vain.
Such methods were simply unfathomable, beyond imagination.
“It seems that even at death’s door, you’re still thinking of resisting. You don’t know when to give up.”
Gu Changge’s voice was cold. He raised his palm and reached out, his gaze deep as if containing a vast sea of stars, bottomless.
The void before him instantly collapsed. Endless astral winds rushed out, chaotic light exploded, shattering all tangible things.
Yu Tianzheng felt a chill run through his entire body. He felt as insignificant as dust—if he did not dodge, he would absolutely be shaken to death by the aftershock of this palm.
So this is Gu Changge’s true strength?
He was utterly horrified, and deeply understood what true despair meant.
“Ahh—”
Emperor Yu’s liver and gallbladder were about to split from terror. He roared as billions of strands of dragon qi coiled around him, a sea of laws boiling. The patterns embroidered on his robes all began to revive—it was an ancient treasure, all of it manifesting together to resist this strike.
However, facing Gu Changge’s palm, it still appeared feeble and pale. In a mere instant, it collapsed, turning into dust filling the sky.
This was absolute suppression, an insurmountable chasm—like the gulf between an Immortal and a mortal.
Hong!
Blood light filled the sky, spreading out from this place, only to be quickly swallowed by the surrounding fog, annihilated within it.
Emperor Yu was utterly despairing. Under this palm, even after exhausting every means at his disposal, he was torn apart and exploded, his body and soul both destroyed.
Even his divine soul turned to ash and smoke, ceasing to exist.
As the ruler of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, he had no shortage of life-saving treasures, and he especially possessed the Chaos Dao Sword for protection, placing him in an invincible position from the start.
Unfortunately, he had encountered Gu Changge. The outcome of this battle had been decided long ago, without the slightest possibility of surprise.
“Thank you for your assistance, Gu gongzi.”
Yu Tianzheng’s face was flushed red with excitement, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Although he had not personally slain Emperor Yu, witnessing Emperor Yu fall before his very eyes was enough for him.
The hatred of so many years had finally come to an end.
Gu Changge’s expression showed little ripple of emotion.
Casually killing Emperor Yu had no effect on him whatsoever. Setting aside the implications of his status, it was no different from crushing an ant.
Although Emperor Yu possessed the Chaos Dao Sword, he was ultimately only at the Quasi-Nirvana Realm, never having stepped into the ranks of True Daoists.
“As for what comes next, don’t disappoint me.”
Gu Changge swept a faint glance at Yu Tianzheng, then his figure quickly strode away and vanished, as if he had never appeared at all.
The chaos of Great Yu was only just beginning. He was merely pushing everything along from the shadows.
With Emperor Yu’s fall, calamities would surely erupt endlessly across the land. This was precisely Yu Tianzheng’s opportunity to establish his might and seize control of all directions.
Other than Yu Tianzheng, no one knew what had happened tonight, much less that Emperor Yu had actually died miserably at his hand.
To the outside world, Gu Changge was currently injured, and had even been attacked by unknown black-clothed assailants.
How could he possibly be connected to Emperor Yu’s death?
No one would ever suspect him of this matter.
“Rest assured, Gu gongzi. Leave everything that follows to me.” Yu Tianzheng nodded with utmost solemnity, speaking toward the direction Gu Changge had departed. Then, his eyes burning with fervor, he swept his gaze over the many things left behind.
With Emperor Yu’s death, the Chaos Dao Sword and other items he left behind naturally fell into his hands. After all, he and Emperor Yu cultivated techniques of the same origin, so he could naturally control this sword.
Thus, no other Cultivator, not even a True Daoist, could hope to seize the National Artifact of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty.
Gu Changge certainly would not take these things away.
On one hand, he had no lack of them. On the other hand, taking them would very likely expose his involvement—the costs far outweighed the benefits.
This was for the best. It seemed those black-clothed men were indeed arranged by Gu gongzi.
“In that case, it works out in my favor. Many will surely guess they were arranged by Emperor Yu—and dead men tell no tales.” Yu Tianzheng’s gaze pierced through the fog as he slowly swept it over the area below, a cold smile on his face.
The fluctuations of the battle here had long since been erased by Gu Changge. So even if a True Daoist personally used secret arts to trace back time, they could not possibly detect anything.
This way, he could give everyone the illusion that he had slain Emperor Yu through some terrifying means.
Chi chi chi—
Across all directions of heaven and earth, the great fog continued to spread, surging and roiling.
It had come from who knows where, blotting out the sky above the Imperial Capital and clouding the five senses of all Cultivators.
At this moment, even a True Daoist would find it difficult to see the scene within clearly, and would be horrified beyond measure.
The other Cultivators had long since felt themselves plunged into darkness, unable to see their own hands before their faces. They only thought of fleeing into the distance, with no idea whatsoever of what had happened within.
However, with Emperor Yu’s fall, strange phenomena inevitably manifested. Blood rain sprinkled down from the depths of the firmament.
All manner of terrifying sights reflected across the skies of Great Yu—gods and demons weeping together, Immortals and Buddhas kowtowing, stars collapsing and the moon sinking.
As the Son of Heaven of Great Yu’s generation, his very life was intertwined with the Fortuity and faith of the billions upon billions of Cultivators and living beings of the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty. The magnitude of what was involved was simply unimaginable.
At this moment, the countless Cultivators and living beings within the Imperial Capital were all dumbstruck, even doubting whether what they saw was an illusion.
All the princes and princesses were also frozen in place, their minds buzzing.
“Th-this... how is this possible...”
“His Majesty... has he fallen?”
Some of the ministers who reacted were stupefied, their voices trembling, filled with fear and grief, unable to believe any of this was real.
In their view, this battle should have had no suspense whatsoever. Even Emperor Yu alone could easily suppress and kill Yu Tianzheng.
Not to mention, Emperor Yu had arranged backup plans.
How could he have fallen?
For a time, sounds of mourning filled the Great Yu Imperial Capital. No one could believe that their invincible Emperor had actually fallen in this battle, slain by his rival of several hundred years, his life extinguished, his body and soul destroyed.
Many people wailed, grieved to the extreme, some nearly fainting.
The Cultivators and beings of the various lineages and powers were also deeply shaken, their emotions incomparably complicated.
Who could have imagined that the outcome of this battle would turn out like this?
“Father... how could he have fallen? This is impossible...”
Yu Feiya’s face was pale, her five fingers clenched so tightly that they emitted crisp cracking sounds.
Although Emperor Yu had been extremely selfish, valuing only the interests of the imperial family and treating her as a bargaining chip...
He was still her father. And now he had fallen just like that. It made her vision swim, and she nearly lost her footing.