The Lingluo Realm, shrouded in darkness, was filled with a deathly silence.
The representatives of the various great powers had either died, been crippled, or maimed, long since flung away and vanished from sight.
In the vast void of the celestial domain, only ten people remained.
And without exception, all were Great Dao Destinies. Among them were four Great Dao Kings and six Great Dao Star Lords.
There were not only Great Dao Immortal Kings but also Great Dao Demon Lords.
Behind these Great Dao Destinies stood giants that had been passed down since ancient times, intimidating the Great Wilderness—they were either from the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens or the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.
At this moment.
Although the ten Great Dao Destinies were unharmed, with no visible injuries on their bodies, their faces were increasingly grim, and their expressions grew more panicked by the moment. Even though they all possessed formidable Great Dao Bodies, wielded the power of laws, and were protected by their Heavenly Destinies.
However.
Facing the endless darkness here, the boundless silence, the limitless slaughter, and the cold, domineering Gu Qingfeng.
They still dared not move.
The endless darkness enveloping them left them at a loss, as if lost in the dark, unsure where the light lay.
The boundless silence enveloping them made them afraid to break it, as if doing so would awaken a slumbering god of death.
And the limitless slaughter enveloping them made them dare not resist, for once shrouded by slaughter, they felt as if an invisible executioner's blade was already pressed against their necks. With one swing of that blade, their heads would roll, and their lives would end.
It truly was so.
They had never felt such fear before.
This was the first time.
What to do.
No one knew what to do.
Fortunately, they knew they were Great Dao Destinies. The Immortal Dao would not permit them to die, the Heavenly Dao would not permit it, and their own Ancestral Patriarchs would certainly not allow them to perish like this.
Here.
Gu Qingfeng paid no heed to the ten Great Dao Destinies behind him. Instead, he stood quietly in the void. A breeze brushed past, causing his ink-black hair to dance wildly across his unremarkable face, and his snow-white robes to flutter in the wind. He opened a jar of Hell Impermanence Wine and raised his head, gulping it down fiercely.
The Lingluo Realm grew increasingly quiet, a silence so profound it was frightening.
However.
Behind this silence lurked turbulent undercurrents and countless, inexhaustible killing intents from all directions—above and below.
At the very least.
Both the Old Beggar and the Blackwater Lady on Blackwater Mountain could see it: ever since Gu Qingfeng had flung away the representatives of the various great powers, leaving only the ten Great Dao Destinies, killing intent after killing intent, divine sense after divine sense had appeared one after another, without exception, all focused on Gu Qingfeng.
"The long-awaited good show is finally about to begin."
The Old Beggar rubbed his hands together excitedly and said, "A direct confrontation. Now this old man will see if this kid truly has the guts, the capability to kill a Great Dao Destiny."
"For this long-planned confrontation, the various Ancestral Patriarchs have certainly gone to great lengths."
The Blackwater Lady said, "Using these ten Great Dao Destinies, they are not only testing the attitude of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao but also testing the attitude of the Heavenly Dao, and even testing the attitude of my Emperor Brother."
"The brilliance lies precisely here. The Nine Heavens Immortal Dao will not compromise, the Heavenly Dao will absolutely not compromise, and from the looks of it, this kid won't compromise either. Moreover…" The Old Beggar chuckled darkly. "This kid has been delaying making a move against these Great Dao Destinies. This old man suspects he's brewing some mischief, and by the looks of it, it's no ordinary mischief—it seems like he wants to pierce the heavens. I hope my guess is wrong, otherwise…
it would be too terrifying."
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind."
The Blackwater Lady said softly, "Only…
who is the mantis, who is the cicada, and who is the oriole?"
"Heh, who's the mantis and who's the oriole, this old man doesn't know. But as for the cicada… this old man knows. However…" The Old Beggar stared at Gu Qingfeng in the sky, frowning as he said, "Judging by the current situation, this cicada is about to become a spirit. Not only does it want to counterattack the mantis, it also wants to take a bite out of the oriole."
"There are far, far too many mantises, and far, far too many orioles."
The Blackwater Lady asked, "Old Beggar, are you a mantis, or an oriole?"
"This old man is neither a mantis nor an oriole. I am merely…
a crow watching the commotion."
The Blackwater Lady smiled without speaking.
The Old Beggar asked, "And you? Are you a mantis or an oriole?"
"I, too, am neither a mantis nor an oriole. I am merely…
a cicada watcher."
"A cicada watcher?
Shouldn't you say a cicada catcher?"
Just as the Blackwater Lady and the Old Beggar were chatting, a sudden change occurred within the scene. Nine beams of rainbow light, like meteors, tore through the dark night sky and landed around Gu Qingfeng.
It was nine people.
Or more precisely, nine human figures.
Because these nine figures were all ethereal and illusory, their spiritual auras concealed tightly. They were invisible to the naked eye and undetectable by divine sense. Clearly, they did not want outsiders to know their identities.
On Blackwater Mountain, although the Old Beggar couldn't discern the identities of these nine, he could tell that these suddenly appearing figures were nine avatars. He wondered, "Whose avatars are these?
Could they be from those giant Ancestral Patriarchs?
Unlikely. The giant Ancestral Patriarchs pushed out the Great Dao Destinies precisely to pressure the Immortal Dao and the Heavenly Dao. Now that this kid surnamed Gu hasn't made a move, and neither the Immortal Dao nor the Heavenly Dao have shown themselves, they wouldn't possibly step forward."
Suddenly.
The Old Beggar seemed to realize something and said, "Good heavens!
These nine avatars must either be from Ancestral Patriarchs of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao or from the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao has always been mysterious and more patient than anyone. Given the circumstances, it's most likely they are Ancestral Patriarchs of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao."
Within the scene, one of the avatars stared at Gu Qingfeng and said, "Emperor Jiuyou, we have come this time only to take them away, with no other intentions. We hope you can show mercy."
The voice of this avatar was just like their figures—similarly ethereal and illusory.
Hearing this.
The Old Beggar on Blackwater Mountain immediately laughed, somewhat gleefully saying, "Is this the fucking attitude of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao?"
"Correct. This is precisely the attitude of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao."
The Blackwater Lady also laughed along and said, "No Great Sun Radiance representing the Nine Heavens has descended. Only nine Ancestral Patriarch avatars have suddenly appeared. They are clearly telling those giant Ancestral Patriarchs to give up hope. Their Nine Heavens Immortal Dao will only ensure these Great Dao Destinies do not die. Beyond that, they won't interfere at all."
"This is truly a battle between masters, each move fatal! One plays it more ruthlessly than the last! But what about the Heavenly Dao?
What is the Heavenly Dao's attitude?"
"The Heavenly Dao needs no attitude. Now that the avatars of several Nine Heavens Ancestral Patriarchs have stepped forward to ensure these Great Dao Destinies do not die, what attitude does the Heavenly Dao still need to show?"
"This time, this old man estimates those giant Ancestral Patriarchs should be utterly hopeless. Moreover, these few Nine Heavens Ancestral Patriarchs are all unfathomably old monsters. Taking these Great Dao Destinies away shouldn't be a problem."
"The problem is whether my Emperor Brother will allow them to take these Great Dao Destinies away."