This unimaginable enemy once again stood beyond the heavens of the Immortal Chu Dynasty, as calm and indifferent as he had been that day.
His deep eyes seemed devoid of any emotion, and he showed no ripple of disturbance at the unfolding events.
"Why… why did it end up like this again?"
Chu Gucheng was once again surrounded by several enemies, blood spilling from his mouth and nose, his body shattered, and his armor completely destroyed. His eyes were fixed on Gu Changge, filled with unwillingness.
After the incident that had inadvertently alerted the Land of Truth, Gu Changge had chosen to leave quietly, not continuing his attack, giving Chu Gucheng a chance to catch his breath.
He had thought he would at least have some time to recover.
But who could have imagined that in less than a month, the Immortal Chu Dynasty would face annihilation?
Everything had happened too quickly. That brief moment of respite had vanished in an instant.
The outcome seemed to have been decided that day. All his efforts over the past days had been in vain, wasted effort.
Gu Changge watched everything calmly from beyond the heavens, not intervening, waiting for the curtain to fall on the Immortal Chu Dynasty.
Chu Gucheng, surrounded by enemies, continued to stare at Gu Changge, his eyes filled with resentment.
Suddenly, he noticed that Gu Changge's lips seemed to move slightly, but the distance was too great for him to hear what Gu Changge was saying.
Chu Gucheng, unwilling to give up, kept his gaze fixed on Gu Changge.
Seeing this, Gu Changge seemed to finally feel a hint of pity for Chu Gucheng. The corner of his mouth curled into a faint smile, as if he were looking at a struggling insect on the verge of death.
Chu Gucheng was struck by another palm strike, the armor on his chest shattered, and his chest nearly pierced through. Finally, he understood what Gu Changge had just said:
"Because I am the enemy you can never defeat."
"So that's how it is… so that's how it is…"
Chu Gucheng's face was filled with despair. His body fell from the sky, shattered, blood covering his face and seeping from every pore. His battle robe was completely soaked in blood.
"Your Majesty…"
Many of his subordinates and generals cried out in alarm. Some tried to fly over to catch Chu Gucheng's body.
But a terrifying fist imprint descended from afar, shaking the heavens and earth. With a boom, the person exploded into a mist of blood, their body and soul obliterated.
"Kill! These people want to destroy our Immortal Chu Dynasty. Let's fight them to the end. No one can trample on our homeland."
The Eight-Headed True God, once a trusted subordinate of Chu Gucheng, had nearly gone to the Immortal Spirit Civilization to investigate the Heaven-Slaying Alliance but was recalled by Chu Gucheng midway, narrowly escaping disaster.
Now, his eyes were bloodshot, and each of his heads radiated fury.
He roared and charged forward, no longer cautious but fearless, battling a Dao Realm existence. Boundless energy exploded, sweeping through the surroundings, obliterating everything.
Then, another Dao Realm being joined the battle. The two joined forces and ultimately killed the Eight-Headed True God, splattering blood across the deep space.
Chu Gucheng lay in a pool of blood, his vision blurring.
He saw his former subordinates fighting desperately. Even Champion Marquis Chu Heng, who had nearly turned against him in the grand hall, was now battling multiple enemies, leading his subordinates in a bloody struggle.
The same was true in other regions. Some surrendered and fled, while others fought to the death.
Some of his descendants were also fighting. Some of his former lovers fled with resources, while others fought to their last breath.
Chu Gucheng felt regret. If he hadn't made that choice, would things have turned out differently?
But he had no other options. Everything had been pushed forward by an invisible hand, step by step, forcing him into this desperate situation.
Boom!
The heavens shook violently. A jade-like palm descended again, causing the heavens and earth to tremble, as if they were about to be completely erased from existence.
"Where is the Saintess Xiyuan imprisoned?" Xi Yin asked coldly, her palm radiating a terrifying aura that pressed down on everyone.
Chu Gucheng laughed wildly, ignoring the blood gushing from his wounds. "The Saintess Xiyuan opposed my Immortal Chu Dynasty and has been exiled to the depths of endless spacetime. You will never find her."
He rose into the sky again, facing all his enemies, his hair disheveled and covered in blood, like a madman.
The countless divine abilities and forbidden treasures he had accumulated over hundreds of eras were unleashed. Divine light erupted, shaking the past and present, as if countless suns were exploding in the vast void. Terrifying energy surged, overturning heaven and earth, destroying everything. The surrounding spacetime and universes silently disintegrated.
Even the Ancestral Dao Realm beings were shaken and terrified. It was clear that Chu Gucheng was fighting with his life on the line, determined to take his enemies with him.
"You're seeking death."
Xi Yin was furious. Her true form descended, her palm radiating endless divine light, as if she stood at the beginning of creation, recreating primordial chaos.
With a wave of her hand, stars reformed, radiating brilliant light and surrounded by chaotic mist, crashing forward.
The battle, spanning past and present, instantly spread to endless spacetime. Vast swathes of rules and order disintegrated, terrifying countless beings and cultivators.
"This is the outcome you wanted to see, isn't it?"
A soft sigh sounded in Gu Changge's ear.
Ling Yuxian stood at the bow of the ancient warship, her hair fluttering in the wind, her bright eyes watching the brutal battle in the Immortal Chu Dynasty.
Gu Changge did not turn around, still calmly observing the battlefield.
"As expected," he said indifferently.
"The Immortal Chu Dynasty has fallen…"
Ling Yuxian felt no great sorrow for the Immortal Chu Dynasty, but seeing such an immortal nation collapse so quickly left her with mixed emotions.
Mountains crumbled, the earth split, and floating immortal islands in the starry sea collapsed and were destroyed.
Even the distant life-bearing stars quickly dimmed and fell silent. The scene was tragic, yet also grand.
The starry river, the boundless universe, now resembled a brilliant firework, blooming with beauty for a moment before fading into eternal darkness.
"The Immortal Chu Dynasty brought this upon itself. This is its fate," Gu Changge said, glancing at Ling Yuxian, who stood beside him.
Ling Yuxian nodded, not wanting to dwell on the topic. She stood close to Gu Changge, her hair brushing against his chest in the wind, carrying a faint fragrance.
Her expression was hesitant, as if she wanted to say something.
"After your battle with Chu Gucheng, you didn't return to the Imperial Immortal Palace…" she said softly after a moment.
Ling Yuxian was also curious why Gu Changge had alerted the Land of Truth that day, causing its illusion to appear and survey the myriad worlds.
He had interfered with Chu Gucheng's Heavenly Decline Tribulation, which should have drawn him into the tribulation, but it hadn't.
Then Gu Changge had disappeared. She had thought he would return to the Imperial Immortal Palace, but when she returned, she hadn't seen him.
It wasn't until she learned from Jing Tianyuan, the ancestor of the Jing Clan, that the Xiyuan Sacred Hall was uniting various factions to attack the Immortal Chu Dynasty that she saw Gu Changge again among the allied forces.
"Are you worried about my safety?" Gu Changge suddenly smiled.
Ling Yuxian snorted but didn't deny it.
"Since ancient times, those targeted by the Land of Truth have never met a good end," she said, her fair face glowing, her lips red and teeth white, her nose delicate, and her eyes shimmering like water as she looked at Gu Changge.
Especially since Gu Changge had established the Heaven-Slaying Alliance, a "treacherous" faction.
Thinking about it this way, it wasn't surprising that he had attracted the attention of the Land of Truth.
"What of the Land of Truth? One day, I will go there myself," Gu Changge said with a smile, unbothered.
"Is that why you chose the name 'Heaven-Slaying'?" Ling Yuxian's beautiful eyes burned as she stared at him, as if she had suddenly understood Gu Changge's intentions.
If this was Gu Changge's true purpose in establishing the Heaven-Slaying Alliance.
Then, considering the alliance's fundamental purpose and Gu Changge's actions since arriving in the Prime-Origin Civilization, everything seemed to make sense.
Ling Yuxian was no ordinary being. She knew what the Land of Truth meant to the vast beings of the universe.
Even she and her sister, Ling Yuling, were reluctant to touch or discuss this topic.
"Then what do you think my intentions should be? To control the myriad worlds, restore the Heaven-Warring Organization, or seize the authority of the Heavenly Dao and rule over everything?" Gu Changge chuckled softly.
Ling Yuxian shook her head, her hair fluttering. She said firmly, "No, I believe in you."
"Your belief in me is meaningless. I don't need anyone's belief," Gu Changge said with a smile, his expression returning to its usual calm indifference.
Ling Yuxian's expression was complex. The path of Heaven-Slaying was incredibly difficult. Countless sages and predecessors had walked it, but all had failed. It was a path filled with thorns and mud, destined to lead nowhere, a dead end with no return.
For both the Newborn True Realm and the Ancient True Realm, each era would produce a wave of Heaven-Slayers, but what was their fate? The more ignorant they were, the more fearless.
Even those who had overcome the Seventh Heavenly Decline Tribulation, true End of the Path figures, were filled with awe for the Land of Truth.
The higher one's level, the more one understood the perilousness of this path and the slim chance of success.
Ling Yuxian followed Gu Changge's figure, leaving the ancient warship. Her mind was still filled with complicated emotions. When she came to her senses, she found herself in a desolate starry region, with fragments of broken stars floating in the void and countless corpses scattered in the distance.
"While others are fighting desperately, risking their lives, you come to the Immortal Chu Dynasty to stir up trouble and then leave so calmly. Isn't that a bit too simple?"
Gu Changge walked leisurely through the starry sky, his hands behind his back, his tone indifferent.
The spacetime before him rippled, and with a flick of his finger, it shattered. An elderly figure, coughing blood, was sent flying, his robes torn and his face covered in blood and fear.
"You… you…"
This person was Elder Jin from the Dawn Civilization.
He had once joined forces with Chu Gucheng and others to deal with Gu Changge but was severely injured and had been recovering in the Immortal Chu Dynasty, planning to leave once his injuries healed.
Today, with the Immortal Chu Dynasty facing calamity, he naturally couldn't stay and fight to the death.
So, when the opportunity arose, he tried to escape into spacetime.
Unfortunately, Gu Changge had already noticed him.
"You demon, scheming against all living beings, will surely face retribution. If the heavens don't punish you, someone else will."
Elder Jin's face was covered in blood. The spacetime had shattered, and Gu Changge's finger had nearly pierced through him.
His injuries were severe, and facing Gu Changge, he had no chance of escape.
"I am the heavens of all living beings. Let's see who can punish me," Gu Changge said with an indifferent laugh, his eyes cold.
"Cause and effect are cyclical. The seeds you sow today will bear fruit tomorrow. No matter how strong or arrogant you are, retribution will come."
Elder Jin's face was filled with resentment, knowing he was no match for Gu Changge.
Suddenly, a terrifying aura erupted from his withered brow, shaking the entire universe.
He intended to self-destruct his Dao Fruit, taking Gu Changge with him.
The self-destruction of an Ancestral Dao Realm existence was a rare event, unheard of in countless eras.
The river of time appeared, and the shockwaves of Elder Jin's self-destruction spread across endless spacetime, affecting countless spaces and times.
However, Gu Changge had anticipated Elder Jin's move.
In his hand, a radiant orb appeared, filled with endless Dao aura, magnificent and mysterious, as if it contained the stars, the myriad worlds, and infinite universes.
This was the Civilization Supreme Treasure, the Orb of Great Vow.
Sss!
With a flick of Gu Changge's hand, divine light shot out, and the Orb of Great Vow, like a moon hanging over the myriad worlds, swallowed Elder Jin whole.
The boundless energy surged like rivers and oceans within the orb but could not escape.
Elder Jin's eyes widened in disbelief, but he could only watch as the energy from his shattered Dao Fruit was absorbed by the orb.
The Orb of Great Vow, though not a First Generation Civilization Supreme Treasure, was created by a powerful civilization using all its resources and strength.
It could easily withstand the energy of an Ancestral Dao Realm existence's self-destruction.
Gu Changge intended to refine the Orb of Great Vow further, and the energy from Elder Jin's self-destruction would sustain it for many years.
"This is a Civilization Supreme Treasure?"
Ling Yuxian stared in shock. She had thought the self-destruction of an Ancestral Dao Realm existence would devastate the entire Immortal Chu Dynasty.
But it had been silenced so effortlessly.
Gu Changge nodded slightly, not explaining further, and casually stored the Orb of Great Vow.
He had intentionally shown this to Ling Yuxian. The Orb of Great Vow was not a First-Generation Civilization Supreme Treasure like the Gate of Eternal Life or the Mirror of Reincarnation. Even if others knew about it, it wouldn't matter much.
"This must be a Civilization Supreme Treasure, forged in imitation of a First-Generation Civilization Supreme Treasure…"
Ling Yuxian quickly regained her composure. She had the discernment to tell the difference between the Orb of Great Vow and a First-Generation Civilization Supreme Treasure like the Gate of Eternal Life.
Now that Gu Changge had shown her the Orb of Great Vow, did that mean he wasn't worried about her knowing he was collecting Civilization Supreme Treasures?
The fall of an Ancestral Dao Realm existence would have caused a massive uproar in the past, but on the current battlefield, few paid attention.
Too many beings had perished. Blood light shot into the sky, flooding the world, the blood of countless powerful beings.
Even Dao Realm beings had no chance of survival in this battle, let alone others.
In a shattered and desolate star system, a flying ship surrounded by pure light was speeding through spacetime, creating ripples.
"Second Sister, the Immortal Chu Dynasty is gone. What should we do?"
"Father is probably gone too."
This ancient flying ship, forged from various primal metals, could traverse broken spacetime.
Now, many members of the Immortal Chu Dynasty's royal family were gathered on it, fleeing for their lives.
Chu Xinyue held an ancient jade vial in her arms. Having regained her original appearance, she naturally couldn't continue impersonating the Saintess Xiyuan.
This flying ship was a treasure, capable of obscuring the Heavenly secrets and concealing all traces, allowing them to escape safely.
"Although the Immortal Chu Dynasty has fallen, as long as we survive, there will be a day of revenge," she said, looking at the ruined territories consumed by war behind her, her eyes filled with deep hatred…