"Since you remain obstinate, then die with this world." Qian Xunji's killing intent toward Qian Renxue surged.
By controlling the Divine Realm Core, the Evil Sword Immortal had enticed many gods to surrender out of fear, including some first-rank gods. If they could all descend, they could easily end the world and capture the God of Lust.
But because of Qian Renxue's seal, anything below God King couldn't get through. All those defected first- and second-rank gods became decorations, and the Divine Guard army a joke.
If brute force couldn't break the seal, the only way was to kill its caster—Qian Renxue.
At Qian Xunji's command, the four hundred-plus Divine Guards pressed down toward Seven Treasures Mountain. Though level 100, and thus a threat even to God Kings in numbers, they were still "small fry" compared to gods.
"Phoenix Divine Flame!"
"Golden Thirteen Halberds—A Thousand Ages in a Sigh!"
Qian Renxue didn't move; Ma Hongjun and Ning Rongrong stepped up to block the swarm. They knew their roles.
Before godhood, their foundations weren't deep. They were far from Chen Xin and hadn't used Heaven-Snow power like Qian Renxue to break into God King. They had barely reached first-rank god. Rather than dragging Chen Xin and Qian Renxue down, it was better for them to block the small fry.
Qian Renxue, sword in hand, faced Qian Xunji.
She knew clearly: this was and was not her father—more precisely, half of him.
Qian Xunji was arrogant and despicable, and had done many wrongs. The most obvious two: first, mismanaging Spirit Hall, allowing scum like Meyers to proliferate during his tenure—by Bibi Dong's era, the good and bad were thoroughly mixed, bringing much suffering to the common folk. Were it not for Qian Daoliu's foundation and the equally troubled Heaven Dou and Star Luo empires, Spirit hall reputation will be destroyed.
Second, his violation of Bibi Dong. At that time, he should have simply executed her as a traitor—that was the proper course. He should not have destroyed her chastity and spared her life, sowing a disastrous seed for today.
As for the rest, he had never engaged in mass slaughter. Even the death hunt for Ah Yin was a soul master hunting a soul beast—natural and justified. He was indeed the rightful successor to the Angel God. For the spread of faith, even if feigned, he wouldn't casually butcher the innocent, much less bandy "end the world" around.
And toward Qian Daoliu and Qian Renxue, he truly felt respect and love, unlike now when he played the family card merely to shake Qian Renxue's resolve.
The Qian Xunji before her retained only his evil, stripped of what little good remained.
Therefore, even if Qian Renxue loathed fighting the father who once doted on her, today she would not let this fake continue to exist.
She was about to take flight to battle when the Seven-Kill Divine Sword barred her path. Chen Xin said, "Qian Renxue, a daughter killing her father defies heaven no matter what. Leave him to me. You go save your mother. By now, you should understand what the Asura God told you."
"Of course. Thank you, Master." Qian Renxue thanked Chen Xin and turned toward Bibi Dong. As for this incomplete Qian Xunji, their decision was one: kill.
As for Bibi Dong, according to the Asura God, she could be saved. With even a sliver of hope, Qian Renxue would not give up.
"Chen Xin, I'll help you." The God of Lust flew to Chen Xin's side. She was an old first-rank god, stronger than the newly ascended Ma Hongjun.
"Go!" Chen Xin's single word conveyed his trust in her strength.
Her divine weapon, Desire's Heart, usually didn't manifest, only stirring within her to augment her divine skills in battle.
Her ultimate move, Celestial Demon of Sensual Dance, spread a special aura, conjuring a host of alluring maidens to tempt and entangle the foe.
For any man of unsteady mind, it was devastating. But Qian Xunji's lust—or rather, possessiveness—was directed only at Bibi Dong. He was not ordinarily lust-obsessed. Otherwise, with his status, he would have had a harem long ago.
With a sweep of his arm, Qian Xunji's divine power shredded the illusions.
This gave the God of Lust a brief start; she hadn't expected such firm will.
Out of the dispersing illusion, Sword Path Chen Xin lunged, thrusting at Qian Xunji's head. Four black wings on the left folded to defend, while the four on the right blasted a gale that flung Chen Xin away. The gap between God King and first-rank god was simply too great; their joint strike accomplished nothing.
They were not discouraged. Their aim was to buy time. While the Evil Sword Immortal solidified control of the Core, Tianlin was completing his final breakthrough.
"Annihilation Sword Path—Extinguish!" Chen Xin unleashed a new post-apotheosis Annihilation Sword Path move. Whatever the sword qi passed through—even Qian Xunji's divine power—was reduced to nothing.
Qian Xunji understood clearly: this strike crossed the boundary of realms. If he tried to take it head-on, he would pay dearly if not die.
"Hehe, an attack that ignores realm disparity. I didn't expect that besides my daughter, your insight into the sword path would run this deep as well—almost a rule-type skill. But no matter how close, it's still just a normal strike." Qian Xunji sneered, palms pressed in prayer as black radiance covered him. "Fallen Angel Glory."
This was a corrupted form of his strongest move, Angel Glory, once broken by Tang Hao's Great Sumeru Hammer. But now he was nothing like back then; Fallen Angel Glory was hundreds or thousands of times stronger.
The result of the clash between sword qi and black light was a draw. The sky over their sides split in half—one half drowned in darkness, the other empty, even clouds erased by Chen Xin's strike.
But that Extinguish was Chen Xin's strongest attack so far, fusing the Slaughter Sword Path and Shu Mountain sword arts. Qian Xunji, by contrast, had only gotten a bit serious. The disparity was obvious.
No matter how much Chen Xin's sword art surpassed Fallen Angel Glory, before such a gap in raw power, it was meaningless.