279: Celestial Qi

Gu Changge's fingertip paused, and the scream abruptly ceased, but the terrifying sensation of his Lifespan draining away still lingered.

"Explain yourself clearly."

Gu Changge's tone was completely flat.

The Blood Prison Supreme slumped on the ground, panting in terror, and spoke haltingly:

"About tens of thousands of years ago, we were slumbering here, when we were awakened by an abnormal spatial fluctuation. We initially thought it was an intruder..."

"Later, we discovered it wasn't a living being, but a temporarily constructed Teleportation Formation spanning the endless Void Realm, which delivered an incomparably pure mass of energy, along with a Divine Thought message..."

"That energy was actually immortal spirit qi! Though sparse, its level far surpassed the Spiritual Qi of this realm!"

"The message stated that as long as we secretly deployed the Formations they provided at various key nodes across the Xuanhuang Great World, we would regularly receive immortal spirit qi as compensation..."

Another Supreme, unable to withstand the pressure, cut in, his voice filled with bitterness:

"Faced with the desperate yearning for extended Lifespan, we agreed. They promised that once the task was complete, they could even help us reshape our Foundation, and perhaps even achieve Immortal Ascension!"

"We followed their instructions, deploying those Formations on the edge of the Universe and on several ancient stars. Although we knew they had ulterior motives, we never imagined this Formation was drawing the Origin of this realm. Even after we realized it, we considered destroying the Formation, but..."

Great Emperor Tianhuang gave a miserable laugh and took over the conversation, his voice laced with endless regret and terror:

"But we wanted to live too badly. Moreover, we speculated that any existence capable of producing immortal spirit qi and performing cross-realm transmission must be a genuine... Immortal!"

"Immortal?"

Gu Changge repeated the word softly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

An Immortal personally took action?

His mind raced. The Immortal Realm is high above, overlooking the rise and fall of the myriad realms; why would It lower Its status to attack a mere mortal Great World?

Why would It even bother expending immortal spirit qi to bribe a few self-severed Supremes to act as internal agents?

Unless the Immortal Realm itself is facing a problem?

Could the Foundation of the Immortal Realm also be damaged, requiring the extraction of the Origin from Lower Realm Great Worlds to compensate?

Or are They planning some earth-shattering endeavor that requires a massive amount of World Origin to complete?

As this thought arose, Gu Changge immediately recalled the peerless Grand Formation he had previously seen deployed on the edge of the Xuanhuang Great World—it was a systematic, predatory extraction!

And why did Ling Xi try to break into the Immortal Realm in her previous life, only to be killed by the Immortal Domain Law?

These Supremes, in order to prolong their miserable existence, became accomplices, selling out the world that nurtured them!

Gu Changge's gaze turned utterly cold, imbued with an added layer of solemnity.

He had originally thought this was merely about revenge, but he never expected it to involve the mystery of the World Origin's disappearance.

"Stealing the Origin of a realm... those from the Immortal Realm resorting to such despicable tricks..."

He muttered softly to himself; the killing intent and scrutiny contained in his voice seemed to solidify the space within the entire restricted zone.

"It seems the Immortal Realm is not the pure land I imagined it to be."

Just as Gu Changge's mind raced, deducing the Immortal Realm's intentions—

A sudden change occurred!

The eyes of the few individuals, who had been slumped on the ground, their Qi weak and seemingly powerless to resist, suddenly erupted with fierce, resolute light!

Their previous fear, pleas for mercy, and even the revelation of secrets were all intended to paralyze Gu Changge, waiting for this fleeting moment of mental laxity!

"Now!"

"Ultimate Sublimation! Stake everything!"

"Kill!!"

The several Supremes roared simultaneously! They held nothing back, furiously burning their final Origin and Lifespan to forcibly achieve Ultimate Sublimation, returning to their respective Peak states!

This was an even more thorough and insane Sublimation than Great Emperor Tianhuang's earlier attempt—a move purely aimed at mutual destruction!

They knew clearly that since the external secret had been exposed, their opponent would absolutely not leave them alive.

Since death was inevitable, they might as well burn everything to fight for that one sliver of hope!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several terrifying Imperial Authorities, far exceeding their previous levels, erupted simultaneously!

Great Emperor Tianhuang wielded a star battle-halberd, its light tearing through eternity; the Blood Prison Supreme transformed into a boundless sea of blood demon god; the Roar Heaven Venerable manifested his true form as a Heaven-Swallowing Roar, his massive mouth capable of swallowing stars.

The Primeval Supreme's primordial light transformed into a Sky-Opening Divine Axe! Five attacks, containing their lifelong Dao fruit and endless malice, rushed toward Gu Changge with world-destroying momentum! This was their long-planned, desperate counterattack!

Roars shook the starry sky!

However—

Facing this suicidal strike, which was sufficient to instantly heavily wound or even kill multiple Great Emperors of the same rank, Gu Changge did not even lift his eyelids.

He still stood with his hands clasped behind his back; only the Dao Rhyme naturally flowing around him subtly rippled.

It was as if four pebbles had been tossed into a calm lake.

When those four world-destroying attacks reached the three-zhang radius around Gu Changge, they silently dissolved, disintegrated, and returned to the Void Realm, like ice and snow beneath a scorching sun.

Not even a trace of energy fluctuation managed to escape, as if they had never existed at all.

The madness and resolve on the faces of The Five Supremes, who had achieved Ultimate Sublimation and returned to their Peak, instantly froze, replaced by boundless horror and incomprehension.

Their all-out attacks didn't even qualify to make their opponent move a single finger?

"Ants trying to shake a tree."

Gu Changge finally raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over them. That look was like gazing down upon dust motes.

He did not even make any apparent movement; only his Divine Thought stirred slightly.

"Pfft—!"

The Five Supremes, frozen mid-charge, simultaneously stiffened!

The massive Qi and Dao Law brought forth by their Ultimate Sublimation rapidly drained away, like air rushing out of a punctured ball!

"Im... pos... si... ble..."

They struggled to utter those few words, their eyes filled with ultimate terror and absurdity.

The Imperial Bodies of The Five Supremes resembled shattered glass, covered in spiderweb-like cracks. Brilliant Imperial Blood continuously seeped from the fissures, staining the Void Realm with a layer of mournful dark gold.

The brief glory brought by their Ultimate Sublimation was rapidly receding, replaced by deeper decay and Death Qi.

That was a sign of Foundation collapse and Origin exhaustion—an irreversible end.

They struggled, attempting to stabilize their collapsing Imperial Bodies, but everything was futile.

Gu Changge, with merely a single thought, had dismantled them at the root.

All their struggles and resistance seemed utterly ridiculous and futile in the face of this absolute disparity in strength.

Great Emperor Tianhuang gazed at his cracked hands, feeling his life and Dao cultivation flow away like quicksand. The last trace of madness and unwillingness in his eyes finally extinguished, leaving behind only endless desolation and despair.

"Heh heh... Haha... Hahahaha..."

He let out a desolate and bitter laugh, a sound filled with self-mockery.

"Scheming for eternity, surviving in hiding, I thought I had glimpsed a sliver of Immortal opportunity, yet I ended up seeking my own death and acting as a tiger's accomplice. How ridiculous, how pitiful!"

The towering sea of blood surrounding the Blood Prison Supreme had long since dried up, revealing his shriveled, withered true body beneath. He said hoarsely, "The victor is king, the loser is bandit. We admit defeat."

The Roar Heaven Venerable's massive Heaven-Swallowing Roar true form reverted to human shape, his Qi faint, and he growled, "Do it. Give us a quick death!"

The Primeval Supreme and the Nine Nether Supreme were also silent, their eyes hollow, having already accepted their fate.

In the face of absolute power, they could not even muster the thought of struggling.