96: He can't distinguish between good and evil!

The air seemed to solidify.

Corpses littered the ground, the scent of blood so thick it was suffocating.

The Elder of the Myriad Fiends Hall's threatening probe still echoed in the wind, and the surrounding demonic Cultivators gripped their Magical Artifacts, their gazes cold as they stared at the green-robed man.

Gu Changsheng held his sword with one hand, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground. A drop of crimson blood slid down the silvery-white blade, dripping onto the bluestone slab with a soft plink.

His expression was calm, even carrying a hint of scholarly refinement.

But beneath that calm facade, deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the golden panel was flashing madly.

Hundreds of Low-Grade Spirit Stones in his Storage Pouch instantly turned to dust, their pure Spiritual Qi swallowed by the System, transforming into fuel for deducing the future.

"Deduction: If I kill everyone present, leaving no one alive, what will be the consequences?"

This was an extremely insane thought.

Since his strength was already exposed, and since he had already obtained the treasure, the safest method was naturally to silence everyone.

Dead men tell no tales.

Golden text flowed like a waterfall, finally settling on a glaring, scarlet warning.

[Great Omen! Certain Death!]

[Ling Yunzhi is a Demonic Son of great Luck, possessing the life-substituting secret treasure 'Blood River Puppet'. Killing him now will not result in his death, but will instead activate the demonic seed within him, attracting the Divine Thought projection of the Wan Sha Hall's Old Ancestor.]

[Wen Yuechan's destiny is not yet exhausted. She carries a top-secret Legacy of the Taiqing Sect and possesses a Body-Protecting Spiritual Talisman bestowed by a Purple Mansion True Person. Forcibly killing these two will intertwine Karma, inevitably leading to a Purple Mansion True Person crossing the void to suppress and kill you.]

Gu Changsheng's heart tightened.

Indeed.

These favored children of heaven were all like cockroaches, extremely tough to kill.

Wanting to be the fisherman who takes all, it seemed his teeth weren't hard enough yet.

He lowered his eyelids slightly, concealing the fleeting regret in his eyes.

Since he couldn't kill everyone, he had to change his approach.

"Re-deduce: Who can live? Who can be killed without trouble? How can I keep the jinghong sword and retreat safely?"

Spirit Stones burned again.

This time, the answer given by the panel was concise and clear.

[Aside from Ling and Wen, all others can be killed.]

Gu Changsheng slowly exhaled a turbid breath, his previously taut muscles relaxing.

The plan was set.

Execution it was.

Just then, a cry full of surprise and urgency broke the stalemate.

"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist, help me!"

In a corner of the ruins, Iron Mountain, covered in blood, struggled to get up.

This Foundation Establishment Elder of Zhenyue Sect was incredibly miserable at the moment; his left arm was severed at the root, and half a broken spear was still lodged in his chest. The golden protective copper light was dim, like a flickering candle in the wind.

He looked at Gu Changsheng, who was confronting the demonic Cultivators, and a strong will to survive erupted in his eyes.

In his view, this green-robed Cultivator, who could slay a demonic Cultivator with a single sword, must be a hidden master of the Righteous Path, his only straw to grasp at for survival.

"I am Iron Mountain of Zhenyue Sect! As long as Fellow Daoist helps me repel these demonic brats, I, Zhao, will stake my life and fortune, and there will surely be a generous reward!"

Iron Mountain shouted as he stumbled towards Gu Changsheng.

He completely exposed his back to Gu Changsheng, focusing all his attention on guarding against the restless demonic Cultivators around him, clearly treating Gu Changsheng as a trustworthy ally.

Seeing this, the Elder of the Myriad Fiends Hall's face darkened. The black light from his Skull Staff flared brightly, and he was about to intercept.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao."

Gu Changsheng suddenly spoke, his voice gentle, like a spring breeze.

He turned his head to look at the burly man stumbling towards him, a faint smile even playing at the corner of his mouth.

"No need for a generous reward."

Iron Mountain froze, his steps faltered slightly, a hint of bewilderment on his face.

Before he could even comprehend the meaning of that sentence.

Clang!

A clear, resonant sword cry, without any warning, exploded by his ear.

It wasn't aimed at the old devil in the air.

Nor was it aimed at the group of demonic Cultivators.

Gu Changsheng's wrist flicked, and the jinghong sword in his hand transformed into a silvery-white streak, carrying the terrifying hidden force of nine overlapping waves, slashing backwards at the unsuspecting Iron Mountain.

This sword strike was too fast, too close, too vicious.

So fast that Iron Mountain didn't even have time to mobilize the last trace of spiritual power in his body.

"You..."

Iron Mountain's pupils constricted, reflecting the increasingly bright silver light.

He didn't understand.

Why?

Weren't they all Righteous Path Cultivators?

Weren't they all here to celebrate a birthday?

Pfft.

The sharpness of a Spiritual Artifact, augmented by nine layers of hidden force, cut through the thin, cicada-wing-like protective spiritual light as easily as slicing tofu.

A head, full of shock and eyes wide in death, flew into the sky.

Hot blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing all over Gu Changsheng.

But he didn't even frown, nor did he activate his protective spiritual light to block it.

He allowed the warm liquid to stain his green robe.

Thud.

Iron Mountain's headless corpse swayed, then fell heavily at Gu Changsheng's feet.

The entire scene was dead silent.

If Gu Changsheng instantly killing a demonic Cultivator before was shocking, then his turning around and slaying Iron Mountain now was terrifying.

A chill from the depths of their Souls instantly crawled up the spines of everyone present.

The Elder of the Myriad Fiends Hall's hand, stroking his staff, froze in mid-air. For the first time, his sinister old face showed an expression of incomprehension.

This kid... is he really from the Righteous Path?

How is he even more ruthless than their demonic Cultivators? Even more absolute?

Even Ling Yunzhi, in his berserk state, couldn't help but stop his movements, a hint of wariness and confusion flashing in his crimson eyes.

Not far away, Wen Yuechan's beautiful eyes widened, her pale lips trembling slightly, but she couldn't utter a sound.

Gu Changsheng's expression was composed.

He bent down, skillfully removing Iron Mountain's Storage Pouch from his waist. After sweeping it with his Divine Sense to confirm, he casually tucked it into his robes.

This series of actions was smooth and fluid, clearly not his first time doing such a thing.

"Since I'm clearing the field."

Gu Changsheng straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the stunned crowd, his tone as flat as stating a truth.

"Then there's no distinction between righteous and demonic, only between living and dead."

"Fellow Daoist Zhao saw my trump card and knew my methods, so naturally, he couldn't be allowed to live."

The reason was sufficient.

The logic was self-contained.

In the principles of the 'Gou Dao', any outsider who knew his core secrets was a potential source of risk.

Iron Mountain had seen him use the Floating Light Fleeting Shadow Step and witnessed the process of him seizing the jinghong sword.

If this person were to leave alive, whether to report to Shuyu Sect or to covet the Spiritual Artifact in the future, it would be endless trouble.

Only dead men were absolutely safe.

As for Righteous Path camaraderie?

What was that? Could it withstand the pursuit of a Purple Mansion True Person?

Gu Changsheng gently flicked the blood drops from his sword.

The silvery-white blade remained as clean as new, unstained by a speck of dirt.

The Spiritual Artifact, being sentient, seemed excited by drinking the fresh blood of a Middle Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator, emitting low hums.

"Next."

Gu Changsheng slowly turned around, looking up at the old man standing on the White Bone Flying Boat in mid-air.

His eyes were still calm, devoid of Killing Intent or anger.

Only a cold indifference, as if looking at a 'risk to be dealt with'.

"It's your turn."