"Oh my, alright, alright!"
Seeing Xiao Hongdou cry nonstop, Gu Qing couldn't take it anymore.
He hated emotional scenes the most.
Whatever matters there were, keeping them in one's heart was enough.
"It's just ascending one step ahead of you, isn't it? It's not like we'll never meet again."
"With your aptitude, you'll be able to ascend very soon."
Seeing that she was still crying with no sign of stopping, Gu Qing couldn't help but wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes to comfort her.
"You're so annoying."
Xiao Hongdou banged her fists twice on his chest, somewhat annoyed.
Gu Qing had no idea what she was crying about.
"Senior Brother..."
Xiao Hongdou's watery apricot eyes were red as she looked at Gu Qing and said seriously: "Senior Brother, rest assured—I definitely won't let anyone put a green hat on you."
"You don't have to say it so crudely either."
Gu Qing's mouth twitched: "I trust Qingyue and Suying. I'm just worried they might be pestered by people with ulterior motives. Excellent people can't avoid being coveted by others."
"Mm-hm, I understand!"
Xiao Hongdou nodded, hugging Gu Qing's arm and refusing to let go.
For some reason, being with Gu Qing gave her a sense of familiarity that made her involuntarily relax and drop all her defenses.
Perhaps it was because Gu Qing was her benefactor.
Or perhaps it was because Gu Qing spoke nicely and gave her plenty of respect, without the arrogance that powerful figures in this cultivation world typically showed toward the weak.
...
Over the next few days, Gu Qing said goodbye to friends and family one by one, giving them quite a few treasures.
After doing all this, Gu Qing found Luo Li.
With someone as significant as Wang Fan—a child of destiny—by his side, he had to eliminate him before ascending to the Immortal World.
Although Wang Fan had always been well-behaved, only daring to make small moves under Luo Li's watch.
But a child of destiny was still a child of destiny.
If not for Gu Qing suppressing him, Wang Fan would definitely have been more arrogant than anyone.
Therefore, this one could not be allowed to live.
"Senior Brother, you're ascending to the Immortal World with Master?"
After hearing this, Luo Li's expression was one of surprise as she stared at Gu Qing, her eyes full of reluctance.
"Can't bear to part with me? How about you ascend to the Immortal World with me?" Gu Qing smiled.
Luo Li hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and politely declined.
Her current cultivation was too low—only at the Venerable Realm. In the Immortal World, she would be a nobody, having to start everything from scratch.
Here it was different—she existed like an empress, free to roam the heavens.
Anyway, she didn't lack for wealth, companions, methods, or land.
"Just agree to him..." Wang Fan, standing to the side, watched with intense anxiety.
When he heard Gu Qing was going to ascend, heaven knows how excited Wang Fan was.
If asked who he feared most in the Star Divine Temple, it was definitely Gu Qing.
Monstrous talent, unfathomable strength, and crucially, he had the support of the entire Star Divine Temple.
The moment he dared to stick his head out, Gu Qing could condemn him to eternal damnation with a single word.
Then there was Luo Li.
Although they had a blood feud, Wang Fan didn't want revenge anymore. He just wanted Luo Li to leave quickly, to depart to a world without him.
After all, Luo Li was truly powerful, deeply calculating, ruthless and vicious.
Revenge required having the capability, didn't it?
Gu Qing and Luo Li were two divine mountains pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.
Now, hearing that Gu Qing was ascending and taking Luo Li along, Wang Fan was almost moved to tears of joy.
Without these two blocking his path, he could use Luo Li's and the Goddess Peak lineage's connections to leap over the dragon gate and soar to the heavens.
"Alright then!" Gu Qing smiled, not forcing the issue.
If Luo Li was willing to go with him, that would be great—one more capable assistant.
If she chose to stay, that was fine too.
With Luo Li's natural talent, she would ascend to the Immortal World very quickly.
Luo Li pursed her lips, feeling somewhat disappointed inside.
Actually, if Gu Qing had invited her just one more time and said some nice words, she would definitely have abandoned everything to go with him.
But Gu Qing didn't.
It seemed like just a casual question.
In Gu Qing's heart, she wasn't important.
"Junior Sister, is there anything you need my help with?"
As he spoke, Gu Qing poured her a cup of the prepared Mysterious Clarity Enlightenment Tea.
"No..." Luo Li's mood was low. With Gu Qing leaving, she didn't know when they would meet again. She felt an indescribable sadness.
Gu Qing looked at her with surprise.
It was rare to see the domineering, ruthless, and vicious Luo Li showing a sentimental side.
He immediately spoke to comfort her gently.
Although Luo Li was strong, she was also very lonely. Other than him, she had almost no friends.
On the surface, she appeared infinitely glorious, surrounded by admirers, but in reality, she had always been alone.
"What is wrong with this..." Wang Fan was going crazy.
He could see that if Gu Qing just invited Luo Li a few more times, she would definitely soften and agree.
Moreover, Gu Qing could have ordered Luo Li directly.
But Gu Qing had done none of these things. Instead, he respected Luo Li's choice and comforted her gently, like an elder brother's indulgent doting on a younger sister.
This shouldn't be happening.
Someone as ruthless and cold-hearted as Gu Qing should have put interests first. Why was he being so good to Luo Li?
"Junior Sister, this one has rebellious bones by nature and cannot be allowed to live."
Seeing that Luo Li's mood had improved, Gu Qing suddenly changed the topic and looked at Wang Fan, his eyes filled with coldness.
"Wh... what..."
Wang Fan shuddered in fright, instantly turning pale as a sheet.
He had been working diligently in the Star Divine Temple, being an upright and honest person, never doing anything against Gu Qing.
How did he have rebellious bones?
Luo Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Senior Brother is right."
Actually, she thought Wang Fan was quite good—loyal to her, steady, and resourceful.
He was her only capable subordinate.
But if Gu Qing said so, then so be it. It didn't matter.
Just an ant—kill it and be done.
"Thump!"
Hearing Luo Li's words, a surge of anger rushed straight to Wang Fan's head.
Although he and Luo Li had a blood feud involving their entire families, he had at least served Luo Li faithfully for so many years without ever revealing his true colors.
And Luo Li, just because of one sentence from Gu Qing, abandoned him without a second thought.
She was indeed cold-blooded and heartless.
Wang Fan's entire body went cold. He fell to his knees with a thud and kowtowed, begging for mercy.
"Your Highness, this subordinate..."
He felt he could still salvage this.
Gu Qing was so good to Luo Li. If Luo Li was willing to say one word for him, perhaps he could avoid death.
"Wang Fan, there's no need to pretend in front of me."
"Junior Sister killed your entire family. All these years you've been lying low by her side, serving her faithfully, giving your all—it must have been difficult for you."
Honestly, Gu Qing quite admired Wang Fan's endurance. His whole family had been sacrificed by Luo Li, yet Wang Fan could still face her with a smile every day and devise strategies for her.
"You... how did you know?"
Wang Fan was terrified, his expression filled with horror.
He couldn't understand how Gu Qing had found out.
But he knew that for some things, no evidence was needed. Whether he admitted it or not, he was doomed. Even a god couldn't save him now.
He never imagined that years of endurance would become a joke.
Wang Fan's eyes filled with deep despair, his heart bitter.
Even with his earth-shattering opportunities, even with his careful caution and planning three steps ahead, in the end, he would die because of a single sentence from a powerful figure.
"Boom!"
Gu Qing erased him with a single thought. As his soul was being annihilated, a terrifying divine light burst forth, tearing through space and attempting to escape—but was sliced into nothingness by a sword energy of Chaos Return to Void.
"That was close—I almost let Wang Fan's soul escape."
Gu Qing felt extremely fortunate.
Luckily he had been on guard against any backup plans Wang Fan might have had, and struck with the Chaos Return to Void sword in time.
This ball of divine light had already surpassed the Divine Fire Realm, exuding a transcendent Dao aura.
It was just that its power was too weak. Even so, Divine Fire Realm abilities couldn't touch it in the slightest.
Only his Chaos Return to Void sword intent, with its power to destroy all dharmas and return all paths to the void, could completely obliterate it.
"Senior Brother..."
Luo Li broke out in a cold sweat.
She never expected that the subordinate she thought was loyal would turn out to be an enemy lying in wait by her side.
Even more unexpected was that Wang Fan had such great opportunities—that divine light was clearly extraordinary.
If not for Gu Qing discovering this, she would have suffered a major setback.
"In the future, when you encounter teenagers with refined appearances, clear bright eyes, determined brows, and exceptional abilities, be sure to be more cautious."
Gu Qing put away Wang Fan's storage ring and spoke thus.
Luo Li listened in confusion—what was wrong with refined-looking teenagers?
She didn't see any problem with that.
But listening to Gu Qing was always the right choice.
In the future, whenever she encountered refined teenagers with clear eyes and determined brows, she would just burn them all to death with Phoenix Nirvana fire.
Gu Qing glanced at the system information and immediately showed a joyful expression.
Four hundred thousand destiny points, plus one lottery chance—this was a huge win.
"System, give me a lottery draw!"
As Gu Qing's words fell, a large spinning wheel appeared in his mind, rotating rapidly before finally stopping on a precious bead.
[Congratulations on obtaining a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure: Heavenly Bead.]
"Heavenly Bead? What is this thing?"
Gu Qing hurriedly checked the Heavenly Bead's functions.
The Heavenly Bead was true to its name—an innate spirit treasure containing part of the Heavenly Dao's origin, making it an absolutely superb treasure for auxiliary cultivation.
It could cleanse aptitude, help one achieve unity with heaven and man, and maintain a constant state of enlightenment.
Furthermore, it could eliminate inner demons, cleanse the soul, and achieve a dust-free, spotless glazed aptitude with a perfectly clear state of mind.
"What a good thing."
With the Heavenly Bead's heaven-defying assistance to cultivation, even a piece of trash who obtained it could rise against the heavens and become a monstrous genius.
Gu Qing thought for a moment, then stored it in the Hongmeng Ruyi Pagoda, and proceeded to open Wang Fan's storage ring.
Surprisingly, Wang Fan really had a lot of treasures.
One complete sacred artifact, three damaged sacred artifacts, one damaged divine artifact, one damaged immortal artifact.
Plus various sacred medicines, precious medicines, and pills.
Wang Fan's wealth was richer than even a Divine Fire Realm expert—worthy of his status as a child of destiny.
However, Gu Qing had zero interest in these broken items.
He packed them all up and tossed them to Chu Yao.
After giving some treasures to Luo Li and offering some advice, Gu Qing finally went to find Jiang Yu.
Still unwilling to give up, he asked: "Do we really have to invite Master?"
He really couldn't understand—bringing Zhimeng along, wasn't that just causing trouble for both of them?
"What do you know?"
Jiang Yu rolled her eyes and smiled mysteriously: "Just do as I say and you can't go wrong. When we enter the Immortal World, you'll understand my good intentions."
"Really?"
Gu Qing still didn
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't believe it.
With Zhimeng's competitive nature, how could she possibly coexist peacefully with Jiang Yu?
But Jiang Yu looked so mysterious—perhaps there really was something good in store.
He'd trust her this one time.