Chapter 142: Disbanding the Guard

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The soul blade of Blood Sea Town flashed past in an instant, and Chen Daoling froze completely, staring blankly at Gu Changqing. Gu Changqing sneered, sheathing the Kui Drum, then casually put one hand in his pocket and jumped down from the main hall, walking toward Chen Daoling. "I told you, we're not playing the same game. You’re born and bred in this world, but I, damn it, am a cultivator!" Gu Changqing said with a smile. Chen Daoling’s eyes grew even more puzzled. However, Gu Changqing gave him no chance to clarify. The blood sea surged beside him like a gaping maw, swallowing Chen Daoling whole.

...

The entire Chen City featured the lowest buildings near the royal palace, resembling a basin, while towering skyscrapers rose only in the distance. Within two thousand meters of the palace, there were no buildings tall enough to overlook it; only a few spots on a building just beyond that range offered a view. At this moment, many people stood silently at those vantage points, waiting for the outcome.

"What’s happening?" Those watching could see nothing clear, only that Gu Changqing unleashed a river of blood, a blue dragon appeared on his body, and he suddenly produced a drum, striking it once. Then, he casually jumped from the rooftop with one hand in his pocket and headed toward Chen Daoling.

"Could it be over already?" someone whispered. "No way," others quickly denied, "it’s been too short. They just exchanged a brief clash—how could it be finished so soon?"

"It looks like they have something to say to each other..." But the next moment, the blood river swallowed Chen Daoling.

This scene left everyone speechless, utterly dumbfounded. "He... won?" In the minds of the crowd, Chen Daoling was a veteran seventh-level expert, probably stronger than Gu Changqing. Even if they had to decide a victor, it should take a lengthy battle. But no one expected the fight to end after just a brief encounter. Chen Daoling was directly swallowed by the blood river, and according to records, Gu Changqing's blood river was like a strong acid, capable of corroding and devouring living beings. Once inside, Chen Daoling’s fate looked grim.

Many hoped to see further developments, but moments later, the blood river returned to Gu Changqing’s hand, and Chen Daoling had completely vanished—no bones or remains left behind.

Only then did everyone finally confirm one thing: Gu Changqing had won, and Chen Daoling had died on the spot. This could only mean one thing—the gap in their strength was immense, so vast that Chen Daoling had almost no chance to resist.

“Let’s move on!” After a brief silence, the crowd hurried down the stairs. Since the matter was settled, they could no longer wait. A group of people rushed to the palace and found Gu Changqing sitting there bored.

“You’re so slow. Don’t tell me you didn’t want me to win?” Gu Changqing smiled brightly as he looked at them. The gaze from Gu Changqing made the backs of the crowd stiffen; they all knew that the first thing Gu Changqing did upon arriving at the palace was to kill everyone inside.

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This revealed Gu Changqing’s style of handling matters. “Mr. Gu, you flatter us!” they replied cautiously.

“Let’s head to the presidential mansion for a meeting.”

“Prepare some food, too. I haven’t eaten at the presidential mansion yet! Make it quick—I want to eat within half an hour.” Gu Changqing smiled as he strode directly into the best-looking vehicle.

Shortly after, the group sat down in the presidential mansion. Gu Changqing crossed his legs on the sofa while those around him remained seated.

“I won’t interfere with other matters, but from now on, I decide everything about the awakened!” Gu Changqing said indifferently. “All resources and funding that should be given must not be reduced by a single cent.”

“Also, the guards can be disbanded! Merge them with Chongming! Keep the name 'Chongming' for now; I’ll think of a new name later.”

“There’s no need to keep the royal family alive—kill them all!”

Gu Changqing’s casual order to exterminate the royal family made everyone’s hearts race.

“I’m not completely heartless, though—I’m not a villain. If they keep a low profile and remain hidden, I won’t bother them. But if they cause trouble, then I’ll deal with people like you. So, you decide what to do!” Gu Changqing smiled at the group.

This statement caused their expressions to shift uneasily.

If Gu Changqing was simply exterminating the royal family, they would consider him ruthless and bloodthirsty. But now he shifted the responsibility to them—if those people stirred up trouble, they would be held accountable. This made the crowd feel uncertain and conflicted.

“Mr. Gu, how should we explain this to the outside world?” someone finally whispered.

“Do I have to teach you? Just come up with any excuse—like their family suffered a hereditary disease outbreak and died overnight. It’s the age of spiritual energy awakening; anything can happen!” Gu Changqing said with a laugh.

He chuckled for a while, but seeing no one join in and only worried faces, his expression darkened. “Why aren’t you laughing? Is it my lack of humor, or do you have problems? Or were you not even listening?”

At this, the crowd forced out smiles.

“If you can’t laugh, then don’t—none of you look good smiling anyway. I was just joking!” Gu Changqing said lightly.

“Mr. Gu does like to joke!” many finally laughed softly, though inwardly they felt this man’s moods were volatile.

“That’s about it. Do whatever you want. The royal family is gone—that should be something to celebrate. Has the food been prepared? I have other matters to attend to later,” Gu Changqing waved off.

Moments later, a group of Southern Chu elites sat around the table while Gu Changqing ate by himself. Suddenly, he recalled something:

“Oh, I remember—the Zhang family in Liuzhou… the head of the Biao Zhi Group has a son who’s a fifth-level awakener. Bring him here.”

Upon hearing this, those connected to the Zhang family grew uneasy, unsure how they had offended this man.

After finishing his meal, Gu Changqing swaggered out. Having reached the pinnacle of this world after foundational cultivation, he cared about nothing anymore—he could do as he pleased. The only thing that concerned him was what lay within the mist of the Qingjiang battlefield. But that matter was not urgent. First, he would head to Daye to bring someone back.

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Gu Changqing left and launched a flying boat, using his phone for navigation, heading straight for Jiaoma Port in Daye.

At this moment, the ripples caused by Gu Changqing’s defeat of Chen Daoling were just beginning.

...

The Guards.

When Gu Changqing went to the presidential mansion, the news of Chen Daoling’s death had already spread. No one could believe it, nor wanted to accept it. How could Chen Daoling, who had dominated Southern Chu for years, die so easily?

“What about the body? Without a corpse, how can we say Mr. Chen is dead?”

“Maybe it’s just a show!”

Watching the many level-six awakeners arguing, even the meeting’s host hesitated to speak. He too hoped it was false. Yet, after reviewing all the information, Chen Daoling had indeed returned and gone to meet Gu Changqing, then vanished.

A moment later, after Gu Changqing left the presidential mansion, a call came in.

“What did he say?”

“Disband the guards and merge them with Chongming!” The voice on the other end sent chills through all the guards.

This sparked more heated debates.

“Enough! Stop arguing!” The guard commander slammed the table heavily, leaving a handprint in the wood. Beneath the cracked surface lay ten centimeters of refined steel.

“Do as he says... now!” The commander seemed drained of strength after speaking.

“Commander…” Half the guards stood up involuntarily.

“We have no choice. You know Gu Changqing’s style. If you really don’t want to merge with Chongming, you can leave the guards!” The commander’s words were filled with exhaustion.

Others stared silently at the materials before them. In fact, each had a dossier on Gu Changqing since Ji Yan’s failure day. But none expected things to come to this.

Ji Yan was silent for a moment, then rose and glanced around. “Goodbye!” he said before leaving the conference room.

Several others followed him out.

(The End of this Chapter)