Chapter 150 Refusing to Quit Until Facing the Grim Reaper

In the Republic of Xizhou, a woman sat on a sofa, watching the same video over and over.

It showed Gu Changqing fighting the Sword Master.

“Do we stand a chance?” Several people nearby watched with her.

In truth, at least one entire team was already analyzing the footage frame by frame—and that was only in the Republic of Xizhou. Outside its borders, awakened organizations in several other countries were studying it as well.

The Qichao had sent the video over of their own accord.

“One-on-one? No. His ability involves blood, but it’s far more than that. He’s developed it to an extraordinary degree. Look here—this crescent blade still looks fast even slowed down a hundred times. Its destructive power is immense.”

“And look at the faces appearing in the blood. Some of them are definitely awakened ones he killed, including people from Nanchu.” As she spoke, the woman replayed the video, then paused it at a particular moment.

“Here. That’s Chen Daoling!”

“So dying at his hands means more than simply being dead. The blood is not just a weapon—it’s a prison.”

“Look at these people, too. They have long hair, and they don’t belong to our world. Which means there’s another world behind him, something like the ones connected to Nanchu and the Qichao—or perhaps an even greater one.”

“The dragon coiled around him, and this bead, point to the same conclusion. The bead is extraordinarily heavy. I’ve fought the Sword Master myself. Judging by how badly his sword was bent, that bead must weigh at least ten thousand jun.”

“And this drum. The beast’s head on it is aimed at the Sword Master. Its attack is probably based on sound, or perhaps it strikes at the mind.”

“On top of that, he’s most likely growing stronger by devouring others. Everyone he kills is trapped inside, then becomes part of his power. That’s why he’s growing so terrifyingly fast.”

When she finished, she fell silent for a moment. Then she said coldly, “An ability like that should never exist in this world.”

“It threatens everyone. He has to be killed!”

“The Nanchu ambassador just made another demand: they want us to hand over the relics left behind by the Phantom Monk. I never thought we’d live to see Nanchu rob us!” another man said, his voice tinged with self-mockery and scorn.

“And they want us to hand over another batch every three months!”

“Agree to it for now.” The woman switched off the television.

Judging by the battle footage, she was no match for Gu Changqing on her own.

It wasn’t his ability that concerned her most, but the strange things he carried—the things that troubled her most of all.

Their craftsmanship was utterly unlike anything in modern technology.

“The Phantom Monk’s relics may have something to do with how he’s getting stronger,” someone reminded her.

“I said we should agree for now. Say yes, then stall them,” the woman replied.

She needed time to meet with a few people.

…

“Found it!”

Gu Changqing’s spiritual sense threaded through countless stars inside him until at last he felt a faint pull from far away.

He turned and followed it. A little later, he found the shining star. Within it was a door.

Gu Changqing gathered the spiritual energy within him and hurled it against the door.

Once. Twice. Three times. Each impact forced it wider.

With a deafening boom, Gu Changqing crashed through into a boundless, empty darkness.

There was no time, no space. Nothing existed there.

Gu Changqing snapped his eyes open. A brief moment of sensing was enough to locate the acupoint: his forehead.

“The Intelligent Divine Sense Primordial!”

Understanding dawned. He knew which deity he had opened this time.

The order in which the twenty-four acupoints opened was not fixed, and the abilities of the twenty-four deities differed. It all depended on each person’s luck and fortune.

With the acupoint’s location confirmed, Gu Changqing rose and stretched. Luo Xiu stood not far away, watching him.

“How long was I out?” Gu Changqing asked.

“Seventy hours. Should I have the cook prepare something for you?” Luo Xiu asked warmly. Her eyes and expression were far more lively than they had been two days ago. It seemed she had recovered.

“Have them get something ready.” Gu Changqing went upstairs to take a shower.

Since reaching Foundation Establishment, his skin had become as smooth as jade, and a faint layer of spiritual energy clung to his body, keeping dust from settling on him. Still, showering was simply a habit.

Afterward, Gu Changqing sat down on the balcony. The sun had only just risen.

Luo Xiu poured him a glass of juice and set it on the table, then stood to one side.

“Sit down. You don’t have to act like a servant all the time.” Gu Changqing waved her over, then asked casually, “Has anything happened in the past couple of days?”

Luo Xiu pulled over a chair and sat a little behind him. Her expression was complicated as she said, “Nanchu has become a republic.”

The change was more striking in principle than in practice. Under its constitutional monarchy, the royal family had held little power to begin with, so the structure of government had changed very little.

Still, many departments would have to be renamed—the Royal Police Academy, for instance.

“The Qichao, the Republic of Xizhou, and the Wannan Federation have all agreed to hand over the Phantom Monk’s relics. They say they need time to inventory and gather them.”

“Obedient, are they? Do they really need time to inventory and gather a few relics, or are they just stalling?” Gu Changqing gave a derisive laugh, cutting her off.

“What’s there to gather? It’s only a handful of relics.”

His expression was wry. He would be amazed if those people actually did as they were told.

People never gave up until they hit a wall. They never believed they were doomed until they stood at the grave’s edge.

Gu Changqing quickly sensed something was amiss. Still, he would give them a chance—to get ready before they came to die.

“Also, the relics from more than ten small countries have already arrived. They’re being kept at Chongming Headquarters.”

Those smaller countries were much more sensible.

They knew better than to provoke a seventh-level awakened one who could kill the Sword Master and had a short temper. So they had sent the relics over without protest, and had even dispatched people to Chongming to discuss cooperation.

Or, one could say, to ask for protection.

Chongming was happy to oblige.

“Those small countries have all sent representatives who want to meet with you. Will you see them?”

“No.” Gu Changqing waved them off.

“What about the Zhang family from Liuzhou? You said before that you wanted to meet them. They’ve been waiting in Chendu all this time,” Luo Xiu said.

“Have them come here. And tell them to bring the Phantom Monk’s relics that were sent to Chongming Headquarters.”

Luo Xiu nodded. “I’ll notify them right away.”

“Has anything changed at the Qingjiang battlefield?” Gu Changqing wondered if this world would ever catch a break. First the strange entities, then whatever lay behind that blessed land at the Qingjiang battlefield.

Good thing he was here.

“Over the past three days, its boundary has expanded by one meter. The fog is also thinning. The technical staff estimate that, at the current rate, it will disappear in three to six months,” Luo Xiu said.

Before, she had never had access to this kind of information. Only technical staff and senior officials in two departments knew about it.

Now she realized just how serious the situation was.

The fog was, in reality, both a passageway between two worlds and a barrier between them.

If it disappeared, there were only two possibilities: either the connection between the worlds would be severed completely, or the two worlds would become fully joined.

At present, the latter seemed more likely.

“Three months…” Gu Changqing said. “Have them investigate what’s inside the clouds.”

Luo Xiu made a note of it. The rest was minor news.

A calamity-level strange entity had appeared in Xining Province the day before yesterday; another had appeared in Longyun Province yesterday…

Gu Changqing couldn’t be bothered to hear about such things.

Luo Xiu then went to notify Chongming Headquarters to send the relics over and summon the Zhang family of Liuzhou.

(End of Chapter)