All Heavenly destiny reduced to ashes
Chapter 560 - 162 Xie Gusu

Chapter 560: Chapter 162 Xie Gusu

"Only myself alone? Interesting."

Master Xie Gusu of the Taiming Sect’s Divine Repository, a swordsman with a cold demeanor, couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing An Jing’s words.

To the provocation from An Jing, he did not get angry, only found it absurd: "It’s true you are a rare talent, with a Martial Meridian physique, having an advantage in this Netherworld Prison Fragment where Divine Powers are ineffective..."

"But to kill me?"

Those were words he had never considered before.

From birth until now, Xie Gusu had never truly experienced failure.

This isn’t to say he hadn’t faced setbacks. In fact, Xie Gusu’s life was quite bumpy; his parents had been at odds since he was young, eventually separating, and he moved from the warm geothermal region of Dust Li to the frigid border areas. The conflict with his father escalated to the point they almost came to blows, seeing each other as enemies.

But in the end, he overcame all these.

He practiced martial arts from a young age to forge his spirit, and despite his parents’ discord, it didn’t hinder his self-improvement. Moving to the remote north didn’t impact his way of living; instead, it became a whetstone for training his body and mind. The conflicts with his father couldn’t make him abandon the path he wanted. Even if it meant blowing his father away, he would bear the infamy of beating his old father and go alone to study at the Taiming Sect.

Along the way, he encountered Horse Bandits, Ferocious Beasts attacking the convoy, and sudden assaults by the Demon Sect. He defeated the Horse Bandits, lured the Ferocious Beast away to save the other civilians in the convoy, and finally led it to fall off a cliff. Although his group was scattered by the Demon Sect, he still struggled to return from the depths of the snowfield.

Due to his background, his cultivation was arduous, nobody was optimistic about him, and there was no extra investment. He was beaten down in the arena by his peers, had failed missions, and was punished by the Sect.

But Xie Gusu overcame these adversities and bottlenecks, step by step cultivating to Martial Meridian, elevating his Fate Pattern from "Water to Channel" to "Moonrise in the Sea," ultimately reaching the Divine Repository realm.

He faced many challenges, was defeated, cried, and felt lost, but never truly failed.

When tasked by the Sect to kill genius disciples from other Sects. Although with a guilty conscience, it was still the Sect’s mission, Xie Gusu did not find it amusing, nor would he refuse. What he loved most was fighting with the True Transmissions of the other Great Sects, he had done this more than once, the last time even at the Extreme North Icefield, cooperating with various parties to annihilate ’Master Su Ran,’ one of the core True Transmissions of the Bright Mirror Sect.

Even then, he had not felt threatened in his life.

But now, merely a peak Inner Strength, at best a Martial Meridian youngster, dares to claim confidently ’alone, I have the confidence to kill’?

"Greenhorn calf is not afraid of tigers, you just don’t understand."

A profound coldness spread from the swordsman’s feet, a mournful stern breeze whipped up in the Netherworld Fragments, the drizzling rain turned even more deep, chilly, dark water gleamed at Xie Gusu’s feet, forming an ever-expanding lake-sea, continuously surging and overflowing, transforming into the gloomy Nether Abyss.

The icy rain swept over the ruins of the Netherworld, the already decaying buildings instantly turned to dust, even the Demonic Qi momentarily retreated, allowing this dark blue sea to expand incessantly.

"Divine Power Manifestation·Moonset Sun Concealment Ocean Sword"

Even in the Demonic Qi-filled Dark Realm Fragments, a Divine Repository True Person can still utilize the power of the Formation Realm within his body to activate Divine Skills, set as a trap specifically for troublesome and elusive, yet low realm ’Heavenly Favored Fate Pattern Owners’. Xie Gusu’s Divine Skill additionally bore the might to erode vitality, bind shadow transformations, and block teleportation. He didn’t need to act personally to succeed; his mere presence meant that all life within this area would gradually perish.

Drawing his sword, Xie Gusu calmly spoke to An Jing before him: "I would like to see how you plan to kill me."

An Jing could feel that the previously faint scent of death had suddenly become pronounced.

The icy rain had enveloped him, the life-draining water continuously dripping down his clothes and along his face.

The Taibai Luminous Godly Ban can lock away vitality, unaffected by this divine power’s rain, yet the faint presence of the Netherworld fills the surroundings, leaving him unable to flee, move or even conceal his form.

—Right. Just like that. Be cautious, thinking I am exaggerating on purpose, wanting to provoke your anger so you strike out and eventually find a chance to escape—you think this is my plan, so you cautiously, step by step, trap me, forcing me into a dead end.

His eyes flickered as An Jing exhaled. He raised his hand, and ’Killing Life’ condensed in his palm; the long sword of the Golden Spine Blood Blade stood out strikingly within the dark blue rain.

Throughout his journey, An Jing contemplated more than he battled. This wasn’t necessarily bad, as An Jing was not someone who despised martial force and favored strategy, possessing both contemplation and cultivation, just like a general who must strategize from a thousand miles away but also be brave enough to face death within three feet.

He saw himself as such a character, but in Embracing the Void, the enemies were simply too formidable. In a world where no one was a fool, there wouldn’t magically appear enemies of matching strength to provoke him; either they wouldn’t make a move, or they would crush overwhelmingly, wanting to defeat them through sheer martial force was merely adding a name to their list of prey, something not even a soldier on the battlefield would contemplate.

Yet, lacking martial force was certainly not an option.

Just like now, all strategies and trump cards exhausted, An Jing, with his cultivation less than that of a Martial Meridian, had defeated several Martial Meridian Demon Sheddings, killed Military Supervisors possessing Martial Meridian and Divine Skills Tokens, pushed back the Divine Repository Ice Dragon, and defeated the Iron Li Iron Cavalry.

He prepared in advance, thwarting the Heavenly Demon’s plans, making it impossible for the eight high-ranking members of the Divine Repository and several nearly Manifesting Holy strength Great Heavenly Demon embodiments to resist; his use of the existing power was not just about Inner Strength defying Martial Meridian, he was practically defying Manifesting Holy with Inner Strength!

Even with the Earth Vein, fortified cities, and Divine Weapons of the Great Chen Imperial Court’s Emperor’s Blood, they couldn’t have done better.

But Heaven thought this was not his limit.

—Because you are Heavenly Mandate, you must grow strenuously, accomplish what others could not...

—Go break the established Destiny... Create miracles!

Because if even you cannot create a miracle, cannot achieve ’what no one else can do’...

[Heavenly Mandate] would cease to exist.

It was as though a voice was saying this.

"Do you really have to push it this far?"

Xie Gusu raised his hand, a storm-like surge of Sword Qi erupted fiercely—terrifying power swept through the Netherworld’s mourning, the rain and even the air exploded with the most horrifying, bone-corroding intent to kill, followed by a series of dull, thunderous sounds.

The grey-blue Sword Qi was like a Giant God pointing a finger, thrusting thousands of meters forward direct, smashing An Jing into the earth, carving out a long, deep trench.

But he was not dead.

Arms raised, blocking in front of him, four silvery-white bones shimmered faintly in the dim Netherwind. Dark red and golden blood dripped wet, fibers of flesh and blood shattered, even An Jing’s Body Refinement strength was torn apart by the True Person’s Sword Wind.

Yet his bones were incredibly robust, displaying an almost Divine Weapon-like quality, emitting a resonant humming sound that echoed back and forth in the empty Netherworld.

The Netherworld wind seeped into his body.

Wounding Sword Qi circulated.