Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 320 - 206 The Death of the Lord Emperor_2

Chapter 320: Chapter 206 The Death of the Lord Emperor_2

Gu Wen asked in return, "Do you think the common people should unite?"

"The commoners of the world can unite."

"This city’s commoners, boatmen, helpers, traveling merchants, women... Can these people unite?"

"They can only be considered part of the commoners."

"So your so-called unity is nothing more than a mask for those who satisfy their ambitions."

At that moment, the Nine-Meter Golden Man ascended into the sky with a single step, the Immortal Sword in his hand expanding and contracting as needed, stretching six meters long with one swing.

He gazed down at Bianjing city, transformed into a blaze of firelight like a surreal dream; six years ago, he was a beggar licking ice and snow off the ground, and just a year prior, he was still climbing the social ladder by clinging to the influential and the wealthy.

Now, with his sword pointed at the Emperor, the chilling gleam forced the flames to recoil.

"If you truly have good intentions, why not take out the Longevity Pill from within you? Then I would believe you."

"The Pill once consumed can’t revert."

Lord Emperor, leaning on the Dragon Head, knew there was no room left for easing tensions; his aura locked onto Gu Wen.

"Ha..."

Gu Wen let out a disdainful laugh.

He had long seen through that the Lord Emperor was a thorough and utter ambitionist. While it was true he swore to fight the Devil Clan using his Taoist heart, this oath was contingent on ensuring his own interests.

For the sake of interests, slaughtering millions of civilians was well within his calculations. Ultimately, it boiled down to the phrase: if the paths do not align, our strategies will not either.

"I originally thought how could I, a mundane person, take over such heavy responsibilities from Qingcang Immortal? Yet it turns out I am among the kindest of cultivators."

Gu Wen’s thoughts carried a deep sense of irony.

With a step into the air as if borrowing strength from the void, his unmatched power compressed the air behind him, sending roof tiles flying below.

Wrapped in golden light, the sword thrust forward at high speed. Lord Emperor’s murderous intent surged, a palm striking the Dragon Head, and the Fire Dragon opening its mouth, spewing True Fire from the Pill Furnace that could melt mountain ranges.

The sword clashing with the True Fire sounded like metal striking metal.

Though the Immortal Sword plunged forward resolutely, it didn’t extinguish the flames immediately.

Gu Wen’s expression turned unusual, his thoughts racing as he vaguely perceived one of the traits of an immortal.

The capability to turn flames into a solid substance rather than just causing explosive attacks for mutual destruction. Moreover, the sword wasn’t as powerful as he had imagined, or rather, the amount of Mana he poured into it and his understanding of the Sword Dao determined its power.

The Dragon Tail swung, he lifted his sword to block, and his form was flung several miles away as the True Fire began to scorch the Golden Light Spell.

Like a thunderclap, he crashed into the palace, the brilliant sword light transforming from fragments into a pillar, instantly piercing through the True Fire. Lord Emperor slightly averted his head, the sword light flying past between his strands of hair.

A flash of surprise flickered through his eyes.

In just a few short exchanges, Gu Wen’s swordsmanship seemed to have reached a new level of understanding, no longer confined to form.

Before he could explore the reason, the Nine-Meter Golden Man had already soared into the sky again, streams of sword lights swirling around him like flowing light, then diving towards the Lord Emperor.

The two fought within the palace and battled in the sky, exchanging hundreds of strikes in the blink of an eye.

The bell tower collapsed, palatial halls razed.

[Expended two hundred years of Heavenly Marrow to deduce the Buddha, Tao, and Demon Swords, True Sword Dao, Sixth Level]

[Expended three hundred years of Heavenly Marrow, True Sword Dao, Seventh Level]

[Expended four hundred years of Heavenly Marrow, True Sword Dao, Eighth Level]

Heavenly Marrow depleted, Gu Wen nearing the Ninth Level, yet he could never quite step into it.

For a long while, during a clash where both parties exerted their full strength, each was sent flying back, followed by a tacit pause for breath.

Gu Wen had a huge burn scar on his face, starting from the bridge of his nose extending to his right cheek, then down to his neck, ultimately charring his right arm completely black and red.

Chi Yu Zi was in a similar state, with multiple burn injuries on her body, some of which had already burned through the bones. As the maintainer of the "Golden Light Spell," her injuries were more severe than those of Gu Wen.

Meanwhile, the hair of the Lord Emperor wildly tossed as his left index finger was chopped off, and a new sword scar added across his chest.

After three breaths, the killing resumed.

The swords and fires were varied, but their goals were the same, the clashes endless, ultimately aiming for each other’s lives.

Gu Wen defended with his left and attacked with his right, moving forward with True Fire and kicking the Pill Furnace back; the Fire Dragon dispersed into an army of thousands, with flags waving and drums beating, and the Divine Generals arranged in formation.

The atmosphere of the Dragon Vein affected the remaining Qi Fortune of Daqian, bolstering the Lord Emperor, whose every movement carried an overwhelming momentum.

His arms pushed forward like stone chariots, unleashing myriad blades and spears in a torrential surge.

Gu Wen, unafraid, parted the river with one sword, split the earth with another, and slashed more than a hundred buildings of the palace.

The two were in a deadlock, neither able to overcome the other, but in a fight of hundreds of rounds in mere moments, the standoff would not last long.

Fighting extremely exhausted their essence, energy, and spirit; fatigue made one prone to mistakes—the output of Mana diminished by even a little reduced strength, and injuries left untreated grew worse by the moment.

A single mistake by either party could result in death.

Finally, the Lord Emperor made a mistake; the Immortal Sword broke through all protective Divine Skills and life-preserving objects, deeply stabbing into his flesh.

Puff!

Blood spurted three feet, as if it had hit something hard.

Then, a streak of red light burst from the wound, piercing straight through the "Golden Light Spell," shattering Chi Yu Zi’s right eye, and turning the flesh into a blur.

At the same time, the Lord Emperor’s blood, extremely viscous, clung to the Immortal Sword, trying to reach Gu Wen. The sword trembled slightly, and the eerie blood was shaken off.

A drop of blood fell to the ground, instantly absorbing the surrounding Spiritual Energy, including some of the Mana from both Gu Wen and the Lord Emperor.

The blood took human form, rapidly growing bones and flesh.

Unsure whether it was one of the Lord Emperor’s tricks, Gu Wen decisively pulled out the Immortal Sword and slashed at it, extinguishing the figure.

At that moment, the Lord Emperor fell back, gasping for breath, but his chest suddenly burst open, blood drowning him, and three of his seven spirits evaporated instantly.

"Ah! How could this be, how could you still be conscious!"

The Lord Emperor, in his desperation, believed in the cyclical change of fate, that destinies were not fixed.

Having turned for so long and reversed so many times, he could not let himself be thoroughly defeated.

Ignoring Gu Wen standing right in front, he sat cross-legged on the ground, fingers continuously forming spells, his mouth muttering truths. He exerted his last strength, encompassing the Longevity Pill inside him.

The anomaly at his chest ceased, but Gu Wen’s sword swung relentlessly. He had seen through what the Lord Emperor was attempting, and the Immortal Sword had also warned him.

That Longevity Pill was very problematic, an ominous object from the Spirit Ancestor.

Thus, Gu Wen briefly paused for a breath, then without hesitation, struck fully at the Lord Emperor’s neck!

Regardless of his determination and aspirations, even if the Lord Emperor was a True Saint Emperor, Gu Wen was determined to cut him down.

Between duty and personal feelings, he always put personal considerations first.

In this moment, time slowed; he sighed with composure.

"Time and fate both decree it so; at least I have glimpsed transcendence, which is enough."

The head flew up, the three souls and seven spirits began to dissipate slowly but unstoppably, and a newly ascended Immortal perished, his path obliterated.