Chapter 1167: Gongsun Dies, Sword Furnace Alarmed

The sounds of wind and rain, a low whimpering, and the rattling of rain against the eaves echoed throughout the quiet grand hall.

They served as a backdrop to Xu Qing’s voice, further highlighting the majesty in his words.

Especially when lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the earth, it also penetrated the hall, striking Xu Qing’s standing figure.

His shadow appeared, stretching long and completely enveloping Gongsun Qingmu’s entire body.

It became an imposing presence!

It pressed down with full force.

Gongsun Qingmu’s mind wavered, instantly growing solemn.

Under this pressure, he slowly raised his head, gazing at the young lord before him.

The young lord’s arrival was unexpected; he had considered many people who might appear tonight, but never imagined it would be the young lord who typically showed no unusual behavior.

And the young lord’s words, like sharp blades, pierced his mind and lingered.

Countless thoughts churned in his mind, finally emerging as a hoarse voice.

“Young lord, this old man doesn’t quite understand what you mean.”

The moment he spoke, a dangerous glint appeared in his eyes, fixed on the person before him.

“Don’t understand?”

Xu Qing’s gaze remained calm, completely unconcerned by the danger in Gongsun Qingmu’s eyes, and he spoke coolly.

“Gongsun Qingmu, you operate under the confidential decree and verbal command of the Aurora Young Lord, with full discretion. Everything you have done, both before and after, has a reason, and all your actions are justified.”

“Every act of rebellion you’ve committed, I will frame as a task I assigned.”

“Your leaking of Heavenly Palace secrets? I instructed you to do that intentionally, to draw out all hidden enemies!”

“Your theft of Heavenly Palace treasures? I told you to do that, to test the Heavenly Palace’s defenses.”

“Even your frenzied killing within the Heavenly Palace, I can find a reason for it.”

“So, do you want to test it?”

As soon as the words left Xu Qing’s lips, Gongsun Qingmu’s body trembled, and his face instantly turned extremely grim.

This move was, for him, like a fatal blow.

It fundamentally stripped his rebellion of any basis.

After all… the direct testimony of the Aurora Young Lord was often the most conclusive evidence!

This way, none of his actions could truly be called rebellious!

At the same time, the incredible suspicion that this young lord was an outsider arose in his mind, becoming a storm that roared through his thoughts.

The pressure from Xu Qing, however, did not end. Xu Qing now leaned slightly forward, looking into Gongsun Qingmu’s eyes.

“In my presence, your rebellion is a meritorious service.”

“And if I say you’ve performed meritorious service, your rebellion simply won’t stand!”

“If this were a span of ten thousand years, I might not have time to waste, but this fourth-tier world only has a few days left to exist.”

“In a few days, tell me… can I make sure that all your past, present, and future rebellions fail?”

As Xu Qing’s words landed one by one in Gongsun Qingmu’s mind, the danger in Gongsun Qingmu’s aura grew more intense.

Behind him, the void twisted, and from the blur, an iron sword radiating a terrifying aura slowly formed. Its sword intent seemed ready to erupt at any moment.

Xu Qing’s expression remained calm, completely unfazed by Gongsun Qingmu’s aura or his apparent readiness to strike. He merely shifted his gaze from the man to the broken sword.

“You intend to assassinate me and thus solidify your rebellion?”

“Unless you have the ability to kill me instantly, otherwise… this will simply be a ploy of self-inflicted injury I authorized you to perform.”

“Of course, to protect you, I will then order your imprisonment until the wedding catastrophe descends.”

“Therefore, whether your rebellion succeeds depends on whether I permit it.”

Xu Qing spoke indifferently.

Gongsun Qingmu’s face was grim, and he remained silent.

A sense of oppression continued to spread in his heart, finally turning into a hoarse voice.

“Young lord, you haven’t come here just to say these things, have you?”

As thunder echoed outside, Xu Qing raised his hand and grabbed at the illusory iron sword behind Gongsun Qingmu.

Gongsun Qingmu hesitated internally, then did not block it.

So the sword instantly flew towards Xu Qing, who caught its blade between two fingers of his right hand.

After inspecting it carefully, his voice emerged amidst the lingering echoes of the thunder outside, as if imbued with the thunder’s intent.

“If this sword is stained with my blood, and I personally accuse you of assassination… tell me, wouldn’t that be the greatest act of rebellion within the Heavenly Palace, second only to plotting against the Immortal Lord?”

“Such an assassination, a rebellion against the Young Lord, should bring you significant benefits.”

As he spoke, Xu Qing’s finger traced the blade. A drop of blood welled from the wound, and the moment it fell onto the sword, the sword immediately hummed.

It was clearly agitated.

Moreover, the ripples in space-time here roared at that moment, more intensely than ever before.

But it was merely illusory, not yet successful; it still required… permission and confirmation.

Yet for Gongsun Qingmu, it caused intense turmoil in his mind, as he sensed the profound strength of this rebellion and the immense benefits it would bring him if successful.

His breathing quickened slightly as he looked at Xu Qing.

“This is the rebellion I prepared for you. Originally, you could have achieved it and remained here at the same time.”

“But you took the wrong path.”

Xu Qing gazed coldly at Gongsun Qingmu.

Gongsun Qingmu remained silent. He naturally knew what Xu Qing meant by “took the wrong path.”

It referred to his act of reclaiming the Fox Beauty’s identity.

Yet, he felt helpless deep down. After all, who could have imagined that an identity impossible to obtain would actually be acquired by someone?

He already understood that the person before him was an outsider, and he further realized that the Star Ring Child… had slim chances of success.

With resolute determination, he stood up without hesitation and bowed deeply to Xu Qing.

“Young lord, how can I make amends?”

Xu Qing raised his hand and tossed over the pill bottle containing Li Mengtu’s venom.

He then took out a decree jade slip and imprinted it with his divine sense.

“Gongsun Qingmu of the Thunder Punishment Palace conspired with external enemies, betrayed the Heavenly Palace, and attempted to assassinate me. Zhong Chi, using a poison of his own creation, protected me, causing Gongsun Qingmu’s assassination attempt to fail, and proceeded to poison Gongsun to death!”

“However, Gongsun Qingmu had prepared for many years and left behind a clone outside. Therefore, a warrant is issued throughout the entire Fifth Star Ring, to apprehend… Gongsun Qingmu!”

After imprinting the decree, Xu Qing released the blood-stained iron sword, allowing it to return, and then walked out, not sparing Gongsun Qingmu another glance.

As for Gongsun Qingmu’s subsequent choice…

He had no choice.

So, the moment Xu Qing’s figure exited the grand hall and stepped into the wind and rain, within the hall behind him, Gongsun Qingmu sighed deeply, his eyes filled with complexity, and he swallowed the venom in his hand.

He truly had no choice.

Faced with the identity of the Young Lord, if he didn’t comply, the other party had too many ways to make his endeavor fail.

Even the previous rebellion of his disciple, even if the Fourth True Monarch personally confirmed it, if the Young Lord wished…

…he could instantly reverse the situation.

Thus, it was simply impossible for him to resist.

Therefore, only this path lay before him.

As the venom spread, Gongsun Qingmu’s body trembled, and his face gradually turned black.

This poison, inherent to Li Mengtu, had been further enhanced by Xu Qing, making its power astonishing. Furthermore, Gongsun Qingmu had abandoned all resistance and self-preservation.

Thus, it erupted incredibly smoothly and swiftly.

A moment later, as Xu Qing’s figure completely vanished into the wind and rain, lightning flashed, and Gongsun Qingmu, sitting cross-legged in the grand hall, lowered his head heavily.

He had breathed his last!

His path ended, his spirit extinguished!

As for the Evil Spirit Child’s consciousness, it was instantly expelled from this fourth-tier world!

Just as Xu Qing had said, he could have remained, but he chose the wrong path, and thus could only swallow the poison.

And the instant of his death…

Two powerful currents of spatial-temporal ripples fully manifested within the Heavenly Palace!

They roared through space-time, transforming into a storm that shook all directions.

One occurred here: Gongsun Qingmu’s assassination attempt and rebellion now had a foundation, becoming an established fact.

Thus, vast ripples appeared.

The other was with Zhong Chi.

The decree Xu Qing left for Zhong Chi formed a closed loop at this moment!

The protection was successful!

The spatial-temporal storm intensified, forming a vortex like a blossoming flower of space-time, opening brilliantly on this night of thunder and rain.

At its core, within the vortex, Xu Qing stepped forward.

His destination was the Sword Forge, where Qianjun and Piying resided!

That was Xu Qing’s final destination for the night!

As he approached, spatial-temporal ripples arose one after another, and everyone’s fluctuations erupted to varying degrees.

Until, the spatial-temporal ripples from Li Tianjiao suddenly surged, and the shift in space-time had already taken shape!

Xu Qing turned his head, looking into the distance.

“Li Tianjiao’s arm has been severed.”

At this moment, a vast quantity of spatial-temporal sand began to form around Xu Qing, orbiting him, emitting dazzling light, making Xu Qing’s figure appear illusory.

Xu Qing withdrew his gaze and continued forward.

As if walking through time, he arrived step by step at the Sword Forge.

He saw the Sword Forge!

The Sword Forge stood within a formation, entirely black, emanating an inexplicable power.

Thunder was more frequent here than elsewhere; bolts of lightning, like heavenly tribulations, continuously descended, striking the Sword Forge.

Each strike produced countless arcs of electricity, some cascading outward like waterfalls.

From a distance, the scene was vast and incredibly profound.

The ground formation was submerged by the electric arcs, resembling a pool of lightning.

Furthermore, sharp sword qi erupted from within the Sword Forge, as if undergoing a transformation, eager to break free from its cocoon!

“Compared to others, your method of concealment is both simple and extraordinary, hiding within sword embryos.”

“If not for the repeated spatial-temporal ripples recently, finding you wouldn’t have been easy.”

“Even more interestingly, both of you are taking this opportunity to emerge prematurely.”

Gazing at the Sword Forge, Xu Qing spoke indifferently.

His voice entered the Sword Forge, and instantly, Qianjun and Piying inside trembled. What startled them even more was Xu Qing’s next sentence.

“That works well, it makes it even easier for you to acknowledge your master!”

At the same moment, as Qianjun and Piying’s minds reeled from the words “acknowledge your master,” in the distant sky, lightning flashed like silver serpents, rumbling across the firmament.

Amidst countless flashes of lightning, the figure of the Fourth True Monarch, transformed into a long rainbow, was hurtling towards the Sword Forge.

In the electric light, his face was grim, and the killing intent in his eyes had reached its peak!