Chapter 88: My Foolish Sister Has Been Deceived Again
"Apologies—my little disciple was being troublesome just now. I couldn't help myself." Zhou Yueqin spoke words of apology, yet the smile on her face showed not the slightest hint of remorse.
What a joke. She was an elder of the Heavenly Dragon Sacred Land; her position in the Great Qing Empire was merely part of a mundane trial of the heart.
She owed the imperial family no deference—if she wanted, she could simply leave whenever she pleased.
Jiang Qiuyue realized this as well, and immediately seized the chance to smooth things over. Channeling her qi, she dispelled the swelling on her face, then glared angrily at Gu Qing.
"Daoist Gu, you have gone too far! Do you think you can act with impunity just because you are from the Star Temple?"
"I only meant to help you. If you don't appreciate it, that's your problem." Gu Qing's tone was calm, as if he were merely discussing the weather.
"Good… very good!"
"My loyal subjects, who among you will teach this arrogant fool a lesson?"
Liu Yuanzhong's laughter rang with fury.
To be humiliated by a mere junior in the King Realm—if he did not retaliate, the Great Qing Empire might as well disband.
The Star Temple was indeed powerful, but it was impossible for their Divine Fire Realm patriarch to descend just because of a small dispute.
If every incident required the patriarch's intervention, he would never rest.
Moreover, there was an unspoken rule among cultivators—elders did not interfere in duels between peers of the same realm.
"Your Majesty, this minister volunteers to fight."
After a brief silence, a tall, broad-shouldered middle-aged man stepped forward, his entire body radiating an aura of blood and iron, like a war god who had marched through countless battlefields.
"Good. Su Aiqing, I leave this insolent youth to you."
Liu Yuanzhong nodded, his expression cold and imperious, the very image of a sovereign above all.
Su Qingtian stood at the peak of the 9th Layer of the King Realm. To pit him against Gu Qing, who was only at the 2nd Layer, was somewhat excessive—
—but Liu Yuanzhong no longer cared about fairness.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
As Su Qingtian stepped forward, the heavens and earth trembled. Visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood filled the air, his killing intent soaring into the clouds.
"Young man, you dare show disrespect to Her Majesty the Empress? Will you surrender now, or shall I execute you on the spot?"
"Gu Qing…" Liu Ruyan's face turned pale, nervously tugging at his sleeve. "Maybe we should leave first?"
Though she knew little about the Great Qing Empire, she certainly recognized Su Qingtian.
He was her fiancé's father—a lifelong general undefeated in countless campaigns, known as the Great Qing Empire's Invincible War God.
"No need. He's just an insect."
Gu Qing smiled faintly. Su Qingtian's aura was indeed terrifying, a pinnacle among King Realm cultivators, but in his eyes, it meant nothing.
All King Realm experts were but ants before him.
After all, he cultivated the Chaos Immortality Scripture, which fused countless techniques and refined vast amounts of divine essence to temper his body.
His foundation was so deep that even if he stood still and let them attack, no King Realm cultivator could harm him.
"Arrogant!"
Su Qingtian roared, his fury igniting. He had spent his life undefeated and honored, and now this mere youth in the 2nd Layer of the King Realm dared to dismiss him?
It was the ultimate insult.
"You'll see soon enough whether I'm arrogant—take one finger of mine and find out."
Gu Qing put away his Void Aerial Vessel and raised a single finger. Instantly, countless stars appeared, imprisoning heaven and earth.
The entire world seemed wrapped in the vastness of the cosmic void. His finger carried the power to shatter stars—absolute and unmatched.
"What—?"
The faces of the onlookers changed drastically. Even though the Shattering Star Finger was not aimed at them, its divine might still made their souls quake.
As for Su Qingtian, who was directly locked onto, he felt pure terror consume him.
Before the overwhelming power of that finger, he felt as if facing the wrath of heaven itself—insignificant, powerless, unable even to muster the courage to resist.
The fear of death surged in his heart. Struggling to hold himself together, Su Qingtian hastily activated his defensive treasure—a royal-grade great seal.
Boom! The seal exploded with a single touch, disintegrating into powder. The finger's power was reduced slightly, but its remaining force still tore through everything.
Su Qingtian's spirit was wounded; he spat blood and, in desperation, burned his essence to unleash his strongest divine art.
Yet even so, he was no match. His body was half-destroyed in an instant.
He quickly swallowed several healing pills, regrowing his limbs, but that was only on the surface.
The new body was not his true flesh—the foundation of his cultivation was utterly crippled.
His realm rapidly declined, falling from the 9th to the 7th Layer of the King Realm in moments.
Ignoring his injuries, Su Qingtian stared at Gu Qing in horror, as if he were looking at some unfathomable monster.
The others felt the same.
Gu Qing's power was beyond doubt—but to shatter a royal-grade weapon with one strike? None had ever seen such a thing.
Today, they had witnessed something extraordinary.
Moreover, it was only now they realized—Gu Qing was incredibly young.
He looked no older than twenty.
A twenty-year-old King Realm cultivator—what kind of existence was this?
It was truly unbelievable.
"Still alive? Not bad."
Gu Qing raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, then refrained from striking again.
Liu Ruyan quietly sighed in relief. After all, this man—her fiancé's father—had once helped her, and her fiancé, Su Chen, had been her only childhood friend in the Great Qing Empire.
"Daoist Gu… may I ask, are you the Holy Son of the Star Temple?"
Liu Yuanzhong's tone was full of respect now, any trace of hostility gone.
Gu Qing's strength was terrifying. There was no way he was just an ordinary disciple—he had to be a Holy Son.
To offend someone of that level could spell the end of the Great Qing Empire itself.
"Just an inner disciple," Gu Qing replied flatly.
"An… inner disciple?"
Everyone exchanged stunned looks.
If even an inner disciple was this terrifying, what kind of monsters must the Holy Sons be?
Until now, they had only half-believed in the Star Temple's power. The Myriad Treasures Pavilion had mentioned only one Divine Fire Realm ancestor.
They had assumed there was only that single powerhouse guarding the sect.
But after hearing Gu Qing's casual words, they realized the truth was far greater—far more terrifying.
The Star Temple, a sect inherited from the ancient era, must possess depths beyond imagination.
At that realization, everyone's posture shifted from wary respect to outright reverence.
Even Liu Yuanzhong lowered his gaze slightly, his voice trembling with caution.
"Not good…"
Liu Ruyi's expression changed as her eyes left her sister and finally focused squarely on Gu Qing.
She had thought Gu Qing was just a slightly talented ant, insignificant and easily dealt with—her sister was hers alone.
But Gu Qing's talent and identity far exceeded her expectations. He had the ability to take her sister away.
That was absolutely unacceptable.
"You're really an inner disciple?" Liu Ruyan asked in disbelief. The power of the Shattering Star Finger had left her utterly shaken.
She had always believed her own talent to be unmatched, yet even she could not shatter an artifact of the same grade.
"Of course," Gu Qing said with a light nod and a faint smile. "That finger just now was called the Shattering Star Finger, a superior divine art of the Star Temple. Above it are the Star-Seizing Hand, the Seven-Star…"
Gu Qing calmly listed over a dozen supreme divine techniques and Dao scriptures. Finally, he added, "When you return to the Star Temple, you'll be able to cultivate them as well."
Liu Ruyan's eyes shone with excitement and longing.
So powerful—the divine arts of the Star Temple were far beyond her imagination.
At that moment, Liu Ruyan felt nothing but gratitude—gratitude that her master had sent Gu Qing to guide her, and gratitude that she had joined the Star Temple.
It was an opportunity beyond measure, greater than obtaining a divine-grade technique or inheriting a Divine Fire Realm legacy.
A collective hiss spread among the crowd, filled with envy, jealousy, and awe.
Most of them didn't even possess Saint-grade techniques, yet joining the Star Temple granted access to Dao scriptures and arts surpassing even the Divine Fire Realm.
In an instant, Liu Ruyan transformed from the demoness everyone condemned into a divine maiden above all—ascending to the heavens in a single step.
"Damn it…"
Jiang Qiuyue's teeth clenched so hard she nearly shattered them, glaring hatefully at Liu Ruyan.
In her heart, Liu Ruyan did not deserve such fortune—this destiny should have belonged to Liu Ruyi.
"Hm?"
Gu Qing's cold gaze swept over her, and Jiang Qiuyue shuddered, instantly falling silent.
"Now then, let's get back to the main point."
"Tell me—was there a problem with me helping her clear her head earlier?"
His words stunned everyone, their faces twitching violently.
Was he really not done humiliating the empress?
Jiang Qiuyue wanted to protest, but hearing Liu Yuanzhong's voice in her mind, she swallowed her anger and forced out the words, "No problem."
"Good. Now—does anyone have an objection to Ruyan being the divine maiden?" Gu Qing asked calmly.
"We have no objections."
"Princess Ruyan was born noble—she is the reincarnation of a divine maiden. I can attest to this!"
"I can testify as well…"
"If anyone dares slander Princess Ruyan again, I will—"
The crowd hurriedly echoed in agreement, nodding repeatedly and vowing to spread Liu Ruyan's divine title far and wide.
Liu Yuanzhong smiled stiffly, though his fists clenched tightly within his sleeves. His heart was filled with humiliation, anger, and powerlessness.
To be oppressed to this degree by a King Realm cultivator was an unbearable disgrace.
Yet he could do nothing.
If there were someone in the same realm who could rival Gu Qing, all would be fine—the Star Temple would not interfere in battles between equals.
That was an unspoken law of the world.
But since no one in the same realm could challenge him, Liu Yuanzhong was helpless.
To send someone of higher cultivation would be crossing a line—he dared not provoke the Star Temple's authority.
"Gu Qing…"
As she watched the countless onlookers bowing in respect and praise, tears shimmered in Liu Ruyan's clear eyes, her heart warming.
She had always wished to be like Liu Ruyi—to be admired and worshiped by all.
But that dream had always been out of reach.
Today, with a single sentence from Gu Qing, that dream had come true.
"The strong are revered—that is the eternal truth," Gu Qing said lightly.
Liu Ruyan nodded firmly, her young heart burning with determination to grow stronger.
"Go ahead."
Gu Qing gave her a look, signaling that it was time to announce her severance from her family.
"No…" Liu Ruyi's expression changed as she realized what was about to happen.
She quickly sent a voice transmission, "Sister, do you know where the palace matron is?"
Liu Ruyan's body trembled, her face turning pale in an instant.
Seeing this, Liu Ruyi continued, "Sister, I know I've done many wrongs. I don't ask for your forgiveness. If you'll stay in the capital for just ten days, I'll release the palace matron immediately."
"Do you think I'd believe that?" Liu Ruyan replied coldly. Not a single word from Liu Ruyi could be trusted.
"I'll have her released right now," Liu Ruyi's voice trembled as she added tearfully, "Sister, I truly know my mistakes. These past years, I've been collecting spiritual treasures for you. I'll even return your Divine-Demonic Path Body origin—just give me a chance to make things right."
Liu Ruyan shook her head.
Her words were tempting, enough to stir her heart.
But she knew too well—Liu Ruyi was a born fiend, twisted and venomous.
To believe she had truly repented would be more absurd than believing she was an Immortal Emperor.
And yet, the palace matron was her savior—someone who had treated her like family.
It was the palace matron who had risked her life to help her escape the palace and had given her the only Void Great Teleportation Talisman.
If she did nothing, the woman would surely die.
"Accept her terms," Gu Qing's voice sounded in her mind, calm and assured. "I've been meaning to look around the city anyway."
Their secret conversation was as clear as day to him.
Liu Ruyi's plotting was obvious—but Gu Qing wasn't the least bit concerned.
At worst, he could summon the Cosmic Tower and annihilate the entire Great Qing Empire with a single strike.
"Thank you," Liu Ruyan whispered, moved beyond words.
"No need for thanks. Come on, let's go."
Gu Qing led her toward the city, completely ignoring Liu Yuanzhong and the gathered officials.
"Hahaha… my foolish sister, you've fallen for it again!" Liu Ruyi laughed wildly, immediately sending a signal to have the palace matron released.
"Sister, your only reliance is Gu Qing. Once he becomes my servant beneath my skirts, how hopeless you'll feel then…"
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