"Fine!"
"For the eternal future of our sect, their deaths are not in vain."
The hesitant elders' eyes turned fierce. Regardless of their disciples' pleas, they sent them directly to the fighting platform.
Gu Qing didn't hold back either. With a single finger, he burst their physical bodies, and his Solar God Fist completely erased them from existence.
But he found it increasingly strange. Why would these seven old fools send their disciples to certain death?
Could they have a grudge against the disciples?
Impossible.
There must be some unspeakable secret.
"Hah!"
The First Elder exhaled in satisfaction.
They were in this together, so there was no reason for only his disciples to perish.
The other six elders looked displeased. Although they understood the First Elder's thinking, they couldn't refuse.
After all, they needed to stand united. They could afford to lose a single disciple.
After killing all seven lineage disciples and collecting their belongings, Gu Qing scanned the crowd with a cold expression.
"Anyone else?"
At his words, the disciples retreated one after another, looking at the figure on the platform who was like both a god and a demon, their hearts chilled.
They secretly vowed to stay far away from Gu Qing in the future.
He was too terrifying.
His cultivation depth was unfathomable, and he was ruthless and merciless, starting a killing spree right after arriving at Star Dao Sect.
Was he really a disciple of their Star Dao lineage?
Perhaps he's a demon in disguise.
"Are all cultivators from the lower realms so vicious?" A goddess surrounded by countless admirers looked at the incomparably handsome Gu Qing, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.
"First Elder, it seems no one dares to challenge me anymore."
Gu Qing looked at the imposing First Elder and chuckled lightly.
After this massacre, who would dare to provoke him again?
Gu Qing's spirit was fragile; he couldn't bear being mocked and insulted for no reason, having his good mood ruined for the day.
So, to ensure a good mood every day, it was better to strike first.
"Do you dare to continue challenging late-stage True Disciples?"
The First Elder said solemnly. Afraid Gu Qing might refuse, he quickly added, "Name your terms."
"I want the World Dao Fruit."
"Impossible."
"The World Stone."
"Absolutely impossible."
These were both supreme treasures, and the stock was too limited. He didn't have them, and even if he did, he wouldn't agree.
"In that case, since no one challenges me, may I go ascend the Starlight Avenue now?"
"This..."
Gu Qing asked, "Does becoming a Sequential True Disciple in our sect require me to continuously challenge mid and late-stage True Disciples?"
If he used his ultimate trump card, Gu Qing naturally had confidence in killing late-stage Celestial God Realm experts.
But it wasn't necessary.
Since the First Elder wouldn't give him the treasures, Gu Qing couldn't be bothered to linger here.
After all, killing a mid-stage expert by rank was already impressive enough; his goal had been achieved. There was no need to continue exposing his secrets.
Besides, True Disciples weren't much. Sequential True Disciples were the treasures of these old fools. Even if he had to kill someone, it would be the Sequential True Disciples first.
"Go ahead."
With a wave of his sleeve, the First Elder disappeared first.
The sect rules couldn't be changed for one person. If they couldn't eliminate Gu Qing today, there would be other opportunities in the future.
It was just a pity about his Three Light Divine Water.
Thinking of the Three Light Divine Water, the First Elder felt a pang of pain.
Gu Qing watched the seven old fools' retreating backs, knowing they definitely wouldn't let this go.
But it didn't matter.
If a Celestial God Realm expert came, he'd kill one. If two came, he'd kill two.
As for Profound Gods, You Kui was watching from the shadows, ensuring his safety.
Besides, Gu Qing also had the ten sword pills Hengni had given him, which could obliterate any Profound God and deter an Immortal King.
Once he became a Sequential True Disciple and collected all the divine artifacts he could, he would leave.
The Immortal Realm was boundless; a mere Star Dao Sect wasn't necessary.
If he had nowhere to go, following Hengni while cultivating and moving around to collect treasures wasn't a bad idea either.
"Let's go!"
Gu Qing stepped off the platform and signaled Li Wencai to lead the way to the Starlight Avenue.
Li Wencai, who had pulled out who knows how many hairs from his goat beard, stared blankly at Gu Qing.
He knew Gu Qing was formidable, but he hadn't expected him to be this terrifying, killing a sixth-stage Celestial God as easily as slaughtering chickens and dogs.
Hearing Gu Qing's words, Li Wencai came to his senses and nodded repeatedly, leading the way.
The Starlight Avenue steps were a treasure left by the Star Saintess, totaling three thousand steps.
Legend said that ascending one thousand steps granted one the potential to become a Profound God, two thousand steps the potential of an Immortal King, and reaching the summit the potential of becoming an Immortal Emperor.
Of course, that was just potential.
Many had ascended two thousand steps throughout history, but very few had actually become Immortal Kings.
After all, becoming an Immortal King required not just talent but also immense fortune.
As for reaching the summit, a once-in-a-generation genius had done it, but he perished before becoming an Immortal King.
This showed that talent alone was far from enough; luck was most important.
Without luck, even heaven-defying talent would be nothing more than a fleeting moment.
Gu Qing arrived at the Starlight Avenue and looked up, a divine light flashing in his eyes.
He saw a staircase to the heavens, its end out of sight. The steps shimmered with divine light, and myriad laws flowed within them.
The higher one went, the more profound and mysterious the laws became. Especially at the peak, where the laws transcended normal comprehension, the staircase seemed to connect directly to the end of the Great Dao.
"The legacy left by our ancestors is truly tempting to covet."
Gu Qing sighed inwardly. The Starlight Avenue was definitely a treasure for comprehending the Dao, containing three thousand Great Daos.
Each step taken brought different insights; only by comprehending them could one continue to the next step.
Ascending all three thousand steps meant comprehending the three thousand Great Daos.
Of course, only grasping the surface of them.
Even so, comprehending them while in the Celestial God Realm or Divine Fire Realm would be shocking enough to benefit one for a lifetime.
No wonder Star Dao Sect looked down upon prodigies who ascended from the lower realms. With such treasures, why worry about cultivating peerless geniuses?
Gu Qing cultivated the Indestructible Chaos Great Dao. The three thousand laws of these steps were tailor-made for him.
They could help him quickly comprehend the three thousand Great Daos and break through to new realms.
Thinking this, Gu Qing placed the Heaven Orb into his sea of consciousness and stepped onto the steps. A force of laws surged into his mind.
At the same time, the pure Immortal Origin Qi within the steps flooded his body like a tide.
The Heaven Orb erupted with the divine brilliance of the Great Dao, and Gu Qing almost instantly comprehended the law of the first step, continuing his ascent.
"I wonder how many steps Gu Qing can ascend. He should be able to get over two thousand, right?" Li Wencai thought to himself.
"So fast?"
The disciples who followed saw Gu Qing ascend one step per breath. This completely shattered their worldview.
After all, their Sequential True Disciples needed at least several hours to comprehend a single step.
Gu Qing, on the other hand, was treating it like a game.
There were only two possibilities for this situation: either Gu Qing's comprehension was heaven-defying, or he had already comprehended those laws.
They leaned toward the latter.
After all, who could comprehend a law of the Great Dao in a single breath?
"Truly no ordinary person."
In the void, on a bamboo raft, a youth with a face like jade and an elegant bearing watched Gu Qing and said with a faint smile.
"Saint Son, Gu Qing's depth is unfathomable. He should be eliminated as soon as possible." The First Elder said with a solemn expression.
"No need."
Shaking Light Saint Son, dressed in white, his expression calm, said faintly, "How many monstrous prodigies are there in the Immortal Realm? Haven't we seen enough fleeting ones?"
"He's relying on his talent to be so arrogant and run rampant, but it won't last forever."
The First Elder frowned deeply. Did Shaking Light Saint Son mean to let things be?
"If you want someone to perish, first let them go mad."
"The Ancient Immortal Secret Realm is about to open, isn't it? Let him go."
Shaking Light Saint Son said calmly.
A mere second-stage Celestial God couldn't stir up much trouble anyway. What if he gave Gu Qing the opportunity from the ancient secret realm?
Without sufficient strength, heaven-defying opportunities would only become fatal flaws.
Once Gu Qing entered the Ancient Immortal Secret Realm, there would be plenty of Sequential True Disciples to eliminate him.
"Brilliant." The First Elder's brow instantly relaxed.
On the other side, Gu Qing ascended a thousand steps in one go before suddenly stopping.
"Hah!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness."
"Thank goodness Gu Qing stopped."
Boom!
Gu Qing suddenly erupted with a powerful aura, apparently having broken through a realm.
But Gu Qing had been concealing his Indestructible Chaos Dao Rhythm, so the others couldn't tell what had happened.
They only saw that Gu Qing had broken through from second-stage to third-stage Celestial God Realm before continuing to climb.
The disciples looked at each other, their minds buzzing as their deeply ingrained worldview crumbled bit by bit.
"Marvelous!"
Gu Qing quickly comprehended the Great Dao laws on the steps, absorbing the surging Immortal Origin Qi, unable to contain his joy.
The Indestructible Chaos Great Dao had advanced further, and he had broken through a small realm. This was truly a blessing.
After all, if he had to cultivate normally, it would have taken at least a hundred years to break through a small realm.
The Great Dao of Chaos was simply too vast and profound; making progress was as difficult as scaling the heavens.
Gu Qing stepped onto the one thousand and first step. Even more profound Dao Rhythm and laws surged into his mind, accompanied by even more surging Immortal Origin Qi—twice as much as the steps below one thousand.
One thousand and two thousand steps were watershed marks.
They possessed more profound Dao Rhythm laws and more than twice the Immortal Origin Qi.
"Star Dao Sect was definitely the right choice."
Although this sect was a den of bandits, it truly had many treasures.
The Star Saintess was worthy of being a primordial great god from the beginning of time; what she left behind were all supreme treasures.
Who knew how many treasures like the Starlight Avenue Star Dao Sect possessed.
Gu Qing looked at the Starlight Avenue, his eyes flashing: "When I leave someday, I'll take the Starlight Avenue with me."
He was also a disciple of the Star Dao lineage, so it was only reasonable for him to share in the ancestor's legacy.
There was no reason for these despicable locals to monopolize all the ancestor's heritage.
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