Chapter 125 One Strike Slices Through the Sky! Nan Jue's Despair and the Sky-High Compensation!
"The Calamity of All Gods - Fifth Form!"
"Slay the Heavens!"
Accompanied by Su Changqing's calm, languid, and even somewhat nonchalant words, the words slowly rippled across the sky above Sunset Pass, which was shrouded in despair and bloodshed.
There was no hoarse roar, no earth-shattering howl.
But these few simple words seem to contain some supreme law that transcends the limits of understanding in this world.
The moment those words fell, the entire world, including the howling wind, the swirling snowflakes, the restless neighing of the hundreds of thousands of Southern Jue army's warhorses below, and even the flow of spiritual energy in the air, all fell into an absolute, deathly stillness!
Time seemed to have been abruptly paused by an invisible hand.
The pupils beneath the purple-robed man's mask suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints.
As the "Messenger of Heavenly Dao," he possessed a fragment of the "Eye of Heavenly Dao" that had fallen from the heavens, and claimed to represent the most fundamental will of this world.
In his perception, all things in the world are ants, and even experts who have traveled to the realm of the divine are nothing more than slightly stronger reptiles.
The purple demon god phantom he summoned, towering over a hundred feet tall, was a "Calamitous Punishment Dharma Image" that embodied the power of Heavenly Punishment!
A single strike is enough to completely flatten the land within a hundred miles, turning all life into nothingness!
But now...
In this absolutely still realm, he was horrified to discover that his purple demon god, capable of destroying the heavens and the earth, could not fall even an inch further!
The enormous demonic hand hovered less than ten feet above Su Changqing's head, as if it were encased in transparent amber. No matter how frantically he activated the fragments of the Heavenly Dao within his body, he could not break free from that terrifying power that imprisoned everything.
"This...this is impossible! I am the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao! I am an immortal law! How could you possibly imprison me?!"
The purple-robed man roared hysterically in his heart, but no sound came out of his throat.
And below.
Xiao Se, Lei Wujie, Wushuang, Ye Xiaoying on the city wall, and tens of thousands of Beili defenders, although their bodies were unable to move, their minds remained clear.
They stared wide-eyed at the man in mid-air, dressed in a blue shirt and holding a cleaver that was still dripping with juice.
Su Changqing slowly raised his right hand.
That cleaver was just an ordinary kitchen cleaver.
There were even a few tiny nicks on the blade, and the wooden handle was stained with a little bit of red juice left over from when Xiao Nuomi was cutting the watermelon.
But this is a broken kitchen knife that is full of the everyday life of ordinary people and would not be picked up if it were left on the street.
The moment Su Changqing lifted him up, a tremendous change occurred!
"Buzz—!!!"
A clear and resonant sound, as if it came from the depths of the universe, burst forth from that broken kitchen knife!
There were no blinding lights or dazzling special effects.
On the edge of the cleaver's blade, there was an extremely fine black thread, so fine that it was almost invisible to the naked eye!
That wasn't true qi, nor was it sword energy.
That is... the "absolute nothingness" produced when the ultimate power completely severs space, time, and even the laws of nature!
"I have a sword that can cut through wind and thunder, sever rivers, and even... cleave the sky."
Su Changqing's voice was as gentle as if he were telling his daughter a bedtime story.
Then, he gripped the kitchen knife and faced the hundred-foot-tall purple demon god above his head, and the heavy gray sky above the demon god.
A light, casual flick of the wrist, from bottom to top!
"laugh--"
A very faint sound, like tearing silk, rang in everyone's ears.
Immediately afterwards, a breathtaking scene, one that would be unforgettable for hundreds of thousands of people present and even etched into their souls, unfolded before their eyes!
The thin black line attached to the edge of the cleaver instantly lengthened and magnified infinitely as Su Changqing swung the knife!
It was like a paper cutter from the hands of the Creator, without any obstruction or the roar of any collision.
The arrogant, purple demon god phantom, exuding the pressure of the Heavenly Dao, was sliced in two perfectly, without any difference, the moment it came into contact with the thin black line, just like a piece of butter being cut by a hot knife!
But this is far from over!
The black "Heaven-Slaying" line, after cutting through the phantom of the demon god, continued its momentum, soaring straight into the heavens with an arrogant disregard for all obstacles!
"Click...click click..."
A sickening sound, like the shattering of some giant glass dome, came from the sky.
Under the horrified gazes of everyone.
The thick, dark clouds that shrouded the sky above Sunset Pass, along with the swirling blizzard, were actually cleaved in two by this black line, creating a terrifying abyss that was thousands of feet wide, tens of thousands of miles long, and bottomless!
No! It wasn't just splitting the dark clouds!
That cleaved the very "sky" in two!
Following the massive rift that had been split open, one could even see the dark, deep void of the universe behind the rift, and the cold stars twinkling in the void!
Sunlight, flowing down the "Heavenly Rift" which was thousands of feet wide, cascaded down like a golden waterfall, precisely illuminating the city walls of Sunset Pass and Su Changqing's thin blue robe.
A knife.
It was just a casual swing of the cleaver.
The demon god perished, and the heavens cracked!
The Fifth Form of the Myriad Gods' Calamity - Heaven Slayer!
Worthy of the name!
As the sword was swung, the "absolute stillness" domain that had enveloped everyone dissipated.
"ah--!!!"
A heart-wrenching scream, as if the soul were being torn apart, rang out from mid-air.
The Heavenly Envoy wearing the purple crystal mask suddenly stiffened.
He lowered his head blankly, staring at his chest.
A thin black line of blood ran down from his brow, through his nose, throat, chest, and down to his lower abdomen!
The purple Heavenly Dao crystal mask on his face, which was said to be indestructible, had now been neatly split in two, revealing his face filled with extreme fear and disbelief.
"Who...who...are you...?"
The purple-robed man made a gurgling sound as he desperately tried to reach out and cover the crack, but his hands fell limply to his sides.
He felt that the Heavenly Dao Origin Power that he was so proud of within him, the purple crystal fragment that fell from the heavens, had been completely annihilated into nothingness under the power of that strike!
"I?"
With a flick of his wrist, Su Changqing twirled the kitchen knife in a beautiful flourish on his fingertips before casually stuffing it back into his sleeve (actually, he put it back into the system's storage space).
He looked at the purple-robed man who was on the verge of collapse, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"I'm just a bar owner, and I also take care of my kids on the side. Occasionally, I also work as a repairman, specifically to teach you self-righteous 'heavenly order' a lesson."
"Since I've gouged out one of your master's eyes, there's no need for you to stay here and disgust people. In your next life, remember to keep your eyes open and don't dare to wreck just anyone's place."
The moment the words fell.
"Bang!"
The purple-robed man's body, following the black line of blood, was split neatly in two!
No blood gushed out, because the blood and internal organs in his body had already turned to ashes under the erosion of the "Heaven-Slaying" sword intent!
The two halves of the shriveled corpse fell from mid-air and landed with a "thud" on the snow outside Sunset Pass, shattering into a pile of black powder that was blown away by the wind and completely disappeared from the world.
Dead silence.
Hundreds of thousands of people, both in the sky and on the ground, remained completely silent.
Whether it was the Northern Li soldiers who had survived the ordeal on the city wall or the once arrogant Southern Jue army outside the city, they all stood frozen like ice sculptures.
"Clatter."
Ye Xiaoying dropped his spear to the ground without even noticing. This battle-hardened general, known as the "Butcher of Men," was now experiencing uncontrollable leg tremors, his eyes bulging so wide they almost popped out of their sockets.
"They...they cut the sky...into pieces?!"
Ye Xiaoying looked up at the vast crack in the sky, like a huge scar, and at the starlight shining through the crack. He felt that his brain capacity was completely insufficient.
He once thought that Xiao Chuhe's arrow that shattered the giant cannon was already the limit of human capability.
He once thought that the Snow Moon Sword Immortal's ability to cleave water with a single sword strike was already a legend in the martial arts world.
until today.
Until this very moment!
He finally understood that in the face of true "gods", the so-called divine travels and the so-called number one in the world were nothing but childish jokes!
Someone could slice the sky in two with a cleaver meant for cutting watermelons! What the hell is the point of fighting?!
"thump!"
Ye Xiaoying's knees buckled, and he knelt directly on the city wall, prostrating himself before the figure in green robes in mid-air.
It wasn't just him.
On the entire city wall of Sunset Pass, tens of thousands of Northern Li soldiers knelt down in unison, like wheat being felled. Every single one of them had eyes filled with an almost fanatical fervor and awe!
This is absolute submission to the supreme power! This is worship of the savior from the depths of one's soul!
"Greetings, Mr. Su!!!"
Tens of thousands of people shouted in unison, their voices surging into the sky and scattering the remaining snowflakes around them!
midair.
Su Changqing ignored the worship below. He slowly turned around and looked at Xiao Se, Lei Wujie, and Wushuang behind him.
These three "top-notch employees" who were usually bossed around by him at the Changqing Restaurant were now looking at him as if he were an alien.
"Sister...brother-in-law..."
Lei Wujie swallowed hard, then shakily gave a thumbs-up. "That move you just made... was launched from a kitchen knife? Are you sure it wasn't some ancient divine weapon disguised as a kitchen knife?"
"Nonsense, it's just a kitchen knife. I bought it at the Tianqi City market the day before yesterday for two coins."
Su Changqing rolled his eyes in annoyance. "How many times have I taught you? Everything can be a sword! A knife too! As long as your mindset is right, even if you're holding a blade of grass, you can still poke a hole in the sky. With your level of understanding, don't go out and say you're employees of Changqing Tower, it'll be a disgrace!"
Lei Wujie and Wushuang shrank back after being scolded, but they were still unconvinced.
You think you can poke the sky with a foxtail grass? You think that's Sun Wukong's golden cudgel? Only a pervert like you could say something like that!
Xiao Se took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully.
"Sir, your divine might is awe-inspiring. If you had not arrived in time, Sunset Pass would likely be lost today, and I would not have escaped death."
"Alright, stop with the fluff."
Su Changqing waved his hand, shifting his gaze from Xiao Se to the dark mass of the Southern Jue army outside Sunset Pass, now plunged into utter chaos and panic.
With the death of the purple-robed "Heavenly Envoy," the purple evil light that had enveloped the Southern Jue army also dissipated.
Without the support of the purple light, the "undying" legion, which was originally fearless and capable of regenerating severed limbs, was like a machine without power, instantly losing all vitality.
"Crackling and popping—"
Thousands upon thousands of the undead, within a few breaths, their bodies rapidly rotted and withered, eventually turning into a pile of white bones and foul-smelling pus, never to rise again.
The Undead Legion is annihilated!
The remaining 200,000-plus elite regular troops of the Southern Clan were already terrified.
They watched as the lofty heavens were cleaved in two by a single stroke, and as their revered "Heavenly Messenger" was instantly annihilated. The combined visual and psychological shock of that double nuclear explosion shattered all their will to fight.
It's unclear who threw down their weapon first.
Clang!
The sound of the weapon hitting the ground was like the first domino being toppled.
"Monster...that's a god! We can't beat a god!"
"Run! Run now! If we don't run, we'll all be split in two!"
"I'm not fighting anymore! I want to go home and find my mom!"
The army of over 200,000 collapsed instantly, abandoning their armor and weapons, and ran wildly across the snowfield like a swarm of headless flies, trampling each other, their cries of agony echoing through the sky.
The supreme commander of Nanjue, the great general clad in golden armor, was slumped on his chariot, his face deathly pale and his crotch soaked.
He drew his sword from his waist, intending to give orders to oversee the battle, but seeing the blue-robed demon in mid-air who seemed ready to strike again at any moment, the sword in his hand clattered to the ground.
"It's over... Nan Jue is finished..." He closed his eyes in despair.
"run?"
In mid-air, Su Changqing looked at the fleeing Nanjue soldiers, a cold smile, typical of capitalists, curling at the corners of his mouth.
"Coming to my territory to cause trouble, ruining my trip with my daughter, and damaging so many flowers, plants, and city wall bricks. You think you can just walk away like that?"
"There's no such thing as a free lunch!"
Su Changqing's voice wasn't loud, but enveloped by his unfathomable spiritual power, it struck the hearts of every Nanjue soldier with unerring accuracy, like a series of heavy hammer blows!
"Stop right there, all of you!"
boom!
An invisible, massive, and suffocating gravitational field instantly enveloped the snowfield within a radius of a hundred miles!
The more than 200,000 Nanjue soldiers who were fleeing frantically felt a sudden weight on their shoulders, as if a millstone weighing a thousand pounds had been pressed on their backs!
"Splash! Splash! Splash!"
A series of dense, muffled sounds rang out.
More than 200,000 people were forced to their knees by this terrifying gravitational field at the same time!
The warhorse neighed and collapsed in the snow. Even the golden chariot, weighing tens of thousands of pounds, was crushed, its axle breaking and sinking deep into the mud!
On the entire battlefield, apart from the Northern Li defenders, there wasn't a single Southern Jue soldier who could stand up!
This miraculous large-scale control of the situation caused Ye Xiaoying and the others on the city wall to gasp in astonishment once again.
One word could suppress an army of two hundred thousand!
This is true power of words, making one invincible!
Su Changqing walked through the air as if strolling leisurely, and arrived directly above the Southern Jue army.
He lowered his head and looked down at the dark mass of people kneeling and trembling below. His gaze finally settled on the Great General Nan Jue, who was slumped in his broken chariot.
"You're the leader of this group?" Su Changqing asked calmly.
"Yes...yes..."
The Great General of the Southern Kingdom struggled to raise his head, his face covered in mud, his voice trembling so much he couldn't utter a complete sentence, "This humble one... this humble one is the Great General of the Northern Expedition, Tuoba Hong... pays his respects... pays his respects to the Immortal Grandfather!"
"Grandpa Immortal?" Su Changqing scoffed. "Don't try to claim kinship with me. I don't have a grandson as ugly as you."
He pulled out a small golden abacus from his sleeve (storage space), the one Xiao Se usually used, and then pulled out a thick ledger.
"Since you're the boss, let's settle the score."
Su Changqing sat cross-legged in mid-air, one hand supporting his chin, the other hand clicking away on the abacus.
"Just now, your men used that piece of junk cannon to bombard the city, scaring my employees. Shouldn't you pay for that emotional distress?"
"Furthermore, you've produced so many disgusting corpses, polluting the air of this snowfield and severely impacting its ecosystem. Shouldn't you charge for environmental remediation?"
"Most importantly! I was taking my daughter for a nap in the Evergreen Realm (the Sky Immortal Island), but that damned Heavenly Dao Messenger called me down to work overtime. My lost wages, overtime pay, and the wear and tear from wielding the cleaver—that's a huge expense!"
Listen to Su Changqing listing the bills one by one.
Xiao Se's mouth twitched wildly behind him.
This familiar recipe! This familiar taste!
Sir, you're really going to take this traditional skill of swindling people to a whole new level and expand your business to a multinational scale!
"Based on my meticulous calculations."
After Su Changqing finished moving the last abacus bead, he closed the ledger and looked down at Tuoba Hong, who was sweating profusely.
"This compensation, no more, no less, is exactly one billion taels of silver! That's equivalent to ten million taels of gold!"
"What?!?!"
Upon hearing this number, Tuoba Hong's eyes rolled back, and he almost fainted.
Ten million taels of gold?!
Even if you turned the entire treasury of Nanjue upside down and sold the emperor's underwear, you still wouldn't be able to raise enough money!
"What? You think it's too much?"
Su Changqing's face turned cold, and a dangerous glint flashed in his eyes. "I was holding back just now. If you think it's too much, then I'll just cleave your Southern Jue's capital in two with one stroke. At that time, I won't ask for money; I'll just take over your country and turn it into Changqing Tower's pig farm."
"No, no, no! Not much! Not even a little bit!"
Tuoba Hong dared not utter a single word of dissent. He shook his head vigorously, kowtowing frantically in the snow, "Grandpa Immortal, please calm your anger! I... I will write a letter back to the capital right away! I will sell everything I own to raise this money for you!"
"Words are no proof; let's put it in writing."
With a wave of his hand, Su Changqing sent a transnational IOU filled with humiliating terms and a calligraphy brush floating lightly to Tuoba Hong’s front.
"Sign it. Give them half a month to deliver the money to Changqing Tower in Tianqi City. Even a tael less, or a day late..."
Su Changqing pointed to the huge crack in the sky that was not yet fully closed.
"The next thing to be split open will be the roof of your Nanjue Imperial Palace."
Tuoba Hong picked up the brush with trembling hands, looking at the IOU that read "Reparations for Defeat in the Southern Battle and Compensation for Mental Distress," and tears of humiliation welled up in his eyes. But he dared not hesitate for a moment, biting his finger and pressing the bloody mark onto the paper.
He knew that if he signed this document, Nanjue would never be able to recover for a hundred years. But if he didn't sign, Nanjue would be destroyed today!
"Great, deal done."
Su Changqing took back the IOU with satisfaction, flicked off the snowflakes on it, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.
He turned his head and looked at Xiao Se, who was completely stunned behind him.
"Boss Xiao, do you understand now?"
Su Changqing raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of lecturing, "This is the mindset of a boss, this is true high-level negotiation skill."
"The kind of wars you used to wage, where you fought to the death and shed blood, were too low-level. Even if you won, you still had to pay for the casualties yourself—what a loss!"
"Remember, use the strongest force to earn the easiest money. That's the way Changqing Tower survives."
Xiao Se: "..."
He glanced at the 200,000-strong Southern Jue army kneeling and trembling on the ground all over the mountains, and then at the IOU worth ten million taels of gold in Su Changqing's hand.
At this moment, the newly crowned prince of Beili, the future emperor, deeply felt his lack of knowledge.
"I have learned a great deal from your teachings, sir."
Xiao Se shook his head with a wry smile, but a surge of indescribable pride welled up in his heart.
With this terrifying war reparations, Beili's treasury will not only be instantly replenished, but it will also have the opportunity to undertake large-scale construction and develop people's livelihoods! Su Changqing's seemingly absurd "bargaining" actually solved a huge problem for Beili!
"Alright, that's a wrap!"
Su Changqing yawned and removed the gravity field that had enveloped the entire area.
"Get out! If you don't see your money within two weeks, you'll face the consequences!"
Like a general granted amnesty, the Southern army scrambled to their feet, abandoning their baggage and provisions, and fled south in a frenzy.
In this battle, the Northern Li forces achieved a resounding victory! Not only did they not lose a single soldier, but they also made a fortune out of thin air!
"Lei Wujie, Wushuang, the assessment is over. Your performance was so-so, barely passing."
Su Changqing landed on the city wall and looked at the two blood-covered youths. Although he expressed his disgust, a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.
"Let's go back to Changqing Realm. Nuonuo has been talking about catching the giant snow monster for days. Let's build her a snowman to get it over with."
Upon hearing "Changqing Realm," Lei Wujie immediately forgot all his fatigue and excitedly approached.
"Brother-in-law! I heard you built a flying fairy island? Is there endless delicious food on it? Can I come over for a meal?"
"A free meal?"
Su Changqing glanced at him sideways. "The spiritual energy on my immortal island is so rich it's practically dripping with water. If you go there and dirty my lawn, I'll hold you responsible. You can eat, but first, go back and finish washing the dishes you owe at Tianqi Shop!"
"Huh? I'm already halfway through my dream world, and I still have to wash dishes?" Lei Wujie wailed miserably.
"Nonsense, you still have to grind even if you go to the Mystic Realm!"
With a wave of his hand, Su Changqing projected a magnificent rainbow bridge from the void, landing precisely in front of everyone.
"Boss Xiao, I'm leaving this mess at Sunset Pass to you and General Ye to handle. Keep that IOU safe, and remember to settle my share with the national treasury later. It's 70/30, I get 70% and you get 30%, isn't that fair?"
Su Changqing slapped the IOU into Xiao Se's hand, ignoring Xiao Se's constipated expression, and led Lei Wujie and Wushuang onto the Rainbow Bridge.
Amidst a dazzling celestial light, the three figures gradually disappeared into the horizon.
Xiao Se looked down at the IOU worth ten million taels of gold in his hand, then looked up at the gradually closing void rift, and finally couldn't help but curl a bright smile into his mouth.
"Seventy-three split... Sir, you really are something, you don't suffer any loss at all."
"However, with such a boss backing him up, this emperor of Beili seems to be doing quite well."
Sunlight broke through the remaining clouds and shone on the ancient city walls of Luori Pass.
The snowstorm has stopped.
The legend of Changqing Tower has spread further and further across this vast continent.
At this time.
Within the Evergreen Realm, high above the Nine Heavens.
Little Nuomi was riding on the back of a parrot named "Little Flower," flying all over the island.
"Giddy up! Giddy up! Little Flower, fly fast! Daddy's back! Let's go get the big snow monster!"
As soon as Su Changqing set foot on the island, he was embraced by a small, pink bundle of flesh.
He held his daughter in his arms, watching Li Hanyi emerge smiling from the peach blossom grove. He took a deep breath of the spiritually rich air and sighed contentedly.
So what if you're invincible?
The most beautiful scenery in the world is always within this small space.