The cities of Qingcheng and Luocheng, to the west of the capital, were quite a distance from the other three.
While the other three cities of Great Qin had already concluded their conflicts, the forces dispatched by the sixteen sects to Qingcheng and Luocheng had only just arrived.
Outside Luocheng, atop a mountain peak, stood a middle-aged man in ancient attire. He held a spear, his eyes closed in contemplation, silent.
Without a close look, it was difficult to discern his presence.
Suddenly, the middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes and gazed into the distance.
On the distant horizon, over a dozen figures were rapidly flying in. They were the people from the sixteen sects.
Two at the late Emperor stage, and fifteen at the mid Emperor stage.
They had not noticed the middle-aged man ahead. Everyone was intently focused on Luocheng in the distance, their eyes filled with killing intent.
"Hmm?" As their group drew nearer to Luocheng, someone spotted the middle-aged man on the mountaintop and couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"This is the business of the sixteen sects. Fellow Daoist, leave quickly to avoid accidental injury!"
The leader shouted, his tone filled with menace. The middle-aged man was dressed in ancient clothing, clearly not from Great Qin. Furthermore, his aura was weak, suggesting he was not a powerful individual.
"Fellow Daoists, this path is blocked!"
Gu Qing slowly raised his head, his tone indifferent. Da Feng Novel Network
"You court death! Do you not open your dog eyes to see that there are over a dozen Emperor stage cultivators here, and you dare to obstruct us? Who gave you this courage?"
Someone roared, his tone filled with disdain.
"Why waste words? If he dares to block us, kill him! Since they are reinforcements invited by Great Qin, they are enemies and must be killed!"
"With so many of us, how can we be stopped by someone of unknown origin?"
"If you don't want to die, get out of the way! All five cities of Great Qin will be destroyed tonight. Considering you are also from ancient times, we might spare your life!"
The people from the sixteen sects berated him one after another. It wasn't that they were being presumptuous; it was because Gu Qing's aura was weak, making him appear to be at the early Emperor stage. As for powerful cultivators from ancient times, those present knew them all, and clearly, Gu Qing did not leave an impression on them.
Moreover, they had two late Emperor stage cultivators, one of whom carried a Heavenly grade weapon, along with fifteen mid Emperor stage cultivators. Such strength meant they wouldn't fear even renowned ancient cultivators, as long as they weren't top-tier overlords.
Gu Qing chuckled faintly upon hearing this, then looked at the assembled group, his gaze instantly sharpening.
"Buzz!" With a spear's hum, Gu Qing moved. He thrust his spear towards the sky, and immediately, a terrifying fluctuation swept over the members of the sixteen sects.
"Courting death!!!"
"Presumptuous!!!"
The people of the sixteen sects were furious upon seeing this. How dare he take the initiative to attack them? They clearly wished to die!
But then, their expressions abruptly changed, because Gu Qing's actions did not pause; he continued to thrust his spear.
Waves of terrifying fluctuations struck, layer after layer, causing everyone to instantly sense something unusual.
"Late Emperor stage!!!"
"Heavenly Weapon!!! Mid-grade Heavenly Weapon!!!"
The people of the sixteen sects exclaimed in shock. No one had expected that the opponent would be a late Emperor stage cultivator, and that his weapon was a mid-grade Heavenly Weapon!
It was known that even a lower-grade Heavenly Weapon was incredibly rare. Since their establishment in ancient times, none of the sixteen sects had ever obtained a Heavenly Weapon.
If not for the rewards from the Desolate Hall this time, with the strength of their sects, they likely wouldn't have had the chance to possess a Heavenly Weapon.
And now, this stranger before them possessed a mid-grade Heavenly Weapon, something rarely seen even among overlord-level sects.
"Rumble!!!"
The people of the sixteen sects unleashed their attacks to block Gu Qing's onslaught. The two late Emperor stage cultivators were fine, easily neutralizing the attacks. However, the fifteen mid Emperor stage cultivators all showed flushed faces, struggling to resist.
"I promised young friend Xiaotian that I would not let anyone attack Luocheng tonight. Since you have come, you shall remain here as fertilizer!"
Gu Qing stated calmly, stepping onto the sky step by step, and then began to wield his spear.
Instantly, countless phantom spear images appeared in the sky behind him.
"Not good, attack together and kill him!"
Upon seeing this, the people of the sixteen sects' expressions drastically changed. The middle-aged man's strength far surpassed their imagination. Especially seeing the dense array of spear shadows behind him, each one gave them a feeling of heart palpitations.
"Heh heh, too late."
With a light chuckle from Gu Qing, the dense array of spears behind him shot out, engulfing all thirteen of them.
At the same time, on the side of Qingcheng, a group of people had arrived. But just as they were preparing to launch their attack, a bizarre scene unfolded.
They saw the city before them suddenly plunge into darkness. Moments ago, it was brightly lit, but in the next instant, all the lights vanished. Not a sound could be heard from within the city, as if the entire city had died in an instant.
"What's happening?"
Someone whispered, his expression grave. He sensed that there wasn't a single living being in the city before them, making it seem like a dead city.
"Boom!" An Emperor stage cultivator casually threw a punch at the Qingcheng city wall, but what followed was an unbelievable sight.
The city of Qingcheng remained completely still, without the slightest change. And the attack from the cultivator had been silently neutralized.
"What is going on? What is Great Qin doing? What happened to this city just now?"
Someone's face turned pale, and he swallowed.
"Something's wrong. This city is peculiar, as if it has a life of its own. I feel it watching us!"
Someone spoke, a chill running down his spine. They had never witnessed such a bizarre scene.
"Cough cough!"
Just then, a dry cough echoed in everyone's ears, startling them all.
"Putting on a show. Fellow Daoist, who are you? Do you dare to come out and fight?"
The leader shouted, his Heavenly Weapon poised. As long as he could pinpoint the location of the hidden individual, he was confident he could force them out with a single strike.
"Cough cough, a bunch of little fellows. If it weren't for my granddaughter's husband wanting to establish his might by killing you tomorrow, this old woman would have already annihilated you!"
An aged voice rang out, it was a woman's voice. Immediately after, the sky above everyone's heads darkened, and they instinctively looked up.
Instantly, everyone froze. One by one, they gasped, their hearts filled with dread.
They saw that in the sky above their heads, the face of an old woman occupied the entire sky, looking down at them with an expressionless gaze.
"This... what in the world is happening??? Who are you???"
The leader instinctively asked. The scene before him was too shocking, causing him to forget to attack.
"Heh heh, just stay put. A mere bunch of ants, unworthy of knowing this old one's identity?"
The face disappeared. Seeing this, the sixteen sects became anxious and unleashed their full strength to attack the sky.
Boom boom boom!!! The sky reverberated with constant explosions, various lights flashing, and space itself seemed on the verge of tearing apart.
But there was still no abnormal reaction. Their attacks seemed to hit nothing but empty air, yielding no effect.