Sword light flickered.
Every strike landed with pinpoint precision.
Not a single wisp of divine power was wasted on the offensive.
The timing of each attack was mastered to perfection, offering the six gods no opening to retaliate whatsoever.
"How can this be!" Diwu Bufan roared in impotent fury.
His divine power clearly far surpassed Qi Yuan's.
Looking purely at divine power, the other five surrounding gods also exceeded Qi Yuan. Yet facing his solitary assault, they found themselves bound hand and foot.
Or rather, they could not touch Qi Yuan at all, left only to endure his blows passively.
In a flash.
A sword cleaved down. An old man's arm flew off. His eyes nearly tore from their sockets as his divine power surged violently, lashing out in a frenzy of desperate attacks.
If even a single strike managed to land on Qi Yuan, it would surely inflict a grievous wound.
Yet he fell just short—always just short. Every time he attempted a mutual destruction exchange, he fell agonizingly short.
"His technique has attained perfection!" the old man said, unresigned.
"If this continues, we are bound to lose!" Prince Dingyuan was already looking for a way to flee.
They had clashed for less than ten breaths, yet every one of them was already covered in wounds.
Qi Yuan, on the other hand, was completely unscathed, his offense growing ever more ferocious.
When had these God-rank weapon wielders ever been bullied like this?
Back at the Heaven rank, every one of them had been a standout talent, their craft honed to the pinnacle. Challenging higher realms and instantly killing peers of their generation had been child's play.
After stepping into the God rank, they had rarely bothered to polish their skills.
Divine power alone was enough to sweep aside all opposition.
As long as one's divine power was vast and deep, one was stronger.
Yet who would have thought that today, someone would completely overwhelm them purely through skill?
It was not merely an upper hand—it was an absolute crushing, not even in the same realm of ability.
"Ah! Save me! I can't hold on!" an old man cried out in terror.
Qi Yuan's strikes were simply too sharp and relentless; the man had no way to parry them, and within a few breaths, he was battered and bleeding all over.
A few more breaths, and he might perish.
In the distance, Liu Sheng, who had originally intended to come and reinforce them, froze in his tracks. His eyes held sheer terror. *Without Divine Descent, he is still this strong?*
After all, he had always believed that Qi Yuan's greatest reliance was Divine Descent.
With Divine Descent in hand, he roamed invincible across the divine realm.
Yet who could have foreseen that once Divine Descent was tainted and its divine power dissipated, he would become even stronger?
Divine Descent... had almost been like a shackle holding him back.
"No!" The old man let out a shrill scream.
Among the five God-rank weapon wielders present, not a single one was willing to sustain an injury to save him.
He died in bitter resentment.
If only someone had been a little more decisive and risked their life to obstruct Qi Yuan, he would have suffered at most a minor injury—how could he have fallen like this!
The remaining five God-rank weapon wielders turned pale.
"Zhou Zhiqi actually died!"
"Prince Dingyuan, you were closest just now! Why didn't you step in to stop him?"
"What do we do? We are no match for him!"
Alarmed and frantic, internal strife erupted among the God-rank weapon wielders.
At that moment, Diwu Bufan looked particularly hideous.
The visitors from beyond the heavens had clearly told him that he would win this battle and that the Rakshasa Country would endure for ten thousand generations. Why was he in mortal peril now?
Yet he had no time to ponder it.
"Qi Yuan, why don't we stop here? Divine Descent has already fallen. If we continue fighting like this, we will only hand an unearned advantage to Feng Country! How about this: We will appoint you Imperial Preceptor, second only to the Emperor and above ten thousand people. What do you say?" Diwu Bufan gritted his teeth and called out.
"There's actually such a good deal in this world?" Qi Yuan said.
Diwu Bufan was overjoyed, thinking Qi Yuan had agreed.
"You sure dream big. Even if you were my son, I'd still look down on you for being old and not taking baths." Qi Yuan's attacks did not pause for a second.
This Diwu Bufan didn't even have the qualifications to be his son.
Diwu Bufan's expression darkened, and he roared in rage, "You're forcing Our hand!"
From his posture, it looked as though he still held a trump card.
The other gods still locked in battle showed looks of hope, praying for Diwu Bufan to unleash some hidden power.
However, the next thing that reached their ears was:
"Fake son, don't run!"
Diwu Bufan had turned on his heel and bolted.
Seeing this, the remaining God-rank weapon wielders did not hesitate for a second and scattered in all directions.
"Fake sons, don't run!"
"Time to draw a lucky spectator at random... and it's you, Prince Dingyuan."
Qi Yuan's speed abruptly skyrocketed.
In the sky, the drones scattered at once, giving chase after the other God-rank weapon wielders.
Qi Yuan shot straight after Prince Dingyuan.
Heaven-Cleaving Sword-Drawing Technique!
Prince Dingyuan's eyes were bloodshot.
"No!"
He poured all his divine power into a desperate counterattack before death.
Yet having already slain a God-rank weapon wielder, Qi Yuan's level had increased considerably, boosting his strength significantly.
Prince Dingyuan's counterattack was completely futile.
A single sword fell, and Prince Dingyuan perished!
*This is... a pursuit.*
At this moment, Qi Yuan was no longer Divine Descent; he was Qi Yuan.
"Die!"
He followed the drones in pursuit.
Liu Sheng was thoroughly shaken. *How... how can a mortal be so monstrously strong?*
Seeing a God-rank weapon wielder fleeing toward him, he quickly vaulted into the sky.
"Brother Qi, allow this old man to assist you!"
"No!"
"Sever!"
"Ahhh!"
The hunt continued, and death spread alongside it.
One by one, the God-rank weapon wielders were cut down.
Before Qi Yuan, even a God-rank weapon wielder reincarnated from a Yang God was no match for a single clash, let alone these ordinary divine ranks.
In the end, Qi Yuan slaughtered every last God-rank weapon wielder sword by sword.
As for Diwu Bufan, he was run down and slain by Qi Yuan inside the imperial treasury.
Inside the imperial treasury, Diwu Bufan had even produced a treasure capable of activating a Divine Domain, brimming with confidence that he could turn the tables and kill Qi Yuan.
Yet who would have thought that even with his hidden trump card, he was nothing more than a clown, cut down on the spot by Qi Yuan.
With Diwu Bufan's demise, many Heaven-rank weapon wielders, and even Earth-rank weapon wielders, drew their swords against Qi Yuan.
No nation ever lacked loyalists willing to sacrifice themselves or be buried alongside their master.
As a Lawful Good entity, Qi Yuan naturally granted their wishes.
This day was destined to be recorded in the annals of Rakshasa Country.
Divine Descent shattered, seven gods fallen, and the imperial power of Rakshasa Country brought to ruin.
***
The moon was bright and the stars were sparse.
Qi Yuan sat atop the roof of an imperial palace hall.
The imperial palace had descended into a period of chaos today.
The death of Diwu Bufan dealt a catastrophic blow to the existing order.
Fortunately, Liu Sheng had stepped in to quell the unrest.
For now, the royal capital maintained a fragile equilibrium.
"99%."
Qi Yuan surveyed the royal capital, a complex expression in his eyes.
Diwu Bufan had fallen, and the fame of Divine Descent had spread throughout the world.
Yet his role-play assimilation was stuck at 99%.
He was merely 1% away from complete perfection and unlocking the next role-play task.
Yet no matter what, it would not increase.
Just then, several figures appeared.
Liu Sheng, Liu Chudong, and the yarn-washing crone arrived.
A desolate expression surfaced in the yarn-washing crone's eyes. "Divine Descent... is truly destroyed?"
Today, when she watched Divine Descent consume all the toxic rain to save the entire city's populace, her heart had ached.
In fact, the moment the toxic rain appeared, she had felt a premonition.
The God of Judgment she revered and admired would inevitably swallow the toxic rain for the sake of the city's people.
Yet... at that moment, a selfish thought had inexplicably arisen in her heart, wishing that the God of Judgment could be a little selfish.
Still, the Divine Descent she looked up to had unhesitatingly chosen to drink down the poisonous rain.
Now that Divine Descent was gone, she felt lost and despondent.
The most painful thing in this world was to have hope kindled, only to watch it snuffed out before one's eyes.
"He... is destroyed," Qi Yuan said calmly. "Though, not entirely."
His words sounded somewhat enigmatic.
Liu Sheng studied Qi Yuan, an unfathomable, terrifying thought rising in his mind: "Brother Qi... are you Divine Descent?"
How could there be such an impossibly young God-rank weapon wielder in this world?
If Qi Yuan was Divine Descent, unified as one with the artifact, then it would make sense.
Perhaps through some miraculous opportunity, the national divine artifact Divine Descent had assumed human form, developing thoughts and consciousness of its own.
"You are the God of Judgment?" Astonishment filled Liu Chudong's eyes.
The yarn-washing crone's eyes erupted with joy.
The God of Judgment hadn't perished?
"Young Master is a heavenly god descended to the mortal realm! What does it matter if he is Divine Descent?" Chen Kangbao chimed in smugly.
Qi Yuan nodded. "Putting it that way isn't wrong either. I can be Divine Descent, but Divine Descent is not me."
Liu Chudong looked at Qi Yuan, huge waves surging in her heart. Her face showed both delight and a trace of worry.
Divine Descent... was now human, possessing human emotions and mortal thoughts. Could He still be that impartial, selfless Divine Descent?
At that moment, Qi Yuan's gaze fell upon Liu Chudong.
"Someone like you must be terribly annoying to many at times, but at other times, you command genuine respect. Liu Chudong, could you do me a favor?" Qi Yuan asked.
Qi Yuan had met countless people, but pure idealists like Liu Chudong were exceedingly rare.
Even when they existed, such people usually lived wretched lives and were often mocked as brainless.
"Brother... Qi, please speak," Liu Chudong said, somewhat taken aback.
Liu Sheng hurriedly shot meaningful glances at his granddaughter, terrified she might say something offensive.
Yet he was playing a lute to a cow; Liu Chudong did not catch his drift at all.
He had no choice but to apologize on her behalf: "Chudong is naive and innocent. If she offends Brother Qi with her words, I pray Brother Qi will not take offense!"
Qi Yuan gave a faint smile. "I'm still a relatively magnanimous person."
Although Qi Yuan had killed a great many people and often got angry over what his white moonlight said, he still possessed basic magnanimity.
"What do you think Divine Descent's wish is?" Qi Yuan looked at Liu Chudong and asked.
Right now, his role-play of Divine Descent lacked the final 1% to reach perfection.
As to what was missing, Qi Yuan had a faint inkling, but could not be certain.
Liu Chudong froze slightly, her gaze turning sharp. She spoke loudly and clearly:
"'Bear the light, drive away the dark night; where injustice reigns, call upon my Divine Descent!'
"These are the sacred words of the God of Judgment, and naturally His aspiration.
"He hopes to rid this world of all injustice, granting equality, fairness, and justice to everyone!"
This was also Liu Chudong's own dream.
Qi Yuan fell silent for a moment.
Aside from certain unique races, what Liu Chudong spoke of was likely impossible to achieve.
"That is likely very difficult to realize," Qi Yuan said.
He could not remain in Rakshasa Country or the Qingshan Realm for the rest of his life.
To achieve this... unless he used the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture to brainwash every inhabitant of Rakshasa Country, embedding concepts like benevolence and equality directly into the minds of every living being in the Qingshan Realm.
In that case, everyone in the world would be carved from the same mold, functioning strictly according to rules like automatons.
That would indeed conform to the rules and satisfy Divine Descent's wish.
However, Qi Yuan was unwilling to do that.
Every person had the right to live their own life. Even if they might be casually slain by Qi Yuan, their thoughts were their own.
"Just because it cannot be fully realized, does that mean we shouldn't strive for it?" Liu Chudong countered. "If we make a little progress every day, day after day, there will come a day when this world truly becomes a paradise."
Liu Chudong's eyes brimmed with anticipation and hope for the future.
Qi Yuan actually rather agreed with these words.
After all, he had read plenty of chicken soup for the soul back on Blue Star.
It was like the story of the little girl throwing stranded fish back into the ocean after a storm.
A passerby looks at the countless stranded fish and says, "You can't save all of them. Why waste your energy? Who cares?"
The girl replies, "This fish cares. And this one cares, too."
All Qi Yuan could do was ensure that within his sight, the atmosphere of this world became slightly better.
Fewer people cursed more foully than he did.
More people were kinder than he was.
That way, his life would be very comfortable, and even if he got into an argument, he could easily win.
Liu Chudong looked at Qi Yuan and said earnestly, "However... the prerequisite for all of this is that Divine Descent must be truly fair and just. Any entity with self-awareness will always..."
Liu Sheng cast an anxious glare at Liu Chudong.
Yet Liu Chudong paid him no heed and pressed on, "Brother Qi, are you certain you can lead this world in the direction Divine Descent hopes for?"
Her words were rather blunt, even bordering on unreasonable.
Yet she said them nonetheless.
She looked steadily at Qi Yuan, waiting for his answer.
Qi Yuan's gaze turned deep. "Ugh, this is exhausting. I have to use my brain again."
He felt a surge of annoyance, then looked at Liu Chudong: "Tell me, what method can solve this problem?"
Liu Chudong looked at Qi Yuan. "Brother Qi, if what I say next offends you, please punish only me and do not implicate my family!"
Dainty and petite, Liu Chudong looked barely twelve or thirteen years old, appearing even more delicate than a canary. Yet at this moment, her gaze was exceptionally resolute.
"Speak freely. Even if you call me a dog, I won't get angry," Qi Yuan said with a faint smile.
When it came to hurling insults and personal attacks, who could compete with the comment sections on Blue Star?
A single glance was enough to shatter someone's composure and send their blood pressure through the roof.
"Humans all have selfish motives, myself included. Even if my selfish motive flies the banner of fairness and justice and seems to be for the good of all people, it is still selfish.
"Therefore, to achieve true fairness and justice, humanity must be eliminated. The human heart is the hardest thing to test.
"Perhaps the original Divine Descent could have brought a true utopia to this world. But Brother Qi has your own consciousness, your own preferences. No matter how fair and just you try to be, you will inevitably have biases."
Liu Chudong's cherry lips held nothing back: "I hope Brother Qi can... extinguish your own consciousness and allow the original Divine Descent to return!
"If Brother Qi perishes, I will leap from here as well, so Brother Qi will not be alone!"
Liu Chudong's words were enough to shake the heavens and move everyone present.
It was akin to a feudal dynasty where a warlord led his army into the royal capital, overthrew the old court, and stood poised to ascend the throne, only for someone to tell him: *The emperor is the greatest calamity in the world. For the sake of the realm's common folk, please commit suicide.*
The yarn-washing crone's expression shifted drastically as she said anxiously, "How do you know the God of Judgment cannot continue to uphold fairness and justice?"
Liu Sheng let out a quiet sigh, remaining silent.
Saying anything now was pointless.
At that moment, Qi Yuan looked at Liu Chudong, his thoughts swirling as though his brain were growing.
After a dozen breaths or so, a look of delight emerged in Qi Yuan's eyes.
"I understand. Since... I cannot be Divine Descent, then... I will return a Divine Descent to Rakshasa Country!"
At this moment, Qi Yuan suddenly saw the light.
He understood what was missing to complete his role-play of Divine Descent.
Moreover, it could even link up with his role-play as the Blind Implement Master!
Chapter 535