"Pfft..."
Tu Shan Shushu coughed up a large mouthful of blood, which splattered across the sky.
Her body slammed heavily onto the ground, creating a deep crater.
This scene also shocked Chi Di.
He looked up at the void, sensing a familiar aura, and asked uncertainly, "Ju Hong, is that you?"
"That's right, it's me."
In the air, demonic mist churned, and a terrifying figure, completely shrouded in bloody light, gradually revealed itself.
His eyes emitted a cold, chilling gleam as he looked down majestically, displaying an arrogant demeanor.
"Impossible, how could you have become so strong?"
Tu Shan Shushu struggled up from the dust, staring at Ju Hong in disbelief, unwilling to accept this reality.
To defeat her with a single move indicated that Ju Hong's cultivation was at least at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, or perhaps he had even entered the Profound Immortal realm. How could the other party's cultivation speed have suddenly become so terrifying?
Ju Hong was the patriarch of the Ju Mang clan. Previously, his strength was comparable to Tu Shan Shushu's. Now, he had overtaken her, his power surging dramatically.
"I understand."
Chi Di seemed to grasp the inside story and realized it with a sudden enlightenment. "Back then, your Ju Mang clan betrayed Great Immortal Xu Kong, ultimately leading to his demise. You must have received quite a lot of benefits for that. Previously, when the Void Sword Sect hadn't completely declined, you didn't dare to misuse those benefits. Now, with no more reservations, you've absorbed those resources, hence the surge in your strength."
"Chi Di, I didn't expect you to know about this. That's right, Great Immortal Xu Kong was ambushed and killed that year, and it was my Ju Mang clan that leaked his whereabouts."
Ju Hong didn't hide it. He proudly admitted it, even showing an expression of immense pride. He believed that participating in the murder of Great Immortal Xu Kong was an incredibly glorious and boast-worthy act.
Now that the Void Sword Sect was on the verge of being annihilated, he no longer had any qualms and naturally wasn't afraid of such sordid deeds being exposed.
"You scoundrel, you beast! How could you betray Great Immortal Xu Kong? Have you, the Ju Mang tribe, forgotten that it was Great Immortal Xu Kong who saved all of Qing Qiu? This is repaying kindness with enmity. You are worse than pigs and dogs."
Tu Shan Shushu was filled with righteous anger. She never expected that there was such a hidden truth behind the death of Great Immortal Xu Kong that year.
If it weren't for the betrayal and leak by the Ju Mang clan, Great Immortal Xu Kong would never have fallen so easily.
A generation's hero, yet he died at the hands of villains. Heaven is blind.
"Those who understand the times are the true heroes. If we hadn't betrayed Great Immortal Xu Kong, the entire Qing Qiu Demon Gate would have been implicated and eventually annihilated. We, the Ju Mang tribe, saved all of Qing Qiu, so you should be grateful. It's only the fault of that Xu Kong fellow for not knowing his place and dying. He deserved it."
Ju Hong let out a cold laugh, looking smug and displaying an utterly shameless demeanor.
This was clearly a case of taking shame as honor.
"Shameless! Today, I will cleanse the house for Qing Qiu."
Tu Shan Shushu bit her rosy lips, glaring at Ju Hong, frantically circulating all the immortal power within her body, emitting a brilliant treasure glow.
She soared into the sky, her fox tail vibrating behind her. Endless runes filled the void as she lunged towards Ju Hong.
"You? Too weak. You have no idea how powerful I am now!"
Ju Hong's face was full of disdain. He raised his palm and pressed it down forcefully.
His palm was entirely crimson, radiating fiery red light accompanied by the sound of thunder. Wherever it passed, the void twisted.
Boom...
The palm rapidly enlarged, easily tearing through the sky full of runes. Like Mount Tai crushing down, it enveloped Tu Shan Shushu within its palm and fiercely sent her flying.
Even though Tu Shan Shushu had displayed her strongest power, she was still no match.
Her body tumbled through the air, spitting out large mouthfuls of bloody mist, her fair body completely stained red.
Then, she shattered a mountain peak and fell amidst a pile of rubble.
Tu Shan Shushu's delicate little face was pale, completely devoid of color. She struggled several times but could no longer stand up.
Chi Di's scalp tingled. He never imagined Ju Hong could be so terrifying, having grown to such a dreadful level. He could not even give Tu Shan Shushu any room to resist. Then, he feared he himself wouldn't be able to withstand Ju Hong for more than a few moves.
He was filled with hatred. If he had been smarter back then and also betrayed Great Immortal Xu Kong, he would have undoubtedly received substantial benefits and wouldn't be suppressed by Ju Hong now.
"Vulnerable."
Ju Hong was incredibly cold and intended to make another move, killing Tu Shan Shushu on the spot.
"Wait a moment."
Chi Di spoke, stopping him, and said, "If Tu Shan Shushu dies, the entire Tu Shan clan will likely go mad and fight us without regard for consequences. Of course, those Heavenly Foxes can't cause much trouble, but we must guard against them destroying the immense wealth accumulated by Tu Shan, leaving us with nothing."
"That is indeed reasonable. Those Heavenly Foxes have always been stubborn, preferring to be shattered jade rather than intact tiles. Let's keep Tu Shan Shushu alive for now. After forcing them to hand over the wealth accumulated by Tu Shan, we can deal with them slowly."
Ju Hong pondered for a moment and withdrew his killing intent.
In any case, Tu Shan Shushu was already crippled and posed no threat.
Chi Di ordered his subordinates to capture Tu Shan Shushu and keep her under strict guard.
"Chi Di, find a way to squeeze all the wealth of the Tu Shan clan dry. Serve me well in the future, and I will not treat you unfairly."
Ju Hong issued the command in a condescending tone, not putting Chi Di, the sect master of the Qing Qiu Demon Gate, in his eyes at all.
Strength was everything. At this moment, he had the absolute confidence to say such things.
Chi Di was filled with unwillingness, but he knew his place and said subserviently, "Yes. Tomorrow, I will publicly announce my resignation as sect master, and you will take charge of the Qing Qiu Demon Gate."
"Hmph, the Qing Qiu Demon Gate no longer needs to exist. From now on, it will be renamed the Ju Mang Demon Gate, and I, Ju Hong, will be its founder."
Ju Hong's ambition was great; he even intended to establish his own sect.
Chi Di's expression became extremely unsightly. If this were the case, wouldn't his Chi Lian tribe be forever subservient to the Ju Mang tribe, with no chance of rising?
However, he was under someone else's roof and had to bow his head. He could only grit his teeth and agree.
If he refused, he would likely suffer the same fate as Tu Shan Shushu.
"After I deal with the Void Sword Sect and obtain the Void Sword Intent and Void Sword Control Technique, I will hold the sect establishment ceremony."
Ju Hong was incredibly excited, unable to wait for that day to arrive.
Chi Di flattered him, "I will go capture Sima Hongfeng and the others now and force them to hand over Great Immortal Xu Kong's sword dao inheritance."
"Heh, your rash actions will only lead to your demise. Chi Qingying is with those people now. Let me first find a way to deal with her."
Ju Hong gazed into the distance, having already sensed Chi Qingying's presence.
However, he showed no fear, exuding absolute confidence.
"Chi Qingying is really here? She is a quasi-emperor. How can she be so easily dealt with?"
Chi Di was stunned. He never expected Chi Qingying to appear. Fortunately, he hadn't acted rashly before, otherwise, angering Chi Qingying would have had unimaginable consequences.
Ju Hong was extremely confident and snorted, "She is merely a quasi-emperor, not a true Immortal Emperor. As the saying goes, a strong dragon doesn't suppress a local snake. As long as she falls into my trap, she will be at my mercy."
Seeing Ju Hong's calm demeanor, Chi Di's mind was in turmoil. What kind of benefits did the Ju Mang clan receive for betraying Great Immortal Xu Kong, that Ju Hong dared to lay hands on Chi Qingying?
Afterward, the two of them further plotted and finalized their plan.
Chi Di was responsible for using Tu Shan Shushu's life to threaten the Tu Shan clan into submission and hand over Tu Shan's wealth.
As for Ju Hong, he began to lay traps and scheme to kill Chi Qingying.