Yin Qing's swordsmanship was very strong.
This kind of powerhouse who focused on one path had a system that was inherently more logically consistent than other Star Rulers.
So Yin Qing was still considered a powerful figure even among Star Rulers, unless she happened to run into a Star Ruler with an astral world.
But it was extremely unfortunate that Gu Nan's abilities completely countered any powers that relied on sword intent or will.
As long as the attack couldn't destroy his Evil God physique, Gu Nan was equivalent to an immortal existence. Moreover, he also didn't fear consecutive hits, because no one could catch up to him.
"Gu Nan!" Lou Wanying naturally recognized the other party in one glance, and the flames of rage in his eyes almost spewed out.
He and Gu Nan had crossed paths many times before.
He still considered the other party a teammate back when they went to Nirvana Heaven together, and later, he even wanted to invite Gu Nan along when heading to the Time Arena.
Despite being rejected at that time, the relationship between the two didn't deteriorate—that is, until Gu Nan struck and killed Luo Ze, then beat up Lou Wanying to within an inch of his life and stole the sand of time.
Gu Nan had already become a bandit in the current Lou Wanying's eyes—an enemy he held an extremely deep grudge against.
And in Gu Nan's words, his favorability with the other party had already fallen into the negatives.
Lou Wanying didn't expect to see Gu Nan again in Extreme Sword Heaven's Sword Sect. Even worse, he didn't expect that not even Yin Qing could stop the other party!
"Boss!" Yan Yang's expression changed wildly as he ran forward to help Yin Qing up and shot Gu Nan a vicious glare.
While Yan Yang did have a nasty personality, his many years of friendship with Yin Qing wasn't fake.
Lou Wanying even shouted, "Gu Nan, whatever attacks you have, just direct them all at me. Those two have nothing to do with this matter!"
After Lou Wanying finished, he rushed forward without hesitation and pulled out a small box from his clothes and threw it out. A layer of fine powder started to drift in the air.
"You guys get out of here!" Lou Wanying told the two behind him.
Yan Yang didn't have time to think. He opened a space passage with a wave of his hand and helped Yin Qing inside.
"You will all die." Gu Nan, however, only had a cold smile on his face as he stepped into that powder with one step. His figure was actually completely unhindered.
Yin Qing was only injured and had yet to lose consciousness, so she immediately stopped in her tracks when she saw this, planning to turn back and aid Lou Wanying.
But Yan Yang hastily dragged her back while urging, "Boss, what are you doing? That Lou Wanying kid is blessed with great luck. Normal people can't hurt him."
It wasn't like they've only known Lou Wanying for a day. They knew a long time ago that he enjoyed profound luck and fortune. Who knows which powerful figure was secretly backing Lou Wanying? So he wouldn't be killed that easily.
Of course, Lou Wanying himself didn't know this. He was currently watching Gu Nan's punch fall down with a bitter smile on his face.
'Brother Yan, Big Sis Yin, it seems that your little brother will be the first to leave this world…' Lou Wanying thought helplessly in his heart.
However, right at that time, a white light suddenly flashed on his chest. Nine bright dots floated up out of thin air, forming a strange array.
...
Lu Wen sat in a chair above the endless sky, while a woman in Daoist robes stood in front of him.
She was none other than Yu Lian, the Star Ruler of Void Grotto Heaven. However, the two were currently inside Lu Wen's Clockwork Heaven.
"Your people took my sect's inheritance. Lu Wen, you went too far!"
Yu Lian glared at Lu Man coldly. Her words weren't polite at all. In terms of seniority, she was much older than Lu Wen, and she was also quite strong, so there was naturally no need for her to be polite.
Lu Wen, however, just replied with a smile, "Lou Wanying is just a friend of mine. How is he one of my people?"
Of course Yu Lian wouldn't bother to argue over sophistry with him here and sneered, "Good. I hope you can still say that when I kill him."
When it came to Void Grotto Heaven's inheritance, even someone with Yu Lian's status no longer had the leisure to worry about losing face from bullying those weaker than her.
In fact, when one reached the level of the Thirteen Heavens, it was more about whether they themselves felt something was worth doing rather than what onlookers would think.
They could simply kill anyone who objected.
But Lu Wen's expression remained unchanged as he shook his head slightly. "I'm afraid normal people won't be able to harm him… And Xue Ren also has a matter to attend to recently, doesn't he?"
Xue Ren and Yu Lian's relationship wasn't really a secret. But since Lu Wen brought Xue Ren up at this juncture, it was clear that Lu Wen was the one who created the trouble that Xue Ren had to deal with.
Yu Lian remained silent for a while when a smile suddenly appeared on her formerly blank face.
"Xue Ren has been called the Sword Saint for so many years. I'm afraid you all forgot that he was known for his infallible schemes when he was young."
After saying that, Yu Lian's figure vanished from Clockwork Heaven, returning to the spot within Void Grotto Heaven where she and Xue Ren conversed earlier.
Of course Xue Ren was no longer here, but the note he left behind was still there.
[Capture Lou Wanying when nine stars appear to obtain the inheritance]
"Regarding this matter, please ask Junior Martial Brother Xu to make a trip," Yu Lian's voice echoed within Void Grotto Heaven.
"Yes."
...
In Extreme Sword Heaven, the nine bright dots in front of Lou Wanying glowed brightly and actually formed a strange array, shielding him from Gu Nan.
And as the array took shape, the true appearances of these nine bright dots were also revealed.
They were nine people, all with different appearances. Children and adults, men and women, young and old—all of them could be found here. The common feature was that they were all Star Rulers.
Nine veritable Star Rulers!
Among these nine figures, Gu Nan saw the recently-deceased Qiao Deyu and also Rendering Mountain Venerable, the Star Ruler of Mountain River World.
Although he didn't recognize the others, from this alone, it wasn't difficult to conclude that these nine people all crossed paths with Lou Wanying at some point.
The nine spirits all had blank expressions as they entered a formation of five in front and four at the back, protecting Lou Wanying from harm.
Yan Yang couldn't help exclaiming from the back, "Amazing! So the 'Protection of Nine Stars' that old man mentioned actually refers to nine genuine Star Rulers!"
After witnessing this, Yan Yang was longer in a hurry to escape with Yin Qing. Sure enough, Lou Wanying didn't let him down and summoned nine Star Rulers at once. Was there any place he couldn't visit now that he had this power?
What he didn't notice was that a man in black Daoist robes was already standing in the shadows, gazing coldly at Lou Wanying.
As long as Lou Wanying took a step back and left the protective formation's range, he would be captured in one fell swoop.
Among the nine stars, the leader was none other than Rendering Mountain Venerable, a Star Ruler whose peak power once approached that of a Realm Level plane.
In his spirit state, he no longer recognized Gu Nan, but he still possessed Rendering Mountain Venerable's strength and personality.
"Protection of Nine Stars!" Rendering Mountain Venerable shouted coldly as he smashed his fists down on Gu Nan, carrying the terrifying power of entire mountains behind them.
The remaining eight Star Rulers also didn't remain idle. Almost simultaneously, they also attacked with their signature moves.
Gu Nan's eyes were indifferent as he watched Rendering Mountain Venerable's fists fall with unparalleled momentum and suddenly raised his foot, kicking his opponent squarely in the abdomen.
Back then, a Tier 4 saint clone paired with Tier 6 laws was enough to shut Rendering Mountain Venerable down.
But now Gu Nan's true body was here, and the power of the Evil God physique was even stronger than laws. How could Rendering Mountain Venerable resist?
The enemy who seemed to have the momentum of a crushing mountain mere seconds ago flew backwards at an even faster speed in the blink of an eye.
On the other side, Gu Nan's figure flickered a little as he vanished. When he next appeared, he'd already bypassed the remaining eight Star Rulers and pounced on Lou Wanying.
Lou Wanying hurriedly retreated in shock. Thus, the figure of the black-robed Daoist also emerged behind him and caught him with one hand.
A cold laugh rang from his mouth. "You sure have a lot of guts to steal my Void Grotto Heaven's inheritance… Why don't you come with this Daoist for a trip?"
He knocked Lou Wanying unconscious with his palm, then smiled at the Gu Nan who was rushing over. "Many thanks for your help today, Daoist Friend. Void Grotto Heaven will prepare a generous reward in the future… Bastard!"
The black-robed Daoist's words turned sharply, but Gu Nan didn't even spare him a glance as he threw a punch at Lou Wanying's head. The latter's head instantly burst open. The bloody mist splashed the black-robed Daoist square in the face.