Chapter 2152 — Gu Ruyan

"So you know that I am a Player, huh? Is it really that surprising for me to be here?" Yuan responded with a calm smile as he blocked Gu Ruyan's next strike with ease.

"We have been keeping track of their progress, and most of them are still in the Fifth Heaven! So how in Heaven's name are you in the Eighth Heaven? In the seventh region of White Hell, no less!" Although those in the upper heavens were forbidden from approaching Players until they reached the Seventh Heaven, many influential clans and powerful sects still kept close watch on their progress. This way, they could not only recruit them once they qualified, but also prepare themselves to deal with them if necessary.

"And how the hell are you still alive? I thought the others had already taken care of you, hence why we stopped looking for you!" Gu Ruyan couldn't believe that Yuan had been alive this entire time. The events in the lower heavens sent shockwaves throughout not only that realm but even the upper heavens, for never before had anyone dared to provoke the Ji Family, much less slaughter Lord Ji.

"Why wouldn't I be alive? You guys didn't even attack me. In fact, that ambush you laid at the Stairway to Heaven had only managed to kill innocent Players." When Yuan first heard about the incident, he couldn't help but laugh and feel sorry for the players at the same time.

"Hmph! Regardless, your luck ends here. I'll finish today what the others failed to accomplish!" Gu Ruyan declared, retrieving a familiar-looking treasure.

Yuan narrowed his eyes at the rod in his hand. "The Rod of Destruction, huh? You must be desperate to kill me if you're bringing that out so soon."

"What?!" Gu Ruyan's movements suddenly halted, and he stared at Yuan with wide eyes. "Y-You... How do you know about the Rod of Destruction?! This item is extremely scarce and only available to a few people!"

Without any explanation, Yuan retrieved the Rod of Destruction he obtained from Zeng Guoquan at the Absyssal Underground and showed it to Gu Ruyan.

"You! Why the fuck do you have that?! How did you obtain it?!"

"I picked it up."

"Bullshit!"

"So, what are you going to do now? Want to use it at the same time and see who comes out alive?" Yuan said with a calm smile on his face.

Hearing Yuan's words, Gu Ruyan sneered, "You probably don't know this, but there are three tiers of rarity for the Rod of Destruction, and the higher the tier, the more powerful it is! While your Rod of Destruction is only tier 3, mine is tier 2! I'll completely obliterate you!"

"In that case, why don't you show me just how powerful your tier 2 Rod of Destruction really is? If not, I'll use mine," Yuan said, spreading his arms in a provoking gesture.

Without hesitation, Gu Ruyan began pouring his spiritual energy into the Rod of Destruction. Although using such a powerful treasure may seem excessive at face value, Gu Ruyan considered Yuan to be threatening enough to use it. Although Yuan was only a Golden Immortal while he himself was a God Ascension cultivator, Gu Ruyan realized from their brief exchanges that Yuan actually surpassed him in sheer prowess. Moreover, with Yuan's status as a Player blessed by the Celestial Emperor, Gu Ruyan knew he could not afford to treat him lightly. "This bastard was strong enough to kill Lord Ji and the others in the lower heavens. He cannot be underestimated!" Gu Ruyan thought to himself as he pointed the Rod of Destruction at Yuan. "Pulverize this bastard!"

The Rod of Destruction released a surge of black aura, and from its tip burst a crimson beam that struck toward Yuan in an instant. At the same time, Gu Ruyan used a treasure that instantly teleported him tens of thousands of miles away from his original location.

The instant the crimson beam touched Yuan, it erupted, creating a massive mushroom cloud that swept away the raging snowstorm of the seventh region and obliterated every mountain within a five-thousand- mile radius. The destruction was so powerful that even a God Ascension cultivator would instantly perish beneath its prowess.

"What the fuck?!" The other three from Gu Ruyan's group were shocked when they saw the commotion behind them. "Did that bastard really use the Rod of Destruction to take care of a mere Golden Immortal?! What is that idiot doing?!"

"The two of you go ahead! I'll go back and see the situation!" one of the men said. The other two nodded their head and continued their pursuit. Meanwhile, the one who stayed behind began traveling back to Gu Ruyan.

"Holy shit..." Gu Ruyan muttered, his eyes wide and his mouth agape as he stared at the devastation. It was his first time witnessing the Rod of Destruction in action-and its power far exceeded anything he had imagined. "No wonder the others were going crazy for this thing. The range might not be that wide, but the raw power is insane... anyone caught in the blast would be wiped out without a trace."

Sure enough, the power was so overwhelming that not even Yuan's physique could withstand it. His body was completely obliterated, but his soul endured, suffering only minor injuries that quickly healed on their own.

"Alright, that was a little scary," Yuan muttered as his body rapidly regenerated from nothing but his soul. When his form reconstituted, he found himself far from the blast site, having been hurled away by its sheer force.

"By the heavens... never have I witnessed a treasure so fearsome," Yu Ning murmured, her voice dazed. Feng Yuxiang nodded her head in agreement. "Though the world holds many powerful treasures, few-if any can rival its sheer destructive might."

"And this isn't even the strongest Rod of Destruction. If this is only the second strongest, how terrifying must the first-tier one be?" Yuan sighed. (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)