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Indeed, I had completely forgotten myself....

Actually, there was a warning beforehand—when going against Chen Qing, one must first understand his background. The Master of the Divine Path is someone who can acquire all the powers of his Imperial Mandate God!

Yet just now, she focused all her attention on Ao Zhen’s changes and completely overlooked the fact that even Chen Qing, whose Spiritual Power is depleted, might still possess that nearly law-like strength.

But what she didn’t understand was, if the Master of the Divine Path was so formidable—capable even of duplicating a sect’s Venerable-level powers—why hadn’t any of the old players from the past ever used this ability?

Unfortunately, she... no longer had the chance to regret this question.

With no sight, her brain starved of oxygen, and her speech rendered completely impossible due to decapitation, she could not utter a single word.

She could even faintly sense that Chen Qing didn’t even bother to glance at her again.

At this moment, some regret welled inside her.

People had warned her before: when facing a great figure, if the other is in an overwhelming position, bow as low as you can.

However, conversely, if there’s a chance, don’t hesitate for even a moment; miss it, and you may never have another opportunity.

It was only at her death that she truly understood that those words were not mere scare tactics. Clearly... just now, her opponent had been someone powerless to resist, yet in the span of a single moment, she herself had become nothing... nothing but an ant.

A great figure indeed... you truly cannot afford to drag things out with them.

The Buddhist mother’s severed head rolled to the ground without a trace of blood. At the corner of her mouth was a bitter smile—years of scheming had led to such a ludicrous ending. Truly, this was...

If only... at the very moment she laid eyes on Chen Qing, she had struck without hesitation, killing him outright. Had she achieved that merit, at the very least... Old Liu might have granted her the position of Buddha?

Truly, this was....

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At this moment, Chen Qing naturally had no interest in delving into the thoughts of the dead. All his focus was on that ultimate battle. And yet, he could not see it; the Thousand Eyes Technique had been broken at the very start of their confrontation.

No one could discern the outcome between the two without taking the risk of permanent blindness themselves.

Thus, he could only wait for the result.

It was vital for Ao Zhen—for if she won, the world’s will would invest its bet in her.

An unstoppable possessor of the Sword Dao Fruit, and importantly, not an outsider from Outer Space, she would receive the strongest assistance of destiny from the Heaven and Earth Will, rendering her potential limitless.

Simply put, if she emerged victorious in this confrontation, Ao Zhen would at least be a Venerable, and an Innate Venerable at that!

As for himself... he also needed Ao Zhen to win this battle. If not...

"Old Liu, you truly arrived early."

Chen Qing looked outside the thatched hut, at the appearance of a highly familiar figure. That familiar face seemed younger now with the resurrection of the Buddha Kingdom. Old Liu’s appearance had become youthful and heroic, resembling the most spirited young general.

That aura caused Chen Qing to pause briefly. He had never seen such grandeur in a young man before, a grandeur likely unseen by many in this world. In the history of the Central Federation, perhaps only General Huo—Lang Xu’s seal-bearer—could compare to such spirited vigor.

Yet even so, Old Liu’s achievements were no less remarkable than those of Huo Qubing; after all, his victories in Southeast Asia marked the unmatched military record across all ages!

For a man like this to restore his youthful appearance—how could he not exude confidence and flair?

"Yet I am still late...." Old Liu’s sword-like eyes rested on Chen Qing. Despite no oppressive aura, the tension between the two surged, causing the surrounding air to freeze.

Old Liu’s words held sincere disappointment. He truly hadn’t anticipated that Chen Qing could turn the tide, even at this stage.

Deploying an ability prematurely at this level came with massive burdens. Initially, he hadn’t planned to use it, but who could have guessed that his slight attempt at conservation would cause him to miss the best opportunity to kill Chen Qing?

When the anomaly at Joyful Buddha’s site appeared, he could have paid any price to rush forward immediately. Yet that brief hesitation allowed Chen Qing to grasp a thread of survival.

"It does seem I arrived late..." Chen Qing smiled faintly. To be honest, this time wasn’t about a well-executed plan on his part; rather, it was pure luck. Without Ao Zhen’s aid, his chances of successfully seizing the Joyful Buddha’s power wouldn’t have even reached one percent.

But now, with Ao Zhen by his side, his odds of survival had climbed to fifty percent.

Old Liu gazed deeply at Chen Qing for a long while before doing nothing further, merely taking a seat.

His overwhelming aura resembled a heaven-piercing mountain, entirely engulfing the surroundings.

Feeling such pressure, Chen Qing’s heart turned solemn, knowing exactly what Old Liu intended—he was ensuring Chen Qing’s containment.

Should Ao Zhen lose, he would have no chance to escape.

Two choices lay before Chen Qing.

First: Before the outcome emerged, use Ao Zhen’s power to gamble everything on an all-out attack! Old Liu had only recently resurrected; he likely lacked an Innate Dao Fruit himself. Although this gamble carried little chance of winning, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Second: Wait for the result. Should Ao Zhen win, Old Liu would have no choice but to retreat—without an Innate Dao Fruit, there was no possibility of facing a life-and-death confrontation here. But this second choice involved a risk: if Ao Zhen lost, he wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back.

This wasn’t to say the Sword Spirit would side with Old Liu; it was simply that if Ao Zhen perished, the newly acquired power Chen Qing wielded would dissipate entirely.

This was one of the prominent weaknesses of the Master of Divine Path.

His strength stemmed from the Imperial Mandate God; within the sphere of his influence, he could wield the powers of everyone. In theory, if the sect reached its peak and his subordinates achieved Venerable-level powers, Chen Qing himself could simultaneously possess several Venerables’ abilities.

However, the drawback was that if his subordinates betrayed him or died, those powers would also vanish.

Like flowers in a mirror or the moon’s reflection in water, the Master of Divine Path’s strength fundamentally depended on his faction—a key reason why many strong figures preferred not to adopt the Divine Path Sect’s approach. For human hearts are far too unpredictable...

Take Ao Zhen, for instance. If she emerged victorious, would she still remain subordinate?

No one could say...

"You don’t intend to make a move?" Old Liu glanced at Chen Qing and suddenly laughed.

"That’s right..." Chen Qing laughed in return.

"You trust that Dragon Maiden that much?" Old Liu narrowed his eyes. "Don’t forget, she might not win, and even if she does, she could completely betray you and take everything of yours."

"Whatever choice I make now is a gamble.

" Chen Qing looked at him earnestly. "If I fight you now, there’s no certainty of winning.

Waiting for Ao Zhen—she might win or lose—and just as you say, Ao Zhen may even forsake her loyalty to me.

But then, if all options are fraught with uncertainty, why not bet on the one with the highest probability? "

"You think trusting that Dragon Maiden is the highest probability?"

"Yes...." Chen Qing stared resolutely at Old Liu. "I believe it’s the highest probability."

Old Liu frowned slightly at these words, studying Chen Qing before finally bursting into a chuckle. "You’re still the same as ever. With a personality like yours, even if you win today, you’re bound to trip over the same problem again in the future."

"That matter can wait...." Chen Qing thought briefly before speaking again. "Today, I may not leave here alive, so there’s something I’d really like to know. Can Old Liu enlighten me?"

"What do you want to know?"

"I want to know..." Chen Qing gazed intently at Old Liu. "Why... did you betray us?"